WARDOGS FOB building guide: 5 mistakes to avoid

A good FOB starts with a clear plan: what should the position achieve, which routes do we need to control, and how will we supply it? Placing walls, towers and sandbags without that plan can make life harder for your own team. Here are five planning mistakes to avoid and the order we recommend for a build.

1. Building walls without checking the outside

Look at every new section from an attacker's perspective too. A wall may shield your position while also creating a protected approach. What matters is not just what it covers, but what becomes hidden behind it.

Our approach: walk the outside before placing the next section. Check whether someone could reach an entrance without being seen from an intended defensive position. Plan barbed wire and other obstacles together with your team's sightlines. An obstacle alone does not replace a watched approach.

• Which direction should the wall protect?
• Where does it create extra cover?
• Who can actually watch that area?

2. Placing towers for height instead of visibility

A tower is not a good position simply because it is tall. Check the view of the routes enemies could use to approach the FOB. Pay particular attention to the ground immediately outside your position: a distant view offers little help when important entrances sit in a blind spot.

We plan towers and bunkers together. Look at the same approaches from the intended positions and identify gaps. Avoid blocking a useful sightline with something you build later.

Our sightline check

• Look at every important entrance from the defensive position.
• Account for terrain, buildings and friendly structures that may block the view.
• Address critical gaps with a different location or an additional position your team can occupy.

3. Letting one entrance open the entire FOB

Review your layout with one question: what can an enemy reach if this entrance is lost? If it provides a straight, uncontrolled route through the whole base, reconsider the arrangement.

We recommend separating important internal areas deliberately. An airlock or an offset passage can be part of that plan. The aim is to prevent a breach in one place from immediately exposing every other area.

Keep friendly routes clear as well. If defenders and supply teams constantly get in each other's way, the compartments are too tight or poorly arranged. Walk from the entrance to the key positions yourself, then check the route in the opposite direction.

4. Making defence worse by adding more cover

Not every open space needs a structure. Before adding sandbags, walls or more cover, define its purpose. Who will use it, which direction does it protect against, and which sightline will disappear?

A structure may look useful to your team while giving attackers a convenient place to shelter on the other side. Our check stays the same: inspect it from inside, outside and the defensive position. Then decide whether it helps the plan.

We start with a readable layout and clear responsibilities. Expand where you have identified a specific gap instead of making the base denser without a priority.

5. Building beyond your supply plan

Define the FOB's purpose before deciding its size. Which approaches matter most? Which positions can your team occupy? Which tools and building options are currently available to you?

We start with a manageable layout and plan extensions alongside supply runs. Agree on who builds, who brings materials and who watches the position during construction. Also check whether existing terrain or buildings fit the layout before enclosing everything from scratch.

Specialised installations belong in the plan when they serve a specific purpose. The longest possible construction list is no substitute for a usable position. Check costs and available structures against your current game version.

Our order for building a FOB

• Define the task: what should the FOB achieve for the team?
• Walk the terrain: identify approaches, cover and possible blind spots.
• Plan the defence: align sightlines with positions the team can occupy.
• Review the layout: keep friendly routes clear and limit the impact of a breach.
• Assign supply tasks: plan the build, materials and transport together.
• Make a final pass: inspect the finished position from both inside and outside.

Use our logistics planner to organise material requirements, reserves and transport runs. Build your personal equipment budget in the Loadout Builder alongside it. That keeps the construction plan, supplies and your own deployment aligned.