Recruitment & Management
Tribesmen
Your recruitable workforce. Manage them well and they become a self-running civilisation. Neglect them and they walk.
🎯 Recruiting a Tribesman — Step by Step
Deterring is the main recruitment method. Scouts, Plunderers, and Tribe Leaders cannot be deterred.
Unlock the Mask Control Node
Repair the Control Node on your Mask first. The initial node allows 3 Tribesmen. Upgrading Connection Enhancement raises the cap to 18.
Find an Eligible Target
Barbarians, Outcasts, Hunters, Craftsmen, Guards, and Porters from Fang, Claw, and Flint tribes can all be deterred. Target high-level and elite enemies for better initial proficiencies.
Reduce Health Below 20%
Fight the target down to below 20% health. Do not kill them. At this threshold, press E to Deter. They fall unconscious and begin gaining Recognition slowly.
Keep Them Alive While Unconscious
Place Bandages or liquid foods like Broth in their inventory and double-click to use. You can also carry them over your shoulder or on an Llama extended seat back to your base.
Wait for Minimum Recognition (500)
Once the Recognition threshold is reached, the tribesman can be formally recruited. Their initial proficiency is influenced by their level, profession, and status.
Keeping Tribesmen Happy
The mood bar must stay out of red. Build Outhouses, Bathtubs, Statues, Dining Tables, and Chairs. Provide quality food and drinks matching their likes. Happy tribesmen work faster and stay. Unhappy tribesmen leave permanently — taking all your recruitment investment with them.
Evaluating Tribesman Potential
A tribesman's value is in their proficiency cap, not their starting level. Only tribesmen with a 120+ proficiency cap in a key skill unlock final mastery bonuses — and these vastly outperform your own character ceiling.
- Equip the Golden Legend Mask before scouting camps to see all talents, exact proficiency numbers, and hidden caps at a safe distance
- Claw Tribe members typically offer the highest combat potential
- Flint Tribe excels in crafting and defense roles
- Don't dismiss "novice" recruits — many roll 120+ caps in key skills
🧬 Exceeding 120 — DNA Copy & Training Grounds
Your main chieftain character is capped at 90 for weapons and 60 for crafting by default. Here is how to push past that using your tribesmen
Part 1 — DNA Copy: Upgrading Your Main Character
After beating the Third Temple Guardian (Vajra Ape) and activating its pyramid, the Mysterious Stone Table unlocks a DNA button next to your main character in the Remodel tab. This lets you deep-scan a tribesman and copy their proficiency caps, talents, and attributes directly onto your chieftain — replacing your current ones.
Find the Right Tribesman to Scan
Use the Golden Legend Mask to scout for a tribesman with the highest caps in the skills you want. A Warrior with 120+ Sword, Dual-Blade, Hammer, Greatsword, and Gauntlets is the ideal combat target. Check talents too — you are copying everything, so bad defects copy across as well. Take your time finding the right candidate before committing.
Open the Remodel Tab at the Mysterious Stone Table
Walk your chieftain to the Stone Table. Press the DNA button next to your main character — not next to a tribesman. This is the deep-scan trigger, not the save/revival button.
Select the Tribesman to Scan & Pay the Cost
Select the tribesman you want to scan. The cost is approximately 500 Mask Energy + 100 Green Crystals + 30 Blue Crystals + 20 Yellow Crystals. Have these ready — the process cannot be paused mid-scan.
Wait 30 Minutes (In-Game)
The deep scan takes approximately 30 in-game minutes. The tribesman is unavailable during this window. Do not dismiss them or restart the game.
Apply the Scanned Data
Once complete, tap the DNA icon again and select the deep-scanned data. Confirm the warning — this is irreversible. Your chieftain's proficiency caps, talents, and attributes are replaced with the tribesman's. Your appearance is unchanged.
