Please note that the many, very good expansions/updates have changed a lot in the game. A lot of additions have been made and there are many changes when it comes to which products, weapons, tools and more that that gets available, and when. As a result my guide is a bit outdated. But there is still much in the core game that are not fundametally changed so I have decided to let my guide remain for a while longer.

Feb 2025 JAG

Economy
If you have played MD earlier you will notice that sales prices for basic crafted items like stone knives are much lower than before. Raw or cooked food is also more or less worthless for trading purposes. Exploring to find free food, goods and coins is as such more important from the beginning compared to v.1.x games. Killing and robbing bandits makes more sense now as the loot you can get is very useful early in the game.

Bandits are smarter, and harder to kill
Do not get overconfident early in the game or The End might come sooner than you expect. You may miss your shot but a bandit with crossbow/bow never misses if you remain in the fire line after you have revealed your position.

Animals are a little harder to kill and also more aggressivel.
It is a good idea to get a proper weapon before you go hunting Bear, Wisent, Wolves and Boars.

Crop and Hunting/Fishing yieldshave changed a lot
Mainly we se a marked reduction

Enviromental effects influence your character more now
It may be more than a little annoying when the character kept repeating “I am Freezing”, “I am so cold”, “I’m roasting” and so on, every two seconds. Better clothes and electing to use some skill points on “Insensitive” is more important than before if you are not to go insane from your characters constant whining.

Decorations, bridges, piers, new furniture and much more is added
Even if this does not fundamentally change the gameplay it has made the game more fun in the long run as you have more to do. It also looks much better than it did originally.

You can change customizing settings in a savegame
In the original versions you would be stuck with the choices you made prior to starting a new game but that was changed quite some time ago. Building limits, days in a season and bandits are probably the parameters most would like to change as time goes by.

If you are new to the game I will recommend “The Valley”. The Quests linked to starting in this map function very well as a tutorial/introduction. There is some introduction in the Oxbow map too but that works more as a remainder for returning players.

If you want to play coop there is no choice as only the Oxbow map works for this

Adjust “Settings” to ensure that Gameplay, Graphics, Sound Controls and Keybinds suits your computer/controller and are to your liking.

Next prior to start of a new game you can customize the game both for the Valley and for Oxbow. In an old game you can also change your mind whenever you want so you are not stuck with your initial choices.



I generally only change these parameters in the Customizing menu:

- Length of seasons Three days are default. I used to go with the defaut but for new games now I choose 4 days in the early part as this suits my playing style best. In a “mature” game 4 days can be a bit too much but as mentioned the setting can be changed whenever you want.

- Building Limits set to 200%
Most computers should have no problem handling this. The majority of MD games I have played did not come very close to the standard limit before I decided to start again to “do it better”. I can however see scenarios where you later in a game would like to establish several settlements, or perhaps move the initial settlement. This will be much more practical with a higher building limit.

- Fast crafting is activated
It takes more than enough time to gather the different raw materials and/or ingredients so I see no point in looking at the crafting wheel animation again and again and......

I used to deactivate Bandits in v 1.x of the game as I found them quite pointless and more annoying than threatening. With the changes made to economy it is actually a good reasons to keep the bandits active. Killing and robbing them of their food, resources and equipment is useful in the early stages of a game. Later on the economy of bandit hunt gets less important but you do build Dynasty reputation by killing them. Anyway you can choose to disable bandits in the Valley if you get tired of them. In Oxbow you cannot disable but you can lower their hitpoint so that they get extremely easy to brush aside.

I do not feel the need for combat in a game like this and I hope the developer do not listen to the tiny minority that screams for war and all types of combat in every game under the sun. Bandits can still be tweaked a bit to offer more of a challenge but I believe it would be a mistake by the developer to use a lot of resources on including more “standard warfare”.

