You need
- Land Plot Title: $50,000 research + $100,000
- Trailer: $10,000, no research
- First Aid Cabinet (recommended): $5,000 research + $15,000
- Electronic Fuse (recommended): $10,000 research + $20,000 each
Total: $160,000 for the plot and Trailer, or $210,000 with the cabinet and one fuse.
Step by step
- Check for free spots first. Look at your state’s global map before you spend $150,000. Busy states fill up, and you can’t get a refund on the title. Prices went up on 5 Nov “to fit the 7-day cycle”, and titles still drop as loot now and then.
- Research and buy the title on the Trade Laptop at Lenny’s. Researching only unlocks the item. You still pay the $100,000 to buy it.
- Pick a settlement with an owner. You can’t enter or claim an unowned one. The title’s level has to match the district’s level.
- Open the settlement map. It shows residents’ houses and the free spots. Use Where to settle to pick a settlement with a bonus building next door.
- Find the rental sign on your spot and sign the contract.
- Place your house from your inventory through the plot plan. Furniture comes in boxes that you drag onto the building plan on the house wall (open it with “Modification”). The main building comes with a laptop, a first-aid kit and a few cabinets.
- Set up the basics. Laundering Desk, a fuse on the panel, and a First Aid Cabinet so you respawn at home.
Titles and prices
| Document | Research | Price | Total | Tier to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Plot Title, level 1 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 | Any |
| Land Plot Title, level 2 | $200,000 | $800,000 | $1,000,000 | I |
| Land Plot Title, level 3 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $3,000,000 | II |
| Settlement Title, level 1 | $100,000 | $200,000 | $300,000 | Any |
| Settlement Title, level 2 | $500,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,500,000 | I |
| Settlement Title, level 3 | $2,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $8,000,000 | II |
Each higher title needs the one below it researched first, but not bought. With no plot you count as tier I, so you can buy a level-2 title straight away if you have $1,050,000 (both research fees plus the price). The level-3 title only shows up on a tier II laptop. To get to Highlands you need to live in a level-2 district first.
Plot level and laptop tier
| Your plot | Laptop tier | Examples it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| No plot or level-1 district | I | Trailer, uncommon fuses, Grow Room, Chemical Laboratory, Collection Table |
| Level-2 district | II | Small House, Master Key, Code Tablet, USB Hacking Tool, epic fuses |
| Level-3 district (Highlands) | III | UV Lamp, Royal J, Concrete Fence, Unique Collection |
Your house type doesn’t change your tier. Only the district does.
Trailer or Small House
| Trailer | Small House | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $10,000 | $200,000 research + $600,000 |
| Tier | I | II (level-2 plot needed) |
| Dirty cash limit | $5,000,000 | $50,000,000 |
| Laundering speedup slots | 1 | 3 |
| Base protection | 5 | 15 |
| Fuse slots | 9 | 27 |
What renting gets you, and what it costs
- A respawn point, plus a Trade Laptop at home.
- Access to your district’s Sales Center: +10%, +20% or +30% on sales, for tenants only.
- New Shipments in Lenny’s Tree and cheaper contraband.
- Your own car. Put its key in the key locker and it appears in the garage.
- Laundering at your own desk, which carries on while you’re offline.
- General chat. Since 11 Nov only plot renters can post there.
The settlement owner takes a percentage of everything you launder and everything you buy on the laptop. That’s the rent.
Moving and the raid lock
You only ever have one plot. Signing a new rental moves your whole base, contents included, and frees the old spot. You can’t move while your base is under a raid lock, which starts when a raider fully hacks one of your security systems. The lock also blocks vendors, the Black Market and Shipment unlocks until it clears.
Owning a settlement instead
A Settlement Title buys the whole settlement. You live there free, rent plots to others and take tax on their laundering and laptop purchases. Nobody can seize the settlement before the wipe, though the bases inside can still be raided. You can own up to 5. You collect tax in person at the collectors’ van, and no new tax builds up until you’ve collected the last batch. Settlements have no police, so expect to get jumped on the way out.
Which level to start at
| Start at | Cost from zero | Sales Center | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 district | $160,000 | +10% | Almost everyone’s first plot |
| Level 2 district | $1,060,000 | +20% | Players who hit $1M by mid-week |
| Highlands | $4,060,000+ | +30% | Clans with serious money |
Start at level 1 unless you’re already rich. The plot pays for itself through laundering and Sales Center access, and you can move up later without losing anything. Level 2 is the big jump: the Small House, Master Key, epic fuses, Code Tablets, USB Hacking Tools and Water Pumps are all tier II. Highlands gives tier III and is the only place you can buy a helicopter, but you’ll share it with the strongest clans on the server.
Keep the 7-day clock in mind. Everything you own is confiscated at the Federal Raid. Your property counts toward your prison sentence (1 year per $500,000, up to 40 per state), so money you spend isn’t lost, but you only get to enjoy a $3,000,000 title for the days left in the cycle.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying a Settlement Title by mistake. To rent, you want the Land Plot Title.
- Buying a title for the wrong level. A level-1 title doesn’t work in Fallrock or Highlands.
- Planning a Small House on a level-1 plot. It’s tier II.
- Inviting randoms into your group. Group members get full access to your house, and there’s no other permission system.
- Leaving the panel unfused. A bare Trailer goes down to 5 uncommon Decoders. See Base defense.