Top 10 State of Decay 2 Best Base Locations and Why They're Great 

Ranking bases in State of Decay 2 is not an easy task as each map in the game has unique demands on strategies that you need to adjust with. It means that the base that may fit your community management style may be anywhere in this list but let it be known that this article respects each player’s style. 

Did you make up your mind yet on choosing your new base? Or did you already pick one and feel unsure about your decision? This list will help you decide which base is worth your money and effort.

You may notice the huge emphasis on playing at a higher level and that’s simply because… it’s where the real fun is. Though its main substance is to showcase the strengths of the bases, as you go along this list, there will be bits and pieces of helpful tips and advice that may surprise you. 

Without further ado! Let’s jump right into Top 10 bases you need to consider having and why they are great for your survivors.

10. Whitney Field (Best for Long Term Communities)

Known to be the largest base in Meagher Valley that sits at the far south side of the map, Whitney Field offers sustainability to the community you wish to keep for long in-game days. Would you like to stay for more than 35 in-game days? This base is for you. Not only does it boast huge customization features, but it’s also a money-maker base that is good for the latter part of the game.

What Makes Whitney Field Great?

• 3 Large and 5 small open slots are great for your economic, character enhancement, and morale booster facilities. 
• Proximity to buildings with an abundance of loots
• Ability to call siege repeatedly through “announcer box” that rewards 200 influence per siege

While Whitney Field is one of the best bases in Meagher Valley, bear in mind that this also requires 3,500  influence (price in lethal difficulty) and 8 survivors to occupy which is tough to obtain early in the game. Additionally, in lethal difficulty, this base is not for weak survivors as daily safety is a concern.  The base doesn’t offer the best defense that other huge bases have which is just a bit of a downside but can be countered by smart preparation. 

Lo and behold! Things will certainly pay off once you successfully acquire this base. Whitney Field is so close to rich loot-rich areas that you can go back and forth practically via foot to your base and buildings to collect rucksacks and important items. Also, the frequent zombie provocations return tons of money which you can spend to buy expensive stuff from mysterious wandering and rare skill traders.

Direction and Claiming Tips

To reach this base, you just have to set your direction in your map UI and follow the arrow in your compass as Meagher Valley doesn’t have so many obstructions that you can travel from point A to point B without sticking to the road. Though the golden rule in all maps is “watch out for the sleeping bloaters!”. Do not be very confident about running at full speed in Meagher Valley especially in higher difficulty as blood plague bloaters are notorious for killing survivors by surprise due to players’ complacency and arrogance.

9. Rusty Rosie’s (Best in Location)

Also known as Fortified Truck Stop, Rusty Rosie’s that can be found in Hobson Falls in Providence Ridge is just slightly better than Western Builder Supply (another base in the same map) in the medium base category for reasons we’ll discuss in a bit. This base that is situated in the northern part of the map offers easy access to the rest of the important areas in Providence Ridge.

• What makes Rusty Rosie’s Great?
• Rusty Rosie’s has quick access to loot-rich and frequently missioned areas via the river.
• Enormous fuel storage with 100+ capacity
• Multifunction kitchen that gives the ability to create booze for extra income or to raise morale.
• Shooting skills booster

You hear that folks! You don’t have to stick to the road to get your purpose done as in State of Decay 2, rivers and all bodies of water can be traversed by a car like a normal drivable surface. It is important to note that Providence Ridge is the toughest map to play into due to a lot of obstacles from mountain ridges, extreme slopes, zigzag roads, lengthy drives to surprise dead ends so the proximity to the river is a great relief, especially when rushing to get the missions done. For the veteran players, driving might be less of an issue but for the not-so-experienced ones, shortcuts are life!