When starting a game you have limited carrying capacity (35kg). As soon as possible you should buy a simple large backpack (1110/740*) and a large pouch (690/460) to increase your carrying capacity (up to 65 kg). A waterskin[/] is also useful but you rarely need to buy this as they can be found or stolen

Warm clothes are essential when the temperature drops. For the winter I found that Felt hat (2115/1410), Long Fur Hood(1965/1310) + Quilted Vest (1995/1330) + Joined hose(1500/1000) + Fur Boots(1245/830) and as an extra insurance Thick Leather Gloves(330/220) could be a good item to have. You do not have to have all these items to manage. Anyway you get an idea of how much money you need to raise before the winter sets in.

* Buying price/selling price in v.2.1.1.3

You never need to sleep, so make more torches and work through the nights if necessary.

MD is obviously more of a challenge when you start your very first game. Take your time – the chapter quest tells you what you should do. You should not delay executing Chapter quests unnecessarily, but there is no need to rush everything. If you want a more relaxed start you can choose more days per season - 4 days instead of the default 3 makes a lot of difference.

In general the survival aspect is by far the most important early in the game. You need to raise enough money to get more carrying capacity and better clothes as soon as possible. Then you should prioritise a better ranged weapon than the bow you can get almost from the start. I prefer the Iron Crossbow but it is expensive so it may take some time until you get there. With some practice the simpler bows are OK but not really well suited for hunting the dangerous animals.

In general you should avoid dangerous prey until you are better armed. You may well take down a solitary Boar or Wolf with only Spear + Stone Axe as backup, but if they are with their friends you will be in big trouble. Taking on a Bear or Wisent with this type of basic weapons are a sure way to an early grave.
One of the early chapter quest you have to finish to move on involves hunting 3x Boar or 3x Foxes. I would recommend fox as spear + stone axe is generally OK to get a good result. But do not think they are harmless - you might get an unpleasant surprise.

If you stick to Deer, Moose, Rabbit and Duck in the early game you should be able to get all the meat you want. It is also useful to get going with some basic farming during the first spring.

- When you “Start a new Life” the first message tells you to talk to the Castellan in Gostovia, and so you should. On the way you can pick up some sticks and stones needed for basic tools, Stone Axe and Stone knife.

Take the time to get to know the UI while you are doing the first steps.

-After the introduction and the initial mandatory training in “collect and craft” are done I would trek along paths by the water edge, crossing east of Gostovia then heading west and until reaching the second crossing past Borowo. Picking up any food, products and resources I can find from lost shipments, abandoned carts, abandoned camps.


The last mentioned crossing is a good spot to place your fist buildings even if it is not where you want your main settlement later on. The reason is that it is as close as possible to places you need to go early in the game. Travelling on foot takes time and until you have made enough money to buy a large pouch and simple large backpack your max carry weight is only 35kg. Overweight slows you down until you can no longer move.


- Very soon you get the opportunity to build Storage, woodshed and a hunting lodge. Storage is important to get as soon as possible. As soon as I can build a resource storage I walk to the Cave between Baranica and Branica. As far as I know this is the only cave without roaming bears. I bring with me 32x Straw. Wood, sticks and stones needed can be sourced locally. The storage is placed as close to the cave opening as possible. Now a mining operation in the cave can be started.


Two important reasons for starting mining early:
1) It does not take very long until you can build a smitty. Copper, copper tools and tin has much better selling prices than the hand crafted items. Without this income you will struggle to get prepared for the autumn and winter.
2) You need stones for basic tools and buildings. Mining will give you a lot of stones as bi-product so you do not have to use as much time on picking up stones from the ground.

Salt does not bring in a lot of cash but the stones you get are very useful at this stage.

- As soon as I have enough money I buy Large Pouch and Simple large Backpack. Now I can carry much more (65kg) so it is time to do some serious exploring, resource gathering and building.

- Before the end of first spring you should have the first important buildings. Your first House, Resource Storage, Food Storage, Barn, Hunting Lodge and Woodshed. It should also be possible to finish the first steps of Farming.

NB! When I start a new game I do not focus on finishing the Unigost or Alwin story quests until I have a mount. The later part of Unigost quest involves a lot of long treks, especially if you do not know which items you need to bring with you. The last part of Alwins quest involves bear hunting. Doing this without a proper weapon might prove a bridge to far. A good alternative is to wait with the Chapter Quest Bear hunting” until you are better armes and ready to do the later parts of Alwins Quest (after the second target competition).

Even if you are not rushing it should be well within reach to finish all chapter quests + Dobrinoga, Unigost, Alwin and Sambor story quests in addition to having started a small settlement, including getting a wife and heir during year 3.


Some other things to be aware of:

Dynasty Reputation is an important factor. You earn these in several ways like completing quests, killing bandits and more. Population limit is linked to Dynasty reputation can seem to be a bit annoying but it is not necessary or advisable to chase side quests and challenges just to get one more worker recruited. Remember that in about 18 years the first batch of children will be grown up and in need of houses and jobs. Then you may have so many that you must kick some of them out. 10- 13 years in to a game I typically have a total population close to 100, but only about 40-45 workers. In a few years the working age population will more than double.

Challenges from the King are not something I would give priority to early on. Anyway you should remember to quicksave before you ask what his representative wants. Challenges are random so you can get almost impossible tasks. Refusing to do deliver on a Challenge after you have asked what it is will damage your reputation, so the opportunity to reload from the quicksave is very useful.

Note that refusing to do Side/Individual Quests does not damage your reputation.

You should have Broadleaf Plantain and St.Johns Wort in your inventory to deal with damage to your health, including poisoning. Later in the game you probably have potions instead. Do note that the St.Johns Wort is actually better than the potion for dealing with poisoning. (Lightweight and effective)

As you perform different tasks you gain experience and you get the chance to improve your skills. Skill points give different benefits and you should use them (wisely) as soon as they arrive. Skill points are only linked to your own activities. What the NPC’s in your settlement are doing makes no difference on your skill points.


Early in the game it is good to give priority to what makes you gain more experience points quicker. You can level up your own abilities in each area until they max out at level 10. Note that your heir will inherit a mix of yours and your wife’s skill levels.

My priorites for use of skill points early in a game are:
Extraction – Extraction Knowledge, Mule, Excavation Master, Master of destruction, Miner’s Trance
Hunting – Tracker, Hunting Knowledge, Trapping Master
Farming- Farming Knowledge, Village Whistle-blower, Skilled rider, Night rider, Farmer’s Trance
Diplomacy – Empaty, Diplomatic knowledge, Barter, Creative accounting
Survival – Survival Knowledge, Insensitive, Survivalist, Athlete
Production – Crafting knowledge, handyman, Cooking knowledge, Building Master, Building Trance

Later in the game you can change everything by using the Potion of possibilities. Those skills that increase number of skill points are not useful anymore when you are all maxed out.

Technology points give access to new buildings and expand the crafting/production options. It may take a long time until you have some of the more advanced technologies and products. I have seen that some players complain in forums that it takes too long to get the tech points to unlock Mine and Tavern. I do not think this is a problem. If you are systematic in what tasks you perform yourself your character will still be a relatively young man when everything is unlocked.

It is also worth remembering that this is a game that is intended to be played through several generations - “Family Dynasty”. What is the point then of finishing everything within just a handful of game-years?

In general it is a good idea to talk to “everyone”, trade face to face, and do Side Quests as much as you can as this will help you gain diplomacy skill points. Early on in the game it not much you have to do to get the first points, and the very first point should be used for “Empaty” as this enable you to see the personality of the females you meet around the campfires. When you look for a wife I would recommend that you go for someone with “Free Spirit” or “Busy Bee” personality.

In the earlier versions it was fairly easy to earn enough money to buy the basic equipment that will make your life easier. (Large pouch, Simple large backpack and some warm clothes in preparation to the winter)

Stone knives was the best money maker as they were light weight and has a decent selling prise.
You could simply collect stone and sticks and craft stone knives. As the selling price has fallen through the floor in the newer version this is harder now. It is still possible to raise funds by crafting stone knives but it is a lot more work than before so a different strategy might be better.

