---
key: mechanic/survival-construction--t119
type: mechanic
id: survival-construction--t119
lang: en
title: 'Shelters, camps and safe places'
summary: >-
  A shelter turns dangerous space into recovery, storage and planning support,
  but requires siting and upkeep.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/survival-construction--t119/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/survival-construction--t119.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/survival-construction--t119.md
aliases:
  - Shelters and safe places
tags:
  - 'Survival, crafting and construction'
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-2350e106ed66faaf
  - source-1696c3167e4356ed
sources:
  - id: source-2350e106ed66faaf
    title: 'Klei: Don’t Starve'
    url: 'https://www.klei.com/games/dont-starve'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-1696c3167e4356ed
    title: Hollow Knight
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: survival-construction
    id: t119
    title: 'Survival, crafting and construction'
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/survival-construction/#t119'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Shelters and safe places
    description: >-
      A shelter turns dangerous space into recovery, storage and planning
      support, but requires siting and upkeep.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/hollow-knight-bench.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      crop:
        x: 450
        'y': 225
        width: 788
        height: 563
      game: Hollow Knight
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/367520/ss_92c7e8f34c00bdb455070ecdd5b746f0d2f6d808.1920x1080.jpg?t=1776125684
      credit: Team Cherry
      rights: © Team Cherry. All rights reserved.
      caption: Resting at a bench in Hollow Knight
      alt: >-
        Hollow Knight: the Knight sits on an illuminated bench in Dirtmouth
        beside other characters.
      markers:
        - x: 61.5
          'y': 79
          label: The bench provides a place to rest and save
    tips:
      - Show which threats stop inside a shelter and what remains vulnerable.
    examples:
      - title: Hollow Knight
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/survival-construction
---
# Shelters, camps and safe places

id: survival-construction--t119
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/survival-construction--t119
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/survival-construction--t119/

A shelter turns dangerous space into recovery, storage and planning support, but requires siting and upkeep.

## At a glance

![Hollow Knight: the Knight sits on an illuminated bench in Dirtmouth beside other characters.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/hollow-knight-bench.webp)

[Hollow Knight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/) · © Team Cherry. All rights reserved.

1. The bench provides a place to rest and save

- Show which threats stop inside a shelter and what remains vulnerable.

- [Hollow Knight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/)

## How it works

A shelter turns dangerous space into recovery, storage and planning support, but requires siting and upkeep.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t119-variants"></a>

- A fire provides heat but consumes fuel and emits smoke. <a id="t119-v1"></a>
- A camp can move while losing some supplies. <a id="t119-v2"></a>
- An enclosed room protects against one threat type. <a id="t119-v3"></a>
- A shelter network reduces long-route exposure. <a id="t119-v4"></a>

## Design example

A waterside camp eases resupply but lies in a seasonal flood zone.

Prototype check: Test that shelter limits are visible: cold protection should not silently imply safety from every threat.

## Context and limits

Survival connects supply consumption, environmental conditions and preparing a safe return; construction changes that relationship. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [Klei: Don’t Starve](https://www.klei.com/games/dont-starve) (id: source-2350e106ed66faaf)
- [Hollow Knight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/) (id: source-1696c3167e4356ed)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors