As mentioned in the guide overview, we will be taking a look at the different elements of player housing in The Black Death. This will range from a basic base build, medium sized house plot with extras, a larger sized house plot with farmland plus extras, a Castle style setup and finally a Kingdom build!

We will also be looking at each piece within the housing system. This will be a breakdown of all the building elements such as Doors, House types, Decorative items, storage containers, lighting, NPC Contracts and more.


We will be using the Simple Bed for this mini guide. We will also be playing as the Mason Profession across this guide. The Mason Profession has a bonus that makes placing structures down much quicker!



When you have crafted a structure, click and drag it from your Inventory to one of your empty Quick Slot Bat slots.

Then press Esc to close your Inventory.

Find a suitable place to build. Buildable areas are designated by large cobblestoned areas of flat ground found around the world of Mercia. When you are walking on these areas a "Stable Ground" prompt will appear above your Gold count.



When you have found a spot, press the key on your Quick Slot Bar where you dragged your structure to. You should now have a similar view to the one in the screenshot below:



You can freely move around with your movement keys, and also move your camera and even jump when you are in this "Build Mode".

The "hologram" for your structure will glow white when you are able to build and will glow red when you are not able to build in a location, which is outside of a Stable Ground space. Land Claims affect where you are able to build too within a set boundary on Stable Land (More on these in the next section).

You can rotate a structure before placing it, to do this you can use your Mouse Wheel to rotate your structure. To cancel placing a structure just press Right Click on your mouse.

When you have found a spot to build your structure, hold down Left Click on your mouse until the build timer reaches zero and your structure has been built.

When you structure is placed, in this case a Simple Bed, it should look like the screenshot here:

There are some differences when making your claim in the land of Mercia depending on which server type you choose to call your home in these dreary lands.

PvE = Player Versus Environment
When playing on a PvE server, player damage to other players built structures is OFF. This means that you cannot raid another players base when playing on a PvE server. Structure decay however is active on PvE servers, and repairs to your built structures is required for upkeep. Additionally, player vs player damage to characters is OFF.

PvP = Player Versus Player
When playing on a PvP server, damage to other players built structures is ON. This means that you can raid other players bases, Castles and Kingdoms when playing on a PvP server. Structure Decay is also active on PvP servers and repairs to your built structures is required for upkeep. Additionally, player vs player damage to characters is ON.

In this section we will be taking a look at different plot sizes and Land Claims.


There are different sized plots in Mercia for different types of builds. Each Plot in game is unique it it's shape and size, no plot is the exact same size! Location is important too, if you would rather be situated close to a town, or out in the woods near more resources, close to a river or in the snowy regions of Bafften and Frostfall.

Here are three different examples of plots in the world to give you an idea of the scale, depending on what you might want to build.


Here an example of a large House sized plot...

There is lots of space here for a Manor House, generous farmland space for crops and animals, room for NPC Contracts as well as a good sized perimeter for a wall and defences.


Here is an example of a Castle sized plot...

This plot gives a generous amount of space for a Castle. Due to it's long shape this could have 4 Castle towers on the corners, castle walls and a gatehouse for the defences and initial setup. There is lots of room for houses within the walls, NPC Contracts and space for a farm setup too. Crafting Stations could be placed in one large building with some Small Chest's or a Storehouse next to it for a nice crafting setup too.


Here is an example of a Kingdom sized plot...

Being close to Raven's Reach gives it a nice spot too. The unique shape of this plot gives it a nice "entrance" piece at the very top, that can be used for gatehouses as a defensive setup and grand entrance for your Kingdom. There is ample space here for your Kingdom Walls and defences too. Loads of space for houses within the walls, a nice farm setup and more. Larger structures such as the Storehouse, Mining Camp and Lumber Mill could easily fit in here too.


Land Claims are used for claiming your own buildable space on a plot of "Stable Ground". They can also be toggled to allow Guild members to build on a plot.

As of Version V0.33 you DO NOT need a Land Claim for the locking of your Doors on your House/Base. The player who places the Door on a house is the owner, this can be toggled to "all Guild members" in the next part below. You DO need a Land Claim to prevent other players from building close to, or on your plot of land though, so keep this in mind.

Land Claim Sizes

There are three different sized Land Claims as of V0.33 in The Black Death.

These are:

• Land Claim (Small ownership banner)
  
• Town Land Claim (Ownership Banner)
  
• Kingdom Land Claim (Large Ownership Banner)

A standard Land Claim is best for a single player who wants to build on their own plot of land. This one is best for smaller sized bases.