Price and weight examples:
Stone Knife, weight 0,5kg, Selling price 5
Copper knife, weight 0,5kg, Selling price 100
Bronze knife, weight 0,75kg, Selling price 320
Iron Knife, weight 0,75kg, Selling price 430

Extra storages outside Gostovia

Trade, in person and from Market stalls
Early in the game you probably will have no problem carrying and unloading all the goods you produce/craft at the closest locations. When you get serious about mining and more advanced production the closest villages will not have enough funds to buy it all. Many of the products are quite heavy so even with a mount you cannot bring enough goods to finish a “roundtrip” trading route to the more distant villages. Having extra resource storage buildings in strategic locations is a good idea. Until the market stalls gets available the extra storages will be very handy.

Waggoner waiting for a customer

The horse and cart transport you find outside all settlements are very fast and efficient but a little on the expensive side early in the game. When you start selling more valuable items you might find a use for the “horse transport enterprises”

The amazing levitating market worker

Markets stalls are very good when they get available, but be careful. There is no way to set a minimum stock level so selling key tools and equipment from the stall may have unfortunate side effect. Your villagers cannot do their work if they have not got the right tools. Fertilizer, seeds, key food and tools should not be sold from market stalls unless you check stocks very often.

What are the hunters doing when you are not watching

If you are like me – rubbish using the bow – don’t bother too much with the hunting part until you have enough money to at buy a crossbow. You will get a quest to hunt a rabbit early on but this can be solved by running hitting it with a stone axe.

An iron crossbow is in my opinion the best value for money hunting weapon for all game. Many animals will attack when wounded and you might not have time to fire again, or to run away. Until you can afford the best close combat option (Iron Spiked Cudgel) the stone axe is quite good self defence weapon.

Note that the bows have one big advantage, reload speed. It may well be worthwhile to set up a training ground to improve your skills.

Important note about hunting – It is only a headshot or blows to the head that kills fast. I learnt this the hard way when a cute little fox attacked me, almost killing me, while having a huge spear through the heart. After the attack on me it ran several hundred meters before finally dying. (Very strong and dangerous little animal that fox)

Some yield examples from hunting:
Boar – 5 Leather, 20-25 Meat
Deer – 5 Leather, 12 Meat
Moose – 20 Leather, 40 Meat
Rabbit – 2 Fur, 2 meat
Badger – 3 Fur, 3 Meat
Bear – 30 Fur, 80 Meat
Wisent – 30 Leather, 80 Meat

Safe river travel from Lesnica to Jezerica

Killing and/or avoiding dangerous animals For me it soon got old to fight bear and wolves every time I wanted to travel somewhere. I found simple detours that made it possible to avoid meeting them again and again ..... unless I actually intended to hunt them. In the dark (without night vision potion) it is more or less impossible to hunt/fight so running combined with detours works fine. Later on with the horse it is no longer a particular problem as you move faster, but do not go to close anyway

Disabling animal spawning points
If some of the dangerous animal spawning points are particularly problematic you can disable them by building i.e. one length of fence close by the spawning point after you have killed of the problematic animals in that area. No new animals will spawn here until you demolish what you built.
Note that buildings, fields, fences you put up in connection to your settlements have the same effect if placed to close a spawning points you actually want to have active.

“Better safe than sorry” – Building a hunting shelter
You can use timber wall to build a functional shelter that Wisent or Bears cannot enter if you are not initially successful killing them. Build it as close to where the animals are. Actually 3 walls and a fence in front is good enough (need 22 logs)

All trees you cut down will regenerate in two years if you do not use a shovel to remove the stump.

Approx yields from logging:
Logs - Sticks - Feather
Birch 2 - 9 - 3
Spruce 3 - 5 - 3
Maple 4 - 7 - 1


Gathering sticks
You can pick up what you see on the ground but it is more efficient to harvest living bushes.

As far as I know the only cave with no roaming bears is the one between Branica and Barnica.

Storage outside the first mine

Build a Resource Storage close by the Cave and start to collect Salt, Copper and Tin. Salt is not very useful or valuable but in the early days the stone bi-product from mining salt is very useful.

Empty the cave and the next season you can do it all over again.

Until you can build a mine you will have to do all mining yourself. Your villagers man the Excavation Shed but that cannot help you with Tin or Iron. The shed workers can however get limited amounts of copper.
Iron does not get available until the Mine is built.

