7 district kinds · plot eligibility · happiness
Every plot already has a kind. That kind decides what fits.
Industrial, residential, civic, sacred, military, frontier and maritime. The kind of a plot decides which buildings it accepts, and a district's happiness nudges its buildings' production by up to 10%.
Updated ·patch v2.0.5
What this means for you
Before you tap + Build, check the plot's district. Producers (Lumber Mill, Quarry, Farm and friends) need an Industrial plot; Housing needs a Residential one. The build picker quietly hides anything the plot cannot hold and lists it under "Built in other districts". If you are just starting out, the base setup guide covers this step by step.
How a plot gets its district kind
- Plots come pre-assigned. Every region city has a fixed layout that places each plot in a district. In all five starting regions, your first plots are Industrial.
- You choose the kind when you open a new lot. The + Open Lot card on the Districts tab lets you pick which district the new plot joins, free of charge. Filter the tab to a district first, or pick it on the card.
- Changing an existing plot costs 50 gems. The swap moves a plot to another district in the same region. It works on an empty plot, or on a built one if the new district also accepts that building. The gems are refunded if the swap fails.
The seven kinds
Industrial
Where your raw producers live.
- Buildings that fit
- Gold Mine, Lumber Mill, Quarry, Iron Forge, Gem Mine, Workshop, Loom, Essence Lab, Farm, Saltglass Forge.
- Happiness (starts at 60)
- Points for what stands inside it: Workshop +4, Saltglass Forge +4, Farm +3, Loom +2, Iron Forge +2, Lumber Mill / Quarry / Gold Mine / Gem Mine +1 each.
- Favoured by patron
- Ironpeak Conclave
Residential
Housing, plus a few shared buildings.
- Buildings that fit
- Housing, Farm, Market, Tavern, Warehouse.
- Happiness (starts at 60)
- Scored per Housing by its direct neighbours: Temple +10, Drowned Sanctum +7, Tavern +5, Tidefall Beacon +4, Monument +3. A Housing with none of these next to it scores -5. The district takes the average.
- Favoured by patron
- None
Civic
Trade, learning and storage.
- Buildings that fit
- Market, Tavern, Warehouse, Library, University, Watchtower, Adventurers Guild, Bounty Office, Headquarters, Outpost.
- Happiness (starts at 50)
- Library +5, Market +3, Tavern +3, Watchtower +2, Warehouse +1.
- Favoured by patron
- Ashwalker Seers
Sacred
Temples and monuments.
- Buildings that fit
- Temple, Monument, Portal Anchor, Drowned Sanctum.
- Happiness (starts at 55)
- Temple +5, Drowned Sanctum +5, Monument +4.
- Favoured by patron
- Bleakfen Coven
Military
Training and defence.
- Buildings that fit
- Training Hall, War Post, Stable, Watchtower, Patrol Garrison, Stormbreak Fortress, Headquarters, Outpost, Adventurers Guild, Bounty Office.
- Happiness (starts at 55)
- Training Hall +4, Headquarters +4, Stormbreak Fortress +4, Patrol Garrison +4, Outpost +3, War Post +3, Watchtower +3, Stable +2.
- Favoured by patron
- Sunlit Riders
Frontier
Hunters, gatherers and mounts.
- Buildings that fit
- Hunter Lodge, Herbalist Hut, Trophy Hall, Port, Sky Platform, Portal Anchor.
- Happiness (starts at 50)
- Port +5, Sky Platform +5, Hunter Lodge +4, Herbalist Hut +3, Trophy Hall +2.
- Favoured by patron
- Greenwood Wardens
Maritime
Only in The Sundered Coast.
- Buildings that fit
- Tidefall Beacon, Reef Harvester, Saltglass Forge, Drowned Sanctum, Stormbreak Fortress.
- Happiness (starts at 55)
- Tidefall Beacon +5, Saltglass Forge +4, Drowned Sanctum +3, Stormbreak Fortress +3, Reef Harvester +3.
- Favoured by patron
- Tide Mother
Frontier territory buildings (Ranger Station, Trade Post, Granary Outpost) sit on frontier territory plots on the world map, not in a region city.
District happiness
Do this: treat happiness as a small bonus, not a priority. At most it is worth ±10% production for the buildings in that district.
- Each district has a happiness score from 0 to 100. The production effect is (happiness − 50) × 0.2%, capped at ±10%. So 60 is +2%, 75 is +5%, 40 is −2%.
- Most kinds score by presence. Each qualifying building inside the district adds its points (listed above) to the district's starting value. A district with no qualifying building settles 3 below its starting value.
- Residential scores by adjacency. Each Housing looks at the plots right next to it. A Temple neighbour is worth the most. With no Housing at all, residential sits at a neutral 50.
- Happiness does not jump. It moves a quarter of the way toward its target each update (about once a minute, and right away when you build or demolish).
Happiness is separate from population. Going over your region's Housing capacity is a flat −25% for the whole region; see Population & Housing.
Patron affinity
Each patron favours one district kind (listed on each card above). The only thing this does: when you fill every plot of a district in a region, and that region's dominant patron favours that kind, the patron gains a one-off +3 loyalty there. Filling a sacred district also gives each consecrated shrine in the region +5 loyalty for its patron. It has no effect on production. More on loyalty: Faction Loyalty.
Border bonus
A building gets +1% production for each neighbouring region where you have completely filled the same district kind, up to +5%. "Filled" means every plot in that district has a building. It is a late-game bonus; ignore it while you are setting up.
Filling districts also counts toward achievements: Industrial Magnate · Borough Lord · Civic Pillar · Sanctified · Garrison Master · Frontier Pioneer.