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The best Conan Exiles base is not one universal blueprint. A compact starter hut is usually best for a new solo character, a courtyard compound gives a clan room to work and defend, and a tower or terrain-integrated fortress is useful when ground space or approach routes are limited. Build on a stable foundation grid, keep crafting and storage accessible, and design at least one clear route for purge attackers instead of trying to make an inaccessible “purge-proof” base.
This guide compares the main base layouts, shows a practical construction order, explains stability and terrain choices, and adapts the advice for solo, clan, PvE, PvP, the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah.
What is the best base design in Conan Exiles?
There is no officially ranked best shape, cheapest design or guaranteed purge-proof layout. The right base depends on whether you play alone or with a clan, use PvE or PvP rules, are building on the Exiled Lands or the Isle of Siptah, and value crafting efficiency, defense, expansion room or role-play appearance.
Funcom’s building documentation emphasizes freedom: square and triangular foundations can be raised or lowered to follow terrain, walls snap to foundations, and ceilings make multi-story construction possible. Those pieces support everything from a one-room shelter to a city with furniture, crafting stations, traps and defensive structures. The practical recommendations below apply those mechanics rather than presenting an official build order.
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| Design | Resource cost | Construction speed | Expandability | Crafting capacity | Defense | Purge pathing | Accessibility | Visual style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter hut | Low | Fast | Limited unless planned with an extension side | Basic | Basic protection from wildlife and casual threats | Usually easy for enemies to read | Excellent | Practical and compact |
| Courtyard compound | Medium to high | Moderate | High inside and outside the perimeter | High | Outer wall, gate and defender positions | Can provide a controlled approach lane | Good if the gate and paths stay clear | Fort, village or estate |
| Tower or vertical base | Medium, with extra planning for stairs and supports | Moderate | Good upward; limited sideways | Medium to high by floor | Height and narrow approaches can help | Vertical pathing and access can be complicated | Requires reliable stairs and landings | Keep, watchtower or castle donjon |
| Terrain-integrated base | Low to high depending on the site | Variable | Constrained by rock, cliff, island or ruins | Medium to high | Natural barriers reduce exposed approaches | May confuse or block purge behavior if overused | Can be poor for allies and thralls | Cave, cliff fortress or ruin restoration |
| Dedicated purge base | High if separate from the main home | Moderate to slow | Focused on defense rather than comfort | Low to medium | Purpose-built lanes, platforms and fallback rooms | Designed around a visible enemy route | Good for defenders and repairs when planned | Bunker, arena or military outpost |
Where should you build your first base?
Choose a site that shortens everyday trips without making future access impossible. A beginner location near early resources and water is usually more valuable than a dramatic but remote cliff. Leave enough level ground for a compact foundation footprint, and check that you can approach the door, carry materials in and out, and expand one side later.
Check the site before placing a foundation
- Resources: Walk the surrounding area and confirm that basic wood, stone, plant fiber and water are within a reasonable gathering route. A beautiful location that forces every material run across the map slows all progression.
- Terrain: Look for a foundation grid that can be made level with the game’s raise and lower controls. Small adjustments are normal; a site that requires floating floors, extreme clipping or a maze of supports is a poor first project.
- Approaches: Identify where creatures, players or purge NPCs could reach the structure. Natural cliffs and water can reduce the number of exposed sides, but leave one readable route for friendly access and for a purge to resolve normally.
- Clearance: Test the intended door, stairs and ceiling height before committing to a large footprint. Decorative pieces cannot compensate for a blocked entrance or a landing that a character cannot reach.
- Rules: Server settings, building restrictions and PvE or PvP rules change what “safe” means. A design that is sensible on a private PvE server may be vulnerable or prohibited on a competitive server.
How to build a reliable starter hut
A starter hut should be a small, functional checkpoint rather than a miniature castle. Its job is to provide a bed, storage, a basic crafting line and enough shelter to let you gather materials and explore. Build it so one wall can be removed or extended when you move to a permanent compound.
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- Raise or lower foundations to meet the ground. Use the foundation adjustment controls to reduce gaps and steep transitions. Walk around the entire footprint before adding walls so you catch a corner that is too high or low.
- Add walls and one door. Snap walls to the foundation edges and put the entrance on the side facing your resource route. Avoid multiple doors until you have a reason to defend or separate spaces.
