When it comes to Enshrouded base locations, Embervale real estate has no bad options, but I tend to favor scenic waterfront properties over any strategic positioning. The world has plenty of fast travel points, so I don’t suffer much from my form-over-function choices, though I do appreciate conveniently placed mines or higher elevations to get a good running jump with the glider.

After hundreds of hours base hopping all over Embervale, my map is packed with markers highlighting my favorite spots, so I might as well share them. Here are some of the best base locations I’ve found in Enshrouded 1.0.

Springlands

Springlands map

Fort Kelvin

🏘️ Pre-built town for renovating
Fort Kelvin sits on the Springlands’ northern border, near Revelwood and just west of the Pillars of Creation. It’s a sprawling abandoned town with a central square, underground tunnels, and even its own pre-built tower. Restoring the whole place is a massive undertaking, but it’s a lovely fixer-upper if you’re willing to put in the work.

Pondside ruins

🌳Empty lot for building
This little pond just west of Fort Kelvin is a personal favorite, and I almost always wind up building something here in every world. I love the island in the middle of the water, so I spend a lot of time fixing up the pier and expanding it. Just be careful building near the path. Enemy patrols occasionally pass through, and they’ve caught me unprepared and killed me once or twice.

Western waterfront

🌳Empty lot for building
Surprise, surprise—it’s another waterside lot for your next build. This one’s almost a little too close to the nearby Shroud, but it’s too cute to pass up. The uneven terrain may put some players off, but I’d leave the terrain tool alone and embrace the challenge of building around it.

Revelwood and Blackmire

Revelwood and Blackmire map

Glenwood’s End neighboring waterfall

🌳Empty lot for building
Look, I’m no fan of building in Revelwood—the thick foliage makes it too dark for my taste—but I’m obsessed with this lonely waterfall beside Glenwood’s End. And it’s not just any waterfall. It’s a proper RPG waterfall, complete with a fancy secret alcove.

Blue Goblet Tavern

🏠Pre-built tavern for renovating
I understand renovating entire towns is a big ask, so here’s a single building you can move into with considerably less hassle. What I really like about this old tavern is its hilltop location, which gets more sunlight than most places in Revelwood. There’s also plenty of ore and clay nearby.

Nomad Highlands and Kindlewastes

Nomad Highlands and Kindlewastes map

Top of the Pillars of Creation

🌳Empty lot for building
Even if I’m not building here, I always place a Flame Altar atop one of the two pillars for easy fast travel around southern Embervale. The northern pillar is easier to build on since the Engine Chambers occupy the southern one, but the latter has nearby copper mines to sweeten the deal.

🌳Empty lot for building
This adorable mountainside nook is tucked between two vast stretches of Shroud. It’s not exactly overflowing with resources, but there’s a limestone deposit within easy reach thanks to a handy hookshot shortcut.

Shorewatch

🏘️ Pre-built town for renovating
Most Kindlewastes towns are a little too big for my liking, but Shorewatch is manageable. Southern Kindlewastes is pretty sparse on fast travel points, making this a handy spot to settle down. It even has a pre-built tower you can keep extending upward to get more mileage out of your glider jumps.

Albaneve Summits

Albaneve Summits map

Hermit Lodgings

🏠Pre-built cottage for renovating
Far to the east in the Albaneve Summits, tucked away on an unassuming mountainside, is one of Enshrouded’s most heartbreaking journals. I won’t spoil it, but since I can’t bring myself to disturb the actual ‘Hermit Lodgings’ landmark, I settle a little northwest in this cute lakeside cabin instead. I like to imagine it belonged to the journal characters during happier times, though I’m sure they’d hate to see what I’ve done with the place.

Veilwater Basin

Veilwater Basin map

Dragondream Lake – Riverreach

🏘️ Pre-built town for renovating
Against my better judgment, I’m including the massive town of Riverreach. It sits in the northernmost corner of Dragondream Lake, stretching across the area’s biggest waterfall. The town has three main levels, not counting the floors in each house, and renovating the whole place is a monumental undertaking. I’m sure none of us need this much space, but the allure of its enormous, working waterwheels and intricate underground cells is too good to pass up.

Dragondream Lake – Driftwood Wake

🏘️ Pre-built town for renovating
If Riverreach’s dark wood and stone aren’t your thing, Driftwood Wake sits across the lake to the southeast. It’s closer to the water (and therefore better for fishing), with its own waterfall tucked against the western mountainside. It’s smaller and probably more practical than Riverreach, so it earns a spot on the list, but its northern neighbor still has my heart.