Just a little bit of a downside for Rusty Rosie’s compared to its competitor, it is not that customizable due to its built-in structures such as the kitchen and watchtower and this was the main reason why most dislike this base at least before new updates. Since the new game update improved the perks of cooking skills which buffed up the cuisine and nutrition specializations, having a kitchen is a must. Also, if you have allied Booze Enclaves or a community member with bartending skills, creating moonshine (booze) in the kitchen gives you the extra quantity that you can use for selling or having a party to boost morale. Now the watchtower that most say is unnecessary might change their mind as the one present in this base can be upgraded to also function as extra fuel storage which is very useful if you plan to hoard fuels for your electric and water outposts that eat lots of fuel for daily maintenance.

Direction and Claiming Tips

The main thing to remember in getting to Rosie’s stop is “turn right” when leaving your starting base. Do not forget the golden rule on bumping to bloaters as the road leading to this base has notorious zigzags and slopes and you might be surprised by one or a few. This base might be under the influence of plague heart so utilize the nearby survey point and scout the area first.

8. Red Talon Daybreak FOB (Free Red Talon Agent)

If you’re new to SOD2, make sure you have the latest update of the game or you will miss this feature coz, yes, you read it write, free Red Talon Agent only in Trumbull Valley! This abandoned Red Talon base located on the north-western part of the map also boasts Red Talon facilities that cannot be obtained unless you grind playing Daybreak for rewards.

What makes Red Talon Daybreak FOB Great?

• Free Demolition Expert Red Talon Agent during the quest on repairing the workshop through Ex-Red Talon Agent Chavez.
• Built-in Red Talon Facilities to make your survivor’s lives even better without spending “prestige “ (Red Talon currency from Daybreak mode)
• Super defensible. 

Red Talon Operator/Soldier costs 2750 prestige which is expensive and could take you an hour or more to play Daybreak if you’re new to the game. Hence, having it for free and knowing how superior these characters are especially in combat is truly worth it. You just have to start the quest to fix the workshop once you move into the base to immediately acquire such new talent in your community.

You may also take advantage of built-in Red Talon Officer Head Quarters which is a dream for every SOD2 player to acquire due to their superb functions. The watchtower can keep the zeds from getting to your base and minimize the zed’s threats plus the only two entrances halt the surge entering zeds and freaks. Other built-in Red Talon facilities in this base are waiting for you to discover and maximize their use, especially the CLEO Relay.

Just a bit of a downside for this base is the lack of customization due to having only one large and small open slot. The main issue here is the lack of space for other vital facilities as you will battle on which of the two open slots will be your clinic/hospital or garden/hydroponics/farm. So it’s best that you keep your population tiny (about 6-7) until you loot the area clean. This base is also far from most of the map area being at the edge so move on to a larger or more customizable base once this base serves its purpose.

Direction and Claiming Tips

Getting into Red Talon Daybreak FOB from your starting base is not a challenge as you can get there easily by following the map UI. The question is, are you ready to free this base from plague territory? This area called Fairfield is typically under the influence of 2 or 3 clustered plague hearts in lethal zone level which covers the whole vicinity. Check your map for survey points and locate the plague hearts first as this area has so much debris that can trap your survivor. The hordes of plague zombies here are unbelievable and will always spot you even how stealthy you are. Screamers here can call the hordes across Fairfield so beware of them. It is highly advised that you bring a vial of plague cure or better put an outpost near this base (ideally the Swine and Bovine) during an attempt to claim so you can evacuate immediately in critical situations.

7. Pterodactyl Ptark (Best on Prize and Customizability)

So, you’re in Trumbull Valley and couldn’t stand the super confined space in your starting base. You already got your fourth survivor and can’t wait to get out. What are you waiting for? Prepare yourself and head to the middle eastern part of the map, clear some plague heart and move into the 4 man base called Pterodactyl Ptark.

What Makes Pterodactyl Ptark Great?

• Cheap!
• Total of 5 small and 1 large open slot
• Accessible to major loot areas and shorter travel to everywhere on the map

With the price of only 500 and only requiring four people, this is a total bargain. With extra diligence on gathering materials rucksacks, you can build your shelter in this base to effectively manage your community. It is wise to have a survivor with utility skills who specializes in plumbing to build 2 to 3 hydroponics here to avoid starvation. Your plumber also extends the morale benefit of latrine keeping your survivors mentally and emotionally stable.

