Every building piece starts as twig and can be upgraded through four tiers. Each tier has more health, costs more to raid, and requires more upkeep. Costs vary by piece type. A wall costs more to upgrade than a floor. Knowing the numbers tells you where to spend resources first.
Hard side costs. Soft side is significantly cheaper on wood and stone. Sheet metal and armoured have no soft side pickaxe weakness.
| Tier | HP | Satchels | C4 | Rockets | Soft side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 250 | 3 | 1 | 1–2 | Hatchet / fire |
| Stone | 500 | 10 | 2 | 4 | Pickaxe |
| Sheet Metal | 1,000 | 23 | 4 | 8 | No weakness |
| Armoured | 2,000 | 46 | 8 | 15 | No weakness |
Upgrade what a raider hits first. Outer walls before inner walls. The wall facing the most open approach before the wall facing a cliff. Full stone base first, then TC room walls and door to sheet metal, then the airlock. Armoured is for the TC room wall and door once HQM is coming in.
Upgrading floors is often skipped. Ground floor loot room floors at armoured cost far less than walls and stop raiders picking up through the base from below.