How to Secure Your Base Before a Break

You get back from a clean sandbike run, log off, and return to a base with no power and supplies still sitting in the open. Arrakis has awful timing. Before you leave, take one lap around your base so your next trip starts with water and shelter.

Before you log off

1. Check storm protection and power. Open the sub-fief console, the device that claims your base. Check its shield status and days of power remaining. Fuel the generator for the length of your break. Repair damaged walls and make sure the console and storage sit within your claim. Without power, the shield drops and sandstorms can damage the base.
2. Leave water for your return. Fill your carried water and the containers at home. Check the filters in any water-making equipment you use. Keep enough water for a short gathering trip; your first job back should not be a thirsty dash across open sand.
3. Put goods away. Empty vehicle cargo into base storage, especially rare materials and repair supplies. Enclose the sub-fief console and check who has permission to use the base.
4. Check the next supply run. Mark a nearby water source and a route to the materials you need next. Look for rock or shelter along the way. If every basic supply run has become a long drive, scout a new site before moving. There is no single best base spot for every Sleeper.
5. Secure each vehicle. Empty its cargo, then store the vehicle with a Vehicle Backup Tool if it fits. For one left assembled, open its Vehicle Management Menu and check the Decay status. Move it until the status says it is safe, and repair damage. For a vehicle you cannot store, use a Welding Torch to remove its modules and put them in storage.

Match the plan to your mode

Official multiplayer: Base upkeep taxes are gone, but a base still needs power to resist weather damage. The shared Deep Desert resets with the weekly Coriolis storm, so clear out a base and vehicles there before the reset. For a longer break or a move in Hagga Basin, use the Base Reconstruction Tool to back up an owned base and the items in its connected storage. Check the tool’s warnings for pieces or items it cannot include. It does not pack assembled vehicles, so secure those first. The tool backs up and restores bases in Hagga Basin, subject to placement rules.

Single-player: The Deep Desert map does not reset or wipe your buildings each week, but storms can still threaten an unprotected base. Check your settings for storms, base decay, and fuel use, then check the console’s power timer if you want the shield and machines working when you return.

Custom server: Ask the host or check the server settings for storms, decay, and base fuel use. These rules can differ from official multiplayer, so use the timer and settings in your own world when planning a break.

If you come back to a loss

• Damaged base: Check the Communinet for a storm or destruction notice. At the site, inspect the sub-fief console and generator. Restore power if you can, then repair the shelter around your water and storage. If you backed up the base, use the Base Reconstruction Tool to place it on valid ground in Hagga Basin.
• Missing vehicle: Check the Vehicle Backup Tool for a stored vehicle or its Recovery option. A destroyed vehicle you own can be recovered for a limited time, currently 72 hours, at a Solari cost and a loss of maximum durability. Its cargo does not return. If the vehicle is stuck but still exists, empty its cargo before using Relocation: that option drops the cargo on the ground.
• Lost supplies: Use what remains to restore water, a small shelter, storage, and power first. Rebuild your next vehicle once you have a safe place to return to. The grand crossing can wait; a short supply run is good desert craft.