Good Heavens base building revolves around claiming wild land with a territory totem, constructing essential crafting benches, and establishing safe item storage. Your settlement serves as the central hub where you process raw timber and stone into upgraded gear, manage farming plots, and anchor your respawn point. Because dropped loot despawns upon quitting or over time, setting up a functional base layout early is critical for steady progression.
Claiming Territory with the Totem
Every settlement in Good Heavens begins with a Totem. Shortly after landing in Xant-Rar and receiving initial instructions from the deceased former Chosen One, you receive a totem in your inventory.
To claim your building plot:
- Place the totem on your hotbar.
- Scout an open, flat area away from non-buildable settlement borders or impassable cliffs.
- Select the totem from your hotbar and activate placement. If the terrain is blocked by static objects or pre-existing structures, the game displays an "Occupied by something else" warning.
- Confirm placement to mark the perimeter of your building zone.
If you place your totem poorly or wish to clear space, you cannot simply drag or pick it up. You must craft a Dismantle Mallet (also designated as a Dismantle Hammer) by hand to break down placed structures and prototype blueprints.
Essential Starter Structures and Workbenches
Building in Good Heavens relies on a two-step process: opening the construction menu using the B key, placing a blueprint outline on the ground, and interacting to assemble it using the required materials.
Advancing your base structure requires Blue Essence, which drops when you chop trees and break rocks. Spending this essence in the tech tree unlocks additional crafting stations across the Homesteading, Exploration, and Influence disciplines.
The table below outlines the primary starter stations, their unlock requirements, and what they produce:
| Station | Tech Branch Required | Key Materials Needed | Primary Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent | Basic Survival | Wood / Branches | Sets player spawn point and allows sleeping through the night |
| Workbench | Basic Survival | Logs, Stone | Crafts early tools (Stone Axe, Pickaxe), rope, and basic weapons |
| Loom | Weaving (Influence) | 8 Wood, 4 Rope, 2 Sticks | Converts grass into fabric for light armor like grass pants |
| Weapons Bench | Weapon Path (Warfare/Trickery) | Stone, Logs, Rope | Crafts melee clubs, slingshots, bows, and basic ammunition |
| Sawmill | Carpentry (Homesteading) | Wood / Logs | Processes raw timber into building planks |
| Carpenter's Table | Carpentry (Homesteading) | Planks | Crafts wooden chests and furniture |
| Furnace | Smelting (Exploration) | 4 Planks, 20 Stone | Smelts Woodstone using wood as fuel |
| Armor Bench | Heavy Armor (Warfare) | Woodstone, Planks, Rope | Crafts defensive gear such as the wooden breastplate |
| Prep Table | Cooking (Homesteading) | Wood blocks, Planks | Assembles raw food dishes like garden salads |
Managing Base Farming and Irrigation
Base development connects directly with the Homesteading tree through farming. Early quests from NPCs like Chief Eckert and local farmers supply initial seeds for tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes.
To set up an agricultural plot:
- Unlock basic farming in the Homesteading tree and craft a Stone Hoe at the workbench.
- Use the hoe on the ground within your camp boundary to till garden plots.
- Place seeds (such as tomato or potato seeds) directly onto the tilled plots.
- Unlock Irrigation Tech I to craft a Wooden Watering Can.
- Fill the watering can at nearby open water sources and water your planted crops.
Crops grow passively while you explore dungeons or harvest distant biomes, providing the ingredients needed to cook stamina-boosting soups and complete town requests.
Storage Rules and Construction Limitations
Item management is a frequent point of confusion for new players due to specific mechanics and early development constraints:
- Ground Drops Despawn: Dropping items on the ground is designed strictly for quick item handoffs between co-op players. The developers have verified that items left on the ground disappear after a period of time and will vanish when you save and reload your session.
- Chests Are Mandatory: Store all surplus stone, seeds, logs, and mob essences inside dedicated chests built at the Carpenter's Table. Upgrading to Carpentry II lets you build Medium Chests using 2 Heartplanks.
- No Rotation or Direct Move: In the current game build, workbenches and stations cannot be rotated during blueprint placement, nor can they be picked up into your backpack once built. Plan your spacing carefully to ensure you do not block access to your tent or storage. If a station is in your way, demolish it using the Dismantle Mallet and reconstruct it.
- Base Waypoints: As your island progression deepens, you can research Waypoints under the tech tree. Placing a waypoint inside your base allows fast travel between your homestead and level 3 upgraded cities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you rotate buildings or workbenches?
No. The development team has confirmed that station rotation and free-moving functions are not implemented in the current build. You must place blueprints in their fixed default orientation.
How do you move a misplaced Totem?
Craft a Dismantle Mallet by hand. Equip the mallet and strike the misplaced totem or structure to destroy it, freeing up the buildable area so you can replace it elsewhere.
Why did items left around the campfire disappear?
Items dropped directly on the dirt are subject to temporary cleanup routines. They automatically despawn after a set duration and are wiped upon exiting the game. Always store spare materials inside crafted chests.
How do you set your spawn point?
Construct a Tent using the build menu (B key). Once the construction animation finishes, interact with the tent to anchor your respawn location. You can also use the tent to sleep through the night cycle.
