setting up a forward base (fb)

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NS maps tend to be pretty big, and a marine with heavy armor is slow, so when you need to defend a location or stage an attack far from the marine spawn, you'll need a forward base (also known as a firebase). It's up to the commander to set it up correctly, because a poorly laid out FB can be completely destroyed by a single skulk with a few minutes to kill.

This guide is based on one particular viewpoint and commanding style, best described as:

Ignore enemy distractions and gradually take over map areas one at a time, in large groups. Do not scatter around the map trying to capture four locations at once.

Your style of commanding may be different, so there may be some circumstances when part of this guide is less relevant. However, most of the time everything here is sound advice. no matter how you play.

What is a Forward Base?

When the marines get to a location they need to defend throughout the game, like a resource tower or alien hive room, they will need to set up a base to defend the position after they move on. Also, if the marines are engaged in a sustained attack on a heavily defended alien station, they need a place to fall back to while they refill ammo and heal. This fallback location needs defenses (turrets) and resources (an armory or phase gate). An FB can also serve as a backup to the primary marine base in case it is in danger of being overrun, in which case it would have all of the above, plus a Command Console, infantry portals, an arms lab, etc.

How to make a forward base

Just like in real estate, the most important three things about your new base are location, location, and location. There are several factors to influence the commander's decision on where the FB should be established:
1. Distance from existing base
An FB costs a lot of resources, so don't be wasteful. Creating an FB just to feel safe in the early game will cost your team later on. Unless your team has resources to waste, you never want to put a base less than 10 seconds (at light armor/LMG pace) away from an existing base.
2. Distance from enemy
If the aliens have established a strong presence at a location, don't start building right outside the room! They probably have enough defense chambers to heal up instantly and can destroy anything you try to build. You want to be far enough away from the enemy that they have to walk a bit from their forward base to start attacking you. This is especially true when attacking hives, which will have a constant influx of newly-spawned skulks.
On the other hand, the siege turret is your primary means of attacking an alien FB, so if you're placing this FB to attack an enemy base be sure it's close enough for the siege turrets to work.
3. Key map locations
Obviously the primary location for a forward base is an alien hive. Every resource tower is important to protect, and a larger single room with two resources should be defended strongly.
4. Map layout and architecture
This is more of an art than a science, but some rooms are better than others. Generally you want to look for a location with few entry points (e.g. vents) and no large obstructions that would block turret fire. Also try to avoid rooms with a lot of places for a skulk or lerk to hide, like overhead pipes or gaps under the floor. Avoid rooms or hallways with high ceilings or entrances from above or below because turrets aren't very good at firing straight up or down.
5. Available resources
As mentioned above, if your team has limited resources, think carefully about turret placement. You can save resources by choosing a location for your forward base that requires fewer turrets to defend.

After location, you will want to think about what kind of base you want to build:
A small defensive base - turret factory, 3-5 turrets
This will hold off a single skulk but it won't stand up to repeated attacks by a determined group of aliens or an angry fade. Usually you'll want one of these at each resource. When the aliens attack, you should send a human to repair and help defend, and if the aliens seem to want it badly, consider turning it into a large defensive base.
A large defensive base - 2 turret factories, 1-2 siege turrets, 6-10 turrets, phase gate
Intended to hold off an alien attack for a while without marine assistance, this is the minimum setup at an alien hive once your team has the resources to do so.
A large offensive base - turret factory, 3-5 turrets, 2-4 siege turrets, phase gate, armory
When you find a lot of defense and offense chambers or an active hive, you'll want to create an offensive base to help you take the alien structures out. The offensive base should be able to hold off minor alien attacks but you'll have to keep attacking the aliens if you don't want to lose the base. These are very expensive so you won't be able to set them up until later in the game.
A new marine spawn - Command Console, 2-4 infantry portals, turret factory, 6-10 turrets, 1-2 siege turrets, armory, and other marine structures as needed
If the aliens are crushing the marine spawn and you have enough resources, you need to set up another spawn area quickly. At a minimum you'll need a Command Console and some infantry portals, but they are defenseless so you'd be better off building them at a large defensive base if you have one anywhere.

Tips on using creating your base

Don't start building until the area is safe
Unless you are just dropping health and ammo, there's no point in dropping structures that will immediately be destroyed. Wait until you have at least two marines in the area before you start building.

Don't start building until you have enough resources for basic defenses
A turret factory costs 25 res and each turret is 19 res, so don't start building until you have 100 res ready. That way you can drop 4 turrets quickly after your turret factory is done.

Use a tactical build order
The best way to build is to get defenses up first, then if necessary a phase gate for backup, then the armory and supplementary buildings. This order is recommended:

  1. Turret factory
  2. Start turret factory upgrade (if this is an offensive base and you have resources to build turrets after the upgrade starts)
  3. 3-5 turrets
  4. Resource tower (if applicable)
  5. Phase Gate (for backup)
  6. Armory
  7. if you are building a second base or replacing a destroyed base, drop a Command Center and 2-4 infantry spawns next
  8. if this will be a large defensive base or a new spawn, you might want to build a second turret factory for redundancy
  9. other marine structures as necessary
  10. additional turrets as necessary

Structure placement

The placement of your buildings by the commander is a crucial step in the base-building process. Each building has a specific ideal placement.

turret factory - the turret factory has to be protected because if it is destroyed all the turrets will shut down. It will usually be the primary target of the alien's attack on the base. Build it in a corner or against a wall if possible, to decrease the necessary coverage. If you are building a second turret factory for backup, place it at the opposite corner of the base from the first turret factory so that area-of-attack weapons won't destroy both turret factories at the same time. Be sure that the factory is placed close enough to the center of the base that all the necessary turrets will be inside its range (about 30 feet).

turrets - the structure most affected by placement, you have to keep in mind that turrets cannot see or shoot through other structures. If the turret factory is not protected on all sides, a skulk can easily run to an unprotected side and chew it up. That's why you need to place four turrets around a turret factory, unless it's in a corner.

BAD 2-turret placement - the sides of the turret factory are not protected - the green highlight shows areas not covered by the turrets

BAD 3-turret placement - the top of the factory is not protected

BAD 4-turret placement - a skulk can come out of the vent on the left and chew on the factory undetected by the turrets

Here is an example of how to build a small defensive base:

First build a turret factory. Notice how it's placed in the corner so it's easier to defend.
Immediately place enough turrets to cover the turret factory, and then build the resource tower. If there is no other alien presence nearby, feel free to move on at this point.
If you want to make an attack base, build a phase gate for your teammates to arrive or to make a hasty retreat. Build it in a place that makes it easy to get out of the room.
You can build an armory in a corner or right on top of the resource tower to make it easier to defend.
Before you stage your attack, build some additional turrets and at least one siege turret.

Here is an example of how to build a large defensive base:

First build a turret factory. You would normally put it in a corner or against a wall but sometimes that's impossible.
Immediately place enough turrets to cover the turret factory - in this case, four.
When the turrets are up, place a phase gate so more teammates can back you up. Make sure you place it in such a way that the existing turrets can protect it.
If you are building near a resource tower, build it now. Note that until you get more turrets up, the left side of the tower is unprotected by the turrets.
Build an armory next, if desired. Again, keep track of what the turrets can protect.
Finally before you take off, build a few more turrets to protect the new structures.

Final notes

When building infantry spawns in a new base, place them far from each other so that it will be harder for aliens to take them all out.

If your forward base is being destroyed, recycle any phase gates nearby or the aliens can use it to teleport into your other bases.