How to get more villagers and families in Manor Lords

When first starting out playing Manor Lords, there will be five wee families at your disposal, which are only enough to make you quickly realize that you need more people. But how to attract more families to live and work in your fledgling village isn’t that obvious right out of the gate.

Attracting villagers in Manor Lords

There are two key elements in Manor Lords that will result in more families moving to your village: Approval and Living Space. Approval can be tracked on the bar at the top of the screen, on the left side. You need at least 50% Approval before families will begin moving into your village at the rate of one per month; an Approval rate of 75% or more will attract two families every month. You also need to be wary of letting Approval drop below 25% because that will cause villagers to start bailing for greener pastures.

How to increase Approval in Manor Lords

In the early stages of the game, the easiest way to gain Approval in Manor Lords is by making sure there is a variety of food available and sufficient housing for the population. Building a Hunting Camp and a Forager Hut will satisfy the food variety requirement; constructing Burgage Plots will provide the desired housing.

Burgage Plots in Manor Lords have three levels, and each has amenity and market supply requirements that will further increase Approval. For example, the needed amenities for Burgage Plot Level 1 are a nearby Well and a Church. In Manor Lords, Homelessness has a negative impact on Approval, so it’s also a good idea to build more Burgage Plots than immediately necessary to ensure that new families have a home upon their arrival.

Other ways to quickly gain Approval in Manor Lords

• Build a Church
• Build a Marketplace
• Build a Woodcutter’s Lodge to make sure there’s always enough Fuel
• Turn Hides from the Hunting Camp into Leather at the Tannery. Set up a market stall in the Marketplace to get Clothing.

Once the initial hump is overcome and more families begin populating your village, things will progress more quickly in the game. There will be enough people to build farms and mines, and you’ll soon have a lively tavern with plenty of ale to keep everybody singing in Manor Lords. And paying taxes.