10. Bob's Boars/Carl's Corn Farm (Best for Food)

What horrors await you here? Ha ha ha that's a SURPRISE.

Set a stone's throw from Spillway Lake lies a massive farm that's the site of two large businesses: Bob's Boars and Carl's Corn. It's across the street from another corn farm, and also happens to be where the enterprising survivor can find Super Corn.

This POI is huge. It's also chock full of unhappy boars just ripe for the harvesting, and a big surprise in the depths of the property. There's a fence surrounding the grounds, tons of corn, and the opportunity for further building.

What Makes Bob's Boars Great?

• Free food when you move in. All the boars and corn are a great way to get your food stores built up.
• North of the Wasteland city, surrounded by big POIs, and close to traders. You're never too far from supplies.
• Tons of room for expansion.

How to Get To Bob's Boars:

This location starts at 0:39.

 

9. Steel Water Tower (Best for Horde Nights)

That sudden stop at the bottom kinda hurts.

Located at 1092 E, 371 N, this convenient water tower is surrounded by a chain link fence and built from steel. It doesn't require much work to prepare it for early hordes: just need to break the ground beneath the ladder so zombies can't climb it.

This site is located just below Diersville. The main challenge with this location is getting the early steel to repair the tower—which won't matter much the first few horde nights, but will definitely become an issue eventually. Just raid Diersville's vending machines and street lights. Done.

For the record, I'm using this location as a base while running a knife build. I beefed up the fence with railings, I'm building a moat. It has been a fantastic location, and I don't have far to run to get to a trader. It's very cool, though very small compared to the bases I'm used to.

What Makes Steel Water Tower Great:

• It's steel, which helps you survive horde nights long before you can make the stuff.
• Diersville is right there, with a trader immediately west of your location (across the river). Earn a bike from early jobs and you're set for a while.Easily upgraded to meet your needs. Strengthen the fence, add some spikes, you'll be ready to survive the first handful of Hordes and then some.

How to get to the steel water tower and make the most of this amazing spot.

8. Islands in the… River (Best for Living Your Island Dreams)

There aren't many horror movies that take place on islands, right? … RIGHT?

Located at the northwest corner of the map (1472W 714N), this set of islands presents a great building opportunity without straying far from a trader. Both islands spawn zombies, but you may be able to avoid horde activity by swimming to the little boathouse south of the big isle. It's the only building that's in the water.

Aside from being close to a trader, this locale is also set near two caves and several useful POIs. A Savage Country store sits due north.

This is a really cool building location simply because it sits in the middle of a lake. Terraform the hell out of it, or don't, survivors can create something unique here. It's an excellent site for a team base because it's so big.

What Makes The Islands Great?

• Close to a trader for quests and supplies.
• Perishton is just up the road, and you're surrounded by decent-sized POIs for sweet loot..
• Good building location with clear line of sight all around.

How to get to the Islands: see them at 7:44

7. City Fire Station 7 (Best for Desert Living)

#7 of one.

This POI is located in the desert biome of Navezgane, in the town of Departure. Find it at the northern edge. Fresh water is in the valley to the north, the river to the west, or the park at the center of the city. It's a solid build, a concrete two-level building that's easily upgraded as you level.

The fire station comes with two working vending machines, a flat roof for emergency getaways, and lots of loot in nearby buildings. It won't take much effort to turn this place into a proper compound with an outer wall.

I suggest knocking out the solid garage doors and installing a powered roll-up door or two. That's respectable garage space right there. 

What Makes City Fire Station 7 Great?

• Large, concrete build with plenty of room for everything a survivor needs.
• Easy access to the (flat) roof for look-out purposes.
• Since you're in town, you're right next to all sorts of stuff you can loot.

How to Get to City Fire Station 7, and see it in action.

6. Canyon Cliff Dwellings (Best for Those Wanting a Unique Base Design)

Zombies will fall off this place repeatedly and it will be funny every time.

This location is very, very cool. Find it in the canyon at 1444 S, 762 E, with a trader to the east by the river. There's a mine attached to these dwellings that can be used for further storage or as an escape route.

It's not the most exciting place for loot, and it's built from stone, so it will require some upgrading to make it into a strong fortress. On the plus side? There's plenty of material around to upgrade the entire thing to concrete and beyond.

The Canyon Cliff Dwellings POI is big enough to be a decent multiplayer base. Muck about with the convenient mine, create a secured escape exit, and enjoy having the most interesting place in Navezgane.