Since you are near everywhere, you can attend to enclaves’ missions quickly. Take note though that you must have your command center upgraded early in the game (up to the maximum if already applicable) to boost your influence profits in each completed mission.

Direction and Claiming Tips

You’ll be driving on an open field going to this location so just watch your way. There are typically 1 to 2 plague hearts that cover this area and since this is not as cluttered as Fairfield, you can have a quick drive to see where those plague hearts are. If you’re not aware yet, you can hire an enclave for 100 influence to help you out in clearing the plague heart but make sure the one you enlisted is not the one you might wanna recruit in the future (coz they might die here) so choose carefully. Having said that, never enlist your community member as your follower (this applies to almost all situations in higher difficulty) as they might die right before your eyes. Once plague territory is gone, you can take this base with so much ease.

6. Prescott Fire Station (Best for Beginners)

The magnificent Prescott Fire Station sitting at the southwestern part of Providence Ridge is a huge base every beginner must-have. 

What makes Prescott Fire Station Great?

• Built-in utility facility that supplies water and electricity
• Built-in level 3 workshop
• Reduced zombie threat

There’s a debate that Lundegaard Lumber Mill is better than this one, but we are talking about ease of establishing builder legacy here folks. Having 2 amenities squeezed in one small slot in the building is way too efficient than putting up 2 outposts or 2 spaces to power up and provide water in your base. Thus, if you’re in a rush to beat the game to get the builder legacy for free water and electricity in your next playthrough, you can have it done here. Plus, the other built-in facilities are so beneficial especially if you have the right set of community members. Imagine the latrine and kitchen having no noise and watchtower reducing the zombie threat, you don’t need to worry about the massive siege.

On your next playthrough should you decide to do it again in Providence Ridge, you are likely to use Builder Boon which will phase out the highlight of this base so this is ideal for one-time use unless you enjoyed this base.

Direction and Claiming Tips

If you will be coming from Rusty Rosie’s, utilize the river to get here quickly. There’s a land shortcut should you decide not to use the road if you will be coming from a Western Builder base, but it takes trial and error to familiarize that.

Due to the frequency of missions you probably had in this area, plague hearts that cover Prescott are already revealed. If not yet, use survey points. It is so important that you don’t get caught in the middle of the street as this area is double the size of Fairfield and almost as deadly as Marshall (also from Trumbull Valley). Hordes of plague zombies here are annoying. Bring incendiaries…lots of them! 

5. Mike's Concrete (Best in Location and Customizability)

This base is in the best location on this rocky and obstacle-rich map. Its location is best for a quick supply run via road. Drucker County is deprived of shortcuts, so you’ll find yourself sticking to the road most of the time, so Mike’s Concrete is a great choice.

What makes Mike's Concrete Great?

• Location
• Built-in generator, workshop, and fuel storage
• Open spaces

As already mentioned, Drucker County is the least favorite map but if you dare to play here, this is your ideal mid-sized base hence Mike’s Concrete made it to this rank. This area also gets 1 to 2 enclave neighbors that are so close, trading and other enclave-involved shenanigans are so easy. Responding to missions and critical supply runs are relatively quick in this location too.

If you haven’t established a trader legacy yet that gives you instant 4000 influence at the start, jumping to the largest base is not your most feasible plan and with the presence of very essential built-in facilities here, it will save you tons of money and resources before moving on to the largest base if you desire. Additionally, the opportunity to customize the base according to your survivor’s needs despite the presence of built-in facilities is a plus. 

Direction and Claiming Tips

You don’t need complex scouting to locate plague hearts that influence this base and by just sticking to the road, you can get here easily. If the area already has neighbor enclaves, it will be easy for you to run for safety on to their base or get reinforcement. But most likely, your struggle will be taking this base out of plague territory and you can pretty much have it with less sweat.