Part 2 — Training Grounds: Pushing Tribesmen Toward Their Caps
The Training Ground (Shifting Sands exclusive) does not raise proficiency caps — it pushes a tribesman's actual proficiency up toward whatever cap they already have, and transfers talents between tribesmen.
| Function | How It Works | Key Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Proficiency Training | Assign a tribesman to the Training Ground for a specific skill. They train toward their cap over time — faster than levelling through normal work | Only pushes toward the existing cap, does not raise it. A tribesman capped at 100 in Sword cannot be trained past 100 |
| Talent Transfer | A veteran tribesman with strong Advantage Talents can teach one talent to a student tribesman. The student gains it without the veteran losing it | Only Advantage Talents can be transferred — not Innate, Title, or Defects |
| Weapon Cap Expansion | For class weapons, Training Grounds can raise a Warrior's cap to 120 — useful for tribesmen who rolled slightly below cap | Class weapons only. Non-class weapons remain hard-capped at 100 regardless of Training Ground investment |
Profession Caps — Which Class Can Reach 120+ in What
| Profession | Skills That Can Reach 120+ | Hard-Capped at 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Sword, Dual-Blade, Hammer, Greatsword, Gauntlets | All other weapons, all crafting skills |
| Hunter | Bow, Crossbow, Whip (only Hunters can exceed 120 on Whip) | Melee weapons, all crafting skills |
| Guard | Greatsword, Hammer, Shield skills | Ranged weapons, crafting |
| Craftsman | Crafting, Weaving, Leatherworking, Smithing | All weapon skills |
| Laborer / Porter | Gathering, Wood & Stone, hauling efficiency | Combat skills, most crafting skills |
gm SetShuLianDuMaxVal [type] [currentVal] [maxVal] sets both current proficiency and maximum cap for any skill on a targeted character. Full type reference at saraserenity.net/soulmask/proficiency.php
Talents
Every 10 levels a tribesman earns a new Advantage Talent. Talent types: Innate, Title, Likes, Experience, Tribe, Advantage, Defect. Stack tribesmen with positive traits for a significant efficiency advantage across your whole base.
Resetting Attributes
The Mysterious Tisane (dropped by bosses) resets your main Vagrant Novice character's attributes. The Mysterious Body Shaping Pill resets a tribesman's attributes. Server settings can make attribute resets available much earlier.
Training Grounds
New in Shifting Sands: Training Grounds allow talent inheritance between tribesmen. Veteran tribesmen can pass talents to newer recruits, letting you build a progressively stronger workforce over time.
Production Systems
Automating Your Base
The real power of Soulmask is removing yourself from the grind. Here is how to build a base that runs itself.
⚙ Assigning Work to Tribesmen
The Work Tab system — how to turn your recruits into a self-managing economy
Open the Work Tab
Press I to open inventory, then select the Tribesmen Work Tab. This is your primary automation dashboard.
Set Work Type, Location & Goal
Each tribesman needs all three assigned to function. Work Type is the category (gathering, crafting, farming), Location is where they operate, and Goal is the target resource or output quantity.
Place Map Markers for Gatherers
Point gatherers toward resource nodes by placing map markers on the world map. Gatherers will collect stone, ore, and wood from those nodes and automatically deposit items into sorted chests at your base.
Equip Your Workers
Give tribesmen appropriate tools, weapons, and armour. Better gear means better performance — a harvester with a quality axe outputs significantly more than one with bare hands.
Set Rest Schedules
At the command table, set NPCs to work 12 hours and rest 8 hours. Tribesmen without rest schedules lose productivity over time and can eventually collapse.
Granary System
Assign a tribesman to a Granary and they will automatically plant, fertilize, and harvest all nearby Farmland. Add a Fertilizer Bucket and Beehive nearby to support the cycle. Food shortage is the #1 cause of tribesman desertion.
Breeding Farm
Assign tribesmen to a Breeding Farm to auto-manage Capybara Pens (meat + fertilizer) and Turkey Coops (eggs, feathers, meat). Capybaras and Turkeys breed automatically when fed and watered.
Crafting Stations
Assign specialist tribesmen directly to crafting benches. The highest-ROI assignments early on are the Loom (linen/yarn), Carpentry (planks), and Forge. Tribesmen with 120+ proficiency caps vastly outperform your character.
Work Outposts
Logging Yards, Collection Yards, and Excavation Pits operate as remote automated gathering stations. Warning: outpost workers attract hostile Barbarians who will attempt to capture them. Build defensive perimeters.
Monkey & Pet Workers
Scarlet Macaws and Monkeys ride on your shoulder and operate semi-autonomously. Monkeys gather fruits and nuts from the environment and deposit them in Monkey Storage Nests — free passive food production.