A Town Land Claim is good for players who want to build a large base with the potential to expand. This is also great to use as a literal "Town" or village. Multiple players can build on a larger plot with this Land Claim. A wall could be built around the plot with multiple houses in the centre with farmland and crafting stations dotted around like a village settlement!

Castle and Kingdom walls take up lots of space due to their size, but make up for this in their height and general defensive properties. Castles and Kingdoms are best suited to the Kingdom Land Claim below.



A Kingdom Land Claim is best for use in a Guild. This covers a lot of land and is great for the larger plot sizes for Guilds to really make use of the space for their Kingdom walls, many houses and outdoor structures.


When you have found a plot of land that you like, it's time to place a Land Claim. You can place one on an empty Plot to claim it, or you can wait until you have built a house to do this. We would suggest waiting until you have built a house and then building your Land Claim in your house, this way you can add a door and add some more security to your Land Claim.

For the purpose of this guide, I will be showing how to place a Land Claim down without first having a house to demonstrate the process.

Open your Inventory by pressing the I key, unless you have re-bound this to another. Click and drag your Land Claim to your Quick Slot Bar to an empty slot.

When standing on your plot you will see a "Stable Ground" notification above your Gold on your Quick Slot Bar. This means that you can place structures down and within your own Land Claim too. Press the key that you have assigned your Land Claim to and you should see something similar to the screenshot below.



You can move around using the W,A,S,D movement keys as usual in this mode and you can also move the camera around with the mouse too. To cancel placing your Land Claim, click the Right Mouse Button, to rotate your Land Claim, use the Middle Mouse Wheel. When you have found a spot for your Land Claim, hold down left click. Your Land Claim will start to build with a countdown timer and an animation of it being built. Make sure to hold down left click until it has been built completely.



When you Land Claim has been built it will look like the image above!

How To Toggle A Land Claim / Land Claim Options

There are two different options when interacting with your Land Claims. These are "Toggle" and "Destroy".

The Toggle option has two different settings these are "Only I can build" and "Any Guild member can build"

If you and some friends are playing, you can create a Guild by pressing the O key to bring up the Guild Menu. Choose a name and Emblem. The colours of your emblem will impact the colour of your NPC Guard Contracts and also some clothing items such as the Cloth Tabard and Chainmail Tabard.



This is great if you are in a Guild so you can all build within your Kingdom or Castle within a trusted group. This is also great for friends who want to live in the same house and build together on a plot.

You can also have more than one Bed within a house to set as spawn points for each player, more on this later in this guide!

That's all for this section! In the next part we take a look at Decay Rates, Repairs and Debris.

In this section of the guide it is worth checking out our information on "Differences Between Building On A PvE Server VS A PvP Server".

Structures that are placed, such as walls, houses, decorative items and more have Health Bars. Structures can be damaged by other players who can raid your base, break your doors and scavenge around for items and valuables!

Structure Decay happens naturally over time to your placed structures. This is in place to balance gameplay and also to give another mechanic of maintenance. If you have not logged on to check your base in several weeks, it could have been raided by other players, or the natural Decay Rate could have torn away at your structures.

You can see how much health a structure has by highlighting it. If there is no health bar, this means your structure is at maximum health. If you notice when logging in, that your structures have taken damage, this could have been caused by another player, or this could be Structure Decay.



This helps to keep the playing field balanced, if players move onto another base, or another server and their old base decays over time, this allows other players to have the chance to take a plot and build on what has been left over, or start fresh.


Repair costs can vary, depending on the structure. Kingdom Walls will cost more to repair than the basic Wattle Walls.



To repair a structure make sure that your character is standing in front of it and it is highlighted. Then hold the E or R key to bring up the context wheel. There will be an option to "Destroy" the structure or a "Repair" option. Make sure you have enough Gold and then click on "Repair Part".


When you destroy some housing structures, there is a chance to get back some materials, kind of like salvaging, this is known as Debris. You will receive materials that are relevant to the structure. For Stone Walls in this example, Stone Ore is retrieved. For Palisade Walls Wood Planks are usually found.

That's all for this section, in the next part we will be looking at building a basic base with basic elements.

In this section, it's all about that base!

We will be taking a look at building a basic base that includes the following pieces:

• Land Claim
  
• Small Shack
  
• Primitive House Door (x2)
  
• Small Chest - Requires 1 Skill Point in Building
  
• Bed Roll - Requires 2 Skill Point in Survival
  
• Wattle Wall Fence
  
• Wattle Gatehouse

Using the information in the first section of this guide, find a plot in the world that you like and want to have as your base.

At the end of this section, you should be able to build a basic base that features some storage, a re-spawn point, 2 doors for security and a fenced off section too. The screenshot below shows what we will be building in this section.