4. Barricaded Strip Mall (Best for Long Term Communities)

Drucker County may be the least favorite map but if you want a taste of luxury in a post-apocalyptic world, this is your base. Zombie outbreak? Run to the mall! 

Located at the northern part of the map, a bit awkward for the position but hey it’s the late part of the game, and wouldn’t you like to spend a bit extra in-game days to get rich and maybe solidify your legacy pool?

What Makes Barricaded Strip Mall Great?

• Essential built-in facilities
• Maximized use of community member’s skills
• 3 large open slots
• Morale boosters

With a built-in level 3 clinic, latrine, and kitchen all you need to care about is the right choice of community members. Glad that the new update boosted up the benefits of having a cook as cuisine and/or nutrition expert for morale and item manufacturing. Get a member with plumbing skills for your hydroponics and latrine and your survivors will never feel deprived again (especially in the lethal zone). One of the three large slots can be a farm for your agriculturist and you can even have an herbalist or lichenologist (the latter is preferable) for a small garden/hydroponic for your medicine income.

If you don’t have the builder boon yet, the sole small open slot outside can be turned into a distillery (supplies water) which fits well with a member with bartending skills who can also cook. If nutrition and cuisine skills are not much of a priority for you, then get a bartender who typically is recruitable via Booze Enclaves. With a bartender, you have a maximized benefit of the distillery that also produces liquor and ethanol to keep your economy going.

Many despise the presence of a taekwondo facility here but hey, that’s an additional 20 HP and increased fighting experience for you plus the ability to boost cardio skills with a warlord leader. This is very significant if you want to ramp up your recruitment to refine your community members for a solid legacy pool.

3. Container Fort (Best for Defense and Customizability) 

In one of the most played maps in the game, having the Container Fort is a must. Located in the southwestern part of Cascade Hills, this largest base is a sigh of relief for the defensive and management enthusiast players.

What makes Container Fort Great?

• Easy to defend
• Plenty of open slots
• Built-in workshop and barracks plus a passive bonus that puts 4 guards who don’t need watchtower facility
• Proximity to material rucksacks and tools rich buildings

This base is juggernaut proof! You heard that right folks. With only 2 tiny entrances, jugs simply couldn’t get inside this fort hence your survivors (especially the ones equipped with .50 cal) can slay the jugs like peanuts. Also, the passive bonus called “Castle Doctrine” puts 4 survivors on guards which causes a -2 zombie threat. Note that while the guards are on duty sniping zombies outside, they are also increasing their shooting skills making them more efficient for defense and offense means.

Some players even put cars to block the entrances leaving only one spot undefended which is the fence at the side of the fort. Go nuts on killing the undead bastards!

The open slots are not technically that many compared to other large bases but note that you don’t have to build barracks here anymore as the fort already provides 8 beds automatically so you just have to think of making use of open slots for other beneficial facilities.

The only flaw that the majority agrees that this base has is its location. It’s way too far from the rest of the map and the narrow and cluttered roads for leaving and entering this base are bloaters’ favorite spots so make sure not to bump into them especially in the lethal zone. Overall, this base is great!

Direction and Claiming Tips

The network of roads in Cascade Hills is a bit confusing. The safest way to get to Container fort is not to stick to the road and go through its side door to the west once you crossed the bridge. There may be clustered plague hearts covering this base and you might wanna survey the area first via the nearby cell tower before gambling on freeing this territory. Driving in this neighborhood is a nightmare and you’ll often find yourself circling the area for alternative routes so make sure to park your car not close to your target plague heart for easy evacuation.

2. Squelones Brewing Company (Best for Location and Money Making)

Meagher Valley, the beginner and mogul-friendly map. Oh boy, if you’re a beginner and wanna get rich first before venturing into the harshest part of State of Decay 2, this base is for you. Squelones Brewing Company situated in the near-center of the map is the best base for so many reasons.