Airship Crew
In Shifting Sands, tribesmen can be assigned as crew to your mobile airship base, automating it during travel and combat. The airship itself functions as a moving production platform.
Production Loops
Tools, Stocks & Supply Automation
Soulmask has no single "auto-repair tools" button. Instead you combine four separate systems — discard broken, auto-craft maintain stock, filtered chests, and NPC prohibition sliders — to build a loop that largely runs itself. Here's exactly how each works and how to wire them together.
⚙ The Four Systems — How They Combine
Set all four up together and tools largely manage themselves
Set Workers to Discard Broken Tools
In each tribesman's work settings, enable the "Automatically Discard Broken Tools" checkbox. When a tool reaches zero durability it is destroyed and removed from their inventory automatically — they won't accumulate a pile of broken items and stop working. After discarding, they will go and pick up a fresh tool from a stocked chest nearby.
Keep a Stocked Tool Chest
Place a chest near your workers and fill it with a supply of the tools they use. When a worker discards a broken tool, they will pull a fresh one from this chest. Set the chest's item filter to only hold that tool type so it stays dedicated. Leave at least 10 tools in it as a buffer. This is the most reliable method — tribesmen picking up from nearby storage is consistent.
Set a Crafting Station to Maintain Stock
At the Craftsman Bench (or relevant bench), right-click the tool you want to craft and select "Add Planned Queue". In the queue, click the gear/cog icon and switch from a one-time quantity to "Maintain Stock" mode. Set the minimum quantity — for example 20 axes. Whenever your tribe's stock of that tool drops below 20, the assigned tribesman will craft more to top it back up. This turns your tool chest into a self-refilling supply.
Assign a Dedicated Crafter
Assign a tribesman to the crafting bench as caretaker for the tool production queue. A single tribesman with free time can jump between multiple benches fulfilling queued work orders — you don't need one crafter per bench if you keep queues small and prioritised. The bench will display the current status of any queued orders when the assigned tribesman is working it.
📦 Maintain Stock — The Core Automation Setting
This is the most powerful and under-explained feature in Soulmask's production system
Maintain Stock works on any crafted item at a workbench — not just tools. Use it to keep permanent minimum quantities of planks, linen, arrows, food, iron ingots, or anything else your base constantly consumes.
How to Set It Up
Set Maintain Stock on Each Bench
Right-click the item at the crafting bench → Add Planned Queue → click the cog icon and switch to Maintain Stock mode. Set a minimum quantity. The assigned tribesman will keep that item topped up automatically.
Recommended Minimum Stocks to Maintain
| Item | Suggested Min | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Axes / Pickaxes | 20–30 | Primary worker tools, discarded constantly |
| Bone Tools | 30+ | Near-free to craft; give gatherers a bulk supply |
| Planks | 200 | Constant construction and repair drain |
| Linen / Yarn | 100 | Feeds clothing and crafting chains |
| Arrows | 200+ | Combat and guard consumption |
| Bandages | 50 | Worker and combat survival buffer |
| Fuel (Bark) | 500 | Bonfire and furnace supply; bark is most efficient |
| Cooked Food | 100 per type | Keeps Dining Table stocked and mood stable |
🗃 Chest Filters & NPC Access Control
Filtered chests are what separates a tidy automated base from chaos — set these up before you have too many workers
NPC Prohibition Sliders
Every chest has two NPC permission sliders in its settings:
- Left slider (No Take) — prevents tribesmen from removing items. Use this on your personal stash, rare materials, or items you're saving for later. Tribesmen can deposit but not withdraw
- Right slider (No Deposit) — prevents tribesmen from adding items. Use this on fully stocked dedicated chests to stop workers filling them with junk when encumbered
Item Filters
Set a filter on each chest so it only accepts specific item types. This is what makes sorted chests actually sort. Gatherers deposit collected items into the nearest available chest — without filters everything goes into one box and the system breaks down.
