Ranch Wiki

Getting Started

Welcome to the Ranch! Here you can build your own farm, raise animals, and produce valuable resources.

To get started, you will need basic tools and materials. Visit the Ranch NPC to purchase your first animals and supplies.

Essential Tools

• Axe — Cut down trees for logs
• Saw — Convert logs into planks
• Hammer — Build and demolish structures
• Pickaxe — Excavate basement areas
• Hoe — Till soil for tree, wheat and sugar cane planting
• Scythe — Harvest mature wheat
• Sickle — Harvest sugar cane (after burning)
• Fire Bug — Set sugar cane on fire to ripen for harvest
• Watering Can — Water planted trees, wheat and sugar cane

Toolbox: a multi-tool that absorbs any of the seven tools above (except Fire Bug and Watering Can) so you can carry one item instead of several. Use it on a tool to install it, on a target to act with the right tool automatically, or on itself to open a window where you can take installed tools back. The hoe inside the toolbox only creates fertile soil — keep a standalone hoe if you need to uproot plants.

Basic Materials

• Planks — Main construction material
• Nails — Used with planks for building
• Logs — Raw material from trees
• Iron Bar — Smelted from iron ore at the forge
• Silver Bar — Smelted from silver nuggets (used for machinery)
• Clay Lump — Used to build roofs (found by digging)
• Torch — Used to craft wall lamps (sold by Hank)

Open the Building Book to see all available structures and their material costs!

Hunger & Starvation

Your character needs to eat regularly to survive! If you run out of food, you will slowly lose health over time until you die.

You lose 2 HP every 4 seconds while starving. A warning message will remind you to eat.

After logging in, you have a 30-second grace period before starvation begins.

Your food timer pauses while you are inside a Protection Zone (houses, depots), so your food lasts longer when you are safe at home!

Always carry food with you! Eat any food item to stop the starvation immediately.

Controls & Hotkeys

Thornfeld supports a streamlined, one-key-per-action control scheme inspired by Stardew Valley. You can still play with the mouse, but the hotkeys below cover most day-to-day actions without right-click menus.

All keys can be rebound in Options → Controls → General Hotkeys, under the Actions and Windows categories. Defaults only fire in gameplay mode (chat unfocused) so they never collide with typing.

Default Keys

• F — Interact with whatever is in front of you (NPC = talk, container = open, door / lever / oven = use). Same effect as right-clicking the target.
• Space — Use the right ranch tool on the target in front. Goes through your Toolbox if you carry one, otherwise the matching loose tool in your backpack. Hoe on dirt, scythe on mature wheat, axe on a tree, pick on a rock, sickle on ripe sugar cane, hammer on a construction, saw on a log — all from one key.
• H — Halter the animal in front of you (or remove the halter if it is already on). The server still checks distance and ownership.
• M — Mount the horse or donkey in front of you. If you are already mounted, M dismounts you regardless of what you are facing.
• B — Toggle the Building Book.
• P — Toggle the Pet Book.
• Ctrl+A — Toggle the Tasks window.

Chat & Window Controls

• Enter — Focus the chat input so you can type. A second Enter sends the message; an empty Enter closes the input. If the chat panel is hidden, Enter brings it back and focuses the input in a single press.
• Esc — Two-stage: the first press defocuses the chat input; a second press hides the entire chat panel. Esc also closes any open window (Building Book, Pet Book, Order Board, Toolbox, Pet Info, Livestock Yard, Cave Elevator, Oven, Tutorial, Cockfight).

Auto-Face When Blocked

Walking into an impassable tile (a wall, a closed gate, an animal, an NPC) now turns your character to face that tile instead of doing nothing. Combined with F, a single walk-step + F is enough to start talking to an NPC or open a door without holding Ctrl.

Toolbox Slot

The empty slot in the bottom-left of the inventory (below the ring slot) is reserved for your Toolbox. Drag your toolbox there and it stays protected: items in this slot are never lost on death. The slot accepts only the toolbox itemid — other items are rejected with a hint.

Time & Pacing

Thornfeld follows the rhythm of a working farm: your ranch only progresses while you are online. When you log out, time freezes for your land. When you (or any subowner of your house) returns, the clock resumes.

