Building — Shelters

Overview

Shelters are the primary method for stashing gear and establishing a foothold in the wilderness without the commitment of a full base. They provide essential inventory storage and concealment in the environment, making them vital for long-term survival and loot management.

How It Works

Improvised shelters utilize a "Kit" system. You craft a kit using a Short Stick and Rope, which acts as a blueprint. Once placed, you populate the kit with materials to build one of three variants: the Improvised Shelter (stick-based, low profile), the Leather Shelter (crafted from animal pelts), or the Tarp Shelter (using Tarp for high concealment). Building requires a Hammer or Hatchet to attach materials to the kit's frame.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Combine 1x Rope and 4x Short Sticks in your hands to craft an Improvised Shelter Kit.
2. Equip the kit and place the ghost-outline in a desired location, ensuring the terrain is flat enough for the build.
3. Attach 50x Short Sticks to the kit frame to build the Improvised Shelter, or substitute with Tarp or Leather Sewing Kits and Leather Pelts depending on the variant.
4. Use a Hammer or Hatchet to finalize the construction stages until the "Pack" option disappears and the "Dismantle" option appears.
5. Once complete, access the storage slots within the shelter to stow gear or materials like a Nail Box or Metal Plate.

Tips

• Always build shelters under dense tree cover or inside ruins to minimize visibility from high-altitude viewpoints.
• The Improvised Shelter (stick version) is the most effective for camouflage in forests, as it blends into natural brush better than the Tarp variant.
• Shelters have a 7-day decay timer; interact with them periodically to refresh their persistence on the server.
• Carry a Hatchet at all times, as it functions as both a building tool and a weapon for gathering sticks.

Common Mistakes

• Building in high-traffic areas like military camps or near water wells, which leads to immediate detection and looting by other players.
• Forgetting to refresh the persistence timer, which causes your hard-earned loot to vanish after one week of inactivity.
• Placing shelters on uneven terrain, which can result in the structure clipping through the ground or floating, making it impossible to interact with.

Related Items

• Nail Box
• Metal Plate
• Flag CHEL
• Flag Bear
• Flag BrainZ

Related Guides

• Base Building
• Hunting and Skinning
• Gardening and Farming