Settler Management
Settlers are your colony's core asset. Each settler has unique skills, personality traits, and needs. Properly assigning work, managing mood, and meeting basic needs are the keys to running an efficient colony. This guide covers the skill system, mood management, and needs system in detail to help you build a high-performing settler team. Data below is based on community compilation and is for reference only.
Skill System
Each settler has a set of skills that determine their efficiency in different work areas. Higher skill values mean faster work speed and better output quality. Settlers gain experience through continued work in a given area, gradually leveling up the corresponding skill.
| Skill | Affected Work | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Building, Repairing | Affects build speed and quality |
| Farming | Planting, Harvesting | Affects crop growth speed and yield |
| Cooking | Food Processing | Affects food quality and prep speed |
| Crafting | Weapons, Tools, Clothing | Affects crafting speed and item quality |
| Research | Research Table | Affects research point generation speed |
| Combat (Melee) | Close-quarters combat | Affects hit chance and damage |
| Combat (Ranged) | Bow/Crossbow shooting | Affects accuracy and damage |
| Medical | Treating wounded | Affects treatment efficiency and recovery speed |
| Social | Trading, Recruiting | Affects trade prices and recruitment success rate |
Data source: Community compilation
Mood Management
Mood measures a settler's mental state on a scale of 0-100. Above 50, settlers work normally. Below 30, negative events may trigger — refusing to work, destroying property, even attacking companions. Maintaining mood is fundamental to stable colony operation.
Factors That Boost Mood
Individual spacious room (+10), quality meals (+5), beer supply (+8), clean environment (+5), social interaction (+3), art decorations (+5), religious faith (+5).
Factors That Lower Mood
Hunger (-15), sleep deprivation (-10), injury (-10), companion death (-20), dirty room (-8), raw food (-5), no alcohol (-3), rain exposure (-2).
⚠ Mood Crisis:When a settler's mood drops below 20, they enter a breakdown state and may attack companions or self-harm. Immediately provide beer and quality food, and order rest. If multiple settlers are low-mood simultaneously, it can trigger a chain breakdown leading to colony collapse.
Needs System
Settlers have four basic needs: Hunger, Rest, Social, and Recreation. Any need falling too low reduces mood and work efficiency, requiring constant attention.
Hunger
Regular meals are essential. Keep the kitchen stocked — settlers will automatically grab food. Raw food lowers mood; prioritize processed foods (bread, stews).
Rest
Each settler needs 6-8 hours of sleep daily. Provide beds and individual rooms. Fatigue reduces work efficiency and hurts mood.
Social
Settlers need to interact with others. Set up a common dining room or activity area so settlers naturally socialize during meals. Low social needs create loneliness.
Recreation
Build recreational facilities (chessboard, musical instruments) to meet entertainment needs. Settlers without recreation work less efficiently and have lower mood.
Work Assignment Strategy
Smart work assignments maximize colony efficiency. The principle is "specialists for specialties" — assign each task to the settler with the highest relevant skill. Use the work panel to fine-tune each settler's task priorities.
Recommended setup for a 6-settler colony: 2 dedicated builders/miners, 1 dedicated farmer, 1 dedicated cook/crafter, 1 dedicated researcher, 1 flex settler handling combat and odd jobs. High-combat-skill settlers can do other work during peacetime and switch to combat roles when raids hit.
FAQ
What if I don't have enough settlers?
Three ways to expand population: 1) Recruit prisoners — build a prison, hold captives, provide food regularly, and attempt recruitment after some time; 2) Accept wanderers — occasionally wanderers will ask to join; boost their opinion through social interaction to recruit; 3) Birth — settler couples may have children, but they take a long time to grow up.
How do I handle injured settlers?
Assign settlers with high Medical skill to treat the wounded. Severe injuries require bed rest; medicine accelerates recovery. Pull combat-injured settlers to a safe zone immediately to avoid worsening their condition. Build a medical room with hospital beds.
How do I level up settler skills?
Skills improve through continued use. Have settlers repeatedly perform a task to gain experience. You can also build training facilities (e.g., target dummies to train Marksman skill). Skill gain speed is influenced by the settler's learning attribute.