Besiege: Complete Building Guide

A guide to building machines that actually work in Besiege: core physics rules, the most important blocks, reliable designs for cars, siege engines and flyers, campaign tips, and what the Splintered Sea and The Broken Beyond expansions add, including the September 2026 V1.91 update.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Besiege V1.91 (Broken Beyond content update, September 21, 2026). Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Everything grows out of the Starting Block. Every machine begins from it; blocks attach to the faces of other blocks.
• Build symmetrical. Uneven weight makes cars pull to one side and flyers roll over. Use the mirror tools.
• Use Braces. Braces connect distant blocks and stop machines from flexing and snapping.
• Power wheels, steer with Steering Hinges or Steering Blocks. Wheels are how most early levels are won.
• Test constantly. Toggle simulation, watch what breaks, go back, fix it. Iteration is the whole game.
• Assign controls deliberately. Every powered block needs a key. Group related functions on nearby keys.
• Do not over-engineer the first levels. Many campaign levels can be solved with a simple cart and a weapon.
• Download Workshop machines to see how experienced builders solve problems.
• Use the god tools in sandbox (such as infinite ammo, and since V1.9 infinite fuel) to test ideas quickly.

Campaign Overview

The base campaign has 55 levels across four themed island nations: Ipsilon, Tolbrynd, Valfross, and Krolmar. Objectives range from destroying structures and armies to transporting objects and solving physics puzzles with magical artifacts.

Expansions:

Expansion | Adds

The Splintered Sea (2024) | Water physics and buoyancy, 10 maritime levels, blocks for sailboats and submarines

The Broken Beyond (June 22, 2026) | Space campaign with 11 levels (plus Zone 79 in V1.91), gravity and atmospheres, a fuel system, 13 space-themed blocks plus the Fuel Pump in V1.91

The Supporter Edition has been discontinued in favor of the Master Engineer Edition, which includes all of Besiege's content. Existing Supporter Edition owners can upgrade at a discount.

Core Physics Rules

• Mass matters. Heavier machines need more power, more wheels, and stronger joints.
• Joints flex. Long chains of blocks bend and break; brace them.
• Center of mass should sit low and near the middle for ground vehicles.
• Center of lift and thrust should line up with the center of mass for flyers.
• Friction comes from wheels and some blocks; smooth blocks slide.
• Damage can snap joints and destroy blocks; armor and redundancy help.

Key Blocks by Category

Category | Blocks | What they do

Structure | Small Wooden Block, Wooden Block, Wooden Pole, Wooden Panel, Brace | The skeleton of every machine

Mechanical | Powered Wheel, Unpowered Wheel, Steering Hinge, Steering Block, Hinge, Ball Joint, Suspension, Piston, Spring, Decoupler, Grabber | Movement, articulation and attachment

Weapons | Cannon, Shrapnel Cannon, Crossbow, Flamethrower, Bomb, Grenade, Rocket, Water Cannon | Destruction and utility

Melee | Drill, Spike Ball, Circular Saw, Metal Blade, Metal Jaw, Plow | Contact damage

Flight | Flying Block, Propeller, Small Propeller, Wing, Wing Panel, Balloon | Lift and thrust

Utility | Ballast, Torch, Vacuum, Armor Plate | Weight, fire, pulling, protection

Automatic / logic | Sensor, Timer, Altimeter, Logic Gate, Anglometer, Speedometer | Automation without player input

Space (Broken Beyond) | Booster, Blaster, Parachute, Metal Wheel, Control Thruster, Inertial Steering, Rocket Fin, Grid Fin, Small Fuel Barrel, Large Fuel Barrel, Fuel Hose, Fuel Coupler, Fuel Gauge, Fuel Pump | Spaceflight, fuel and landing

Reliable Starter Designs

A basic car (most early levels)

• Start Block in the middle.
• Wooden Blocks out to each side for a wide, flat chassis.
• Four Powered Wheels, two per side, mirrored.
• Steering Blocks or Steering Hinges on the front wheels.
• Braces from the chassis to the far corners.
• A weapon on top: a Cannon for structures, a Flamethrower or Spike Balls for armies.

Keep the chassis wide and low to avoid rollovers.

A battering ram

• Build a car, then mount a long Wooden Pole forward with a heavy tip (Metal Blade or Spike Ball).
• Add Ballast at the rear if the front tips forward.
• Use Pistons or a Hinge to swing the ram if you want repeated hits.