- Cap the first level with ceilings. A complete ceiling gives you a safe interior and a platform from which to test future stairs. Do not start a second story while the first level still has unsupported or misaligned sections.
- Place a bed and storage first. Put the bed where it cannot be blocked by a later station. Keep storage near the entrance so routine deposits do not require crossing the entire room.
- Set up the basic crafting line. Arrange stations with a clear walking path and enough space to interact with them. Leave one wall or outside edge open for a future furnace, wheel, bench or improved station.
- Add lighting and a roof only after access works. Verify that the door opens, the bed can be used and every station is reachable. Then add roof pieces, lighting and minimal decoration.
When you outgrow the hut, extend the planned side into a workshop or enclose a second foundation group with an outer wall. Demolishing a neat, low-cost starter is often less frustrating than trying to attach a complicated castle to an irregular first build.
Courtyard compound: the strongest all-purpose layout
A courtyard compound separates daily work from the defensive perimeter. Put storage and crafting in an inner workshop or living block, surround it with an outer wall and gate, and leave an open yard for thralls, movement and future stations. This arrangement works particularly well for clans because several people can work at once without every room becoming a corridor.
Plan the zones
- Outer perimeter: Use a continuous wall where possible, with the main gate facing the approach you want visitors and purge NPCs to take.
- Courtyard: Keep the center open enough for thralls to move and for you to repair walls or reach a damaged gate. Avoid filling every tile with benches and decorations.
- Core rooms: Place high-value storage and essential crafting stations behind at least one additional door or wall line. A fallback room should remain usable even if the gate area is damaged.
- Defender positions: Put thralls where they can see the approach without being sealed behind cosmetic walls, narrow balconies or furniture.
- Expansion edge: Reserve one side for a stable extension. You can add a second workshop, animal area, sleeping quarters or a tower without cutting through the busiest route.
The compound’s advantage is controlled circulation: attackers meet the gate and outer wall before reaching the core, while residents still have a short route between storage, stations and the exit. Its cost is higher than a hut, and a large perimeter creates more wall sections to maintain.
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Tower or vertical base: when height saves ground space
A tower concentrates rooms on stacked floors. It is useful on a narrow plateau, in a crowded settlement or when you want a watchtower or castle donjon, but the design trades horizontal flexibility for stair and support planning.
Build from the bottom up
- Start with a broad, regular foundation. Even a narrow tower needs a footprint that can carry the intended floors. Keep the first level wide enough for the door, stairs and at least one practical room.
- Finish and test each floor. Add walls and ceilings one level at a time. Walk the stairs repeatedly with equipment equipped; a landing that looks acceptable while building can become unusable after walls, railings or decorations are added.
- Provide a fallback route. Keep a ground-level exit and a protected room for essential storage. If a stair section is damaged or blocked, you should not lose access to every station.
- Use platforms deliberately. Roof platforms can hold observation points or defensive positions, but they should not become the only way to reach a critical station or bed.
- Check supports before widening the top. Broad roofs, balconies and overhangs may need pillars or additional supports. If a section does not visibly connect to the foundation grid, rebuild the support rather than trusting a decorative overhang.
Vertical bases are visually striking and can reduce exposed ground approaches, but a tall silhouette is not automatically safer. A purge may still reach the front door, and defenders trapped on upper floors cannot protect a gate below.
Terrain-integrated bases: use natural barriers without breaking access
Cliffs, rock faces, islands and existing ruins can remove building work from one or more sides. A cave mouth with a gate, a cliff-top hall with one ramp, or a ruin restored as a workshop can provide strong character and reduce the number of approaches you must watch.
Balance protection with pathing
- Keep a clear route from the normal approach to the entrance. Do not seal the base behind decorative rock, water crossings or geometry that allies and thralls cannot navigate.
- Use foundations to bridge uneven ground instead of leaving unsupported walls suspended over slopes.
- Inspect the rear and underside of the site. A cliff that looks impassable from the front may still have a reachable ledge or a build gap.
- Leave repair access to walls, doors and stations. Natural cover is useful only while you can reach the structures that need maintenance.
- On a purge-enabled server, verify current behavior before assuming an inaccessible location will prevent or safely contain an attack. An encounter that cannot find a valid route may behave differently from your expectation.
How to design a dedicated purge base
Funcom describes a purge as NPCs attacking a base after activity thresholds, with the revamped system tied to the Stygian invasion. The official survival guidance says the hardest purges require a combination of smart base design, thrall defenders, higher-tier buildings and teamplay. That is a warning against relying on walls alone, not a promise that any layout is invulnerable.