Why?

So you don't log in to find your animals starved or your crops dead. The game pauses for your ranch when you leave, inspired by Stardew Valley's daily-cycle pacing.

Game Time

1 real hour of play = 1 in-game day. The clock below the minimap shows the day of the week and the time of day, ticking through 24 in-game hours per real hour.

All gameplay timers (animal age, pregnancy, crop growth, milk/shear cooldowns, sickness, etc) are measured in game days.

Examples

• An animal becomes adult at 1 day old = 1 hour of online play.
• A wheat crop completes in 1 game day = 1 hour of play.
• Pregnancy lasts 1 game day.
• Pet feed/water decays from 100 to the 'hungry' threshold (75) in 1 game day.

What stays in real time?

World-wide events run on real time, not online time:

• Weather and rain (everyone sees it together).
• The Livestock Yard 24h listing window (it's a market — ticks for everyone).
• Order Board refresh.
• Resource respawn in the wild map (rocks, trees outside ranches).

Offline life

While you are offline:

• Animals do not age, get hungry, get sick, or progress through pregnancy.
• Crops do not grow OR die from drought.
• Cisterns do not drain (sprinklers do not fire when no one is home).
• Rain still falls and tops up your cisterns. The bonus is waiting for you when you return.

Active engagement is rewarded — but the game waits for you. Take a vacation worry-free, your ranch will be exactly as you left it.

Seasons

Thornfeld experiences four seasons that cycle through the year. Each season lasts 24 real hours, ticking over with the daily server save.

The Cycle

• 1 season = 1 real day. 4 seasons = 1 year.
• The current season and year are shown on the minimap clock label (e.g. Mon 14:30 Spring, Y1).
• Season changes always happen at the daily server save. If the save is delayed or skipped, the season waits for it. The cycle is anchored to the save event, not the wall clock.

Spring

Wildflowers bloom across the valley. Carpets of flowers appear near deciduous and fruit trees, and scattered wildflowers dot the open grass. The land wakes up.

Crops grow 1.5x faster during Spring. A wheat stage that normally takes 60 minutes will finish in 40 minutes.

Summer

The sun bakes the fields. Dry grass tufts appear in open spaces. A subtle bloom haze covers the world during the day.

No crop speed bonus — gameplay continues at the baseline pace.

Fall

Leaves drift down everywhere. Green and yellow carpets paint the ground near deciduous trees. Pine cones, mushrooms, and ripe fruits scatter on adjacent tiles. Mature fruit trees revert to their no-fruit stage and drop their crop.

An autumn warm tint and animated falling leaves cover the world.

Winter

Snow blankets the valley. Grass tiles transform into snow variants, deciduous trees go dormant, and conifers become snow-covered.

Plants enter stasis during Winter. They do not grow, but they also do not die of drought. You can still water, plant, and harvest mature crops. Growth resumes when Spring returns.

Strategy: water a near-mature crop right before Winter. When Spring arrives, the elapsed time accumulated during the cold applies in one shot, advancing the crop by a stage immediately.

Player Reactions

Your character will occasionally react to the season while idle: a sneeze in Spring (pollen), a sigh in Summer (heat), a cough in Fall (cool air), or a shiver in Winter (cold). Sneezes and shivers come with a small visual puff.

NPC Chatter

Every major NPC in Thornfeld comments on the current season. Say season (or weather or today) after greeting and they share what the season means to them. Hank gripes about dirt blunting his tools, Marta gossips about lambs, Ivy raves about germination rates. Try them all.

Welcome Message

The first time you log in within a new season, you will see a Welcome message with the season's name, current year, and a one-line atmospheric description. One welcome per player per season.

Plan your crops around the cycle. Plant in Fall, water just before the season turns, and let Winter pass. When Spring arrives, your fields will leap forward.

NPCs & Shops

Meet the NPCs of Thornfeld! Each one specializes in different goods and services.

