If you’ve spent hours trekking through rocky hills or tripping over fallen logs while hauling 200 units of iron ore back to your base in Enshrouded, you know how frustrating slow travel can be. That’s why learning how to make paths enshrouded is one of the most underrated quality-of-life upgrades you can add to your world right now. I’ve spent over 80 hours messing with base layouts and cross-map routes, and I’ve tested every path material and placement trick you can think of to find what works best for every playstyle. Whether you’re running a solo playthrough or coordinating with 3 other co-op friends, good paths will save you hours of wasted time and keep you from taking unnecessary Shroud damage when you’re in a hurry.
Step-by-Step How to Make Paths Enshrouded for Any Terrain
Building paths is way simpler than most new players realize, and you don’t need rare late-game materials to get started. First, unlock the Handyman skill node in the Survival skill tree – that’s the first step to being able to place formal path tiles instead of just flattening dirt with your hoe. You can unlock this node as early as level 3, so you don’t have to wait long to start building your first routes.
Next, clear the area you want to turn into a path: remove all weeds, small rocks, and fallen branches, and make sure the ground is relatively level. If you’re building through a hilly area, you can use a pickaxe to flatten high spots and fill low spots with dirt before you start placing path tiles. Uneven ground will break the movement speed buff you get from paths, so it’s worth taking 10 extra minutes to level the route first.
Then, open your build menu, navigate to the Decorations > Paths tab, and select the material you want to use. Left-click to place each tile, and you can snap them together to make even, continuous routes. If you’re building through the Shroud, make sure your path is within range of a Flame Altar so the tiles don’t get corrupted over time. Corrupted paths don’t give movement speed buffs, and they can even spawn small Shroud creatures right on your route.
I’ve found that starting with a basic dirt path first to map out your route is way better than wasting rare stone on a path you end up rerouting a week later. You can always upgrade the tiles later once you’re sure you like the route.
Best Materials to Use for Your Enshrouded Paths
Not all path materials are created equal, and each one has specific pros and cons depending on where you’re building and how you plan to use the route. I’ve tested every available material in both solo and co-op worlds, and these are the best options for most use cases:
- Dirt Paths: The cheapest option, only requires 1 dirt per tile. They give a 15% movement speed buff, but they wear down faster if you run over them with mounts, and they can get muddy in rainy areas which slows you down slightly.
- Wood Plank Paths: Require 2 wood planks per tile, give a 20% movement speed buff. They look great for forest bases, but they can catch fire if you build them too close to campfires, smelters, or lava pools.
- Cobblestone Paths: Require 3 stone per tile, give a 25% movement speed buff. They’re completely fireproof, don’t wear down from mounts, and work perfectly for high-traffic areas between your base and resource nodes.
- Reinforced Stone Paths: Require 5 cut stone per tile, give a 30% movement speed buff. They’re the most durable option, and they even repel small Shroud creatures if you build them near Shroud edges.
So which one should you pick? For temporary paths between your base and a resource node you’re only going to use for a few days, dirt paths are more than enough. For permanent routes between your base, the Flame Altar, and NPC homes, cobblestone is the best value for the cost. I only use reinforced stone paths for areas right on the edge of the Shroud, where I don’t want to deal with random small enemies popping up while I’m hauling loot back.
Pro Placement Tips to Make Your Paths More Useful
Placing tiles in a straight line is easy, but there are a few small tricks that will make your paths way more functional for both you and your co-op teammates. Build your paths at least 2 tiles wide – if you’re playing co-op, you don’t want to bump into each other when you’re both running to turn in a quest. I made this mistake on my first co-op server, we had a 1-tile wide path to the blacksmith, and we spent more time shoving each other into the nearby thorn bush than actually getting our gear repaired.
Add small markers every 50 tiles or so, like a torch or a small sign, so you can tell where you are even when it’s foggy or you’re in the Shroud. Torches also keep low-level enemies away from your paths, which is a nice bonus. If you’re building a path through the Shroud, line the sides with Glow Mushrooms instead of torches, they last longer and don’t need to be refueled.
If you’re building a path across a canyon or a river, don’t waste time filling in the whole area. You can build wooden bridges as part of your path route, and they count as path tiles so you still get the movement speed buff. I built a 12-tile bridge across a river near my base last week, and it cut my travel time to the nearby copper mine in half.
Also, make sure you don’t build your paths directly over buried treasure or ore veins. I’ve had to tear up 30 tiles of cobblestone before because I found a rich iron vein right under my main path. Use your metal detector to scan the route before you place any permanent tiles, it will save you a lot of hassle later.
Common Path Building Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made almost every possible path building mistake in my time playing Enshrouded, so you don’t have to. First, don’t build your paths too close to your crop fields. If you run back and forth on a path next to your crops, you can accidentally trample them, and you’ll lose all the produce you were growing. Leave at least 1 tile of space between your paths and your farm plots to avoid this mistake.
Don’t ignore elevation changes. If you build a path that goes straight up a steep hill, you won’t get the full movement speed buff, and you might even slip and fall if it’s icy. Instead, build small steps or switchbacks to make the climb smoother, you’ll still move faster than you would over rough ground. I tried to build a straight path up a 45-degree hill on my first playthrough, and I ended up abandoning it after a week because it was slower than just walking through the woods.
Don’t forget to connect your paths to all of your NPC workstations. A lot of players only build paths to the areas they use, but your NPCs will also move faster on paths, which means they can craft items and finish quests faster for you. I tested this on my own base: when I connected the blacksmith’s shop to the mine with a cobblestone path, he finished crafting a set of iron armor 15% faster than he did before.
Don’t use flammable materials near any fire-based workstations. I built wood plank paths right next to my smelter on my first playthrough, and a stray spark set the whole path on fire, and it spread to my nearby storage shed. I lost 400 wood and 200 iron ore that day, so trust me, it’s a mistake you don’t want to make. Stick to cobblestone or reinforced stone near any smelters, forges, or campfires.
At the end of the day, taking an hour or two to plan and build good paths is one of the best investments you can make in your Enshrouded world. You’ll save hours of travel time, avoid unnecessary damage, and make your base feel way more organized and functional. Now that you know how to make paths enshrouded, you can start small by building a short route between your base and the nearest resource node, then expand as you gather more materials. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different materials and layouts to find what works best for your playstyle – there’s no right or wrong way to build your paths, as long as they make your game more fun.