The river update · In development
A river to wander by.
A new way to settle in.
Draw a little water through the meadow, leave room for its banks, and make a home for a fishing household.
A guide to the river features currently being developed. They may not appear in your build yet. The details below describe the current development rules and can change before release.
01 / Let the water in
One small stretch at a time.
Rivers unlock at village level 2. Each accepted placement digs a 4 × 4 metre water block for 6 timber and 4 stone. Neighbouring blocks can extend the river, with the banks adapting around the water.
Choose a clear stretch of meadow.
The water snaps to the four-metre grid. Allow space for a two-metre bank around it, with enough dry ground to connect back to the village.
Read the whole preview.
Check the water, bank corridors, connecting path and quoted materials together. Existing homes and workplaces must remain reachable.
Confirm only when the route works.
A valid placement spends the quoted materials and creates the river and its paths immediately. There is no separate builder job for excavation.
Choose a river you want to keep.
Excavation is permanent in this version. There is no river removal or refund action, so think about future homes, crossings and space before confirming. A city can contain up to 256 water blocks.
02 / Keep a way around
Water stays wild.
The banks stay connected.
Villagers walk along the two-metre-wide bank corridors, not through the water. A new bank connects automatically to a path that leads back to the Hearth. The river quote includes that connection.
Extensions can share and reshape earlier river banks, but they cannot erase an ordinary existing path, cover a building or strand a doorway. The bank itself needs clear space. There are no bridges in this version, so leave a connected dry route around the water.
Buildings continue to use their usual automatic entrance connections. A valid river preview checks that the village’s existing entrances still have a route back to the Hearth.
Read the automatic pathway guide →03 / A living by the water
Meet the Fisher Cottage.
The new cottage combines two permanent beds with a food-producing workplace. It unlocks at level 2 and costs 36 timber and 16 stone, with 2 minutes 30 seconds of builder work after the builder arrives.
Place its 6 × 6 metre footprint on dry ground within four metres of river water, measured from the footprint. Keep the bank and door clear. One eligible resident must arrive at work before fishing begins.
| Cottage tier | Materials for this step | Food per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Build | 36 timber + 16 stone | 4 |
| 2 · Improve | 18 timber + 8 stone | 5 |
| 3 · Improve | 27 timber + 12 stone | 6 |
Tier 3 requires village level 3. Improvements keep the same plot and two beds. A catch adds to food, with no separate fish resource; fishing progress only counts when a cycle actually puts food into storage.
Water access, staffing, construction, hunger, household comfort and storage still matter. Fishing follows the normal work and sleep rhythm, and pauses during an improvement. Boat visuals do not add passenger or cargo transport.
Open the Fisher Cottage guide →04 / Find the way through
When a river preview says no.
There is room for water, so why won’t it fit?
The two-metre banks also need room, including at the map boundary. Move the block away from buildings and blocked ground, and allow space for the dry connection to the village.
Can I dig through an existing path?
An extension can reshape its own river-bank paths. It cannot replace a protected ordinary path. Try a different stretch that keeps your existing routes and entrances connected.
Why does the preview ask me to wait for a villager?
New water cannot occupy a resident’s position or planned route. Let the villager clear the area, then request a fresh preview. An old preview may no longer match the village.
My cottage is near water but won’t place.
The cottage must be on dry, legal ground, outside the bank corridor, with water within four metres of its footprint. Check the entrance and full-width path too; being visually near the river is only one condition.
How much should I save for my first fishing home?
One river block and one Fisher Cottage cost 42 timber and 20 stone in total. The level-2 Stone Workshop can replenish stone and costs 25 timber to build. You can also keep growing with the existing Garden and Forager Shelter.