How to survive your first harsh winter in Manor Lords

Surviving through the winter is one of the tougher propositions for players in Manor Lords. Here’s everything you need to know about surviving the harshest season the game has to offer.

Manor Lords features four distinct seasons, each with its own gameplay effects. Spring is the ideal time to plant crops, though regular rainfall can damage unprotected goods left outside of granaries and pantries.

Summer should see crops at their absolute zenith, but the ever-present risk of drought can quickly bring a successful harvest crashing down around the player. Autumn marks the last opportunity to prepare for the end of the year and all the dangers it brings.

Read on for a full breakdown of the issues presented by winter and how to survive it.

Build up food supplies

Hooded Horse

Stockpiling food is the primary focus heading into any winter. It’s near-impossible to grow food in the coldest months, so getting off to a good start in spring is essential preparation. During winter, villagers will get through twice as many supplies as normal, so also make sure to factor that in when calculating production amounts.

Low-cost Burgage Plot extensions are the best way to get ahead in the first year. The best example of this is the Chicken Coop (which produces eggs) but Apple Orchards can also be a significant contributor to a slightly more significant outlay.

Add Forage Huts and Hunting Camps to the equation for berries and meat, respectively, and you should be in good shape to get through the winter. Also account for four months of stockpiled food to cover the periods just before and after the season specifically.

Ensure ample housing for your Manor Lords villagers

Hooded Horse

Though this is true of many city builders, Manor Lords is set up to thrust the welfare of villagers to the fore. Keeping them sheltered during the winter is critical to their survival, so ensure there are enough Burgage Plots to go around, and actively assign families to them.

In dire straits, building simple Worker Camps is a more affordable solution to any potential housing problems. Be warned that these do not care for your citizens nearly as well, and they will suffer during the winter months without more permanent housing.

Stock up on firewood or charcoal

Beyond a varied supply of food, firewood is easily the most important resource in the winter. It allows villagers to keep themselves warm overnight and serves as general fuel for settlement functions that continue despite the cold weather.

If possible, pursuing charcoal is a very worthy endeavor in the first year. Though it requires some effort, unlocking the ability to produce charcoal makes the village far more fuel efficient, with one charcoal producing the same amount of energy as two firewood.

To start producing charcoal, players need to unlock the Charcoal Kiln building. This is done by building into the bottom tree of the development menu. From there, simply place the building, assign villagers, and wait for the charcoal to start rolling in.

Take advantage of the Manor Lords Trading Post

Hooded Horse

The Trading Post is an important part of any village regardless of the season, but in preparing for winter, it becomes invaluable. It acts as the central hub for the importing and exporting of goods, allowing the player to make money from the excess while filling in gaps in potential supplies.

It’s also a good idea to research the Foreign Suppliers node in the Trade development tree. By building a Marketplace, players can then construct Firewood Carts and Food Carts, for the importation of both fuel and bread. This can serve as a critical injection of supplies in the final weeks of preparation.

Make sure villagers are making themselves useful

Hooded Horse

During spring, summer, and autumn, villagers will inevitably be assigned to jobs they cannot do during the winter. Farming fields and tracks of land isn’t possible during the coldest months, and berries don’t grow, so foraging is also out.

Assign those villagers elsewhere to take advantage of the resources that can still be acquired. Hunting Camps and other resource-generation buildings are solid choices and can leave the player with plenty of additional goods to sell for a profit.

Check our other guides below for more on Manor Lords:

How to start trading | How to gain Influence to Claim and Settle new Regions | How to increase your Population and Approval rating | How to build and use the Sawpit