Mines have signpost and lighting while the starting caves have not. The layout of the cave change when you build a mine at the entrance. You will still need to use torches to easily spot all points with ore at nighttime.

When you have built a mine you can assign villagers to work, but you can of course still work the mine yourself. The workers do not actually take out the visible ore so in addition to what they deliver you can get the same yield per season from your own work as you got before you employed miners.

An example of yields* from “Cave 1” between Branica and Baranica
Mining the Cave – Cu 105, Sn 65, NaCl 35, Stones 300
Mining the Mine – Cu 123, Fe 82, Sn 64, Salt 103, Stone 593

* Note that the amounts vary slightly from one season to another.

Light level in cave during the daylight hours

During daytime it is enough light in caves to navigate with no torches, while at night-time it is more or less pitch black. If this is the first time you play it is not a bad idea to build campfires or place standing torch in strategic places to act as navigation beacons in the cave. In the night the alternative is to “hug the walls”.

Stick fires used as beacons during the night

Small campfire made of 16sticks is OK Initially. Stone Campfires are better as they do not disappear each season. They do have to be lit though. Standing torches are even better as they light themselves in the evenings.

Returning players that are familiar with the different layouts of caves/mines will probably not need navigation beacons like this.

Note that handheld torches makes it easier to spot all ore points even in the lit mines, especially during night-time.

Small scale farm

Max field size 16x16, Max orchard field size 8 x 8. The total footprint is the same for both max sizes.

When NPC are to do most of the field work it is important to consider how they are organized. Only one worker can do a specific task on a single field. One can harvest, one can fertilize, one can plough and one can sow. All these operations are not neccesarely done the same season so with max size field you may see that only one or two NPC’s works while the others hang around in the Farming shed.
For me the larger farming operation works best when crop fields are no bigger than 8x8. Orchards I tend to build in 8 square lengths and the width adjusted to fit one type of fruit.

It is possible to establish a small field and get something in the ground the first spring. The food side of it is not all that important when you are on your own, but everything you do gives skill/experience that opens new possibilities. Carrots, Cabbage, Onions and Beet Roots are a good start as you do not need much equipment. Each square in the field need 1 fertiliser and 1 seed.

unripe berries gathered to make Rot

Free fertilizer can be made from rotted unripe berries or berries when you have built your first barn. Leave them on the floor until the next season and they will rot. Rot can be made in to fertilizer (10xRot=1xFertilizer). Later on this is not worth your effort but when you are on your own and low on cash this is “free”.

Orchard

While roaming the valley you will probably pick up seedling for Orchards. These do not need fertiliser so just create orchard field and plant. To buy seedlings before you are sure you are on the spot where your new town will be is a bit of waste. However the spring blooming can make your initial settlement look pretty.
Orchards are pretty, but not very useful, or profitable, until you have unlocked the Tavern with its juice press, winemaking and brewing stations.

Vegetables take a lot of space in storage, and you do not need much to feed your population. Cabbage can be sowed and harvested twice each year. It generally takes a long time until I go beyond 16 squares of any vegetable. Typical for me in a medium sized settlement: 8 Cabbage(twice a year), 8 Carrot, 8 Beetroot, 8-16 Onion. Poppy can be used to fill up the field and/or to make it a bit more colourful.

Rye, Oat and Straw is important to make animal feed. If you have a large surplus of the grain you can of course also serve it to your people in various dishes, mill it or brew beer and ale.

Wheat is for people only. (Food, drink and raw materials)

Flax is a reliable and easy cash crop. Surplus flax seeds can be sold directly and from flax stalk you make linen thread, cloth, clothing and many products for use and/or for sale.

2x Pigsty

Pigs are the first animals I go for because they are the source of manure (2x manure = 1x Fertilizer). Unless you plan to spend a lot of time collecting unripe/ripe berries each spring and summer you cannot expand your farming much until you have a ready source of fertilizer. I often build 2 x pigsty quite early to better balance young and old animals and to have a manure production that is highly scalable.

