Besiege Building Guide: Practical Machines, Steering, Flight, and Campaign Strategy

Source note: this guide uses Spiderling Studios’ official Steam metadata and screenshots, the official Besiege website, and the currently available TrueTrophies page. The supplied Steam Community guide links later returned HTTP 429, and the two Fandom pages returned HTTP 403, so those blocked pages are not treated as fully verified references here.

What Kind of Guide This Is#

Besiege is a physics building game by Spiderling Studios, released on Steam on February 18, 2020. The official Steam description frames it neatly: build medieval machines to destroy armies, wreck castles, and overcome obstacles. That single sentence explains why a strict “do exactly this” walkthrough is often less useful than a practical building guide. Your machine is the solution, and small construction choices decide whether it crawls forward, flips over, catches fire, or actually finishes the objective.

This guide is written for players who have opened the campaign, made a few charming disasters, and now want machines that are simple, repairable, and adaptable. It covers a reliable building process, ground vehicles, steering choices, weapons, flying machines, common failure points, achievement-minded cleanup, and when to use Workshop or level-editor tools without spoiling the fun of solving the levels yourself.

Quick Start: The Reliable Machine Loop#

When a Besiege level looks confusing, do not begin by building the final masterpiece. Build a test mule. A good test mule is ugly, cheap, symmetrical, and easy to modify. The loop is:

1. Read the objective. Identify whether the level wants destruction, delivery, survival, movement through a gate, or reaching a location.
2. Build only the movement core first. Make it drive, steer, brake, and stay upright before adding weapons.
3. Add one job tool. A ram, grabber, bomb holder, cannon, saw, drill, balloon lift, or flying module should answer the level’s main problem.
4. Test for the first failure. Watch what breaks first: traction, steering, balance, armor, control mapping, or objective handling.
5. Fix one failure at a time. If you add six changes between tests, you will not know which one helped.

The best beginner habit is restraint. Most early campaign zones can be solved with a compact frame, braced wheels, a controlled weapon, and a clear way to reverse or reposition. Giant machines are fun, but they multiply torque, wobble, and collision problems.

Core Building Principles#

Principle	Why it matters	Practical move
Symmetry first	Uneven weight makes vehicles pull, planes roll, and weapons twist the frame.	Build left and right halves as mirrors before adding asymmetrical tools.
Brace the load path	Besiege machines fail where force has no clean path through the frame.	Brace long wooden runs, weapon mounts, wheel pods, and anything that swings.
Keep the center of mass low	Tall machines tip when steering, braking, or hitting debris.	Put heavy parts low and wide; place tall weapons over the middle, not the corners.
Separate movement from payload	A weapon that bends the chassis also ruins steering.	Build a stable cart, then mount the weapon on a braced platform.
Map controls deliberately	Conflicting keys turn good machines into accidental self-destruct buttons.	Use the same forward/back/left/right layout across machines; isolate explosives and special actions.

If a machine almost works, resist the urge to make it larger. Ask a narrower question: is it failing because the frame flexes, because it lacks traction, because the weapon knocks it off line, or because the controls are fighting each other?

The Beginner Ground Vehicle That Solves Many Problems#

A dependable first chassis is a rectangular wooden frame, four powered wheels, diagonal bracing, and a low front tool. Start with the smallest frame that fits the objective. If you need to destroy a building, add a front ram or a blade. If you need to kill soldiers, add protected saws or a controlled cannon. If you need to move a bomb, add a grabber or cradle rather than pushing it loose across the map.

Use these checks before calling the vehicle finished:

• It can reverse. Many failed runs are recoverable if the machine can back out of a bad angle.
• It does not wheelie under acceleration. If it does, lower the frame, add front weight, or reduce power.
• The weapon does not hit your own wheels. Test the full swing, recoil, or explosion radius while stationary.
• The front is sacrificial. A ram or weapon mount should take impacts without transferring every hit into the steering.
• It survives its first collision. If a single wall bump destroys the drive system, brace the axle area and shorten the nose.

