Nature invented wings so it didn't have to care about moats.

It really depends on location of your base, your phase of progression and your personal preferences.

Easiest way to deal with any currently available invasion is to pop the Biomass power (swamp boss ability) and jump into the fray with an effective loadout. Some exceptions to that exist, in case the invaders wield elemental attacks, and that's where ate-game materials come in. Stone is much more resistant to those, and marble (late-game material) is outright immune to all elemental damage and resistant to all physical damage except pickaxe (If you look at the concept art for ashlands creatures, you can see there's a skeleton with what looks like a magic staff. What kind of magic do you think they wield in the fiery biome?). You can check the Fandom wiki for HP values and resistances for various structures, it's the only feasible way of discovering how different materials behave.

The likes of greydwarves or draugr, especially bowmen, can be kept away by stakewalls, multiple layers if need be. They have as high HP as stone wall pieces, but are considerably cheaper and easier to construct. For all other major threats from there on, you will likely want stone...

At this point, if you can build a proper moat, it should help, but as said above, winged creatures exist.

Another option is to fortify walls of any kind with iron cages. It's expensive, but saves space and helps a lot against anything which is affected by cleave penalty as well as any non-AoE projectile attacks.

Finally, you'll have to consider rain degrading integrity of even iron components. Rain won't touch stakewalls, stone or tarred wood, so you can do something like this:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935749071

or this:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935749150

These are just examples of how rain affects pieces, not a comprehensive defensive measure for any threat. It's hard to see if iron cages are damaged with the poor lighting, but hopefully you get the idea about protecting your defenses from rain. You could also use roofs of course, but I find especially the former type of stacking of multiple layers better. It takes less space, but won't protect from AoE splash attacks as well.

So the most comprehensive option is to build a variety of defenses and spacing them out for defense in depth, all the while not forgetting active player participation (despite what Hugin says about defending). You won't be able to do that right away, but it's something to consider for late-game progression.

Stakewall is found in the misc category, not building category. It only requires workbench and wood. The same category also has roundpole fences, they may be useful in funneling earlier enemies or blockading your back yard while spending less wood.

You can lay wooden wall or beams alongside the wall, or other things, to give it some aesthetics.

Get a whole mess of rocks. Like a few hundred.

Ready your hoe.

In a circle around your base, raise the rocks about four levels, except for one place where its only two high (where you can hop up to re-enter).

Voila. You now can ignore any sieges forever. When they show up just wait them out and you'll be perfectly safe.

Originally posted by evilwillhunting:

Get a whole mess of rocks. Like a few hundred.

Ready your hoe.

In a circle around your base, raise the rocks about four levels, except for one place where its only two high (where you can hop up to re-enter).

Voila. You now can ignore any sieges forever. When they show up just wait them out and you'll be perfectly safe.

Small thing, but with good stamina you can run straight up most raised terrain walls even all the way to max height. I do this for my outposts but my main base is handicapped accessible (cart) these days. It depends on how easy it is for you to fight off the raid. If its a tough high risk fight, block it off. If they are easy for you, doesn't matter so much.

It might not seem like it but those greydwarfs are offering you a lovely opportunity that will last you right up to the end game.

Because once you get yourself a club or copper mace they offer you the chance to start levelling that weapon with their lovely squishy exteriors, you can also add a shield if you want to practice blocking and parrying fairly safely. Also practice dodge rolling away from attacks. Most of the stuff they drop will always be useful also.

Once you had enough of playing with them and you'd rather just get stuff done dig moats around your base or at least the important parts and put up some stake walls to stop the annoying pebble throwers hitting stuff.

Also, if you do the "rock ring" thing, you get a nice little bonus. You can get up on top and just plink at the foes to get bow XP and get drops whens its all over.

Even better, you can use this to load up your obsolete arrows and use them to get rid of them.

Mind you, this will get tricky with troll and swamp sieges: the trolls will simply smack you (they're tall and can probably reach you) and if you get some Draugr 2* archers, you're better of hiding, because they'll hit you hard.

Yeah rock wall seems good.. it doesn't sound like it looks very good though..

Originally posted by pyremind:

Yeah rock wall seems good.. it doesn't sound like it looks very good though..

