If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes looting a Shrouded zone only to run out of inventory space mid-run and have to leave rare ore behind, you know how critical reliable storage is. Learning how to make a chest in Enshrouded is one of the first core crafting skills every new player should master before they start expanding their base or taking on harder exploration zones. I made the mistake of skipping this step on my first playthrough, and lost three full stacks of iron when I got jumped by a Fell Wraith on my way back to a temporary camp. Don’t make that same mistake; this guide breaks down everything you need to know to build your first chest, plus pro hacks to make your storage system work for your playstyle.
What You Need to Make a Chest in Enshrouded: Core Crafting Requirements
First, let’s cover the exact materials you’ll need to craft your first standard wooden chest, which is the only storage option available until you unlock the Carpenter NPC. Most new players can gather all of these resources in their first 30 minutes of gameplay, no advanced tools required. You won’t need a workbench to craft your first chest, which is a huge help if you’re still setting up your initial base camp. The full material list is:
- 12 pieces of rough wood, gathered from small bushes or felling thin trees with your starting stone axe
- 2 copper nails, crafted from 1 copper bar at a smelter, or looted from abandoned chests in starting village ruins
- 1 piece of string, looted from fallen Fell enemies or crafted from plant fiber collected in grassy areas
If you don’t have copper nails yet, you can get a full stack of 10 by clearing the small ruined farmstead just west of the first Flame Altar. I usually hit that spot first on new playthroughs specifically to grab extra nails for my first 3 chests, so I don’t have to stop and smelt copper right away. Rough wood is far easier to gather than refined planks for early game storage, so don’t waste your limited planks on chests until you have a steady lumber supply going.
Step-by-Step Process to Build and Place Your First Chest
Once you have all your materials gathered, crafting the chest takes less than 30 seconds if you follow these simple steps. First, open your personal crafting menu by pressing the default C key on PC, or the corresponding menu button on console. Navigate to the “Storage” tab, and select the wooden chest option from the list. If the option is greyed out, double check that you have all required materials in your personal inventory, not stored in a temporary loot bag somewhere. That's a common mistake I see new players make all the time. You can place your chest anywhere that’s not inside the Shroud or on uneven terrain, but I recommend putting your first 3 chests within 10 feet of your Flame Altar to keep them protected from enemy spawns. You don't have to lock chests in single player mode, but if you're playing on a cooperative server, you can assign access permissions to specific players by interacting with the chest and opening the settings menu. If you want to move a chest after placing it, you can pick it up with your building hammer without losing any of the items stored inside, so don't stress about getting the placement perfect on your first try.
Pro Tips to Optimize Your Enshrouded Chest Storage System
Once you have a few basic chests set up, you can tweak your storage setup to save you hours of time sorting through loot later on. I’ve tested dozens of storage layouts across 4 full playthroughs, and these are the tricks that work best for both casual and hardcore players. Label every chest by the type of items it holds using the in-game sign tool, which you can craft with 1 piece of wood and 1 piece of charcoal. Common categories I use include building materials, consumables, armor and weapons, and rare crafting materials. You can also color code chests by painting them with different dye types once you unlock the Painter NPC, which makes it even faster to find the chest you need when you’re in a rush to restock before a Shroud run. Avoid stacking too many chests on top of each other, as you won’t be able to open the ones on the bottom if the top chest is too large. If you want to build a multi-level storage room, leave a 1-block gap between each row of chests so you can access every slot easily. For players who do a lot of long-distance exploration, you can also place small chests at temporary outposts near high-level Shroud zones, so you don't have to run all the way back to your main base every time your inventory fills up.
Upgrading Your Chests: Advanced Storage Options for Late Game
Once you unlock the Carpenter NPC and level up your base to level 3, you’ll get access to upgraded chest options that hold far more items than the basic wooden version. The iron chest, for example, holds 2 times as many item slots as the standard wooden chest, and is resistant to fire damage if your base ever gets hit by a wandering fire elemental or a misplaced campfire. The magical enchanted chest, which you unlock after beating the first major boss, automatically sorts items placed inside it into pre-assigned categories, which cuts down on sorting time dramatically. You only need to upgrade 20% of your chests to iron or better for most playthroughs; the rest can stay as basic wooden chests to save valuable iron and steel for weapons and building upgrades. If you’re playing on a PvP server, you can also place reinforced chests that are impossible for other players to break into without special explosive tools, which is a must if you’re storing rare endgame materials like ancient essence or shadow steel. Just remember that upgraded chests require more advanced materials to craft, so don’t start trying to make them until you have a steady supply of ore coming in from your mining outposts.
At the end of the day, setting up a functional storage system doesn't have to be a complicated or time-consuming task. Knowing how to make a chest in Enshrouded is the first step to building a base that works for you, instead of forcing you to spend all your time managing inventory instead of exploring the world. Take 10 minutes at the start of your playthrough to build a few basic chests, label them clearly, and you'll save yourself hours of frustration down the line. Even if you prefer to focus on exploration over base building, having a few extra chests placed at key outposts will make every run far more productive. If you have your own favorite storage hacks, feel free to share them in the comments below!