I usually go for all types of animals/birds mostly as a “principle”, but you don’t really need everything and it will be more efficient to chose only some, and have more of these. (Pigs-manure, Horses-fast movement, Chicken or Goose – eggs and feather, Sheep – wool and goats or cows for milk)

Fertilizer from manure
Pigs are the major manufacturer of Manure.

In addition you can pick up smaller amount directly from the floor in Pigsty, Donkey Shelter, Stable, Fold and Cowshed

Examples
Donkey Shelter – 100% in each section gives a total of 20 manure
Pigsty – 100% in each section gives 60 manure

I do not slaughter the farm animals as the sale of them give Diplomacy skill points in addition to cold cash. When the skill point has maxed out it is more a practical question to sell or slaughter.

Donkeys and/or Horses - mounts for fast and efficient travel

Finally I can rest my legs

Donkey Shelter gets available very early and you should use the opportunity to build it and buy at least one animal + a saddle.

the newest model

I guess most players switch to horses when Stable gets available to build even if it is not a big practical improvement. Horses are a bit faster, does not make so much noise. A horse with saddle also looks more “flashy” then the Donkey with its blanket.

Oops, where did that tree come from

Cooking opportunity in your house has been changed. Now you can only prepare roasted fish or meat there. But do not panic, it does not take long before you can build the first kitchen. Then you can buy the schemes that fit your wallet and the resources you have. Potage (Cabbage and meat) seem to be the most popular dish you can offer your NPS’s early on.

When you start to get other raw materials like grain/flour, eggs and milk you can expand the menu if you wish. However you probably should not employ anyone to do the work as NPC kitchen staff are extremely inefficient. It is better that you do the work yourself early in the game. This will also give skill and technical points needed to progress. In late game you probably have a large surplus of workers so then it is of course Ok to let them relieve you of the kitchen duties.

I try to offer a variety of foods even though I have never seen any particular effect of this in mood or health. How the villagers choose what to eat is a mystery. The only products that always seem to be in high demand are Wheat rolls.

In general it is pointless to generate a large surplus of food. Selling directly or through market stalls is a good way to get rid of a surplus but it will not generate a lot of money.

Early stage in the settlement

The finished Chapter Quests will decide how many buildings you can have.

Do not build more than you actually need. You pay tax on every building. Most are cheap but some like the Mines are quite expensive. As money is a bit tight early in the Valley it is a good idea to find your inner Scrooge.

Storage buildings close to customers, especially those far off settlements is a good idea. You can access all stock in all resource and food storage buildings. Short distances to carry heavy products are advantageous.

If you want to found a new settlement in addition to the first one, or simply move everyone to a different place this is very easy as you just build resource storage on the new spot and you will get access to all resources you have gathered.

All storage and production buildings in a cluster

It is important to remember that you will have to do a lot of the work yourself. Buildings you use routinely should be clustered to avoid unnecessary long walks with very heavy loads. Food and Resource Storage, Woodshed, Blacksmith, Workshop, Hunting Lodge II (salting and drying meat), Sewing Hut, Well and Kitchen are important to have in mind.

Small Simple House is the cheapest, and more than good enough early in the game. But as soon as the Simple House is available I usually restrict the use of small simple house for locations where space is at a premium or if I want to limit/control birth rate. Additionally, why not use them as old people homes, reserving the bigger houses for the breeding population?


My first Small simple house is normally a version with timber walls and straw roof. But after this I go directly for Simple House with stone walls and plank roof. It does not take very long to unlock the techs and buildings needed. As the stone houses are better insulated you need less firewood and people living in them are happier. All needed materials are readily available for free.


As soon as the excavation shed is available I let them collect limestone. At this time you probably have more stone than you need and it is then time to start upgrading to Lime plastered stone walls for all old and new houses. Fairly early in a game I start building the stone version of simple house.

The House I initially only build for myself. All are created equal in my town; but some are more equal than others.

When you reach higher version numbers it follows that new products/options gets available. You do not necessarily need to build the highest versions buildings. As an example I can mention that you can craft iron weapons and tools in both Smitty II & III, but the option to make them will not open until you are allowed to build version III. (Watch the tech points)

Storage buildings should always be updated.

