Originally posted by Scoob454:

If you're not opposed to mods and enjoy building, I recommend something like the Build_Camera mod. Lets you move around freely after equipping a hammer and pressing H. Super helpful for connecting posts close to the ground when your character camera can't get low enough.

There's 'X' for sitting down, and then placing an item.

I build my bridges by placing two core wood poles side by side, then moving them out parallel into the water.

With each span gets a pair of support poles, to clip under the protruding poles, I place a temporary floor board between the two support poles I've just placed. I place this floorboard under water so I can stand below/under my bridge looking outward. I then can snap the next segment from a low perspective. If the poles do not touch the river bottom, then I raise the river bottom with stone just enough to turn the pillars light blue (indicating they are in contact with the ground).

I've managed very huge spans across large rivers doing this. No mods.

I could demonstrate for you in game if it suits you.

Originally posted by Scoob454:

If you're not opposed to mods and enjoy building, I recommend something like the Build_Camera mod. Lets you move around freely after equipping a hammer and pressing H. Super helpful for connecting posts close to the ground when your character camera can't get low enough.

Nice! I think I'll give it a try in the future.

All the replies were super helpful, thanks a bunch!

Bridges are the hard mode of building, there's a bunch of tricks you can use but it's easier to learn them building on land first. Orrr mods to make the passing waves less of a giant ache in the privates.

If you're not opposed to mods and enjoy building, I recommend something like the Build_Camera mod. Lets you move around freely after equipping a hammer and pressing H. Super helpful for connecting posts close to the ground when your character camera can't get low enough.

This was the first thing I did when my stam was not high enough to swim. I have since reworked the bridge after a few areas looked weak color wise. I cleared a forest building it. there were closer shores but I wanted a long span.

It taught me a bunch in regards to building in the earlier hours. I used a ton of "scaffolding" to get around to hard to reach bridge areas as I built it over the deeper water. After building, just take the scaffolding down and swim around to get the wood.

I always have a step ladder in the water for those unfortunate drops.

Originally posted by Graill:

I always have a step ladder in the water for those unfortunate drops.

Better yet use thatch roofs as they don't get damaged from water. One of my bases has a ramp going into the water near my boats.

Depends on what you want. I've made a covered bridge over a decent distance over water or a pine tree bridge over a river that was tall enough to allow boats to get under it.

Try to use rocks as anchors for building integrity and if that isn't possible use wood to build water platforms close enough to the ground so that you can raise it up high enough for building on and then simply dismantle the wood scaffolding afterwards.

Pine trees you'd build on raised ground and then you'd need wood / core wood to build across though you have to be a bit careful with spacing of the trees for building integrity otherwise you'd have to use iron reinforced wood.

edit: If you want you can invite me to your world to check it out.