How do you feel about spawn blocking?

Conan Exiles General Discussion
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When I started in this game with friends they had me jump into a pvp server. While I had a good time learning the game and figuring things out, I was annoyed that I would put effort into making a structure look amazing and then the MOMENT someone attacked my friends would say, “Alright, tear it down, time to move.”

I made the decision to go to PVE-C and I have been loving it there but it truly is a horse of a different color in regards to builds. Some people go as big as they can, some old pvp players stick to the giant box build, some go for looks, etc… However, considering nothing bad can happen to your structures there is a mild issue: Spawn Blocking.

This is something I noticed when we first made it to the north. On the pvp server, we were settled in d-12 but finding iron was an ordeal because we had to travel a bit. Boxes all around us and so on. But that’s pvp… I realized the difference in spawn when I arrived in PVE-C and got to c-11 (the tile grid right next to our old spot) nobody had built there yet and there was IRON A PLENTY.

This realization has strangely turned me into an in game conservationalist, LOL! When I decided on a spot to build, I actively aimed for a place where my structures would specifically NOT prevent any spawns. I even have a running tally in my head of what certain areas are blocking. For example I have a walkway that prevents 6 trees, 2 orange phykos, and 1 boulder from spawning. Is this mental note of mine silly, ABSOLUTELY. But then the extremes that other players take make me realize it is something to be conscious of.

We recently had a player build over an area that provides about 600 black ice and EVERYBODY had an issue with it. But ya know, its a public server and you can build where you like of course… But when it came to black ice people suddenly had an issue with spawn blocking and it got me into a curious mindset.

How many people actively think about the general spawns as opposed to the rare ones? I’m not mad or looking to argue, I’m just wondering how much thought other players give to the little things around them. Like say you’re in B-8 by the little dry patch of sand with all the dead trees. You know that those trees net you about 250 bark, 150 dried wood with just 2 minutes of swinging your pick. Do you actively try to make use of the area because it’s an easy spot to grab mats, or because its huge and flat do you not even give it a thought and grind the mats out in another way after building over it?

…I guess the next step is a bumper sticker on my horse that says “I brake for Shalebacks!” LOL!

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It is an active consideration anytime i build anything. I find the more resources I do not despawn, the easier resources are to find.

Other folks have different strategies, sometime despawning resources to discourage players from building near them.

But, it’s a big server and the malcontents get bored easily and I pop their bases when they go into decay.

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I’m actually a little paranoid about spawn blocking. I started playing in Singleplayer mode (still do most of the time) and when I’m playing on a server I don’t see things that I’m used to seeing, and I see extra stuff that’s not “supposed” to be there. There’s a missing creature over there. Thralls on guard to “protect” me from a dangerous spawn. Pristine landscape is being broken up by out of place structures, etc. I try to block as few things as possible while still having a functional building. When I can select my preferred build spot, I think I block 2 trees, maybe 10 shrubs, 1 coal and 2 or 3 iron deposits?

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When I build, I avoid suppressing any spawns that aren’t super common. If I suppress a few stone nodes, or a few trees or bushes, or 2-3 dry wood logs, I generally find that acceptable.

The only exception to the above rule is when building in the “best area” for that resource – then the rules get even stricter. For example, I don’t build in the Oasis of Nekhet – the “best” area for chopping wood. And if I wanted to build there, I would make sure to build in a place that won’t suppress any trees. Or if I build inside the volcano, it has to be in a spot where I won’t suppress any stone clusters (places where several boulders overlap and you can hit 3+ of them with one swing).

In general, I find it’s not too hard to build according to those rules. My building process has three phases: 1) find the spot I want on the server, 2) design my build in single-player in that spot, and 3) build that design on the server. The design phase allows me to make sure I’m not nuking any important resources.

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I LOVE that process. Testing it in single player seems like a great way to make sure you’re not breaking any spawns. Good on you.

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A convenient thing about checking in singleplayer is that you can place your foundations and relog (server restart) and you see immediately what has been affected without waiting 12 hours to see it.

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For me, just one word. “Conservation”.

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No go: Bosses, thrall camps, quest areas, Brimestone (not including the pieces in the water), non-Yellow Lotus, Obsidian, Silverstone, and anything in the Unnamed City.

Consideration: Iron Nodes that are less than 3-4 nods is fair game. Try to avoid building near large swaths.

Fair game: Wild life and general resources not listed.

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