Supply & Demand Economy

Most items traded by NPCs use a dynamic pricing system based on supply and demand. Prices change based on the NPC's current stock:

• When you buy items from a NPC, their stock goes down and the price goes up.
• When you sell items to a NPC, their stock goes up and the price goes down.
• Each unit you buy or sell changes the price for the next unit. The trade window shows the real-time total cost as you move the quantity slider.
• Stock levels are shown next to each item name in the shop (e.g. "Plank (stock: 500)").
• Stock gradually returns to normal over time.

Tools, seeds, drinks, and other non-producible items have fixed prices and unlimited stock. The prices listed below for dynamic items are the base price at normal stock levels.

Hank — Blacksmith (The Forge)

Fixed price: Hammer, Saw, Axe, Pick, Hoe, Scythe, Sickle, Rope (50 gp), Fire Bug (25 gp), Bucket (20 gp), Shears (100 gp), Milk Churn (100 gp), Butcher Knife (100 gp), Name Tag (200 gp), Torch (3 gp), Fishing Rod (50 gp).

Dynamic price: Planks (base 5 gp), Nails (3 gp), Small Stones (4 gp), Clay Lumps (7 gp), Iron Ore (17 gp), Feed Bags (42 gp), Iron Bars (35 gp), Silver Nuggets (35 gp), Silver Bars (85 gp), Gold Nuggets (70 gp), Gold Bars (170 gp).

Ivy — Seed Merchant

Fixed price: Pine Seeds (25 gp), Orange Seeds, Banana Seeds, Mango Seeds, Strawberry Seeds (40 gp each), Wheat Seeds (10 gp), Sugar Cane Seeds (15 gp), Watering Can (100 gp), Grass Seeds (15 gp), Medicine Pouch (50 gp), Mushroom Spores (5 gp), Vial (5 gp).

Dynamic price: Worms (base 1 gp), Sugar Cane (8 gp), Sugar (15 gp). Worms are also found while mining clay rocks and digging basements.

Marta — Tavern Keeper (The Golden Ale)

Fixed price: Bar of Chocolate (15 gp), Water (2 gp), Beer (5 gp), Wine (8 gp), Baking Tray (30 gp), Salt (5 gp).

Dynamic price: Bread (base 3 gp), Cheese (6 gp), Cake (25 gp), Chocolate Cake (50 gp), Eggs (8 gp), Mayonnaise (28 gp), Full Milk Churn (500 gp), Meat (8 gp), Ham (12 gp), Haunch of Boar (12 gp), Pig Feet (8 gp), Beef (15 gp), Roasted Meat (35 gp), Fish (5 gp), Shrimp (4 gp), Tiny Bass (6 gp), Small Bass (10 gp), Northern Pike (12 gp), Sandfish (15 gp), Bass (20 gp), Green Perch (28 gp), Rainbow Trout (40 gp), Marlin (80 gp), Orange (10 gp), Banana (10 gp), Mango (10 gp), Strawberry (10 gp), Brown Mushroom (20 gp), Stuffed Mushroom (60 gp), Sugar (15 gp), Sugar Cube (40 gp), and all Oven-cooked goods (Brown Bread, Soft Cheese, Golden Cheese Wedge, Cheese Cookie, Leberkassemmel, Mushroom Pie, Stockfish, Taiyaki, Taiyaki Ice Cream, Yummy Gummy Worm, Cookie).

Barnaby — Leatherworker

Dynamic price (all items): Wool (base 18 gp), Black Wool (25 gp), Chicken Feather (5 gp), Pig Feet (8 gp), Cowbell (15 gp), White Cloth (60 gp), Brown Cloth (80 gp).

Animal Sellers (fixed prices)

• Osric (Castle Stables) — Horse: 500 gp
• Elara (Cattle Ranch) — Cow: 350 gp
• Rashid (Residential Farm) — Sheep: 150 gp
• Grubb (Pigsty) — Pig: 100 gp
• Wick (Outside village) — Chicken: 50 gp

Bailiff Roderic — Land Administrator (Castle)

Handles land purchases, taxes, and administration. Visit him at the castle.

Prices shown are the base price at normal stock. If many players sell the same item, the price drops. If an item is scarce, the price rises. Check the stock number to find the best deals!

Resource Harvesting

Gather raw materials from the environment to use in construction.

