Originally posted by Boehmann:

In my first playthrough I build a moat around my main base, securing it from attacks like "the forest are moving" and "the swamp is..." etc. In my new playthrough I did the same, but I keep getting these attacks? The Moat is deep and wide as it should be, but one difference is that I "moated" a much larger area, as I plan too build big (very big) later on. I haven´t had the chance to see wich direcion the attacks come from, as I´ve been inside my base so far. Could it be that the enemies spawn inside the area because it is so large? Or do any of you have any experience with this, and what to do?

I had a similar issue waaaaay in the start as I expanded our area (me and my wife) and I realized only Workbenches actually block spawning, "Viking structures" in general do jack s***...
SO Workbenches everywhere, I have an inner circle with about 10 benches and an outer circle with aproxx 40 benches, all of their active radiuses fall within each other for good measure, as a result if I am in the center (house) invasion mobs dont spawn) and for the globes which seem to jump over trenches, make sure it's max depth and a good amount of width, so they can't jump across.

It seems to be working fine with the many workbenches. Packs of greydwarfs now only spawn outside the moat, trying to throw rocks at me before leaving again. Thank you all for your suggestions - they have been a great help

If you spam enough workbenches to cover a large enough area you'll see the invasion message but none will actually spawn. The red circle is there for the two minutes but the baddies never show up.

Don't torches and fireplaces do the same thing. Torches seem to be the best item to spam unless they fixed it.

I spammed the whole area, and no spot is not covered. But the message still appears and they spawn outside the area. It´s no problem though as they just stand there, outside throwing their rocks

jjones - I think every player build structure will work. Later on when I have build my large castle (or town or whatever it will be) I dont think I need the workbenches anymore. Beds and/or fireplaces (I am unsure wich) can have the opposite effect it seems. I never build beds or fireplaces in my outposts - just some storage (for metals) and a portal to travel to and from the outpost and my main base. So I return home and sleep in my own bed every night and then travel back and do the grind. I have never been attacket in my outposts

Originally posted by Sprocket66:

If you spam enough workbenches to cover a large enough area you'll see the invasion message but none will actually spawn. The red circle is there for the two minutes but the baddies never show up.

^ this

island covered with workbenches will never get any mob spawns (including deer, neck, boar)

Yeah, it's probably due to the size; try placing torches around your base to prevent mob spawning

So one place I look at for inspiration is actual historic defensive systems.

While it is a of stone. Earth Works are a good thing. Ditches, Palisades, and crenellations are also all things that I have used to my advantage in my current building methods.

The other thing in later castle construction was sectioning off a bailey so that an enemy force if they broke one gate would have to go through two or three more and the defenders could retreat and regroup.

Sounds like this last bit is what you are thinking about... but with moats rather than earth works or walls. If you want to get some ideas honestly look at historic castle and Fort defences it can be very useful.

Thank you all!. I will try your suggestions and see what happens. It´s going to be quite a few workbenches... I have also thought about making some more moats or canals inside the area, dividing it to smaller areas, and then build a lot roofed of bridges connecting the buildings when I expand

You only need the benches til you’ve expanded your base and built an area. They won’t spawn inside or near crafted stuff; inc campfires, bonfires etc
Workbenches are a “dead space” fix til you’ve built what you’re building. If your end base is large anyway you’ll have a few benches dotted throughout just for the sake of easy building and repair

Enemies and regular mobs can spawn anywhere within a 20 meter radius of workbenches, fires, wards, and torches. If you are looking to build something like a city or any other large build you need to space out workbenches so that their crafting rings all overlap to designate all that area as 'base' and prevent spawns.

After you have confirmed that there is no 'deadzones' that aren't covered by a workbench's build radius you can then leave them, or replace them with something like a standing torch or campfire. If done right, you should no longer have ANY mobs spawn within your village including deer, boar, or greylings.

First things to do is set up work benches to ensure you have a full coverage to be sure.

Then you have to look at the ditch/moat itself. If the edges aren't hard they mobs will be able to get into the ditch. Then if there is a anything they can walk up (and sometimes it is surprising what they can) they will go right up. So if you don't have outer walls they'll come right in. This is why I start by ensuring I have full coverage and a little over do it and then I slowly remove benches and replace them with other items that prevent spawning. However you also really have to make sure the benches cover the ditch moat too to make sure they don't spawn in it.

Most probably.
Set up workbenches throughout the area to stop spawns.

^^The enemies probably spawn directly on your plateau. Just put a few workbenches all around the edges and one in the middle, since they prevent spawning (40 m?) around them (4-5 should be enough i guess).