Going Medieval: 10 Beginner Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1. Leaving the Research Queue Empty

What goes wrong: Many new players assign a scholar to the research table and then forget about it. In Going Medieval, research is not automatic—you must manually select what to research next. Worse, the "books" produced by research are physical items stored in your stockpile. If those books are destroyed by fire, raiders, or decay, you permanently lose that research progress.

How to fix it: Always keep at least two research topics queued. Assign your highest Intellectual stat settler to research and check the queue regularly. Protect your books by storing them in a secure, roofed stockpile zone away from flammable materials. Building a dedicated library room with stone flooring reduces fire risk. Prioritize Agriculture first, then Brewing, then Tailoring—this order ensures your settlement survives the early game.

2. Forgetting That Settlers Need Beer, Not Water

What goes wrong: This is perhaps the most confusing mechanic for new players. In Going Medieval, settlers cannot drink water—they can only drink beer. If you don't provide ale or beer, your settlers get the "Thirsty" debuff, which rapidly tanks their mood. Many players waste time building wells or looking for water sources, not realizing that brewing is the only solution.

How to fix it: Research Brewing as your second priority after Agriculture. Build a brewing station and assign a settler with high Cooking skill to produce ale. Each settler needs a steady supply of alcohol—plan for at least one beer per day per adult settler. In the medieval setting, weak ale was the safe drink because alcohol killed bacteria that contaminated water sources. The game faithfully replicates this historical reality.

3. Feeding Settlers Raw Food Instead of Cooked Meals

What goes wrong: In the early game, it's tempting to let settlers eat foraged berries and raw hunted meat. While this prevents starvation, raw food provides minimal nutrition and no mood bonus. Settlers eating raw food frequently will develop negative moodlets, making them more likely to have a mental break.

How to fix it: Build a campfire or clay oven as soon as you have the resources. Cooked meals provide significantly more nutrition and grant mood buffs that keep your settlement stable. A simple cooked meal made from foraged ingredients is far better than the finest raw food. Prioritize getting at least one cooked meal per settler per day. For advanced food strategies, see our Farming Guide.

4. Storing Food at Ground Level in Summer

What goes wrong: Food spoils rapidly in Going Medieval, especially during summer when temperatures are high. New players often store all their food in ground-level stockpiles, only to discover that their entire winter supply has rotted away. This mistake can lead to colony collapse when the cold weather arrives and no preserved food remains.

How to fix it: Dig a basement or cellar for food storage. Underground areas stay significantly cooler than surface stockpiles, dramatically slowing spoilage. Start by mining down two levels, then carve out a storage room and build a staircase for access. In winter, the opposite is true—outdoor cold acts as natural refrigeration, but beware of wild animals getting into unprotected food stores. For a detailed walkthrough on basement construction, check our Beginner Walkthrough.

5. Confusing Merlons With Walls in Defense Setup

What goes wrong: This is one of the most devastating mistakes a new player can make. Merlons (also called crenellations) are the gaps-and-covers on top of castle walls—they are NOT solid walls themselves. Enemies will walk right through merlons as if they don't exist. New players often build a ring of merlons expecting a defensive perimeter, only to watch enemies stroll through their "defense" and slaughter their unarmed settlers.

How to fix it: Build solid walls first, then place merlons on top of those walls. Merlons are meant to provide cover for your archers while giving them a firing position. The historical design allowed defenders to fire through the gaps (crenels) while being protected by the raised sections (merlons). Place your archers behind merlons on high walls to get accuracy, range, and critical hit bonuses. For comprehensive defense strategies, see our Defense Guide.

6. Deforesting the Map Instead of Using Tree Nurseries

What goes wrong: Wood is essential in Going Medieval—you need it for construction, fuel, and crafting. New players often harvest every tree in sight to get a quick wood supply. This causes two problems: it creates an ugly, barren landscape, and it eliminates your long-term wood sustainability. Trees take a long time to grow back, and by the time you need large amounts of wood for late-game construction, you've destroyed your renewable source.

How to fix it: Research Agriculture to unlock the tree nursery zone. Designate a dedicated area for growing trees and assign settlers with high Botany skill to manage it. Harvest trees only when they are fully mature to get maximum yield. A well-managed tree nursery provides a sustainable wood supply indefinitely. If you must harvest mature trees from the map, replant immediately to maintain forest cover.

7. Not Preparing Winter Clothing and Heating

What goes wrong: Winter in Going Medieval can be lethal. Settlers caught outside without proper winter clothing will suffer freezing damage and potentially die. Even indoors, unheated rooms cause discomfort and health penalties. New players often focus entirely on food and defense, then get hit by the first winter with settlers wearing summer clothes and no heat sources.

How to fix it: Research Tailoring before winter arrives. Craft winter cloaks and hats for every settler—check the temperature overlay to see what clothing threshold is needed for the coming season. Place braziers in every room where settlers spend time: bedrooms, kitchens, workshops, and gathering areas. Braziers require wood and clay to operate, so stockpile these resources before the snow falls. Enclose rooms with walls and doors to trap heat efficiently.

8. Ignoring Settler Mood and Leisure Needs

What goes wrong: Going Medieval uses a RimWorld-inspired mood system. Settlers have breaking points, and unhappy settlers will have mental breaks—refusing to work, wandering off, or even turning violent. New players often schedule settlers to work from sunrise to sunset with no breaks, causing mood to plummet. The "Hideous Clothing" debuff from low-quality garments and the lack of leisure time are silent colony killers.

How to fix it: Schedule at least 2-3 hours of leisure time per day for every settler. During leisure, settlers will play Backgammon or pray at shrines, both of which provide mood boosts. Build shrines for both available religions (building both is cheap and covers all settlers). Improve clothing quality by setting up a Tailoring station and assigning a skilled crafter—good quality clothes remove the "Hideous Clothing" debuff entirely. Monitor the mood tab regularly to catch problems before they cause a breakdown.

9. Planting Crops Too Late in the Season

What goes wrong: Crops in Going Medieval have specific growing seasons. Planting wheat or cabbage too late in the season means the plants won't mature before winter arrives, wasting the seeds and the labor. New players often delay setting up their farm because they're focused on building or defense, then realize too late that they have no mature crops for the winter.

How to fix it: Research Agriculture immediately and designate a farm plot on level ground with fertile soil. Plant your first crops in early spring to maximize growing time. Cabbages are an excellent early-game crop—they grow relatively quickly and provide good nutrition. Wheat is valuable for bread but takes longer to mature. Always check the crop info panel to see growing season dates, and plan your planting so crops have time to fully mature before the first frost. For crop rotation and advanced farming techniques, see our Advanced Tips guide.

10. Declining New Settler Events

What goes wrong: New settlers arrive through random events, especially when your Region Influence is growing. New players often decline these events because they're worried about feeding more mouths or because the new settler has undesirable traits. This is almost always a mistake—extra hands are precious in the early game, and you can always manage a difficult trait or exile the settler later.

How to fix it: Always accept your first few newcomer events. A settler with suboptimal traits is still better than no settler at all—they can haul, mine, or clean even if they're not ideal for skilled work. As your colony grows, you can be more selective, but in the first few seasons, population growth is critical. More settlers means faster construction, better defense, and the ability to specialize labor. Region Influence affects event frequency, so building more structures actively helps you get more settlers.

Summary: 10 Mistakes and Their Solutions

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