Cutting Trees

Use an axe on any tree to chop it down. Each tree takes 2 to 4 hits to fell. One click is enough: your character keeps swinging once per second until the tree falls. Walking away cancels the action — the tree remembers how many hits are left, so you can come back and finish it later. Wild trees drop 1 log, but trees planted inside your ranch yield 3 logs!

Many different tree types can be cut: Fir, Sycamore, Willow, Plum, Red Maple, Pear, Yellow Maple, Beech, Poplar, Pine, Mango, Snowy Fir, Magic, and Dwarf trees.

Sawing Logs

Use a saw on logs to convert them into planks. Each log produces 1 to 5 planks randomly. Sawing takes about 3 seconds and roots your character. Planks go directly to your inventory.

Tip: The Saw Machine processes logs faster (1 second) and hands-free — drop a log on top and the planks pop out the side.

Mining Rocks

Use a pickaxe on rocks scattered around the map. Each rock takes 3 to 5 hits to break. One click is enough: your character keeps swinging once per second until the rock breaks. Walking away cancels and the rock remembers the remaining hits. Drops go directly to your inventory.

Rock Drops:

• Small Stone — Always drops (1-3 per rock)
• Iron Ore — 25% chance
• Silver Nugget — 10% chance (rare)
• Gold Nugget — 5% chance (very rare)

Mining Clay Rocks

Some rocks contain clay instead of stone. Use a pickaxe on them just like a normal rock — same hit count, same auto-batched swing, same walk-to-cancel. They drop clay lumps and worms.

• Clay Lump — Drops 1-3 per clay rock (always)
• Worm — Drops 1-3 per clay rock (70% chance)

Digging (Basement)

When excavating underground areas with a pickaxe, you will find clay and worms in the earth. Same auto-batched swing as rocks and trees — one click keeps digging until the tile is dug, walking away cancels and resumes from the remaining hits.

• Clay Lump — Drops 1-3 per dig (used to build roofs)
• Worm — Drops 1-3 per dig (70% chance)

Resource Respawn

Cut trees, broken rocks, and broken clay rocks respawn individually 20 to 40 minutes after they are harvested. You will see a small effect on the tile when a resource comes back.

Server save also resets every harvested resource at once, in case anything is still missing.

Stump Removal

After cutting a tree, a stump remains.

Inside your ranch: You can remove the stump with an axe. The tree will be permanently removed and will not grow back.

Outside your ranch: You cannot remove the stump. The tree will respawn 20-40 minutes after being cut, so you can harvest it again.

Always keep a good stock of planks and nails. You will need them for almost every construction!

Forge & Smelting

Use a forge to smelt raw ores into bars and craft nails from iron bars.

How to Use

1. Have the ore, nugget, or iron bar in your inventory.
2. Use the item on a forge (use with).
3. The forge processes your entire stack automatically — 3 seconds per bar. Each bar lands in your inventory as it finishes (10 iron ore = 5 bars over 15 seconds).
4. Walk away to stop the forge. You keep every bar produced so far.

Smelting Recipes (2 ore/nuggets = 1 bar)

• Iron Ore (x2) → Iron Bar
• Silver Nugget (x2) → Silver Bar
• Gold Nugget (x2) → Gold Bar

Crafting

• Iron Bar (x1) → 20 Nails

Sell Prices (raw → bar)

• Iron Ore: 12 gp → Iron Bar: 25 gp
• Silver Nugget: 25 gp → Silver Bar: 60 gp
• Gold Nugget: 50 gp → Gold Bar: 120 gp

Nails are essential for construction. Smelt iron ore into bars, then forge bars into nails to keep your building projects supplied!

Construction

Build walls, doors, windows, fences, and more to create your ranch.

How to Build

1. Open the Building Book (icon on your action bar).
2. Browse categories and select a structure to build.
3. Click Place on Map. A semi-transparent preview of the actual item snaps to whatever tile the cursor is over — including all companion pieces for multi-tile structures like the Millstone or Well, so you can see the full footprint before committing.
4. Click on the map tile where you want to place it.
5. A construction site will appear. Apply the required materials to complete it.