Make the enemy route obvious
- Choose a controlled approach. Put the gate, ramp or bridge where an attacker can reach it without crossing decorative dead ends. Natural barriers should narrow the route, not erase it.
- Separate the outer wall from the core. If the first gate or wall line fails, enemies should not immediately stand beside every chest and crafting station.
- Add defensive platforms with clear sightlines. Platforms should overlook the approach while leaving defenders room to move. Avoid roofs, crenellations or props that block their path.
- Use traps where they fit the server and build. Place them in the route you intend enemies to use, and leave yourself a safe way to replace or repair them.
- Keep a fallback room. Protect critical storage and essential stations behind a second door or wall line. Make sure you can still reach that room if the front courtyard is occupied.
- Plan repair access. Leave a service path around important walls and gates. A perfect firing position is useless if no one can reach the damaged section.
- Place thralls for movement, not decoration. Give defenders open lanes and avoid locking them behind cosmetic geometry. A large roster cannot help if it cannot reach the route.
A separate purge base can preserve an attractive main settlement while giving you a purpose-built defensive site. This is practical only when server rules, travel time and your play style make a second base manageable. On some servers, activity thresholds and encounter behavior may make the separation less useful than a well-designed compound.
Foundations, supports and collapse prevention
Most structural problems begin with an unstable base grid or an unsupported upper section. Foundations can be raised or lowered to follow terrain, walls snap to them, and ceilings allow additional stories, but those conveniences do not remove the need for a continuous support plan.
Use a stability-first workflow
- Lay the foundation grid. Decide the footprint and major corners before adding detail. Rectangles are easier to expand and troubleshoot than irregular shapes.
- Correct terrain height immediately. Adjust foundations while the area is visible. Waiting until walls and stations are installed makes a bad slope expensive to fix.
- Build the first level completely. Add walls and ceilings, then walk the perimeter and interior. Look for gaps, misaligned edges and places where a future stair would collide.
- Add vertical supports. Use pillars or additional supported sections under broad roofs, balconies and upper floors. Do not rely on a piece that appears to float or clips into a rock face.
- Test stairs and door clearances. Equip and unequip items, turn around on landings and approach from both directions. A path that works empty-handed may fail when crowded by stations or decorations.
- Add the roof and ornament last. Roof wedges, parapets and decorative towers should follow a working structural shell.
Round and castle-like shapes
Wedge and triangle pieces can create round halls, turrets and castle corners, but they require more planning and often more pieces than a simple rectangle. A hybrid is usually easier to live with: build a rectangular core for storage and crafting, then attach wedge-based towers, porches or corner turrets. You get the silhouette of a castle without forcing every interior room onto a triangular grid.
There is no reliable universal support count or durability number to quote across platforms and patches. Test the exact pieces in your current game version, especially after a major update, and rebuild any section whose support behavior is unclear.
Materials and progression: upgrade the shell instead of rebuilding blindly
Think of construction tiers as a planning ladder. Early stone lets you establish a bed, storage and crafting line quickly. Stronger higher-tier sets become worthwhile as your resource production, defenses and building ambitions grow. Official material confirms multiple tiers and additional building sets, but recipe costs and durability are patch-sensitive.
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Spend materials in this order
- First shelter: Build only the footprint, walls, door and ceiling needed to secure your spawn and stations.
- Functional expansion: Add storage, crafting capacity, lighting and a repairable route before expensive decoration.
- Defensive shell: Upgrade the outer wall, gate and key fallback rooms when your activity or purge exposure increases.
- Specialized spaces: Add towers, animal areas, thrall quarters or a dedicated purge structure after the core works.
- Appearance: Use premium or themed sets for visible façades and role-play areas once maintenance costs are comfortable.
Check the crafting menu in your current edition and patch for exact recipes. Do not treat a remembered cost or durability figure as permanent, and do not choose a tier solely because it looks stronger if you cannot repair it consistently.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Solo, clan, PvE and PvP adjustments
Solo players
Keep the footprint compact and put every essential station within a short loop from storage. A small compound or two-level tower is usually easier to maintain than a sprawling castle. Reserve one expansion side, and protect the bed, best storage and indispensable stations behind a second layer before investing in cosmetic wings.
