Skip to main content

Nightingale: How to destroy and move structures

Here's how to destroy and move structures in Nightingale

A screen of the Nightingale building tools menu, showing options to auto-insert materials into a structure template
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Inflexion Games

Wondering how to destroy and move structures in Nightingale? If you've played any survival game, you're probably accustomed to building a structure only to unfortunately realise a few hours later that you need to tear it down for a variety of reasons, be it an overly crowded base, limited resources, or simple aesthetics. Nightingale is no exception, and you'll demolish excess structures or change their location on more than one occasion while cultivating your plot of land in the Faewilds.

Destroying and moving structures isn't a difficult process at all, but it can feel somewhat tricky at first considering that Nightingale's UI offers a few different options for doing this. Read on for the full details.

Here's a look at Nightingale, the survival crafting game set amidst the Fae Realms.Watch on YouTube

How to destroy and move structures in Nightingale

Nightingale has two different ways of accessing a menu to destroy and move structures, depending on whether you've fully built a structure, or simply placed its template on your map without adding the resources necessary to bring it to completion.

Standing in front of a fully built shelter in Nightingale.
Here we are in front of a fully built structure. Notice the menu options at the bottom of the screen. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Inflexion Games

If you've fully built a structure, stand in front of it and press the X key to enter Nightingale's Build mode. The following options will appear on the bottom of the screen: Copy, Move, and Remove. Copy lets you duplicate the existing structure, but keep in mind that you'll need the required resources to build your duplicate. Move lets you rotate or alter its placement however you like, and Remove totally destroys the structure in a flash. Any spent resources will fall on the ground for you to pick back up.

If you've only placed a template of a structure on your map and not fully built it, you'll see a transparent, purplish "ghost" image of the structure in question. You can stand in front of it and Auto-Add Resouces by pressing E, and the structure won't become fully solid until the full number of resources has been added.

Standing in front of a partially built shelter in Nightingale
And here we are, looking at a partially built structure. A slightly different menu pops up, with different options available. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Inflexion Games

If you hold E rather than press it once, a radial wheel will pop up with the following options: Move, Copy, Deconstruct, Auto-Add Resources, Add Resource From Inventory. Moving and Copying the blueprint of the structure works the same as if you were Moving or Copying a fully-built structure. Deconstruct is similar to Remove and makes your structure template vanish, also dropping any spent resources on the ground for you to recover.

Of course, if you'd rather not muddle about in menus, you can always hack away at your structure with a weapon, which will tear it down once you deplete all of its HP. This method is messier, takes longer, and won't get you back all of your resources, however.

Ultimately, there's a multitude of different options for destroying or repositioning in Nightingale, and while the ability to deconstruct structural templates when they're only partially built may seem unusual at first, it's very handy especially when you're building on a cramped plot of land or want to reposition your current building project to generate synergy with adjacent structures.

Those are the basics on destroying and moving structures in Nightingale. Hopefully you'll never end up needing to tear down your entire Place of Respite, but if you do, at least you now know how to do it quickly! If you're searching for more intel on calling the Fae realms your home, you should read up on the diverse environments that are waiting for an experienced Realmswalker in our guide to the best starting biome in Nightingale. If you've already absorbed this knowledge and are instead looking for how to upgrade your equipment, head on over to our guide to getting Essence in Nightingale.

Read this next