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Icarus can be a harsh planet; to defend yourself against creatures and the elements, it's important to have shelter. In addition to taking cover inside caves and carved out rocks, you can also construct a small hut to keep you safe. In this guide, we are going to go over the basics of construction to help you survive.

Related: Icarus: Play Mode vs. Offline Mode

It's important to keep in mind that, because Icarus is session-based, anything you build will disappear once you leave the mission. This means that if you build a grand mansion base, it will be gone once you head back to space in your shuttle. First, let's take a look at how to unlock the blueprints for construction.

Unlocking Blueprints

technology tree with wood wall selected

Prior to constructing your shelter, you will need to unlock the building parts, such as roofs, ramps, walls, and floors. Because of the branches on the tech tree, you will not be able to unlock all the building pieces at the same time. Instead, you will first need to unlock the thatch or wood beam. Once you have these blueprints, you can continue to unlock additional thatch and wood pieces. Thatch pieces will require fewer materials than wooden pieces, but they are less durable and may be destroyed during a storm.

Eventually, you will gain access to other types of building material, which are listed below.

  • Stone
  • Concrete
  • Glass
  • Aluminum

Similar to thatch and wood structures, you will need to first unlock the associated beam for these materials before you have access to the rest of the building pieces. Overall, it's up to you as to what type of structure you want. If your current mission is long, then consider building sturdier shelters. Since thatch is very weak, it's best to only use this material for temporary structures, such as an overnight hut or a small place to take cover from a storm.

Crafting From Your Inventory

player crafting menu with thatch wall selected

From your inventory, you will be able to craft the building pieces that you unlock blueprints for. Crafting is pretty simple; all you need to do is click on what you want to craft and make it if you have enough materials.

In general, most of the resources that you need to craft building pieces are easily accessible at the start of the game. With trees, rocks, and shrubs, you should easily be able to construct wood, stone, and thatch building pieces. The crafted item will be placed in your inventory and you will be able to place it in the world.

As with everything else in the game, you will gain experience from crafting these items. This is helpful if you are trying to level up quickly. By crafting walls, you can gain experience while stocking up on building materials at the same time.

How To Place Building Pieces

wall placement variation menu open, with structure in the background

Once you have enough building pieces, it's time to start construction. To place a wall, drag it into your hot bar from your inventory. Equipping the wall will begin the construction process.

Building pieces will snap in place to existing structures, allowing you to get a nice and uniform build. Buildings can be free-standing, as well as built against a cliff or mountain. Doing the latter will provide you with a sturdy wall.

Instead of unlocking window door frame blueprints, you can just choose these variations of the regular wall. To open the variation menu, hold down 'R' with the wall equipped. Doing so will cause the variation menu to open, allowing you to pick several options that can be seen in the image above. Since you already made the wall, none of these options will require extra resources. To place windows and doors inside of these structures, you will need to unlock the blueprints for each.

Repairing Your Home

base on fire as player stands and watches

Over time, your buildings will start to deteriorate. If a building deteriorates to the point that your roof gets destroyed, you can lose valuable items that you have placed inside. Deterioration can be due to several reasons, including:

  • Animal Attacks
  • Strong Wind
  • Severe Rain
  • Lightning
    • this will cause wooden and thatch buildings to catch on fire

Mother nature is relentless, and you can't fight back against natural disasters, but you can repair damaged buildings with a hammer. This is a tool that you can unlock right at the start of the game. It allows you to repair any structure that has taken damage.

To use the hammer, you will need to equip it and hit the structure that you want to repair. After a few hits, the structure will be good as new.

That's all there is to know about the basics of construction! As you gain more experience, you will be able to create more complex buildings that can keep you safe in a variety of situations.

Next: Icarus: How To Get More Oxygen