Beginner Tips For Manor Lords

Building a medieval village from scratch in Manor Lords can be intimidating. With bandits roaming the land, winter on the way, and limited in-game tutorials, there is a lot to take in.

However, with a bit of patience, a finger always ready to press the pause button, and some good tips, players will soon be on their way to building the medieval village of their dreams. These beginner tips for Manor Lords are mostly aimed at newcomers to the city builder genre, but can also help out with some of the game's nuances.

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7 Focus On Available Resources

Each Region Is Best Cultivated In Different Ways

While it can be tempting to head into Manor Lords with a specific goal in mind, the random spawn location and diversity of available resources does not make this possible, unless players constantly restart until they get what they want. Instead, look at the resources available and the fertility of the land and go with the flow.

For example, if there's a huge berry deposit nearby, focus on that early. If there is a rich source of iron, that could serve as the village's focus later on, with players able to export it via the extensive trade system. When it comes to farming, if the land isn't fertile to begin with, there's not much hope for growing crops, and players can instead focus on rearing sheep in pastures. New regions can always be claimed later on, where players can build villages with vastly different economies.

6 Build More Hitching Posts & Order More Oxen

A Shortage of Oxen Will Lead To Bottlenecks

Manor Lords Which Buildings To Construct First

Oxen are primarily required for hauling timber across the village, making them vital for the production of firewood and planks. More importantly, timber — and therefore, Oxen — are required for almost all building projects. As players only start with one of each, it is a good idea to build a second Hitching Post and order a second Ox from one of the posts.

As there is a month's wait between hiring Oxen, this is best done sooner rather than later. Having a family assigned to these Hitching Posts, which can be upgraded to Stables, will ensure transport is always taking place. Players will also want to connect lots of paths to their Hitching Posts.

5 Pause The Game Often While Learning

Remove Some Decision-Making Stress

A quick tip for Manor Lords, and other management games that can be stressful at first, is to hit the pause button as often as needed. Since it's a single-player game, there is no harm in doing so. With fewer problems popping up or less happening in general, players can focus on whatever decision they need to make.

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Pausing the game to take action can even lead to increased efficiency in Manor Lords. Players might be able to assign a worker to a new task before they manage to walk to the other side of the village, for example.

4 Unassign & Rotate Workers Once Jobs Are Done

Some Jobs Are Seasonal Or Get Bottlenecked By Lack Of Resources

One thing that Manor Lords players need to learn early on, is that work assignments should not be considered permanent. For example, in winter when there are no berries, there is no point in keeping workers assigned at the Forager Hut. Instead, they can be put to use in construction or any other trade. This is the same for many jobs, especially in the early game when resources are scarce. Another example would be how there is no point keeping a tanner at work when there is no supply of hides.

Perhaps the greatest example of work rotation would be how, when September arrives, players will want to assign lots of families to the Farmhouse so that everyone can bring the harvest in. Once the harvest is over, though, only a few workers are needed for the threshing process. The rest can go back to other work. Getting used to rotating families in and out of work is a core concept and helps with the immersion, given that this was an essential part of rural medieval life.

3 Build Burgage Plots With Room For Backyard Extensions

These Plots Can't Be Extended Later

Burgage Plots are the primary buildings in Manor Lords, as without them, villagers would have nowhere to live. They also happen to be incredibly flexible, as players can use a four-point system to determine their size and shape. One of their best uses is backyard extensions, such as chicken coops or workshops.

However, if players don't build a large plot initially, there will be no room for an extension. Players will never be able to change this, other than by demolishing the plot and starting from scratch. When building a Burgage Plot, look for a symbol with a hammer under a roof. This means there will be room for a backyard extension, and should not be confused with an extra house sign that is available for wider plots. Backyard extensions don't need to be big, aside from when players want a vegetable garden.

2 Don't Build On Fertile Land

Save It To Use For Farming Later

Players need to get in the habit of planning, especially when it comes to fields. Manor Lords has a soil fertility system that can be seen in overlays for the various crops in construction mode. When starting a new village, it's important to look at fertility first. Players should avoid constructing storage buildings and houses on their most fertile strips of land.

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Instead, this land should be saved for a later date when players are ready to dive into agriculture. On that note, players should avoid trying to farm the land in the first year. By the time players have built the necessities and then a Farmhouse, it will be too late to plow and plant in time for the harvest. Hunting and gathering are much more effective for the first year.

1 Play How You Want To

Don't Feel Pressured To Enable Combat Or Harder Elements

While some people are drawn to Manor Lords for the medieval immersion and aesthetic village building, others enjoy the micromanagement of such a game. There are also players who can't wait to sink their teeth into the dynamic real-time battles.

Whatever it is that they enjoy about Manor Lords, players should stick to their guns, and play how they want without being influenced by others. A lot of this comes down to the question of what difficulty players choose for Manor Lords, as the three templates are almost like separate game modes. For example, players who only want a nice peaceful village-building experience, should not feel pressured by others to enable bandits and combat.