- Dedicated tool chest — filtered to the specific tool type used by nearby workers
- Dedicated wood chest, stone chest, ore chest etc. — one filter per material type
- Dump chests — no filter and No Deposit slider OFF, placed near work areas for overflow. Assign a sorter tribesman to move items from dump chests to filtered storage
Item Sorting Tribesman
Assign a tribesman to Work Type: Item Sorting, then highlight the dump chests as their source. They will automatically move items from unsorted dump chests into the correct filtered storage chests. Items are instantly teleported to where they need to go when a sorter is active — this is the cleanest way to handle overflow from gatherers coming back over-encumbered.
Quantity Limits on Gathering
In the tribesman work options, you can set a Qty (quantity) limit on collection tasks. Set this to a number like 1000 for logging — once the tribe's stock hits that number, the worker enters a work break automatically instead of collecting forever and becoming encumbered. You must set this limit in two places: the collection task Qty field, and also the storage chest quantity limit. By default the storage chest is set to unlimited, which overrides the task limit.
🔄 The Complete Tool Supply Loop — Wired Together
How all four systems connect into a self-sustaining pipeline
| Step | What Happens | Setting That Enables It |
|---|---|---|
| Worker uses tool | Tool durability drains during gathering or crafting | Normal — no setting needed |
| Tool breaks | Worker automatically discards it and removes it from inventory | Auto Discard Broken Tools checkbox enabled in work settings |
| Worker picks up fresh tool | Worker goes to the nearby tool chest and grabs a replacement | Tool chest nearby, filtered to the right tool type, with items available |
| Tool stock drops | Crafting bench crafter detects stock is below minimum and starts making more | Maintain Stock mode set on the queued crafting job at the Craftsman Bench |
| New tools deposited | Crafter deposits finished tools into the filtered tool chest | Tool chest filter set, No Deposit slider OFF so crafter can add to it |
| Materials replenished | Gatherers keep stone/bone/wood topped up via their own Maintain Stock gathering tasks | Gathering quantity set + material chests filtered and accessible to crafter |
Jack-of-All-Trades Position
In the Work Tab for a tribesman, go to their Position settings and tick the All toggle. This makes that worker able to take on every possible job within your Bonfire's radius — jumping between benches and filling work orders as needed. Use this early on when you don't have enough tribesmen to staff every station individually. One tribesman covering multiple low-traffic benches is far better than several benches standing idle.
Timed Crafting Orders
Instead of Maintain Stock, you can set timed crafting orders — for example, produce 5 axes every 30 minutes. Adjust the interval based on how quickly your workers consume tools and how many are running simultaneously. Timed orders are more predictable than Maintain Stock for high-demand items where you want to control output rate rather than react to stock levels.
Crafting Infrastructure
All Production Benches & Machines
Every crafting station in Soulmask, grouped by function, with what it makes, when it unlocks, and which proficiency skill it trains. Powered benches are marked separately — they require windmill connection before they will operate.
🧱 Exact Build Costs — Core Stations
What it actually takes to place these on the ground, confirmed against the in-game crafting menu. Most of the early benches are built by hand — no Building Workshop required for these specific ones
| Station | Materials | Built At | Craft Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Workshop | 20× Clay, 20× Plank, 40× Stone, 10× Thick Rope | By hand | 6s |
| Carpenter's Table | 20× Log or Hardwood, optional 5× Thick Rope | By hand | 6s |
| Tanning Rack | 20× Branch, 5× Thick Rope | By hand | 6s |
| Loom | 10× Plank, 5× Rough Leather, 5× Thick Rope | By hand | 6s |
| Grinder | 10× Stone, 5× Plank | By hand | 6s |
| Furnace | 100× Stone, 5× Ceramic Mold, 50× Clay | Building Workshop | 24s |
| Metal Windmill Blade | 15× Metal Plate, 5× Metal Part, 10× Iron Ingot | Building Workshop | — |
| Stash Box | 10× Bronze Ingot, 5× Thick Leather, 5× Leather Rope | Building Workshop | — |
