Summary
- Focus on unlocking key Development Points like Forest Management early on to ensure a stable food supply and resource management.
- Consider regional specialization based on available resources and strategically choose which trees to unlock first for maximum settlement growth.
- Keep in mind that some options are unavailable due to Early Access, but utilizing technologies like Charcoal Burning can lead to economic prosperity.
As players level up their settlement in Manor Lords from a humble village to a large and prosperous town, they will earn Development Points that unlock specialized technology for the region. To increase their settlement level, players will need to upgrade a certain number of Burgage Plots, which involves providing more amenities and resources for the residents.
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Development Points are split into four trees; Farming, Trade, Industry, and Gathering, and some of the more advanced technology is only available once other points have been unlocked first. As players can only upgrade their settlement six times at the moment, it's important to choose wisely when deciding on the best Development Points to unlock first. It's also a good idea to specialize villages depending on the resources available, and players can always take other Development Points in new regions they claim. It's also important to note that some options are not currently available, given the Early Access nature of the title.
1 Forest Management
Doubles The Capacity Of All Berry Deposits
- Gathering Development Tree
- No previous unlocks are required
In the first year particularly, players will want to rely on hunting and gathering to sustain their humble population. Therefore, one of the most reliable Development Points to unlock first is Forest Management, which doubles the capacity of all berry deposits.
Berries grow in the spring and die quickly once winter hits, which still gives players plenty of time to gather all the berries by assigning workers to the Forager Hut. With more berries available, more mouths can be easily fed. Forest Management rises even further in priority for regions with rich berry deposits. The only downside is that this unlock does not lead to other Development branches.
2 Advanced Skinning
Doubles The Amount Of Meat Harvested By Hunters
- Gathering Development Tree
- Requires Trapping to be unlocked
While Advanced Skinning can't be unlocked until players have first acquired the Trapping Development, it is still a great option to aim for early, especially if the region has a rich supply of wild animals. With players having to limit hunting to allow animals to reproduce, meat is often in short supply, but not with Advanced Skinning.
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By doubling the amount of meat taken, every animal hunted is worth twice as much. Meat not only helps feed the population but it also satisfies the food variety requirement to keep people happy. Another way to increase food variety is with some of the best backyard extensions in Manor Lords, such as vegetable gardens.
3 Heavy Plow
Allows Oxen To Plow Fields & Bring In The Crops, Speeding Up The Entire Process
- Farming Development Tree
- No previous unlocks are required
While players won't usually want to farm in their first year, by the time they can spend their first Development Point, it's time to start planning. The Heavy Plow Development allows players to add Plowing Stations to their Farmhouses so that Oxen can be assigned there to plow the fields and bring crops back to storage. An Ox can do this work far quicker and more efficiently than the villagers can by themselves.
For big fields especially, an Ox is a must-have, as plowing must be complete before winter arrives when the soil becomes too hard. The other reason to take Heavy Plow early is that it opens up another great Development Point, Fertilization.
4 Fertilization
Fallow Fields Can Be Used As Pastures For Sheep Who Will Restore Soil Fertility
- Farming Development Tree
- Requires Heavy Plow to be unlocked
If players are looking to get their agriculture booming in Manor Lords, Fertilization is easily one of the best Development Points to aim for, although the Heavy Plow technology must be acquired first. Fertilization allows players to fence up their fields, and in years when a field is left fallow to regenerate fertility, this field will become a temporary pasture for sheep.
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Not only will players save room by allowing their sheep to live in these fields rather than requiring dedicated pastures, but the sheep will, in turn, fertilize the fallow fields with their dung. This will restore fertility so that crop yields in the following year will be even better. To acquire sheep in Manor Lords, players will need to build a Livestock Trading Post and import them. Once players have a few individuals, the Sheepbreeding Development Point is another good option, as imports will no longer be required.
5 Charcoal Burning
Charcoal Kilns Can Be Built To Convert Firewood Into More Efficient Charcoal
- Industry Development Tree
- No previous unlocks are required
There are two requirements to keep villagers alive; food and fuel for keeping warm, with firewood being the main form of fuel. However, the Charcoal Burning Development can massively help with this aspect of survival. With this unlocked, players can order the construction of Charcoal Kilns, which can then convert one pile of firewood into two piles of charcoal.
While plenty of work and transportation is required to produce charcoal, players will be essentially doubling the fuel stock, meaning villagers will hopefully never die from the cold. Furthermore, as some industry buildings require fuel, charcoal will improve the efficiency of the whole economy and hopefully lead to prosperous times. Charcoal Burning is also required to unlock Deep Mining, which enables the unlimited mining of rich deposits.
Manor Lords
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Slavic Magic
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, City Builder
