There are other places that were considered for the list, but each of them came with a drawback that excluded it from the top five. There’s the Carter Hydro Dam, which is a great location but lacks a bed. The Lonely Lighthouse is a favorite of some, but there’s no workbench in there, and you can get jumped by a wolf leaving your base if you’re not careful. The Pleasant Valley Outbuildings aren’t bad, but what does the Barn offer that the Farmstead doesn’t? Certainly, not a warm bed. There's even the Riken which, believe it or not, almost made the list.
Perhaps the one place that I really wanted to put on the list that had to be left off was the Coastal House on Jackrabbit Island in Coastal Highway. It has fishing, rabbits, deer, and no bears. There are sticks for a fire, but unfortunately, it lacks an indoor fireplace. It defies all logic that a house on a small island in the middle of a frozen lake wouldn’t have an indoor fireplace, but I get where Hinterland is coming from here. If there was a fireplace, the only thing it would lack is a workbench, but otherwise it would skyrocket to the front of the line in terms of best bases in the game.
As much as I tried to take community feedback into consideration here, lists are always going to be subjective. With that in mind, what are your top five places to call home in The Long Dark? Make your case in the comments.