What Makes Squelones Brewing Company Great?

• Beer crafting that generates tons of money
• Built-in water source
• Accessibility to everywhere on the map
• Plague samples farming for the bulk of plague cure

This base has 2 brewery stills that produce beers and if you have the bartender or allied Booze Enclaves, you’ll get the tasty Growler of Barley Wine which all in all sell for a great amount of money versus regular distillery. Note that Booze Enclaves and bartenders are not always available (or delayed to appear) game in-game so if you want to jump-start your economy using this base, select a starting survivor with bartending skills. 

Now that you have the max benefit of brewing beers, make sure that you have at least an agriculturist and a trader leader to put up Farm 3 and trading depot. Mass produce and feel like Pablo Escobar. Since you have ease of access to everywhere and driving doesn’t require you to stick to the road, go door to door to your neighbor enclaves like a girl scout selling cookies and selling your produce. Make sure you have plenty of money or crafted liquors from Friday-Sunday as these are the days of the week that mysterious wandering traders and rare skills traders appear and you can clear their inventory like a boss.

As for the plague samples farming, brace yourself as your mass production resulted in so much noise that all zombies in the yard visit you often. This base is not that hard to defend but don’t be too comfy as frequent sieges might cost your survivor’s life so always gear up and make sure you have a resident pathologist to boost your clinic’s benefit on decreasing plague infection. Every victory against the zeds, especially the red ones, gives you plague samples you can turn into a bulk plague cure which sells for 500 each. Truly, this base is meant for money-making.

Direction and Claiming Tips

No challenge going here. Just follow the map UI and maybe hire an enclave to help you out. There’s also a chance that it’s not covered by plague heart even in the lethal zone. Just beware of not calling the attention of zeds from the open field when claiming this base as you will be swarmed by them in no time.

1. Farmland Compound (Best for Location, Customization, and Defensibility)

We’ve come to the envy of all bases in the game! Farmland Compound which is situated at the center of the map that has ease of access to everywhere. Since Trumbull Valley is the newest addition in the game and undoubtedly the most exciting map and most played one nowadays, Farmland Compound is justifiably the hottest base everyone seeks to have.

What makes Farmland Compound Great?

• The location is in the middle of the map with no obstacles going in and out of the area
• Plenty of open slots 
• Built-in clinic 3 and bunkhouse
• Easy to defend

This base is just so awesome in all categories hence it’s at top of the rank. It might seem far from the neighborhoods, but the openness of the area makes you able to respond to calls immediately and do your supply runs pretty quick. The built-in facilities here are the significant ones, especially the unique bunkhouse that supports 6 beds. Top it up with a leveled lounge and you have yourself a total of 8 beds. Your 8 manned community will never go sleepless again!

You may have doubts whether this base is really easy to defend but the answer is not on its physical but how the members behave during the siege. Everyone gathers at the center of the base where actions take place and if they have the right equipment, you’ll even hear them asking for more. Put up a sniper tower via builder leader at the middle large spot and you can stand at the shooting platform of the barn-like Al Pacino not even firing your gun while watching the zeds being massacred by your survivors.

Some would comment that this base is expensive being the only large base that costs 3500 influence which is a mystery we need to put up to devs but this is undoubtedly the best investment you can do for a base.

Direction and Claiming Tips

Going here is like a walk in the park and often, you just have to take care of two plague hearts that are not clustered to each other which you can kill alone by going back and forth using only heavy weapons if you don’t have explosives or other stronger weapons. Almost all the tips on acquiring bases have been discussed in previous entries and you just have to pick your approach on how to free a certain territory from plague hearts.

There you have it! The Top 10 bases in State of Decay 2 and why they are worth having. If you are new to the game or first time playing lethal zone, you can always bring a friend via co-op mode to help you out in claiming the base of your desire.

If the base you preferred wasn’t mentioned here, let us know why it should make it in this list. At the end of the day, we all have our own approach to the game and the important thing is, we are all having fun!

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