How to Build a Defensive Base

What makes a base “defensive”

A defensive base does not just survive a raid — it lets you repair quickly, counter-attack safely, and chain multiple waves without breaking. The community-tested layout below does all three. It works in any biome, with any bot tier, and is fully compatible with the new 1.0 raid waves.

The four-layer template

Layer 1 — The outer wall

Build a 3-block tall wall of wood blocks, surrounding your farm plot with a 1-block margin. Leave a single 2-block wide entrance. Wood is intentional: it absorbs Haybot projectile damage and slows them down.

Layer 2 — The inner wall

Build a second wall 4 blocks inside the outer wall, this time using metal. Add murder holes (2-block tall windows every 6 blocks) so you can fire Spud Guns without exposing yourself. This is your real defence — bots will rarely break through it.

Layer 3 — The turret ring

Place four Spud Guns on bearings, mounted on 3-block tall pillars, one in each cardinal direction. Wire each turret to a motion sensor placed at the base of the pillar. When a wave enters the outer wall, the closest turret activates.

Layer 4 — The inner sanctum

At the very centre, place a small enclosed room with a bed, a Cook Bot, a few chests and a Battery bank. This is your safe zone during wave 4. Bots cannot enter unless they break through the metal wall, which will not happen in a single raid.

Adapting the layout to biomes

• Plains biome: keep the outer wall wood and add a moat. Haybots path poorly through water.
• Desert biome: use metal walls for layer 1 instead of wood. Sand physics in 1.0 make wooden structures degrade faster in heat.
• Underground biome: add a ceiling to layer 1. Cablebots can drop from above and bypass your outer wall otherwise.

For the full biome-by-biome breakdown, see the defensive base layout guide.

The Spud Gun turret blueprint

Each turret pillar is 3 blocks tall and uses:

• 1x Bearing (top)
• 1x Spud Gun (mounted on the bearing)
• 1x Battery (under the bearing)
• 1x Motion sensor (on a separate block facing outward)

Wire the motion sensor to the bearing’s rotation, set to a slow speed, and to the Spud Gun’s trigger. The bearing spins until it points at the detected entity, the sensor stops scanning, and the Spud Gun fires for 2 seconds.

This is the same pattern the community uses for the Trash Bot boss fight on warehouse rooftops.

Maintenance and repair

Always carry 50 spare wood and 20 spare metal blocks when raiding. The 1.0 patch reduced raid damage, but Haybot projectile spam still chips walls over multiple waves. Build a small repair cart at the back of your base and you can patch any layer without leaving your vehicle.

For the broader context of how automation ties into defence, see the controllers and sensors page.