Guides / Updated 2026-08-20
Beginner Guide
A stable first-season route from camp to functioning stronghold.
Build water, housing, food and nearby storage before expanding into workshops or soldiers. Mandate Order connects every later system to population and logistics, so a compact settlement beats an ambitious disconnected one.
Route
Do this in order
- 1
Pause and inspect water, timber, stone, farmland and the routes between them.
- 2
Place a well and first homes close enough to share a short road network.
- 3
Add farms and a granary, then confirm workers are actually delivering food.
- 4
Connect raw materials to storage before opening the first workshop.
- 5
Stock food, fuel and military supplies before conscription or a major expansion.
First-season priorities
The opening is a dependency problem. Water and food keep the population available, roads make labor useful, and nearby storage turns production into usable stock. A building that cannot receive or release goods is not part of the economy yet.
- Livelihood before industry: secure water, housing and food.
- One short road spine before a broad street grid.
- One observed production cycle before duplicating a workshop.
- Positive reserves before recruiting troops or opening another district.
When to expand
Expand only after the existing district survives without emergency reassignment. Check the trend, not a single inventory snapshot: food, fuel and construction materials should recover after routine consumption.
- Workers remain available after farms and hauling are staffed.
- The granary receives deliveries without manual intervention.
- The first workshop completes repeated batches.
- New construction will not consume the seasonal reserve.
If it does not work
If a building is idle, check workers, road access, storage range and input stock in that order. Do not solve a supply failure by adding another consumer.
Completion signal
Your population has water, food and housing; inputs reach one working workshop; stores are rising instead of draining.
Next moves