| Craftsman's Bench Part 1 | 10× Thin Rope, 20× Hardwood Plank, 30× Iron Ingot | Building Workshop | — |
| Mine (resource node booster) | 40× Iron Ingot, 20× Leather Rope, 20× Premium Hardwood Plank | Building Workshop | — |
| Siege Ballista | 60× Bronze Ingot, 50× Hardwood Plank, 10× Leather Rope | Building Workshop | — |
🔥 Basic Production — Stone to Bronze Age
The foundation stations available from early game. No power required
| Station | Awareness | Crafted At | What It Makes | Proficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campfire | 1 | By hand | Basic cooked food, Broth. Also acts as a light source and bonfire substitute | Cooking |
| Cooking Stove | 8 | Building Workshop | Mid-tier meals: Fish Soup, Quinoa Porridge, Dried Meat, Stews. Far more recipes than campfire | Cooking |
| Drying Rack | 18 | Building Workshop | Jerky and preserved meats that resist spoilage — essential for dungeon provisions | Cooking |
| Worktop | 30 | Building Workshop | Endgame meals: Fried Taco, Fried Rare Steak, Seafood Quinoa Rice, Spicy Soup, Dumplings, Hot Cocoa, Cigars | Cooking |
| Potting Table | 5 | Building Workshop | Ceramic Molds (required for Furnace), Clay Bricks, Earthenware — essential gateway to smelting | Wood & Stone |
| Craftsman's Bench | Various | Building Workshop (multiple parts) | Tools, basic weapons, Stone/Bone/Bronze items, weapon and gear mods. The general-purpose production bench — gets upgraded multiple times across ages | Crafting |
| Building Workshop | 1 | By hand / Craftsman's Bench | All structures, benches, defensive buildings, and base components. Required to upgrade work tables (not the Craftsman's Bench — use this for all structure upgrades) | Wood & Stone |
| Carpenter's Table | Various | By hand | Planks, Wooden Strips, Hardwood Planks, building components. Level 2 required to unlock Oil Press | Wood & Stone |
| Oil Press | 30 | Level 2 Carpenter's Table | Cooking Oil — required for Worktop recipes, Fried Taco, Pumpkin Salad etc. | Crafting |
| Loom | Various | By hand | Fiber → Linen/Yarn → Cloth → Rope. One of the highest-ROI early assignments for a tribesman with crafting proficiency. Feeds almost every other production chain | Weaving |
| Tanning Rack | Various | By hand | Animal Hide → Leather → Thick Leather → Premium Leather. Required for armour, rope, saddles | Leatherworking |
| Butcher's Table | Various | Building Workshop | Carcasses → cuts of Fresh Meat, Premium Fresh Meat, animal parts. A tribesman with a Butcher's Knife processes Capybara Pens and Turkey Coops automatically when assigned | Butchery |
🔨 Smelting & Refining
Ore processing chain — each bench gates the next metal tier
| Station | Awareness | What It Makes | Key Input | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 15 | Bronze Ingot, Copper Bar, Tin Bar, Silver Ingot, Gold Ingot, basic smelting | Ore + fuel (branches, bark, logs) | First smelting station. Build two — crafting is slow single-furnace. Needs Ceramic Molds from Potting Table first |
| Blast Furnace | 30 | Iron Ingot (2× Iron Ore + 1× Carbon Powder), higher-grade smelting | Iron Ore + Carbon Powder + fuel | Carbon Powder made in the Grinder from Charcoal. Required for Iron Age progression. Kiln must be running to supply Charcoal |
| Kiln | 20 | Charcoal from Logs, Coking Coal from Charcoal, Clay Bricks, fuel supply | Logs / Charcoal + fuel | Must be running before you can make Carbon Powder (for Iron Ingots) or Coking Coal (for Steel Ingots). Build multiple to run parallel processes |
| Earth Kiln | Various | Alternative kiln products — bricks, ceramics, specialised outputs | Clay + fuel | Companion to the main Kiln for ceramic and brick production without consuming primary kiln capacity |
| ⚡ Powered Refining Furnace | 50 | Steel Ingot (1× Iron Ingot + 1× Coking Coal + 1× Meteorite Ore or Mysterious Metal Chunk) | Iron Ingot + Coking Coal + Meteorite Ore + Windmill power (100) | Requires windmill connection. The only station that produces Steel Ingots. Also requires Coking Coal as fuel inside the bench itself alongside the windmill power. Built with 50× Blackstone Bar, 10× Ceramic Mold, 50× Metal Part |
⚗ Alchemy, Brewing & Processing
Medicine, beverages, poisons, seeds, dyes, and advanced ingredients
| Station | Awareness | What It Makes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewing Stand (Level 1) | 20 | Broth, Juice, Fruit Wine, Beer, Mead, Mescal, Bee-drawing Syrup, Antidote, Healing Tisane, Aloe Juice, basic medicines | First alchemy station. Needs water supply (waterskins or bucket). Most early medicines and beverages start here |
