Building
GRAVHOUNDS base building guide: generators, fabricators, turrets and pipelines, the build order that keeps your base alive, and the layout tricks that defend it from the swarm.
Introduction
Base building is the defensive half of the GRAVHOUNDS loop. After deploying to a hostile planet, your pack gathers materials and constructs an operation that can survive the swarm: generators supply power, fabricators craft equipment mid-shift, turrets thin incoming waves and pipelines carry power and resources across hostile terrain while keeping your escape route alive. The October demo confirms a small, focused Build Kit around these structures, and Demo Patch 1 added official notes on the multitool and compass that support builders. This page explains each confirmed structure, the build order that keeps a base alive, and the layout logic that turns a landing zone into a defensible outpost.
Base Building Structure Reference
| Structure | Job in the Loop | Build Order Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Generator | Supplies power so every structure stays online | Place first — unpowered turrets are paperweights |
| Fabricator | Keeps the pack crafting new equipment mid-shift | Anchor it next to the generator in the core |
| Turret | Thins the swarm on its approach lines | Stand turrets on wave lanes, not inside walls |
| Pipeline | Carries power and resources across terrain | Run it along the escape route to keep extraction alive |
| Boost Pad | Speeds movement along pipeline runs | Long straight sections — official warning: no recreational use |
Structure Cards
Generators
The first structure of every base and the start of the power chain.
Fabricators
The mid-shift equipment source that keeps the pack armed through long waves.
Turrets
The swarm's problem at a distance, placed where waves must pass.
Pipelines
Power, resources and your escape route share the pipeline network.
Boost Pads
Speed helpers along pipeline runs, complete with an official warning.
Core Mechanics
The core build order follows the power chain: place generators first so every subsequent structure stays powered, then deploy fabricators to keep the pack crafting gear during the shift, stand turrets on the swarm's approach lines to thin the horde before it reaches the base, and finally extend pipelines across hostile terrain to move resources and power outward. Pipelines do double duty — they feed the operation and can double as your extraction route, which is why keeping the pipeline line intact is a survival condition rather than an aesthetic choice. Defense runs on the same clock as everything else: turrets deal with what the swarm sends now, while generators and pipelines buy the time the base needs to stay online as waves escalate. The demo also mentions boost pads that speed movement along pipelines, including an official warning about recreational use.
Advantages
The building guide is built on developer-confirmed structures, which keeps it honest for a pre-launch wiki: generators, fabricators, turrets, pipelines and boost pads all appear in official description and patch material, so readers learn the actual Build Kit instead of a made-up blueprint set. The page teaches logic rather than memorization — you understand why power comes first, why turret lanes work and why the pipeline is your lifeline — which transfers directly to Early Access even as new structures arrive. The build order content also sharpens co-op coordination: packs that agree on roles (builder, scout, combat) get practical structure-by-structure advice for splitting the work. And because the same mechanics explain solo play, the guide covers both solo conservation and squad efficiency from one framework.
Challenges
Base building is one of the mechanics richest with potential, but the confirmed data today is a narrow slice of it. The developer has named generators, fabricators, turrets, pipelines and boost pads, yet official material does not publish build costs, power budgets, turret damage values or blueprint limits — so exact numbers on this page are community-reported or omitted. The Build Kit is also demo-scoped: Demo Patch 1's multitool and compass notes add tooling rather than new structures, and the full Early Access build will almost certainly expand what you can place. Layout advice built on demo observations may drift as the swarm AI and structure stats get rebalanced. Readers should use this guide as their structural foundation and treat any specific placement number as a starting point until launch data clarifies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I build first in GRAVHOUNDS?+
Why do pipelines matter so much?+
Can I build solo or do I need a full pack?+
Quick Tips
Place the generator, fabricator and first two turrets before you let the swarm earn a free wave. Power-first build order is not a style choice — an unpowered turret contributes nothing while the horde walks past, and a fabricator without power cannot craft the gear that gets you through the shift. A small, powered core survives longer than a grand unfamiliar blueprint.
Run your pipeline along the escape route and protect it like a lifeline. Since pipelines double as the route that keeps extraction alive, design layouts where the pipeline corridor is not the swarm's path through your base. Guard posts, turret coverage and boost pad placement on that corridor turn a dead end into a survivable retreat.
Discuss build roles before deployment in co-op. One pack role each for building, scouting and combat covers the loop with far less chaos: the builder manages the core and pipelines, the scout drags materials in from the edges, and the combat slot keeps the swarm off the generator while the extract timer runs.
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