Check the boundary before you build anything
Every site below assumes one rule you must verify in-game: place a temporary Flame Altar and inspect its visible boundary before committing materials. The Construction Hammer only works inside that area, and unprotected foundations or terrain changes can eventually reset.
Your first altar costs five Stone, and the Construction Hammer unlocks at character level 2. Version 1.0 opened most previously off-limits areas, but that does not mean every surface can be claimed — check the boundary first.
Three rules that catch people out:
- You cannot move an upgraded altar. Deactivating it and placing another does not transfer the size upgrades. Test before you dismantle.
- Resources and enemies inside the boundary do not respawn. Never park an altar on an ore vein or a farm camp.
- At Flame Level 11 you can have up to 16 altars, but a co-op group shares that limit. Altars can also push back the Shroud at that level, depending on server settings.
Fort Kelvin — the restoration project
Fort Kelvin sits on the northern border of the Springlands, just west of the Pillars of Creation and roughly a kilometre southeast of the Revelwood Ancient Spire.
It is a sprawling abandoned stone-and-timber settlement with a central town square, underground tunnels and its own pre-built watchtower. Once you upgrade your Flame Altar, the whole village fits inside the building perimeter and grants a hefty initial Comfort rating as soon as you patch the roofs.
Restoring every building is a serious time investment. It is the right pick if you want a fixer-upper with character, and the wrong pick if you want to start building today.
The pond west of Fort Kelvin — the best empty lot
Immediately west of Fort Kelvin is a small pond with a central island and an existing wooden pier. It is a favourite for good reason: the island takes a house or lookout, and the bank takes workshops and fields.
Two cautions. Enemy patrols pass along the nearby road, so either leave a buffer or secure that edge first. And if you build over water, put beds, fires and production stations above the potential waterline — flooded workstations stop functioning and submerged beds lose their assignments.
If the base does flood, stop the incoming water first, then use Remove Water at the Flame Altar.
The clearing by the Alchemist Tower — best first custom village
For a village you design yourself, look for the open ground beside a road near the Alchemist Tower map label. Water is close, and the clearing gives you room to place your own buildings rather than fitting into someone else’s floor plan.
Put the workshop and essential crafting stations near the altar, then reserve the outer part for NPC homes, storage and fields. The road gives the settlement a natural approach, so you can plan a gate or central path before the space fills up.
The lake south of the Farmer’s Vault — waterside layout
From the Farmer’s Vault, follow the stone path south for about 200 metres. The open field beside the water sits north-northeast of Ferndale.
The shoreline gives a natural edge for the settlement while the field leaves room for separate houses and work areas. It suits a spread-out village better than a compact workshop — lay out paths and plots first and leave a buffer around the lake.
The hill south of Low Meadows Spire — terraced build
The large hill south of Low Meadows Spire uses elevation as part of the design: waterfalls and the slope naturally separate upper and lower sections, and the ground beneath the settlement can become an underground extension.
Before flattening anything, choose where the main path will climb. A planned route connects village, workshop and lower rooms without cutting across the whole hillside.
Also worth knowing
- Mountainside pond — close to the Hollowed Halls, with easy access to a flint mine directly to the north. Deforestation opens up more flat space than the screenshot suggests.
- Western waterfront — a cute waterside lot, but it is close to the Shroud and the terrain is uneven. Embrace the terrain rather than flattening it.
- Springlands Southwest Peak — southwest of the Springlands Ancient Spire. Tiny footprint, panoramic view of nearly the entire map. This is a scenic retirement home after you beat the game, not a working base.