Needs

Villagers have Needs that must be satisfied to maintain their happiness. If villagers become too unhappy, immigration rates may decrease gradually to zero, and angry villagers may leave the settlement.

Essential/Additional Needs and Happiness

Needs are broken down into Essential Needs and Additional Needs. Essential Needs must be filled; if one of these goes unfilled for too long, villagers will get increasingly angry and will eventually leave the settlement. Additional Needs are optional, and will not cause villagers to become increasingly unhappy over time.

However villagers will never reach 100% happiness until all Essential and Additional Needs are filled. Moreover, once villagers are able to fill an Additional Need for the first time, they will become increasingly unhappy if they can't continue to fill the need thereafter, as with Essential Needs.

Once a Need is met, the happiness penalty will gradually lessen until it disappears. This penalty is akin to a fear of future supply issue, and the cooldown is the time taken to reassure the villager it has been resolved.

Needs vary according to villager rank. As villagers are promoted, some Needs which were previously Additional will become Essential, and new Additional Needs will be added. Needs also vary according to villager type; for example Monastics have Needs which Villagers do not. Refer to the Villagers page to see Needs according to type and rank of villager.

The happiness of individual villagers can be tracked on each villager's menu, and an overview of individual villager happiness is available in the Villagers page of the Royal Book (F5). The average happiness of the population as a whole can be seen on the village UI. Hovering over this indicator will cause a small panel to appear which shows the general influences on average happiness.

Types of Needs

- Water - Rustic Food - Refined Food - Housing - Service - Goods - Entertainment - Luxury - Monastic Food - Cloister

Satisfying Needs

In order to satisfy Needs, villagers need to be able to purchase resources and access services and housing depending on their type and rank in society.

Water

This need is satisfied by having access to a Well.

Rustic Food

This need is satisfied when the villager can obtain any kind of rustic food from a Market Stall, Mess Hall or Refectory.

Refined Food

This need is satisfied when the villager can obtain any kind of Refined Food from a Market Stall or Mess Hall.

Housing

Housing is satisfied when the villager has a place in a House of the correct type and tier for the villager's type and rank.

Service

This need is satisfied when the villager is able to visit a functioning Church or Monastic Chapel.

Goods

This need is satisfied when a villager can obtain Goods from a Market.

Entertainment

Entertainment can be satisfied when a villager can obtain Tavern Goods from a functioning Tavern.

Luxury

This need is satisfied when a villager can obtain Luxuries from a Market.

Monastic Food

This need is satisfied when a villager can obtain any type of Monastic Food from a Refectory.

Cloister

This need is satisfied when a villager can spend time in a functioning cloister.

Visitor Needs

Visitors to the town share many of the same Needs as your own villagers. However some types of visitors have other Needs according to their type and rank. For example, visitors during a Fair might have an Inn Lodging Need, which is satisfied when the visitor is able to find a space in a functioning Inn. High-ranking visitors late in the game, such as the Abbess, might have a Great Hall Need, which is satisfied when she is able to visit the Great Hall. All unique visitor Needs are to do with lodgings (in the Inn, Hospitium, Barracks or Private Quarters according to type) and visiting certain buildings, and are satisfied when the villager is able to find a space in the relevant lodging type or visit the relevant building.