| Brewing Tank (Level 2) | Various | Higher-tier beverages, Excitant, Serum, advanced alchemy recipes | Upgrade of Brewing Stand. Access to more medicine types including Special Healing Tisane chain |
| Grinder | 3 | Seeds (from fruit/veg), Carbon Powder (from Charcoal), Flour (from Wheat/Corn), ground pigments, processed materials | One of the most-used stations. Essential for farming (seeds), smelting (Carbon Powder), and cooking (flour). Always staffed |
| Distiller | 54 | Mineral Oil, high-proof spirits, advanced chemical outputs | Steel Age unlock. The only way to craft Mineral Oil — required for late-tier anti-gravity engine variants and advanced ship components. Worth rushing to 54 if you are building the Falcon or higher |
| Dye Vat | Various | 25 colour dyes for armour, clothing, and building components | Uses pigment materials. Purely cosmetic output but important for distinguishing tribe members' gear visually |
| Fertiliser Bucket | Various | Compost, fertilisers for Farmland | Converts feces (from Outhouse, Capybara Pen, Turkey Coop) into crop fertiliser. Essential for farming automation — Granary needs fertiliser stocked to work autonomously |
⚔ Armour, Weapons & Gear
Combat production chain from leather to endgame enhancement
| Station | Awareness | What It Makes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Forging Table | 15 | All armour pieces across every tier: Bronze, Iron, Steel, Obsidian, boss armour sets. Also saddles for mounts | 233 recipes — the largest armour/gear station. Crafting quality scales with the tribesman's Armour proficiency. Higher-proficiency workers = better item quality rolls |
| Weapon Crafting Bench | 12 | All weapons across all tiers — melee, ranged, shields. 108 recipes | Same quality-scale mechanic as armour. Assign your highest Weapon proficiency tribesman. Can craft both main weapons and ammunition (arrows, throwing weapons) |
| Craftsman's Bench | Various | 87 recipes — tools, mods, gear modifications. Weapon and gear durability mods, quality upgrades, attachments | Where weapon and armour mods (Poison Proof, Heat Proof, Damage mods etc.) are applied to existing gear. Mods require Red Crystals as a component |
| Ancient Enhancement Table | Endgame | Upgrades Ancient, Archaic, and Mysterious equipment found in dungeons. 22 enhancement slots | Exclusive to endgame dungeon gear — cannot enhance normal crafted items. Found via Holy Ruins and endgame dungeons rather than crafted |
| Mask Repair Station | Various | 7 repair recipes — repairs mask integrity and restores mask node functionality | Used alongside the Mysterious Stone Table for mask maintenance. Requires crystals and sometimes rare mask materials (Astrabon, Nanofiber etc.) from Ancient Dungeons |
| Mysterious Stone Table | Found — not crafted | 54 recipes — activates found masks, records tribesman data for revival, crafts boss masks (Nature Enlightenment, Ironblood Guard), processes broken mask components | Pieces found in Holy Ruins and Ancient Ruins Dungeons. Must be assembled before use. One of the most important stations in the game — records tribesman data used for revival system |
⚡ Powered Machines — All Five
All require windmill connection. Each needs 100 power minimum to operate. Unlock via the Glow of Iron Era and Steel Age tech trees
| Machine | Awareness | Tech Path | What It Makes | Output vs Unpowered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚡ Powered Refining Furnace | 50 | Steel Age → Refining Technique | Steel Ingots (the only station that can make them). Also faster high-tier smelting | Cannot be done at all without this machine — Steel Ingots are exclusively made here |
| ⚡ Powered Spinning Wheel | 46 | Glow of Iron Era → Advanced Weaving | Premium-quality thread, silk-tier fabrics, advanced cloth products. Higher output than standard Loom | Significantly faster and better quality yarn/thread than standard Loom. Assign highest Weaving proficiency tribesman |
| ⚡ Powered Cutting Machine | 50 | Steel Age → Cutting Technique | Precision Parts — required for Shark-class and Ray-class airship components and advanced weapon/machine recipes | Precision Parts cannot be made anywhere else. Gate item for endgame airship construction |