Choosing a Steering Method#

Besiege rewards steering systems that match the job. Because the supplied Steam Community references were access-limited during final fetches, this section focuses on broad, player-tested steering categories rather than claiming exact step-by-step builds from those pages.

Steering style	Best for	Watch out for
Simple steering hinges	Small cars, early campaign objectives, light weapons.	Too much angle can make the machine snake or tip; keep the wheelbase stable.
Tank steering	Tight arenas, rotating in place, heavy rams.	Needs clean key mapping; exposed wheels are vulnerable to fire and impacts.
Steering block or pivot steering	Machines that need a compact turning module.	Wheels can rub or collide with nearby supports if the pivot is too cramped.
Four-wheel or Ackermann-like steering	Large vehicles that need smooth turns rather than spinning.	Harder to build; poor alignment creates drag and wobble.
Reaction/torque steering	Experimental flyers, sleds, zero-gravity tests, compact turning.	Can flip light vehicles if the spinning mass is too powerful.

For campaign progress, tank steering is the fastest “it just works” option for heavy boxes and rams. For vehicles that must drive accurately through gates or around obstacles, use a gentler front steering setup and avoid overpowered wheels. A machine that turns slowly but predictably usually beats one that can spin in place and then fall over.

Weapons: Build Around Recoil and Contact#

Weapons fail in two main ways: they miss the target, or they damage the machine more than the enemy. Before adding more firepower, make sure the existing weapon has a stable mount and a repeatable use case.

• Rams are excellent for castles and light structures. Keep them low, braced, and centered. A long unbraced lance bends and transfers impact into the chassis.
• Saws and drills are strong against soldiers and soft targets, but they need protection. Mount them where they can touch the target without touching your wheels.
• Cannons solve distant or dangerous targets. Brace the cannon mount and test recoil; if the machine hops backward, widen the base or fire from a stopped position.
• Bombs are objective tools, not decorations. Give them a cradle, a release method, and enough distance from your own frame.
• Flamethrowers and fire punish wood-heavy enemies but also create chaos. Keep your machine’s essential parts away from flame paths.

A useful rule: if the level asks for precision, use a controlled weapon. If it asks for mass destruction, use a ram or explosive payload. If it asks for survival, reduce exposed weapons and armor the machine’s working parts instead.

Flight Without the Spiral of Shame#

Flying machines are where Besiege becomes both brilliant and humbling. A flyer is not just a car with wings. It needs lift, thrust, pitch control, roll or yaw control, and enough symmetry that one side does not overpower the other. If your plane immediately spins, do not add more propulsion; remove force until you can see what is unbalanced.

Build flight in this order:

1. Make a balanced frame. Keep left/right weight symmetrical and place lift surfaces evenly.
2. Add gentle thrust. Too much thrust hides design problems by turning them into high-speed crashes.
3. Test glide or lift first. A machine that cannot stay level under low power will not become stable under high power.
4. Add pitch control. You need a way to climb and descend without stalling or diving.
5. Add turning last. Start with slow yaw or roll inputs; aggressive controls create spins.

For helicopters, think in terms of counter-force. A spinning rotor creates torque, and the machine needs a way to resist or balance that torque. If the body rotates opposite the rotor, you have not failed; the physics are telling you what needs balancing.

Campaign Problem-Solving by Objective Type#

The campaign is best approached by reading the verb in the objective. The level may look like a battlefield, but the winning machine depends on what the game actually asks you to do.

Objective	Recommended machine	Common mistake
Destroy a structure	Low ram, cannon platform, or explosive delivery cart.	Building tall siege towers that topple before impact.
Kill enemies	Protected saw cart, flamethrower pass, cannon, or armored pusher.	Leaving wheels and steering exposed to arrows, fire, or melee contact.
Reach an area	Stable vehicle with careful steering, or a simple flyer if terrain blocks the route.	Adding weapons when the real issue is mobility.
Move an object	Grabber, cradle, scoop, or controlled pushing frame.	Pushing loose objects too fast and losing control.
Survive hazards	Compact armored chassis, minimal exposed mechanisms, reversible controls.	Trying to brute-force through hazards with a fragile oversized build.

