19 — Base Optimization for Production

Last updated: May 18, 2026

The other files cover how each system works in isolation. This file is how to wire them together inside your base to maximize output — scrap per hour, ammo per hour, smelt rate, food yield — across solo, duo, trio, and clan scales.

The general rule: bigger isn't better, optimized is better. A well-tuned 2x2 out-produces a sprawling 4x4 that nobody finished building.

What "production" actually means

Five output metrics matter, by priority:

1. Scrap throughput per hour — feeds research, blueprints, Bandit shop, tea ingredients
2. 5.56 ammo per hour — feeds turrets, raid ammo budget, PvP runs
3. Ingots per hour (metal frags + HQM) — fuel for crafting, repairs, walls
4. Food calories per day — keeps the team alive without daily hunting runs
5. Tea per day — Scrap Tea, Health Tea, Anti-Rad Tea all multiply other outputs

You optimize for whichever metric is your current bottleneck. Out of ammo? Optimize the ammo chain. Always smelting? Add furnaces.

Solo base (2x2 stone) — target outputs

A well-tuned solo 2x2 hits:

• 500+ scrap/hour active (monument runs + Bandit Camp scope arbitrage)
• 50 scrap/hour passive (horse dung composter + fertilizer arbitrage)
• 150 rounds 5.56/hour from a 2-crafter ammo chain
• 100 metal ore/hour smelted in a 3-furnace bank
• 3-5 cooked meat/hour from passive trap loops

Solo build priorities (in order)

1. Hour 6-8: workbench 2 placed in hallway → unlock electric furnace + auto turret
2. Hour 10-12: auto turret at front door + 1 large battery + 1 wind turbine + 2 solar panels
3. Hour 14-16: electric furnace bank (3 furnaces) replacing wood furnaces
4. Hour 16-20: workbench 3 → unlock industrial network + crafter
5. Hour 20-24: 4-conveyor auto-sort + auto-recycler chain
6. Day 2: small greenhouse (3-4 planters) for hemp + berry teas
7. Day 3: auto-craft chain (gunpowder → 5.56)

Solo power budget

Continuous loads: turret 11 rW + lights 4 rW + 4 conveyors 8 rW + 2 crafters 4 rW = 27 rW continuous. Peak (with smelting): + 3 furnaces × 60 rW = 207 rW peak.

Source: 1 wind turbine on a 5-foundation pillar (~120 rW peak) + 2 solar panels (~30 rW peak) + 1 large battery (24,000 rWm storage). Smelt during daylight only; battery handles nighttime continuous load.

Duo base (2x2 or 3x2) — target outputs

The duo's advantage isn't size, it's parallel workflows. One person farms while the other recycles. One sleeps while the other plays.

A duo with this division of labor produces ~1,200 scrap per hour combined plus a sustained ammo/tea stream — roughly 2.4x a solo's output for 2x the players. The multiplier comes from no idle time: someone is always producing.

Duo build priorities

Same first-day path as solo (above), but with these adjustments by day 2:

• 3x2 layout with the extra bay dedicated to the greenhouse
• 8 large planters minimum — 2 hemp, 2 pumpkin, 4 berries (1 of each color)
• 2 furnace banks running in parallel (smelt + bone refinery)
• Secondary sleeping arrangement offset by 6-8 hours so the base is online 16+ hours/day

Trio base (3x3) — target outputs

Trio is where the real industrial advantage kicks in.

A trio base hitting these numbers is functionally self-sufficient. The only thing you still need from outside: explosives (sulfur from monuments) and high-tier loot drops.

Trio build priorities

• 3x3 footprint, 2 stories (vehicle bay on first floor in extra bay)
• Full industrial: 4 crafters in series (gunpowder → 5.56 → tea → bandages)
• 6 electric furnaces in 2 banks of 3, fed by splitters
• Auto-recycler with 6-output combiner stack
• 9 large planters with YYYYYY clones across hemp / pumpkin / 6 berry colors
• 2 turrets at primary entry, 1 SAM site if compound walls extend
• Vehicle bay with minicopter + horse + spare modular car

Trio power budget

Continuous: 60-80 rW (8 conveyors + 4 crafters + lights + turrets + smart alarms). Peak (full smelt + greenhouse sprinklers): 500-600 rW.

Source: 2 wind turbines on elevated pillars + 4 solar panels + 2 large batteries in parallel.

Clan compound — scale considerations

Past trio, you stop optimizing one base and start optimizing a compound:

• Main base (4x4 or larger) houses the core production
• External outbuildings: dedicated greenhouse, dedicated smelter, dedicated vehicle bay
• External TC bubbles extend the no-build zone
• Compound walls push raiders 30+ meters from any structure (mortar mitigation)

Output targets for a 5-person clan:

• 10,000+ scrap/hour with 3 farmers running parallel routes
• 1,500+ 5.56/hour from 2 dedicated ammo factories
• Full self-sufficiency on food, tea, ammo, repairs

The 5 biggest production mistakes

1. Sprawling 4x4 base before WB3. Build the 2x2, get to WB3, then expand. Don't over-stone before you have industrial.
2. One large battery for 200+ rW peak load. Batteries cap at 100 rW output. Wire two in parallel for higher draw.
3. One auto-sort network covering everything. Hit the 16-adapter cap fast. Split into 2-3 smaller networks.
4. Smelting with wood furnaces past hour 12. Electric furnaces smelt 66% faster and don't need fuel — pure power.
5. Greenhouse without temperature control in cold biome. Plants take stress damage, yield drops 30%. Add a heater.

Quick optimization checklist

When your base feels slow, run through this list:

Pro tips

• Build the industrial network LAST. Place all containers and furnaces first, then wire pipes once everything is positioned.
• Label every conveyor's filter with a sign. Mid-wipe you'll forget which one does what.
• Use Rust+ smart alarms on the front door, raid response window, and any pipe-fed crafter that might run dry.
• One large battery per 100 rW of peak load. Wire in parallel for higher current.
• Greenhouse over a campfire room stays at growth temperature even in snow biome.
• Drink Crafting Tea + Scrap Tea before extended base sessions — the 35% craft time reduction stacks with everything.