A catapult

• A Hinge-mounted arm with a Grabber or a bowl of blocks at the end.
• Use Springs or a powered Hinge to throw.
• Add a Decoupler to release payloads at the right moment.

A simple flyer

• Symmetry is critical.
• Wings or Wing Panels give lift; Propellers give thrust.
• Keep the center of mass slightly ahead of the center of lift.
• Test by gliding before adding power.

Campaign Tips

• Read the objective. Many levels want a specific thing moved, destroyed, or protected — not everything destroyed.
• Use fire. Flamethrowers and Torches spread fire across wooden structures and armies.
• Bombs and Grenades clear defensive clusters; use Decouplers to drop them.
• Crossbows and Cannons handle targets at range.
• Keep it simple on "transport" levels. Slow and steady beats fast and fragile.
• Unlock order matters. Blocks unlock as you progress, so later levels have more tools.

Multiplayer and the Multiverse

• Besiege Multiverse lets you play with others: head-to-head machine combat, cooperative level completion, and custom game modes.
• The level editor includes a logic system for scripted events: robot wars, racing, football and more.
• V1.91 enlarged the Multiverse maximum map size from 2 km x 2 km x 2 km to 16 km x 8 km x 16 km (64 times more horizontal space, 256 times the volume).
• Multiplayer is a PC feature. The Xbox version (2022) has no multiplayer or level editor; PlayStation and Switch versions arrived in December 2024, so check their store pages for feature differences.

The Broken Beyond (Space)

• Fuel system: Small Fuel Barrels hold 10 Fuel and Large Fuel Barrels hold 100 Fuel. Barrels and fuel-using blocks placed next to each other form a shared network; Fuel Hoses connect them at a distance. Barrels get lighter as fuel is burned.
• Blocks that use fuel: the Booster, the Flamethrower, and the Blaster.
• Balance weight, thrust and fuel. More fuel means more weight means more thrust needed. Low-thrust long burns are inefficient; find a middle ground.
• Booster works in atmosphere and vacuum. Since V1.91 boosters respond to fuel amount so thrust can be limited.
• Fuel Pump (V1.91): moves fuel between separate systems and can hold a set fuel level, ideal for refueling stations.
• Zone 79 — Shattered Citadel (V1.91): a race through a crumbling cathedral around a black hole, cut from launch and now restored.
• Mac support: The Broken Beyond is now supported on Mac after shader issues were fixed.
• Workshop: you can load machines that use DLC blocks without owning the DLC (read-only).

Level Editor and Workshop

• The level editor supports AI armies, custom environments and logic-driven events. V1.9 added 51 new level editor objects.
• Steam Workshop hosts more than 200,000 community machines plus mods, levels, and skin packs.
• The in-game mod loader makes installing mods simple.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Asymmetric builds.
• No bracing.
• Too much weight on too few wheels.
• Unassigned or overlapping controls. Check every key before simulating.
• Flyers with the center of mass behind the wings.
• Overbuilding early campaign levels.
• Space machines with no fuel margin.

Advanced Tips

• Use logic blocks (Sensor, Timer, Altimeter, Logic Gate) to automate stabilization and weapons.
• Toggle vs. hold controls: many blocks can be set to toggle, which frees your hands.
• Stack Small Fuel Barrels: the devs note that small barrels stacked together hold more fuel than a large barrel taking up the same space.
• Grid Fins and Rocket Fins stabilize rockets during ascent and descent.
• Parachutes make landings survivable in atmospheres.
• Study Workshop machines from contest winners for clever mechanisms.

FAQ

How many levels does Besiege have? The base campaign has 55 levels across four islands. The Splintered Sea adds 10 maritime levels and The Broken Beyond adds 11 space levels, plus Zone 79 in V1.91.

Is Besiege multiplayer? Yes on PC, through the Multiverse. The Xbox version lacks multiplayer and the level editor.

What is the Master Engineer Edition? It includes all Besiege content and replaced the Supporter Edition.

Do I need the DLC to use Workshop machines with space blocks? You can load them read-only without the DLC.

Is Besiege on Mac? Yes, and The Broken Beyond is supported on Mac as of V1.91.

Why does my machine fall apart? Missing braces, too much weight on joints, or asymmetric forces. Brace, lighten, and mirror.

Sources

• Besiege on Steam
• Besiege Steam news (Broken Beyond, V1.91)
• Steam News API feed for Besiege announcements
• Besiege on Wikipedia