# Firehouses best base?
**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574
**Category:** The Bunker
**Created:** [June 21, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574 "2014-06-21T21:14:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gopa4](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/gopa4)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/1 "2014-06-21T21:14:04Z")
Usually I try to reinforce my starting evac shelter and then haul all of my goods back home. However recently I have playing as a wondering vagabond in my motorcycle of death, and discovered that firehouses make ideal shelters. Extremely large indoor area, large shutter doors, no need to fortify because the internal area is already secure. Including the fact it has beds, food, water, plus weapons armor and tools this has to be the best permenant/temporary base. Yeah?
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### Author:  [@HunterAlpha1](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/HunterAlpha1)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/2 "2014-06-21T21:18:10Z")
Other than LMOE shelters(which are kind of cheaty), yes.
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### Author:  [@Tawarochir](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Tawarochir)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/3 "2014-06-22T17:26:29Z")
Definitely. Of course, if you put time into it, a lab might be even better…
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### Author:  [@jimboblordofeskimos](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jimboblordofeskimos)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/4 "2014-06-22T17:50:53Z")
Eh, at the end of the day, there isnt much reason to have a dedicated base, you are always going to burn up all the more interesting resources nearby and have to move on. Sure you can turtle up and live forever on boiled water and meat chunks doing 3/5s of fuckall with your time, but where is the fun in that.
Modified boxtruck/ambo is the best base imo. Extend the length a tile or 2, add in cookers, beds and the like, armor it up, fill it with batteries, solar panels and cargo carriers and you have a base that will do everything a house can but also do 90 on a clear road.
That said, for a non mobile base, firehouse is pretty damn good, the only issues I have with them is 1) No basement. Having a hulk smash down my house while I was sleeping has only happened to me twice, but it has happened. 2) they often lack water onsite, leading to 3) they are seldom in the best locations.
My checklist for a base goes: Not nearby ants/slimes/fungals etc, has permanent source of water within a map tile or 2, 1 tile wide window to use as entrance, basement for safe sleeping, is either in or on the edge of a reasonable sized town (thats my problem with LMOE shelters, they are always miles from anywhere), bonus points for a nearby computer for reading at night, being a few tiles away from other houses incase of _cough_ random fires, having a road nearby that isnt blocked by wreckage. Back when all you could really do for traps was pits, then I also looked for a few tiles of dirt all around, with caltrops its not an issue now though.
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### Author:  [@Arek\_PL](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Arek_PL)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/5 "2014-06-22T18:06:46Z")
[quote=“jimboblordofeskimos, post:4, topic:6574”]1) No basement[/quote] you can create one by yourself
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### Author:  [@jimboblordofeskimos](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jimboblordofeskimos)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/6 "2014-06-22T20:38:09Z")
> [@Arek\_PL](#):
>
> [quote=“jimboblordofeskimos, post:4, topic:6574”]1) No basement[/quote] you can create one by yourself
House with a basement is generally alot easier to find than a pickaxe in my experience.
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### Author:  [@EditorRUS](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/EditorRUS)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/7 "2014-06-22T20:57:56Z")
Welp, the safest place is where you won’t ever be disturbed. There’s only one such place - a basement. Any enemy never come down through the stairs unless they were following you. So, no, firestations are not the best bases. The most dangerous enemies which can break walls still can destroy your house.
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### Author:  [@Atomic\_Think\_Tank](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Atomic_Think_Tank)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/8 "2014-06-25T00:05:19Z")
In my experience playing, I’ve found it easiest to do everything by foot. Sure, it’s not as fast nor as fun rolling around in a reinforced death machine but you don’t have to A) Worry about fuel, B) Worry about making noise without going all hippy or adding a thousand mufflers, C) Have to worry about scavving all that crap just to build one.
I’m completely self-sufficient, boiling water from rivers, and I can always hunt for food from wildlife that isn’t zombified and trying to murder me. I just grab a backpack, a decent melee weapon, and a gun with a semi-common ammunition type as a backup, typically a handgun like a .44 DEagle and maybe a 9mm conversion kit for it if one’s handy. Raid towns for whatever else you need, like batteries or medical supplies and maybe MREs if you really want backup supplies.
Otherwise I can operate just fine off 60-100 volume without overencumbering myself. If I get into a fight, I can drop my backpack and whatever might be loading me down too much and go in swinging, or firing if the case may be.
When I need to sleep, I can throw down my cot or rollmat, put up some traps like bubble wrap and caltrops, slip into my sleeping bag and go to sleep. Works fine every time, and I’ve only been attacked like this twice by roaming zooses that I shot twice in the head from close range and walked away practically unscathed.
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### Author:  [@Bonevomit](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Bonevomit)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/9 "2014-06-25T00:15:30Z")
From what I’ve seen the best bases are labs, because:
metal doors
basement with sleeping quarters
perpetual light sources
heavily prestocked
Personally, I think the center building of the fema camp is an even better alternative but there are no perpetual light sources, however you have more resources otherwise and it’s easier to get into during the early game.
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### Author:  [@Arek\_PL](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Arek_PL)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2014, 9:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/firehouses-best-base/6574/10 "2014-06-25T09:16:58Z")
[quote=“Bonevomit, post:9, topic:6574”]From what I’ve seen the best bases are labs, because:
metal doors
basement with sleeping quarters
perpetual light sources
heavily prestocked
Personally, I think the center building of the fema camp is an even better alternative but there are no perpetual light sources, however you have more resources otherwise and it’s easier to get into during the early game.[/quote]
yes labs are realy nice but without teleport or probality travel CBM is hard to escape when horde block enterance i lived in one lab even my 2 tile wehicle was parked behimd double doors alslo sleeping quarters are common above surface not only cold underground of lab