Summary
- Two new maps have been added to Manor Lords, offering varied terrains and strategic opportunities.
- Fishing ponds have been introduced as a new resource, allowing players another way to gather food.
- Crossbows are now available as a new weapon, adding further depth to the combat system in Manor Lords.
Manor Lords, the immersive and historically accurate medieval city-builder, had a hugely successful release, but as an Early Access game, things are far from over. The game has already seen a number of large updates and players can expect plenty more in the future, with many desired features for Manor Lords.
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The following is an overview of the best and biggest updates to Manor Lords so far, but of course, there have been many smaller changes alongside balance and bug fixes. Returning players are advised to start a new playthrough to avoid patch issues and get the most out of the new features, especially the maps.
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Two New Maps
One With A River & The Other In A Valley Between Mountains
The two new maps in Manor Lords are perhaps the most exciting change within the first year of Manor Lords, with players able to build settlements in vastly different environments. Both encourage new strategic decisions for logistics and warfare, while also being breathtaking in their own way.
High Peaks allows players to build in a valley surrounded by stunning mountains, meaning access to trade and hostile lords is only found at either end, creating a more closed-off map. Winding River, however, is more similar to the original map, but as its name suggests, a meandering river splits up the countryside. A new bridge system has also been added to cross the river, working similarly to the easy way in which roads are placed down.
5
Fishing Ponds & Huts
A New Resource
While Manor Lords is certainly not a fishing game, villagers are now able to rein in a new source of food thanks to the addition of fishing ponds. Similarly to other resource nodes, these randomly spawn on the map, so players won’t always have one in their starting region.
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If a pond is present though, they can build a Fishing Hut nearby and assign a family to work there. Players will need to make sure they don’t overfish, however, and should set a reserve so that the fish are always able to breed back to healthy levels. Fishing ponds will freeze over in winter, but a new Development Point allows fishing to continue in winter. In the future, the development team aims to make fishing possible in select river spots too.
4
Crossbows
A New Weapon To Produce & Arm Soldiers With
Manor Lords is not only a medieval city-builder game but also incorporates RTS elements, with players able to lead small armies of their own villagers or hired mercenaries. While bows could already be produced and wielded, players are now able to arm their men with crossbows too.
Crossbows can be made in the Bowyer’s Workshop alongside warbows, but Iron Slabs are required for their production, meaning players will need access to iron even if that means importing it. These terrifyingly powerful weapons can be wielded by new unit types, including The Huntsmen, a mercenary group.
3
Pigs & Butchers
A New Source Of Meat & Sausages Can Be Made
Pigs, a staple of medieval life, were one of the glaring absences upon release. Thankfully, however, they have been added as an alternative to goats, when choosing an animal pen as a Burgage Plot Upgrade in Manor Lords. Goats now provide 1x Meat and 1x Hide, while pigs provide 2x Meat instead, giving players more choice over their resources.
Butchers are also now available as a Burgage Plot Upgrade, although the house must first be upgraded to Level 2 as with other Artisan upgrades. Butchers can slaughter livestock such as sheep to produce more meat, or with salt available, they can turn meat into sausages. This gives the villagers a greater choice of food, which will inevitably make them happier and healthier. Sausages also last longer than regular meat.
2
Building Upgrades, Trade Screen, & Many Smaller Changes
Some Systems & Buildings Have Been Reworked, While Many QoL Features Are Now Present
On top of the biggest and most exciting Manor Lords updates, returning players will notice many smaller changes, all of which culminate in a better experience overall. The game is very much a work in progress, and thus a handful of mechanics such as how markets work have been reworked.
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Other smaller features include the ability to upgrade the Tavern and Wells, the addition of a trade screen to see past transactions, an overstock mechanic, more variety in what resources are required to construct certain buildings, and much more. All said, there’s a lot to try.
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The Game Was Upgraded To Unreal Engine 5
This Enhances The Graphics & Opens The Door To New Features
One update to Manor Lords which may have gone under the radar for many players, is that the game upgraded from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5. While this change didn’t make the biggest of differences, outside of slightly improved visuals and shadows, having access to the newer engine opens up more possibilities for the future.
The latest version of Unreal Engine boasts many features that were missing in previous Unreal generations and is easier to use overall. With more tools available and an expanding development team for Manor Lords, fans can’t be blamed for getting excited about the future of the game.
- Released
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April 26, 2024
- Developer(s)
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Slavic Magic