What Makes Canyon Cliff Dwellings Great?

• Unusual location in the middle of a deep canyon, perfect for someone that just wants a cool base.
• Not far from a trader, so you'll still be able to quest and shop.
• Mines and caves nearby provide you with materials.
• Site is big and can easily be adapted into a clan or guild base.

How to Get to Canyon Cliff Dwellings: start at 7:20.

5. Perishton Cemetery (Best for a Fortified Base)

With crypts for your goth friends.

The Perishton cemetery has a full outer wall around the yard, plus the church building itself. It's no big deal to dash in and out for scavenging runs, and the whole kit is easily upgraded into concrete. All it needs is some fortification.

There's enough room inside the church to turn it into a two-level base, if you want to, and space outside to grow crops or keep vehicles close. The part that sucks? The nearest trader is due south, on the eastern side of the biggest lake in Navezgane.

What Makes Perishton Cemetery Great?

• Everything you need is already there. The building and wall require very little extra work.
• Plenty of nearby POIs with excellent loot.
• Hunting in the snow biome is easy. There are lots of animals around, so you won't starve.

How to Get to Perishton Cemetery: start at 21:05

4. Red Mesa (Best for Tech Loot and Fortification)

Restricted area? Not anymore!

Another location that's great for its fortification level is Red Mesa, a huge underground bunker with some serious surface defense. Concrete on top and all through the bowels of the beast, this place is hellish for explorers when attempting to clear it but it is so worth it.

There's a lot of tech to salvage here, lots of quality loot, and tons of space. If you get overwhelmed by the undead on the surface, you can easily retreat into the bunker and lick your wounds.

Find a trader to the northwest along the main highway, so you always have someplace to go for jobs and supplies.

What Makes Red Mesa Great?

• This huge POI is heavily fortified right out the box. No need to upgrade blocks when you first move in.
• Lots of high-end salvage makes adding electrical elements and robotics even easier.
• The loot here is fantastic, even if clearing the place can be painful.

How to Get to Red Mesa: start at 0:26.

3. Coleman's Drive-In (Best for Builders)

Also a good place for Blood Moon shenanigans.

The drive-in is next to the island lake. You have access to nearby traders, lots of water, and large POIs for looting and scavenging. It has a nice wall around it and several small outbuildings that can be adapted to your purposes.

There's also plenty of room to build. Set up watchtowers, storage facilities, crops, crafting workshops, the possibilities are endless.

What Makes Coleman's Drive-In Great?

• Enough room to build your own settlement, if that's your thing.
• Has its own water source, saving you trips to the lake and other nonsense.
• Existing walls and outbuildings provide early cover for defending yourself from the undead.

How to Get to Coleman's Drive-In: start at 29:41.

2. Navezgane High School (Best for Loot and Group Play)

High School Musical: APOCALYPSE

If you're playing with a bunch of friends and need enough room for everybody, then head to 359 W, 1672 N. The school building here is huge. There are multiple rooms that are full of loot and stuff to scavenge, and this POI is surrounded by even more loot pinatas.

A group can make quick work of the nasties inside and the process of converting this building into a fortress. See everything for miles around while patrolling that flat roof, and convert the parking lot (or the track out back) into a massive farm.

What Makes Navezgane High School Great?

• Tons of loot. Get prepared for your move-in date while you clear the place of zombies.
• Lots of room for expansion. 
• Central to several other large POIs. This area is pretty rich in resources.

How to Get to Navezgane High School: start at 1:45.

1. The Prison (Best for Wasteland Survival)

Not pictured: three zombie bears at various points off-camera.

Do you like fending off zombie bears while out on a supply run? Then you definitely need to try running a base in the wasteland. The old prison is a great place to do it: walls! Watchtowers! Not too far from town! The water is questionable, but at least it's there.

The wasteland is the most difficult biome to survive in and it gets worse as you level up (or crank up the difficulty level). If you're looking for a challenge but don't want to sacrifice everything, the prison will give you what you need. You'll still have a fighting chance without having to start completely from scratch.

What Makes The Prison Great?

• Premade watchtowers make it easy to take out zombies from a distance and watch for incoming hordes.
• Walled courtyard cuts down the work of defense preparation.
• You still have access to fresh water from the river, and supplies from the new-to-Alpha-20 town to the west.

How to Get to The Prison. Watch out for zombie bears.

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