The base system in Enshrouded is one of the more versatile that you’re likely to experience in survival games. You start with the ability to build two bases in the form of Flame Altars, but you can increase this as you upgrade the flame level. Although you’re given a recommended first base location near the beginning of the game, it’s not necessarily the best place to put all your efforts into making it the ultimate hub for your crafting and survival needs. On this page, we’ll show you some of the best base locations for you to place your Flame Altars throughout Embervale.

Best Starting Springlands Base¶

As mentioned in the introduction, most players are likely to build their first base just north of the Cinder Vault, the place where you awaken for the first time in the southernmost part of the Springlands. This is because the game advises you to build here as part of the main quest, and with good reason. From here, you have access to your first experience of shroud in the form of a small patch just southeast of Longkeep, so you can adjust to the mechanics at play without finding yourself in a more dangerous area of shroud, as can be found further to the north.

At the same time, from this starting location, you’re close enough to the Scavenger camp to the west, which provides a decent source for Torn Cloth and Metal Scraps, two of the most valuable early-game resources. You can also find these by smashing boxes within Longkeep, so you shouldn’t experience any shortage at this point in the game. The Saline Quarry can also be found in the larger shroud area to the southeast of Longkeep, so you’ll have a decent source of salt nearby. In addition, there’s plenty of flint to be found in the surrounding landscape, with nodes poking out the cliff edges, especially further west, and there’s certainly no shortage of trees or bushes in this area, either.

So, the starting area has a lot going for it, and it will serve you well enough as you gather the crafting NPCs and summon them to your base, and as you work towards upgrading the flame to level two. However, the main thing you should remember here is that it’s a waste of time to start building your base in more substantial ways, with the intention of making it your main hub of operations that you return to throughout the game.

This is primarily because it’s incredibly close to the Cinder Vault, which itself serves as a fast travel point, so you’ll end up having two fast travel points next to each other. Given that fast travel points are limited due to the limit on Flame Altar placement, the last thing you want is to build an extensive base in the starting area, only to find that you need to destroy it so that you can place more Flame Altars in the later regions.

In short, you should build only as much as you need to get started in the first area and be ready to move the Flame Altar once you’ve explored further north, where you’ll need to place Flame Altars to take full advantage of their fast travel function. With that said, we’ll recommend some other parts of the Springlands where you can build a base with a more useful fast travel point.

Northeast of Mistbury Catacombs¶

As you explore further north in the Springlands, you’ll eventually reach the Mistbury Catacombs. This is one of the first dungeons that you’ll experience in the game. It’s also associated with The Queen’s Tomb quest, so it’s difficult to miss as you go through the first quests in the game.

When you first reach the Mistbury Catacombs, you’ll notice a patch of lush grassland just to its northeast. This is an ideal spot for a base, not only because it gives you easy access to the catacombs (which reset whenever you relog), but there’s also a decent number of Flame Shrines and Flame Sanctums in the area. In addition, you’ll find patches of shroud to the north, east, and south, providing access to any shroud-related resources, and a good spot for clay farming just to the east of it.

The benefits of a base here don’t end with the points mentioned above. You’ll have easy access to the Hill of Scavengers here, just a short sprint to the southwest, which is a great place for farming Metal Scraps and Torn Cloth. There’s also the Glimmer Rock Mine to the northwest, and you’re not too far from the Gate to the Pillars of Creation, which you’ll need to pass through to enter the Nomad Highlands later in the game.

All of this makes a base here incredibly convenient, but the main thing going for it is the fact that it’s so central on the map. You can just as easily venture further west from here, with the Necropolis being not too far away to the northwest, and the easy access to shroud areas in almost every direction makes it a good place to farm the Shroud Roots from in the area, each of which provides you with valuable skill points.

You may be wondering why we’ve not included a recommendation further southeast, within the Low Meadows, and the main reason is that the Ancient Spire tower for the Low Meadows fast travel covers most of that relatively small area already. All you need to do is reach it once, then you’ll have access to it forever. The same goes for the Ancient Spire for the Springlands, which gives you a good vantage point from which to glide to areas further to the west and southwest.

Best First Revelwood Base¶

The Revelwood is at the northernmost point on the map as it currently exists in the early game, and it’s substantially smaller than the Springlands and the Low Meadows combined. With that said, there are some tricky places to reach here, and since enemies are of higher levels in this region, you’ll want to make sure that you have easy access to some of the most challenging parts of the region.

The first thing to note here is that the Ancient Spire for the Revelwood is located in its western reaches, just east of the Mark of Sameth mine, or southwest from the Bramblespine Boneyard. This already provides a great access point to the northwestern parts of the region and all the points of interest that you’ll find there, so be sure to go looking for it as soon as you enter the Revelwood to make your life easier.

South of Pikemead’s Reach¶

One of the first things you’ll notice as you venture further north into the Revelwood is that there’s an enormous patch of shroud in the northeastern part, just south and southwest of Pikemead’s Reach, the capital. This can be a pain to cross the first time, and it’s not much easier if you try to go around it from the west, either. It’s for this reason that we recommend building your first Flame Altar in the Revelwood region directly south of Pikemead’s Reach.

There are multiple reasons for this choice, but among the most important is that it provides easy access to the capital whenever you need it. You’re likely to experience a step up in difficulty among enemies when you first reach the capital, so it’s good to have a base nearby that you can fast travel to if you happen to die multiple times to the boss there. Not only that, there are quite a few quests in the capital that you’ll need to complete, and since Pikemead’s Reach is covered in shroud patches, it’s easy to get lost or fall into a lava pit. Do yourself a favor and build the Flame Altar base to its south before entering!

The shroud patch to the south of Pikemead’s Reach also contains more powerful enemies than those from other shroud patches in the region. These will provide more in the way of resources, especially Runes, so it’s a great place to farm if you’re in need of them for weapon upgrades. You’ll also find that this shroud patch contains more spitting flowers, which are one of the only sources for Shroud Sacks, something you’ll need to upgrade your flame altar around this point in the game.

You shouldn’t have much difficulty accessing other parts of Revelwood so long as you’ve discovered the Ancient Spire, so don’t worry too much about placing flame altars elsewhere in the region. The best thing to do here is save the rest of your flame altars for the Nomad Highlands and beyond. However, you can always place a flame altar wherever you think it’s necessary just as a temporary fast travel point. You don’t need to repair flame altars, and you don’t need to build anything around them for protection, either. So, placing one temporarily in a convenient location costs you nothing, so long as you don’t build too much around them that you’ll be sorry to see destroyed if you need to move it later on.

If you’re looking for more early game guides for Enshrouded, be sure to check the links below.

• Best Tips and Tricks
• Enshrouded XP Farms: Mining & Combat
• Enshrouded Farming & Seed Guide
• Enshrouded Biome List & Progression Guide