Manor Lords Crafting Guide: How To Farm

Manor Lords is causing ripples in the gaming world. It already has a huge amount of players reserving the game via the wishlist on Steam and emerging as one of the most anticipated indie games of 2024. Developed by Slavic Magic, this debut project promises an immersive city-building experience set in medieval times.

But what sets Manor Lords apart isn't just its stunning visuals; it's the depth of its gameplay mechanics. From constructing intricate towns to managing populations and crafting weapons, the game offers a rich tapestry of challenges and opportunities. In this guide, we delve into the intricate art of farming within the game.

Manor Lords: How To Farm

How to farm in Manor Lords relies on the growth of crops, prime land, peasants to till the soil, and favorable weather conditions which are necessary. While the latter may not be within your control, you do have influence over the former pair.

Your farming plot in Manor Lords must not only be expansive but also fertile, and it's essential to sustain its fertility over time. Providing housing for your farmers is equally critical; homeless farmers will undoubtedly struggle to work effectively. Furthermore, certain farming tasks are specific to seasons, necessitating meticulous planning and timing.

How to Select the Ideal Farm in Manor Lords

To ensure successful crop cultivation on your Manor Lords farm, your first task is securing fertile land. Begin by clicking on the Construction button and navigating to the Overlay options on the right side of the screen. Here, assess the fertility levels of Emmer, Flax, Barley, and Rye.

Remember, red indicates poor fertility, yellow signifies moderate, and green denotes the best conditions. To select a farming area, access the Construction menu, then select Farming, followed by Field. Use the four pointers to claim your desired farming area. Initially, refrain from making the land too expansive; an area around 1 morgen should be enough.

Your next task is to build a farmhouse in Manor Lords, which requires three timber. This structure serves as the residence for the field workers, so make sure that the house isn’t too far away from the field, as that will reduce their efficiency.

Just like in real life, seasons will decide what the farmers will do on the land. During the Autumn months (September to November), farmers focus on plowing and sowing the farmland. Failure to complete these tasks by November results in the land becoming fallow during the Winter months.

In Spring and Summer, crops grow on their own, meaning no farmer's contribution is required. When the next Autumn rolls over, the crops should be ready for harvest. Subsequently, farmers will harvest the crops and prepare the fields by plowing and sowing them once more.

How To Improve the Fertility of Farmland

If the fertility of your entire farm has dropped dead, you will need to improve the fertility of farmland. Leave it and then you can revive it by turning it fallow, which basically means not growing anything for a year. However, an ideal lord won’t let things get that bad. Maintaining land fertility mirrors real-life agricultural practices, particularly through crop rotation. Here's how to implement it effectively:

1. Divide your farmland into three smaller fields.
2. Access each field's menu and enable the checkbox for crop rotation.
3. During the early stages of the game, use the following rotation:

• First Field: Crop, Fallow, Fallow
• Second Field: Fallow, Crop, Fallow
• Third Field: Fallow, Fallow, Crop

4. In the later stages, once you've unlocked the Fertilization skill from the Farming Development skill tree, adjust the rotation as follows:

• First Field: Crop, Crop, Fallow
• Second Field: Crop, Fallow, Crop
• Third Field: Fallow, Crop, Crop

After unlocking the Fertilization skill, use your livestock to pasture the fallow fields. Manure is highly efficient in improving farm fertility. Additionally, consider unlocking the Heavy Plow, enabling your oxen to plow the fields with greater efficiency. The Heavy Plow allows a single family to manage a significantly larger farm area.

How To Use Crops in Manor Lords

Once you've harvested the crop, your next objective is processing it, as it can’t be used in its raw form. Below is a simple guide for how to use crops in Manor Lords

1. Send Emmer (Wheat) to the Farmhouse building to convert it to Grain.
2. From there, transfer it to the Windmill to produce Flour, and finally to the Bakery to convert it into Bread.
3. Transfer Barley to the Malthouse to transform it into Malt.
4. Then, send it to a Brewery for the final conversion into Ale. Taverns serve as distribution points for Ale.
5. Transfer Flax to the Weaver Workshop for conversion into linen.
6. Once processed, you have the option to send it to the marketplace for clothing in your town or to the Tailor's Workshop for the production of gambesons (a type of jacket) or regular clothing.