Greetings, medievalists!
Let’s talk about help. You know that moment when you decide to build something big? Maybe a church. Maybe a proper castle. Maybe one of those projects that starts with “this will look amazing” and ends with half of your settlement mining, hauling, building, eating badly, sleeping badly, and questioning your leadership.
Your settlers are stretched thin. Someone needs to mine the ore. Someone needs to cut the wood. Someone needs to build the thing. Someone needs to keep food production going. And then… raiders decide that this is the perfect time to visit. Dang it.
So, we are working on a new way to get temporary help – by hiring work force and/or mercenaries.
The idea is simple. Sometimes, groups of NPCs will appear and offer their services. You will be able to talk to their leader, hear their price, and decide if you want to hire them. If the price feels right and you have enough gold coins, they can join your settlement for a limited time.
We wanted to add another meaningful use for gold coins – something that gives you a reason to save it and think carefully about when to spend it. Upcoming diplomacy opened a lot of doors for that.
These hired NPCs can come in different forms. Some may be workers, some may be fighters and some may be a bit of both. Workers can help with jobs around the settlement, while fighters can be drafted for combat, used for hunting, or brought along with caravans if you need extra protection.
But they are not permanent settlers. They are visitors under contract, which means they still need to be taken care of while they are staying with you. They need somewhere to sleep, something to eat, places to pray, and places to relax. You know… healthy medieval work-life balance.
They will usually come with their own gear, but that gear can still deteriorate over time. If they are staying for a while, you may want to pay attention to what they are wearing and using.
However, don’t get too invested. Hired NPCs may have social interactions with your settlers, but they are not meant to create the same kind of trouble as regular settlers. For example, they will not get into social fights while they are working for you. Mostly because paying someone to help you, only for them to punch your blacksmith in the face, would be a bit much. At least for now.
Mercenaries can also appear in other situations. If you travel to a different map location, such as a bandit camp, ambush site, or settlement attack, you may get the option to hire fighters for that specific battle. These are not people you bring home afterward. They are there for the job, you pay them for that job, and then everyone goes their separate ways. Very professional. Almost suspiciously so.
Mercenary companies can also depend on the season and the location on the world map. This means that the help available to you may change depending on when and where you are looking for it.
The goal here is not to replace your settlers. Your people are still the heart of your settlement. But sometimes you need a few more hands, a few more swords, or just enough help to finish that one project before winter arrives and everyone starts blaming one another.
Hiring workers and mercenaries should create more interesting choices.
Do you spend gold to speed up a massive construction project? Do you hire fighters to protect a caravan? Do you bring extra muscle to a dangerous map location? Do you save your gold for something else and hope your current settlers can manage? It is up to you.
As always, things are still being worked on, and some details may change before this reaches the game. Would you hire workers for a big building project? Or are you saving every piece of gold for the next disaster? More MMTs to come. While you wait, be sure to…