Applying Materials

Use the required items (planks, nails, metal, logs) on the construction site. Each use applies materials until the structure is complete.

Demolishing

Use a hammer on any completed or in-progress structure to demolish it. You recover 50% of materials from completed structures, or 100% from structures still under construction.

Available Structures

Walls, Windows, Doors, Floors, Stairs, Fences, Roofs, Hangables — all the basics for building a house. Furniture has Seating, Tables, Chests, and Cabinets (over 60 pieces, including themed sets). Ranching covers Animal Care, Storage Deposits, Machinery, and Irrigation. Misc holds decoratives like street lights, pendulum clocks, fire bowls, coal basins, barrels, and crates.

Floor Styles

• Wooden Floor 01 — 4 planks + 8 nails. Classic wood plank floor.
• Wooden Floor 02 — 4 planks + 8 nails. Alternate wood plank pattern.
• Parquet Floor — 6 planks + 10 nails. Premium wood, finer pattern.
• Cobblestone Floor — 8 stones. Hard-wearing stone tile, no wood needed.
• Terracota Floor — 6 clay lumps. Warm-toned ceramic tile, no wood needed.

Fence Styles

• Wood Fence — 6 pieces, 2 gates. 4 plank / 6 nail per piece (6 plank / 8 nail per gate).
• Plank Fence — 6 pieces, 2 gates. Same cost as Wood Fence; cleaner uniform look.
• Stick Fence — 4 pieces, 2 gates. 2 plank / 2 nail per piece (4 plank / 4 nail per gate). Cheapest, rustic.
• Small Wood Fence — 4 pieces, 2 gates. 3 plank / 4 nail per piece (5 plank / 6 nail per gate). Low profile.

Hangables

Wall lamps can be hung on existing walls. Open the Building Book, select the Hangables category, choose a lamp and click Place. Click on a wall to hang it instantly — no construction site needed.

Each wall lamp costs 1 iron bar, 4 nails, and 1 torch. Lamps can be toggled on/off by clicking them. Only one hangable per wall tile.

Roof Mode

To build a roof, open the Building Book and select the Roofs category. A "Roof Mode" button will appear. Click it to enter roof placement mode.

In Roof Mode, the camera locks one floor above your character so you can see exactly where each tile will go. Click on the map to place roof tiles. The roof is built on the floor above you — no need to go upstairs.

Three roof styles are available: Tiled Roof (1-3 clay lumps each, 10 variants), Thatched Roof (1-3 bunches of wheat each, 13 variants), and Farm Roof (planks + nails + clay, 16 variants — mix of full-cost and reduced-cost pieces for trim work). Cost varies per variant — hover any roof in the Building Book to see its exact material cost. Roof tiles are placed instantly (no construction site phase). Clay comes from digging in the basement; bunches of wheat come from the farming system; planks and nails come from sawing logs and forging iron.

Demolishing Roofs (Hammer button)

On the Roofs tab, a Hammer button sits next to Roof Mode. Click it to enter demolish mode — you must have a hammer in your inventory or installed in your toolbox.

Same upper-floor view as Roof Mode: click any roof tile and it pops with a small effect. You get half the build materials back, matching the regular hammer's behavior on completed structures. Keep clicking to demolish more; right-click or ESC to exit.

You can build on multiple floors! Ground level, upper floors, and basements are all supported.

Furniture

Place functional furniture to support your animals and ranch operations.

Feed Trough

Place a trough and use a Feed Bag or Water Bucket on it to fill it. Animals will automatically eat and drink from nearby troughs when hungry.

Capacity: 100 units. Each Feed Bag or Water Bucket fills the trough completely (100 units).

Metal Trough

End-game upgrade: a 2-tile trough with 5x the capacity of the regular trough. Each Feed Bag or Water Bucket adds 100 units, so 5 fills top it off completely. Use buckets/feed bags on either half — both update together.

Capacity: 500 units. Materials: 8 Silver Bars, 10 Nails. Available in horizontal and vertical orientations from the Building Book.

Bird's Nest

Female chickens will seek a nearby nest to lay their eggs. Place nests within your chicken enclosure.

