How to Build a Water Base in Sons of the Forest

Your base is the primal means of survival in Sons of the Forest, as it gives you a place to sleep, craft items, and stay clear of the cannibals and mutants roaming the island. Some bases, however, are better than others in terms of construction and, most importantly, location, which brings us to one of the best kinds of bases to build in the game, a water base. 

Building a water base is only tough in the beginning, but it does get easier once you have the basics done, so if you're looking to create one for yourself and need some help, then we have you covered. So keep reading, as we'll be showing you how to build a water base in Sons of the Forest. 

How to build a water base in Sons of the Forest

Let's break down exactly what a water base is in Sons of the Forest. In most cases, it refers to a base that is built on top of and inside a body of water such as a lake, and sometimes on an island surrounded by water, but in our guide, we'll focus on the former, a base full in water as shown below. 

So let's break down how you can build one for yourself, as we cover the basics of building the base and you can take it from there in terms of customization and expansion. Our guide was informed with the aid of the YouTube Channel TotalXclipse, so if you found the breakdown helpful, then please consider subscribing to their channel for more amazing content. 

Building Your water base foundation during winter seasons

The first and most important thing to note is that you cant build a water base on liquid water. You'll need to wait until the winter season for the body of water you want to build on to freeze over so you can start construction. 

To start with, place down wood logs to create the foundation of your base, this can be in any shape you want as long as it functions as a floor for your base. Another important tip is that you shouldn't leave the area and sleep until your foundation is complete, as doing so will cause the water to melt and any unfinished parts cant be added when in the water.

The next step is to set up your entrance and exit to your base (while the water is frozen), so you can choose to use zip lines or build a bridge using wood. Once the foundation and optional bridge are complete, you can head out of the area to sleep and when you return the foundation will now be sitting on the water comfortably. 

Constructing your water base tips and tricks

Now that you have your foundation, you can start building your water base. The first thing you'll need to sort out is getting wood to your base since it's isolated in the water. You have two choices here, the first is to use a zip line to transport the wood, or use the wood duplication glitch as described in our guide here. 

Now that you have access to wood, you can begin construction on your base, and here's where your taste takes prevalence as you can build it to your heart's desire. Once your design is done, your base will be ready, but there's one last thing you need to consider fortification. 

Fortifying your water base in Sons of the Forest

Since your base is in the water, it means that when the water freezes over, enemies can simply walk over the ice to reach your base. Luckily there are two ways to prevent and negate this effect. To negate the effect outright, you simply need to stay in the area of your base, and not sleep too far away from it. This causes the water around your base not to freeze at all. 

This could likely be patched out later, but as of right now, as long as you don't sleep too far from your base, the water surrounding it will never freeze. But what if you go exploring and sleep too far from the base, and when you return it's frozen over and there are mutants surrounding you? 

Well, that's where fortification comes in, as you can build extensions to your foundation and then add defensive walls to your perimeter. You can also gate off your exit and entrance, so you have a safe way in and out regardless of enemies, and of course, the last resort would be to leave and sleep somewhere else causing the ice to melt and despawn the enemies.