Upgrading the Barn

Note that the different versions have the same footprint so that you do not have to tear down the old building to build the upgraded version. Put the new building ghost over the old building and you are good to go.

I tend to look at many of the buildings/professions just as a way to keep surplus workers occupied. What they produce is often ridiculously small amounts.

The extraction and hunting buildings generally are the “useful” to staff with NPC. (Hunting Lodge, Fishing Hut, Woodshed, Excavation shed, & Mine)

Buildings for animal husbandry should always have a worker

Barn building and Farm Shed - Barn workers are not very efficient so it is mainly something to keep Farm workers occupied during the winter if you have no better use of the workforce for other tasks. Farmers working from Farm Shed (field work) and are essential when you expand your farming operations. In the long run it gets a bit boring to do everything yourself. Make sure to keep distances Home-FarmShed-Fields as short as possible. Unlike other professions the farmers only contribute when they actually are in the fields.

Production buildings (Workshop, Smithy, Kitchen, Sewing Hut and Tavern ) are generally underpowered if you compare to doing the production/crafting yourself. Often they are more in your way than anything else. But eventually you will probably try to balance the settlement so that everything runs smoothly without much intervention?

Builders Hut is very useful, especially when you have buildings all over the map. But do remember that it is not really automated. You have to put in an order for every needed repair. However this is very quick and easy so it is no real burden on the player.

The system with Quests will probably annoy some players but they are there for good reasons.
One reason is to teach new players how the game works. Some other reasons are to unlock new possibilities/building oportunities, give monetary rewards and build dynasty reputation.
The only thing I dislike is that you have to do Chapter and Story Quests all over again when starting a new game.

Chapter Quests are most important as they both teach you how to play and open new possibilities, especially important is the change in building limits. Chapter quests do not time out but you should do them as soon as possible anyway.

Story Quests are also important for learning the game, and they give rewards. You do not have to rush the storylines until you feel ready. Story quests do not time out for many years so there is plenty of time.

Special Quests/Side Quests will also pop up or you can initiate them yourself. These quests generally time out within the season. Some may have several stages with pauses (wait for next day), so it is safest to start them the first day of a season.

Description of some key Quests

Unigost Story Quest
It involves a lot of travels from one end of the map to another. Among other things it forces you to traverse terrain filled with dangerous animals so that you learn how to deal with them. It is also intended to give you a feel for the whole map of your valley. When you have done the quest once the novelty wears off and you would like to minimize the travels when starting a new game.
- Include 20 each of Onion, cabbage, beetroot and carrot when you visit Sambor to ask about Kestrel.
- Include an extra wooden crossbow, waterskin, 1x potion of sobriety and 20 dried meat in your backpack before travelling to Hornica to meet Kestrel

Dobroniega Story quest
This is quite short and easy. No need to prepare for anything special

Alwin Story Quest
This is a bit longer as it involves some pauses like “wait for next summer”. It may be difficult the first time you do it as Alwin obviously cheats. Here are a few reminders:
- You can use a crossbow in the two “competitions”
- When you are to beat Alwin’s alleged 64 point score you will have to move further back than 20m. If you hit bulls eye from 20 m you only get 21 points.
- The bear hunting competition will be relatively easy if you know where to find them. If you have done the “Big Game chapter quest” there should be no problem to beat Alwin’s time.

Sambors Story Quest
This will only be triggered if you have the carved figures in inventory when you address him. You find them beside the clay pits behind his hut.

Aaah, this heat is unbearable

Get up, its time to go

No sex tonight you brute

Life here sucks

My parents moved to the new village but "forgot" me

Children of the damned

I have not made a separate guide section for Oxbow as I do not really see the point. The "mechanics" is more or less the same. Oxbow is different in many aspects but if you have done your tour of duty in the Valley you should not have a problem to get going in Oxbow.


PLEASE NOTE - I do not revisit my “old guides” very often so if you have questions it is not a good idea to ask here. Use the Steam general discussion forum for the game and someone will probably help out very soon.