Manor Lords: Practical Tips Sharing

Here are some tips based on my gameplay:

1. My starting sequence is: First, buy a cow, then build a lumber camp (for logs), five berry patches, and a hunting lodge. I allocate personnel as 2 (lumber) – 1 (berry) – 1 (hunting), which is the most basic start. Then focus on building warehouses, churches, and leave at least two people unassigned.
2. Try to place the market in a central location because some villagers take winding routes to deliver goods. The pathfinding in this game is quite efficient; even if they can’t pass through, they will find an alternate route without any issues.
3. After the initial setup is complete, also arrange for villagers to set up stalls. You’ll receive a notification that bandits have taken some of your supplies, but they don’t actually invade; it’s more like a remote theft, as per the game’s setting. You’ll be sent around 20 spears and shields at the beginning, then you can call up the militia with about 15-20 people. The bandit groups on the map default to 16 members each, so using a defensive formation with spear militia during battles can effectively reduce casualties.
4. For technology points, I recommend starting with traps. I can’t recall which ones I chose later on, but the third technology point doubles meat from hunting.

For the first year, I recommend focusing on hunting and gathering rather than farming, mining, or stone extraction. Try to meet the needs of tier one buildings and stockpile resources for the winter.

Oh! Also, it’s recommended to build two leather workshops, assigning one person to each. This can accelerate meeting the requirements for tier one buildings. Interestingly, having two people working in one leather workshop only counts as one stall, which may be a game mechanic or a bug. Therefore, it’s advisable to build two separate leather workshops to have two stalls.

Early growth in public opinion is best achieved through food diversity, upgrading the church level, and providing clothing, which will keep your public opinion rising consistently.

I haven’t engaged in invasion battles yet; currently, I’m organizing the militia to fight off bandits. Bandits respawn after being defeated, but they appear in different areas. The number of bandit camps you select at the start determines how many camps remain on the main map.

Lastly, avoid using the treasury to hire mercenaries early on when money is tight. Relying on militia can resolve many battles.