Best defence?

[Andreas94]

Whats ur layout for the "best" defence?
New to the game.. 9-11 pawns now, so the attack are as much as 15 sometimes and I really struggle.

[boytype]

Search for "Singularity Killbox".
Then dont use it, because it is so strong that it trivializes the entire game and all of the content, even end game raids and Mech bosses.

[Swordmouse]

Well, for every defense you can design, there's essentially a "counter" that exists in-game, so the single best, most universal defense is wealth management. Raid strength is based on colony wealth - the sum of all your gear, clothes, armor, steel, blocks, colonists, animals, buildings, defenses, even floors and meals. - everything has a value, and the more you have, the tougher raids will be. It's incredibly easy to hoard, but having thousands of spare food, silver, piles of blocks, steel, tons of animals, smokeleaf, clothes - they can all essentially kill you.

Generally speaking, if you can run lean, and spend access wealth on things like weapons or armor (that you will immediately equip or serves as a valuable backup tool, like getting your hands on a set of EMP grenades or a smoke launcher) materials for turrets, etc - you'll have a smoother time overall. Additionally, research and faction relations are both invaluable, and neither raises colony wealth, so if you can gift stuff to a faction to ally with them, and buy "tech prints" which unlock valuable research, it's a great way to eliminate extra wealth while serving a purpose.

Now, for some general defensive advice:

Cover is huge in this game. So put barricades/sandbags in strategic areas, chokepoints etc, and make sure the area the enemy will approach from is free of chunks, trees, and pieces of walls they can hide behind. Always consider how enemies might use the terrain against you, and always consider how you can shape it to your advantage.

Get yourself some EMP grenades and a smoke launcher ASAP. EMP can stun mechs for 30 seconds, which is absolutely huge. And they can also bring down shields raiders can delpoy. Smoke prevents turrets from being able to fire at anything inside/behind smoke, which means all those scary turrets are harmless with the right positioning. Additionally, you can give the smoke launcher to a colonist and have them shoot wild animals for shooting training.

Also, get a few mortars. Probably 3 at a minimum, but ideally 5-8, and make enough shells for at least 5-6 volleys. This will serve as a counter to enemy sieges, and allow you to inflict enough damage to force them into charging your base before they've even used their artillery. Additionally, they can serve to soften up or even break otherwise difficult raids.

Insanity lances can save your colony. Whether it's an enemy raider with a doomsday launcher, or a centipede spinning up to shred your colonists, being able to make dangerous/extremely tanky enemies go berserk and essentially work for you can be a game changer.

It never hurts to have options when it comes to weapons, but heavy SMG's are arguably the best all-round raid defense weapon you can craft before researching microelectronics, and even then, they hold their own. They're also a great choice for colonists with poor shooting skills, which is a bonus. Just keep in mind the range is somewhat short, and plan your defenses and engagements accordingly. That doesn't mean burn everything else, either. Virtually every weapon shines somewhere, so having a bolty or two for sniping/hunting and a shotgun or three for CQB and infestations isn't terrible either.

A lot of folks design a "killbox" which is essentially a trap area surrounded by great cover for your colonists, and frequently filled with traps and/or covered by a lot of turrets. I'd suggest checking Youtube since there's a lot of awesome videos that go into great detail, and this post is already pretty long.