| ⚡ Powered Mill | Various | Steel Age tech tree | 13 recipes — faster processing of grain, ore, and materials than the standard Grinder. Also produces certain refined pet feeds | Higher throughput than Grinder for bulk material processing. Note: some recipes like refined pet feed are locked to Powered Mill specifically |
| ⚡ Powered Lathe | 54 | Steel Age → Power Workshop | High-precision machined components for advanced equipment. Steel Wire, precise metal parts | Unique outputs not replicable at standard benches. Required for certain endgame weapon and ship blueprints |
🌾 Farming, Animals & Support Structures
Infrastructure buildings that enable automated food and resource loops
| Structure | Awareness | Function | Automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granary | 20 (Bronze Age) | Hub for crop farming automation. Stores seeds, compost, water. Tribesmen assigned here manage all nearby Farmland plots | Assign 1 tribesman per 6–10 Farmland plots. They plant, fertilise, water, and harvest automatically. Stock seeds, fertiliser, and water before leaving |
| Breeding Farm | 20 (Bronze Age) | Manages animal pens automatically. Covers feeding, watering, collecting, and slaughtering at nearby Capybara Pens, Turkey Coops, and other animal structures | Requires 20× Clay, 60× Bronze Ingot, 100× Planks, 20× Leather Rope. Assign 1 tribesman to handle all nearby pens passively |
| Monkey Storage Nest | Early game | Pet monkeys deposit foraged fruit and nuts here. Tribesmen can collect from it automatically | 10× Logs, 10× Fibers, 10× Thatch. Passive — no tribesman needed at the nest itself. Monkeys do the collecting |
| Repair Bench | Medium Craftsmanship tech | Repairs broken tools, weapons, and armour. Click + to create Auto Repair Plans with assigned caretaker tribesman | Set a durability threshold and assign a caretaker. Workers deposit broken tools into a dump chest; the caretaker repairs them and returns to rotation. Turn off Auto Store inside the bench or workers get stuck in a logic loop |
| Dining Table | Early game | Tribesmen auto-feed from food placed here. No assignment needed — they come to it automatically | Fill with food (especially Broth and Fish Soup which are auto-consumable). Pair with Ice Cellar to preserve stock. The single most important morale-management structure |
| Uncrafting Table | Various (2 parts) | Breaks down items back into components. Useful for dismantling unwanted gear, excess masks, or getting materials back from misbuilt structures | Manual operation — not automatable. Part 1: Bronze Age. Part 2: requires 10× Steel Ingot, 5× Steel Mold, 5× Steel Wire |
| Ice Cellar | 40 | Food preservation via Ice fuel. 36 slots, food only. Dramatically extends shelf life of all stored cooked items | Place adjacent to Dining Table. Stock Ice from Snow Mountain frozen lakes (1 piece = 10 hours). Built at Building Workshop |
| Stash Box | 10 | Personal secure storage — locked to the owner, tribe members cannot access without explicit permission | Requires 10× Bronze Ingot, 5× Thick Leather, 5× Leather Rope. Good for keeping personal gear separate from tribe storage |
Power Infrastructure
Wind Power — Windmills, Blades & Connections
Windmills are the only power source for powered benches in the base game. Getting them wrong is the most common reason powered machines don't operate. Here is everything about placement, blades, routing, and managing your power network.
⚙ Setting Up Wind Power — Step by Step
Unlock Windmill Technique in the tech tree under the Production Base tab (Bronze Pit Bonfire section). Metal Windmill Blades unlock separately under the Iron Pit Bonfire
Place the Windmill Base
Build the Windmill Base structure first. This is the shaft — the blade attaches on top. Place it in an open area with clear airflow. The Windmill Base has four spindle connection points that can each power a machine via rope or extension shaft. Placement altitude matters — higher positions (rooftops) can generate more power than ground level. Check the power reading when placed.
Attach the Windmill Blade
Craft and attach a Windmill Blade on top of the Windmill Base. The blade starts generating power immediately once placed and wind is available. Power output varies by location — typical ground-level output is 120–150, rooftop placement can reach 180. Hover over the windmill to check your exact power output before connecting machines.