If you are stuck, make a smaller version of the machine and test only the objective interaction. Can the grabber hold the object? Can the cannon hit the target from a safe line? Can the ram survive one collision? Once the interaction works, scale it back into the full machine.

Common Failure Points and Fast Fixes#

• The machine flips when turning: lower the center of mass, widen the wheelbase, reduce wheel speed, or soften steering angle.
• The frame folds under weapon recoil: add diagonal braces from the weapon mount into the main chassis, not just across the weapon itself.
• It pulls left or right: check symmetry, wheel direction, hidden key conflicts, and uneven armor or payload weight.
• It cannot climb small bumps: raise ground clearance slightly, move weight over the drive wheels, or use larger wheels.
• It breaks on spawn or activation: look for parts intersecting each other before simulation starts.
• It is too hard to control: remove one system. Separate drive, steering, weapon, and release keys into clean groups.
• It works once but not twice: the build may rely on lucky physics. Simplify the contact point and make the action repeatable.

Achievement and Cleanup Advice#

The supplied TrueTrophies page currently states that there is no Besiege walkthrough on that site, so this article does not claim a verified trophy-by-trophy route from that source. Steam metadata does confirm Steam Achievements are supported. For achievement-minded play, the safest plan is to finish the campaign while saving useful machines by objective type: ram cart, saw cart, cannon cart, flying platform, object carrier, and compact armored vehicle.

Keep a small library of machines with clear names. When cleanup asks for a variation, you can modify an existing solution instead of rebuilding from scratch. Save before overhauling a working machine; Besiege encourages experimentation, but versioning your builds saves a lot of pain.

Workshop, Mods, and the Level Editor#

Steam lists Workshop support, multiplayer, and an included level editor for Besiege. Use Workshop machines as study material, not just shortcuts. Load a build, identify the movement core, see how it is braced, then rebuild a simpler version yourself. That teaches more than dropping an overengineered machine into a campaign level and pressing start.

Mods and advanced engineering guides can be valuable, but older community material may reference outdated versions or old mod ecosystems. If a technique depends on a specific mod or legacy behavior, test it in the current version before building a long guide route around it.

Practical Build Recipes#

1. Low Ram Cart

Use a short rectangular chassis, four powered wheels, braced corners, and a front ram mounted just above ground height. This is your first answer to fragile structures and clustered enemies. If it bounces off the target, make the ram shorter and more centered. If it flips, slow it down or add width.

2. Protected Saw Cart

Put saws at the front or sides, then keep the wheels behind the danger line. Add armor or spare blocks around the drive system. This type is strong for clearing soldiers, but it becomes unreliable if the saws touch terrain or your own frame.

3. Cannon Platform

Build a stable base before mounting the cannon. Fire while stopped, and place the cannon low enough that recoil does not lever the whole vehicle upward. If a target is high, angle the mount rather than raising the entire machine.

4. Object Carrier

Use a scoop, cradle, or grabber system. The goal is control, not speed. Drive slowly, keep the carried object close to the center, and avoid sharp steering inputs that throw it loose.

5. Simple Flyer

Start with a symmetric frame and modest lift. Add thrust only after it stays level. Use small control surfaces or force changes for pitch and turning. If it spins, remove power and rebalance before adding more parts.

Final Checklist Before You Rebuild#

• Can the machine complete the objective without perfect driving?
• Can it recover from one bad angle or missed shot?
• Are the controls simple enough to use under pressure?
• Are the most important parts braced and protected?
• Does every added block solve a known problem?

That last question is the heart of Besiege. The game gives you enough parts to build something absurd, but the campaign rewards machines with a purpose. Build small, test honestly, and let each failure point tell you what the next block should do.

Sources & Credits#

• Besiege on Steam — official metadata, screenshots, categories, release date, and developer/publisher information.
• Official Besiege website — official game site.
• Community guide references supplied for this article were checked where reachable; access-limited pages are treated cautiously rather than quoted or reproduced.