Base location tier list: best rooms by sector and what to look for

What makes a room a good base

Five criteria, in order of importance:

Sector-by-sector recommendations

Office Sector (early game)

Use named areas as candidates, then inspect the exact room in the current save:

These are inspection candidates, not universal S-tier rooms. The Office Sector source itself notes that part of its map is outdated, so confirm doors, glass, and access in the current build before committing rare materials.

Manufacturing West (midgame)

Manufacturing West connects to the Office Sector by road and tram, and the F.O.R.G.E. contains the Blacksmith. That makes Blacksmith proximity useful for trade and progression, but proximity alone does not verify a safe room.

Score one cleared side room near the F.O.R.G.E. as a permanent-base candidate and compare it with a small staging point near the route currently being opened. Treat the main garage as an inspection challenge rather than an automatic failure: its open floor requires the player to demonstrate controllable enemy approaches before it earns a permanent-base score.

When to move your base

Move when:

• Your current location requires defending more than two chokepoints simultaneously
• A newly opened route makes repeated returns to the current base the main travel bottleneck
• You've unlocked a faster travel option (tram) that makes a better-positioned base viable

Moving your base means: package the Crafting Bench, re-establish power at the new location, and re-sync any Personal Teleporter previously linked to that bench. Packaging and redeploying the bench desyncs it from the teleporter. Verify the new room against all five criteria before committing.

Room scoring method

Use a simple score before committing resources. Give each candidate room one point for every pass.

This is an editorial six-point score, not a game statistic. Five or six points means the room is worth testing. Three or four points means it may work as a staging base. Two or fewer points means the room is probably a trap unless it has a very specific route purpose.

Record evidence beside every point. "Power" is not a pass until the chosen socket or battery route can cover the normal nighttime load. "Water" is not a pass until a liquid source or refill loop and its return trip are known; an empty Water Cooler alone is only storage. This prevents an attractive room from receiving six points through assumptions.

Evaluating a room before committing

Walk through this checklist before placing your Crafting Bench in a new location:

1. Count the entry points. Stand in the room and identify every door, vent, or opening an enemy could enter through. More than two is a defense problem.
2. Plan bench power. Find a socket and plug route, or bring a battery with a realistic recharge plan. The bench must be powered for its normal safe-area and crafting functions.
3. Trace the return route. Can you describe the path from the nearest dangerous area back to this room in one sentence? If not, the route is too complex.
4. Locate a water source or refill loop. Tainted Water can be collected and boiled; a Water Cooler holds liquid but does not create more. Note how far the source and return route are from the room.
5. Check floor space. Place a bed mentally. Place a bench mentally. Place two storage crates mentally. Is there still clear path to the door?

If all five pass, the room is a candidate. If two or more fail, move on.

Why not to optimize too early

Spending major resources on an early base before its travel and defense pattern is understood can create avoidable relocation work. Re-evaluate after major route unlocks instead of using an unsupported number of hours as the trigger.

The base location decision matters most at the Manufacturing West stage and beyond, when Assault Events are harder and your crafting infrastructure is larger and more expensive to move.

Permanent base vs. staging base

Not every useful room should become home.

This distinction lets a mediocre room still be useful without forcing a full relocation.

Lighting and visibility as a selection criterion

A well-positioned room that cannot be properly lit is a weaker base than a slightly less convenient room that can be. When evaluating a candidate room, consider:

• Is the room geometry compact enough that a few lamps cover it completely?
• Are the entry corridors narrow enough that corridor lamps eliminate all dark segments?
• Is there enough wall space to mount Sconce Lamps at even intervals?

Rooms with irregular geometry, multiple alcoves, or very high ceilings are harder to light effectively. Prioritize rectangular or L-shaped rooms with standard ceiling height when all other criteria are equal. A well-lit base with one entry point is more defensible than a poorly-lit room with ideal sector placement.

Test before a full move

Before moving rare materials, sleep, craft, and survive one normal night at the candidate location. This test exposes problems that a checklist can miss: awkward enemy pathing, poor storage flow, bad lighting angles, or a return route that feels clear only when the player is not under pressure.

If the test night feels messy, keep the room as a staging base and continue looking for a permanent location. A failed test costs one evening. A failed full relocation costs crates, power setup, bed placement, and teleporter cleanup.

Run a reversible room trial

Move only a minimum working kit for the trial: one powered Crafting Bench, one sleeping option, a small food and water reserve, repair supplies, and enough storage to keep the exit clear. Do not move rare materials or dismantle the old base yet.

After the trial, choose one of three outcomes: promote the room to a permanent base, keep it as a staging point, or remove the temporary kit. This explicit result is more useful than forcing every promising room into a tier label.

See also

• Assault Event Defense Guide
• Office Sector Route
• Manufacturing West Route