Connect to Powered Benches
Use Power Extension Shafts or Power Ropeways to route power from the windmill to each bench. Connect from a spindle point on the windmill base to the gear icon on the powered machine — not to the building wall. Each connection requires a loop of rope between the windmill and the workstation. If you are getting "Not Powered" errors, check that you are connecting to the gear, not the frame.
Manage Power Budget
Each powered bench needs 100 Power minimum to operate. If you split one windmill across multiple benches, the power is divided. Example: one windmill at 120 power split between Powered Spinning Wheel + Powered Cutting Machine = 60 power each — not enough for either. Use one windmill per bench, or stack two windmills (place bases on top of each other) to double output before splitting. Check the power reading on each machine before queueing work.
Stop Windmills When Not in Use
Click Stop on the windmill when powered benches are idle. Blades degrade while running and cannot be repaired — turning off the windmill when not needed extends blade lifespan significantly. This is especially important for Wooden Blades with their lower durability.
🌀 Windmill Blade Types — What's Different
Two blade materials with significant differences in durability and unlock requirements
🪵 Wooden Windmill Blade
- Unlocked under the Bronze Pit Bonfire → Production Base tab in the tech tree
- Durability of 1,000 — degrades while running, regardless of weather or production rate
- Cannot be repaired — when durability reaches zero it disappears and must be replaced
- Cannot be picked up once placed — dismantling loses the blade. Do not place until you are certain of the windmill location
- Craft requirements: basic hardwood and rope. Easy to produce early
- Keep 3–5 spare blades stockpiled via Maintain Stock queue at the Craftsman's Bench
⚙ Metal Windmill Blade
- Unlocked under the Iron Pit Bonfire → Windmill Technique tech node
- Significantly higher durability than wooden blades — lasts much longer between replacements
- Craft requirements: 15× Metal Plate + 5× Metal Part + 10× Iron Ingot
- Still degrades while running and still cannot be repaired — but replacement frequency drops dramatically compared to wooden
- The practical upgrade once you have a stable Iron supply. Switch all windmills to Metal Blades as soon as Iron Age allows
- Same power output as Wooden Blade — the upgrade is purely durability, not power generation
🔌 Power Routing — Shafts vs Ropeways
Two ways to get power from windmill to bench — each with a different use case
Power Extension Shaft
Rigid connection — place a shaft from the windmill to the bench. Best for organised base layouts where benches are in a clear line from the windmill. Keeps connections tidy and easy to trace if a bench stops receiving power.
Power Ropeway
Flexible connection — spans longer distances and can navigate around obstacles. Place Ropeways close to each other to form a chain. Useful for reaching benches that are not in a straight line from the windmill. The connecting rope must run from a windmill spindle point all the way to the gear on the target bench.
🔧 Power Troubleshooting
Common reasons powered benches don't work and how to fix them
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Not powered" on bench | Rope not connected to the gear icon on the machine — connected to wall or frame instead | Find the small gear symbol on the powered bench and connect the rope to that specific point |
| "Insufficient power" on bench | Single windmill split across too many benches — 100 power per bench minimum | Disconnect other benches or add a second windmill. Stack two windmill bases to boost output before splitting |
| Bench stops mid-production | Wooden Windmill Blade has degraded to zero — blade disappears silently | Check windmill for missing blade. Replace with a fresh one. Keep a stockpile via Maintain Stock. Switch to Metal Blades at Iron Age |
| "Craft on appropriate crafting table" on Powered Refining Furnace | Furnace is not connected to windmill power, OR Coking Coal is not loaded inside the furnace itself, OR the recipe is not unlocked in the tech tree | Confirm the windmill rope reaches the gear icon. Add Coking Coal directly into the furnace fuel slot (windmill provides power but the bench also needs fuel). Press T and verify the Refining Technique node is unlocked |
| Tribesman won't work at powered bench ("insufficient motivation") | Bench is connected to the same power shaft as another machine and power is being divided below 100 | Disconnect the other machine from that shaft. Give each powered bench its own dedicated windmill connection |
| Power reading is 0 despite blade spinning | Windmill placed in a sheltered spot with no airflow — walls too close, or entirely enclosed area | Relocate to an open area or rooftop. Remove any walls within immediate range of the blades. Higher, more exposed positions consistently produce more power |