To start, we will be building our Small Shack. Navigate to your Recipe list and go to the Housing tab. Scroll down until you find the "Small Shack" recipe and select it. Wood can be harvested from Wood Logs, you will also need a Woodaxe to gather Wood from these logs. Small Rocks and Sticks can be found in bundles around the world.



You will need to gather x6 Wood, x2 Small Rocks and x4 Sticks to build this. Wood can be harvested from Wood Logs, you will also need a Woodaxe to gather Wood from these logs. Small Rocks and Sticks can be found in bundles around the world.

When you have crafted your Small Shack, find a spot within your plot and open your Inventory. Click and drag your Small Shack onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. You should see a hologram of your Small Shack appear, just like the image below!



You can move around freely with your movement keys and also move your camera around too when in this mode. If the hologram turns red, this means that you are not able to build it in this spot, it must be glowing white for you to be able to build it in the world. When you have found a place for it, hold down left click, a timer will now appear that lets you know how long it will take to build. Each structure has it's own unique animation when you are building it in the world!

When your Small Shack has been built, it should look like this screenshot below.




This recipe requires 4 Skill Points in the Building category.

Now it's time to add some storage to your house!

Open your Inventory and navigate to the Housing tab. Scroll down until you find the Small Chest recipe. You will need x1 String and x5 Wood to craft a Small Chest.



When you have crafted your Small Chest, find a spot within your plot and open your Inventory. Click and drag your Small Chest onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. Once again watch for the white and red indicators for where you can and can't build.



Make sure to hold down left click until it has been fully built, and it should look something like this!




This recipe requires 1 Skill Point in the Survival category.

Now we will be adding a place to rest your head! You can set a Bed as a re-spawn point if your Character is slain in battle, dies of the Plague or meets other nasty ends!

Open your Inventory and navigate to the Housing tab. Scroll down until you find the Bed Roll recipe. You will need: x2 Animal Pelt, x2 Stick and x1 Thread. To obtain Animal Pelts, you can buy them from wandering friendly NPC Hunters around the world, hunt and kill Wolves or craft and place Wooden, Stone or Iron Traps. Traps can be found in the last Recipe tab within the "Materials" tab.



When you have crafted your Bed Roll, find a spot within your plot and open your Inventory. Click and drag your Bed Roll onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. Once again watch for the white and red indicators for where you can and can't build.



Make sure to hold down left click until it has been fully built, and it should look something like this!



This Basic Base build is continued in the next section...

Let's add a Door to the front of our home!

Open your Inventory and navigate to the Housing tab. Scroll down until you find the Primitive House Door. You will need x5 Sticks and x1 Thread for this recipe.



When you have crafted your Primitive House Door, make sure you are standing facing the doorway of your house.

Click and drag your Primitive House Door onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. Once again watch for the white and red indicators for where you can and can't build. When placing a Door, this should "snap" to the door frame when in the build mode.



When you have built your door, it should look something like the screenshot below!



In this step we will be making an exterior area using Wattle Walls, which will act as an extra layer of defence, as well as giving you some additional exterior space.

Open your inventory and navigate to the Housing tab. The Wattle Wall is the first recipe in the list. For this recipe you will need x6 Sticks for 1 wall piece.



Using our crafted Wattle Wall pieces, we are going to create a fence to surround our house. As mentioned in the first section of this guide, to rotate something in Build Mode, use your Mouse Wheel to change an objects rotation, to cancel placing an object, simply press right click.



We are going to start placing Wattle Wall pieces around the back of the house, leaving a bit of room for space, and then creating corners with these pieces. In an overhead view, this would look like a rectangle surrounding the house. The image below shows this.

Click and drag your Wattle Walls onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. Once again watch for the white and red indicators for where you can and can't build. Remember you can use the Mouse Wheel to rotate your wall pieces when placing them.

We are going to have both sides of the fence almost meet in the centre as it wraps around the house area. This extra gap will be used to place a Wattle Gatehouse, so we can add an extra door.



The image below shows our fence walls finished! You can design your fence in a different style to the one we have done, b




We are going to add a Wattle Gatehouse to our Wattle Wall fence, as we left a gap in the previous step for this.



Open your inventory and navigate to the Housing tab. The Wattle Gatehouse is the third recipe in the list. For this recipe you will need x5 Sticks to craft 1 Gatehouse.

Click and drag your Primitive House Door onto your Quick Slot Bar. Then press the assigned key. Once again watch for the white and red indicators for where you can and can't build. When placing a Door, this should "snap" to the door frame when in the build mode.