Clans
Use a courtyard or segmented settlement with separate work, storage and sleeping zones. Multiple entrances can improve circulation, but each additional gate is another defensive and repair responsibility. Give defenders open lanes and agree on a fallback room so a battle does not block every crafter from the same doorway.
PvE
Prioritize travel efficiency, purge routing and comfortable station placement. Natural barriers can save building materials, but keep the normal entrance and a valid enemy route. A visually elaborate base is sustainable only if you can maintain its footprint and repair access.
PvP
Assume that a visible entrance, exposed storage or single stair is a liability under your server’s rules. Separate valuable rooms, avoid obvious dead-end corridors and confirm what building damage, raid windows and land-claim rules apply on that server. A PvE layout should not be presented as raid-proof.
Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah considerations
The same structural principles apply on both maps, but the setting and available building themes differ. The Isle of Siptah is a separate island with its own gameplay cycle and additional building sets. The official Xbox listing for the Isle of Siptah Edition describes the full base game plus the expansion and specifically highlights pirate-town and stormglass castle construction. Platform and regional availability can vary, so check the edition offered for your platform before buying.
Best Value
On either map, select the site for its routes and resources before selecting a theme. A stormglass tower, pirate-town compound or Exiled Lands fortress still needs a stable foundation grid, reachable doors, working stations and a purge path that matches current server behavior.
Current-version and performance notes
Funcom’s homepage announced a major Unreal Engine 5 visual upgrade in October 2026. The announcement does not establish a universal frame rate or identical hardware result. Treat performance as platform-, settings- and version-dependent, and adjust resolution, effects and view distance using the options available in your current build rather than relying on a blanket promise.
Large bases with many pieces, lights, stations and thralls can be harder to navigate and may place more load on a server than a compact shelter. If performance or loading becomes a concern, first remove unnecessary decorative layers, duplicate lights and unused structures while preserving the bed, storage, crafting route and defensive path.
Common building failures and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A wall will not snap | The foundation height or angle is inconsistent, or the piece is outside the supported grid. | Adjust or replace the foundation, then snap the wall to a continuous edge before adding more detail. |
| An upper floor appears to float | The broad roof or floor lacks a clear support connection. | Add pillars or a supported foundation section and test the floor before decorating. |
| Stairs are blocked | A landing, ceiling, railing or station occupies the clearance. | Remove the obstruction, widen the landing or move the stairs before finishing the floor. |
| Thralls cannot defend the gate | Decorative walls, narrow doors or furniture interrupt their route. | Open the approach, remove cosmetic blockers and give defenders a direct line to the controlled lane. |
| A purge does not behave as expected | The route is inaccessible, server rules differ, or current behavior has changed. | Verify the server’s settings and current version, then provide a readable route and test it during normal access. |
| The base is exhausting to maintain | The perimeter is too large or stations are scattered across separate wings. | Consolidate essential rooms, shorten walking loops and postpone decorative expansions. |
| The site is attractive but inconvenient | Natural barriers or cliffs block allies, repairs or resource trips. | Add a clear bridge, ramp or gate route, and keep a service path around critical structures. |
A practical checklist before you finalize a base
- Can you reach the bed, storage and every essential station without jumping, clipping or moving decorations?
- Is the first level fully supported before you add a second floor, tower or broad roof?
- Does at least one entrance remain obvious to residents, allies and a purge?
- Can defenders move from their positions to the approach without getting trapped?
- Is there a fallback room for critical storage and crafting?
- Can you repair the outer wall, gate and supports from a safe route?
- Does the footprint fit your solo, clan, PvE or PvP workload and server rules?
- Have you checked exact material recipes and building behavior in the current patch?
- If you use cliffs, islands or ruins, have you tested both friendly access and the likely enemy route?
- Are visual upgrades and decoration added only after the functional shell works?
Bottom line: choose the layout that matches your priorities
Start with a compact hut when speed and low cost matter, move to a courtyard compound when you need room for stations and defenders, and choose a tower when land is scarce or height suits your plan. Use cliffs, islands and ruins to reduce approaches without blocking access, and build a separate purge outpost only when your server and play style justify the travel and maintenance.
The dependable method is consistent across designs: stabilize the foundation grid, finish and test the first level, provide clear stairs and doors, separate essential rooms from the outer perimeter, and give purges a readable route. Higher-tier materials, thralls and teamplay improve resilience, but no design can honestly be called universally purge-proof or raid-proof across every map, platform, patch and server rule set.
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