Permafrost Best Base Location

Where you cannot build

Start by ruling out the ground the game will refuse. Horizon, the first safe camp, is a No Build Zone, and every building preview there turns red. Community guides also list settlements, the road bridge and the Hunter's Glade tower as restricted ground.

Safehouses behave differently from your own walls. Community data from the game files shows that standing in a safehouse sharply reduces the cold but applies a Building Restriction status. That makes safe zones good places to rest and trade, but not places to put foundations.

• A red preview with a No Build Zone label means the spot is restricted, not that you lack materials.
• Walk to flat, open ground just outside the restricted line before placing anything.
• Campfires follow the same rule, so you cannot drop a fire on restricted ground either.
• Renovating an existing ruin is a separate option covered in the base building guide.

Your first base: the clearing below Bone Cave

The early New Home quest only checks the pieces you place, not where you place them. A community walkthrough suggests the first clearing below the Bone Cave exit. It sits close to planks you can break for quick Wood, plus pine trees and rocks for Stone.

Keep this first base small and cheap. Community cost data lists a working Bed at 10 Wood and 5 Cloth in total, counting its foundation. Cloth comes from the starting cabin, clothes bins and red cloth around Horizon, so you can finish the quest before leaving the area.

Treat this base as a stepping stone rather than a forever home. Once you reach House Camp, Scrap becomes common, and the official building post ties Scrap to the next building tier. Moving closer to that supply saves long trips later.

Best base locations compared

The table compares the main candidates by what matters most: travel, loot and safety. Loot counts come from a community map built from the game files and change between versions. Use them to compare areas, not as exact totals.

The safe zone itself stays off limits, so build on open ground a short walk away. Our pick for a mid-game base is the area around Church and House Camp. It combines a fast travel post, a free Dismantle Bench and a steady Scrap supply.

Six checks before your first foundation

1. Flat ground — uneven slopes make placement fiddly and waste materials on extra supports.
2. Outside restricted ground — confirm the preview is not red before you haul materials.
3. Wood and Stone in reach — repairs and fuel need a steady supply close to your walls.
4. Fast travel nearby — a short walk to a sled post makes every supply run shorter.
5. Away from Cold Zones — a base on the edge of one drains your warmth on every trip.
6. Room for stations — the furnace, workbench and storage need space under one roof.

Warmth is the deciding factor. A fire only keeps you warm properly when it has walls and a roof around it, as our warmth guide explains. Plan a closed room around your heat source before adding decorative extras.

Fast travel decides how good a base feels

Community map data lists fast travel posts at Horizon, Church, the Solar Power Plant, Crow's Nest and The Last Stand. A base within a short walk of one of these turns long supply trips into quick jumps. Read the fast travel guide to unlock each sled before committing to a site.

You can also build your own Fast Travel Point. Community data from the game files lists it at 20 Wood, 5 Rope and 10 Treated Hide. That makes a remote base workable once you have a Tanning Rack running.

Custom map markers can disappear after restarting, according to the developer known-issues post. Note a visible landmark next to your base, such as a tower or road, so you can find it again. The world map guide shows the main landmarks for each region.

Base location in co-op

In co-op, the world belongs to the host, so the base lives in the host's save. Agree on one main base before splitting up, and put shared storage near the entrance. A central spot between resource routes keeps every player's trip short.

Divide the work by distance. One player can run the furnace and repairs while others gather from farther regions. The co-op guide covers hosting and joining, and the connection checklist helps when a friend cannot join.

The long-term goal: City Mall

In the official developer Q&A, the team calls City Mall the largest location suitable for a base. It sits inside White Hell, the most dangerous biome, and can be electrified and defended. Plan for it as a late-game project rather than a starter home.

The official roadmap gives White Hell new enemies, locations and its own story in Update 4. That means the endgame base area will change during Early Access. Follow our roadmap and patch notes page to see when it arrives.

Until then, upgrade the base you have. Move from Wood to Scrap and then to Quality Metal walls as your resources allow. Each tier holds up better against the cold and the threats described in our enemies guide.