Nope. Looks ugly, frankly.
But then, function over aesthetics....

You can lay wooden wall or beams alongside the wall, or other things, to give it some aesthetics.

Recently started new run and had an interesting raid.

Haven't started a base yet. Just little campsites to rest at as I explore the initial starting continent.

Anyway, I had a site at a crypt I was delving into that was attacked by a troll and 1 star red greydwarf.

It wasn't a raid or at least I didn't see the raid message.

Not being able to take then both at once I ran off into the woods with them chasing me. I lost them pretty far away from my temp base and made a wide circle back to the crypt.

By the time I got there they were both getting back there as well. Inwas shocked they actually went back to attack my stuff.

Go out and fight them. They'll target you, if there's a free path.
Know that in the meadows and the Black Forest, only Boars and Trolls can't be evaded by simply walking away from them, since all other mobs travel at more or less the same speed as you and stop when they hit, and you'll be out of range if you just keep walking, unless you get flanked.
This is also the perfect time to learn to dodgeroll and parry, since these mobs essentially are the weakest you'll meet in the game.
For some aoe, try the stagbreaker and the atgeir.

They are just after you. If you manage to run out of your base just in time, they will follow you and doesnt destroy your base. But beside that, its always a good idea to build at least wooden walls around your base.

Nature invented wings so it didn't have to care about moats.

It really depends on location of your base, your phase of progression and your personal preferences.

Easiest way to deal with any currently available invasion is to pop the Biomass power (swamp boss ability) and jump into the fray with an effective loadout. Some exceptions to that exist, in case the invaders wield elemental attacks, and that's where ate-game materials come in. Stone is much more resistant to those, and marble (late-game material) is outright immune to all elemental damage and resistant to all physical damage except pickaxe (If you look at the concept art for ashlands creatures, you can see there's a skeleton with what looks like a magic staff. What kind of magic do you think they wield in the fiery biome?). You can check the Fandom wiki for HP values and resistances for various structures, it's the only feasible way of discovering how different materials behave.

The likes of greydwarves or draugr, especially bowmen, can be kept away by stakewalls, multiple layers if need be. They have as high HP as stone wall pieces, but are considerably cheaper and easier to construct. For all other major threats from there on, you will likely want stone...

At this point, if you can build a proper moat, it should help, but as said above, winged creatures exist.

Another option is to fortify walls of any kind with iron cages. It's expensive, but saves space and helps a lot against anything which is affected by cleave penalty as well as any non-AoE projectile attacks.

Finally, you'll have to consider rain degrading integrity of even iron components. Rain won't touch stakewalls, stone or tarred wood, so you can do something like this:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935749071

or this:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935749150

These are just examples of how rain affects pieces, not a comprehensive defensive measure for any threat. It's hard to see if iron cages are damaged with the poor lighting, but hopefully you get the idea about protecting your defenses from rain. You could also use roofs of course, but I find especially the former type of stacking of multiple layers better. It takes less space, but won't protect from AoE splash attacks as well.

So the most comprehensive option is to build a variety of defenses and spacing them out for defense in depth, all the while not forgetting active player participation (despite what Hugin says about defending). You won't be able to do that right away, but it's something to consider for late-game progression.

you need to make sure your base is defended. greydwarfs are the least of your problems down the line believe me. there is things that CAN and will destroy your base if you dont make sure it has a defensive line around it.

either by natural obstacles (deep water for example NOT RIVERS) or by digging a moat around the base or raiseing the ground and building the base on top. there is a bunch of options includeing cheesy mudwalls but moats dont work everywhere. it depends on where your base is build.

pick your location wisely.

make sure you have open sea access in some form (river/channel or lake towards ocean atleast) otherwise ore transport will be a pain later on and on most seeds water travel is required to progress.

you can build defensive structures when you unlock them. these dmg enemies who get close by themselfs.

there is more options for defense down the line aswell. dont wanna spoil them.

Thanks for the replies. How do I unlock the stake wall? I'm surprised I don't have it already, I've already built a smelter.

Stakewall is found in the misc category, not building category. It only requires workbench and wood. The same category also has roundpole fences, they may be useful in funneling earlier enemies or blockading your back yard while spending less wood.

the sharp stakes require wood and corewood from the forest