Draw Well

Use an empty Water Bucket or Watering Can on the well to fill it with water. The well occupies 2 tiles when built.

Storage Deposits

Bulk storage bins for raw resources. Each holds up to 1000 units of one resource type.

• Wheat Deposit — 8 planks, 12 nails (stores Bunches of Wheat)
• Lumber Deposit — 8 planks, 12 nails (stores Planks)
• Stone Deposit — 16 stones, 4 planks, 6 nails (stores Small Stones)
• Clay Deposit — 8 planks, 12 nails (stores Clay Lumps)
• Nail Deposit — 6 planks, 8 nails (stores Nails)

How to use

• Use the deposit on a stack of the matching resource — the entire stack goes in.
• Use the deposit alone — opens a window where you type how much to retrieve.
• Use the deposit on a construction site — drains the deposit to apply materials directly to the build (same XP as applying by hand).
• Hammer the deposit — demolishes it and dumps every stored unit on the floor, plus refunds half the build materials.
• The count travels with the item — pick the deposit up and place it elsewhere, the contents stay inside.

Decoration & Home Furniture

The Building Book has a full Furniture tab (Seating, Tables, Chests, Cabinets) with over 60 pieces — chairs, dining tables, drawers, wardrobes, themed dwarven/knightly/seafarer/wicker sets and more. The Misc tab carries decoratives like street lights, pendulum clocks, fire bowls, coal basins, barrels, and crates.

Containers are safe to demolish: when you bash a chest, cabinet, or barrel with the hammer, every item inside drops on the ground next to you. Nothing is lost.

Place troughs inside fenced areas so your animals can always reach food and water!

Basement & Cave

Excavate underground areas beneath your ranch for extra space.

How to Dig

Use a pickaxe on the ground floor to dig downward. Earth tiles will be replaced with cave floors, creating an underground room.

Cave Borders

The system automatically renders cave walls and borders around the excavated area. Inner corners, outer corners, and edges are all handled dynamically.

Digging Drops

• Clay Lump — Drops 1-3 per dig (used to build roofs)

Clay goes directly to your inventory when digging.

Building Underground

You can build walls, floors, and furniture in the basement just like on the surface. Use stairs (ladders and trapdoors) to connect floors.

You can only dig below your own ranch area. The system validates house ownership before allowing excavation.

Combat

Combat is a single unified skill that grows whenever you attack a creature.

How It Works

Every weapon trains the same Combat skill at the same rate. There is no need to specialize.

Training

• Every successful attack grants Combat experience.
• Blocking incoming hits with a shield does not grant XP. Only attacking does.
• Defense (block chance, damage absorption) still scales with your Combat level, so you naturally become tougher as you fight.

Fight Mode

Combat is intentionally simple. There are no offensive/defensive stances to switch between.

Melee Weapons

Shields

Distance Ammo

Pick whatever weapon you like, all of them are equally good for training Combat.

The Mines

An old mineshaft northwest of Thornfeld, abandoned long before the town was settled. Now it is the only place to find ore in any real quantity — and the only place to find monsters worth fighting.

How to Enter

Walk up to the mine elevator at the mouth of the cave and click it. A panel appears with two options: Enter cave (always starts at Floor 1) and Last checkpoint (only shown once you've reached one).

One Expedition Per Week

The elevator only operates once every 7 game days (one game week), whether you pick a fresh start or a checkpoint. The cooldown does not start until you surface again — take as long as you want underground, the timer only ticks when you leave.

Descending

Each floor has a hidden trapdoor buried inside one specific rock. Mine rocks until you find it, then click the trapdoor to drop to the next floor.

Checkpoints (Floors 3, 6, 9)

After clearing one of these floors, the trapdoor instead drops you in a safe checkpoint room. From there you can use the deeper trapdoor (continues to the next floor after your checkpoint) or the elevator to return to the surface. Next time you visit the mines, the elevator's Last checkpoint button takes you straight back to this room.

Leaving

Every floor has an exit elevator. Click it and stay still for 30 seconds while the cage hoists you up. If you move, the channel breaks. Mobs can keep attacking you during the ride — hope your HP holds.

Death

If you die in the mines you wake up at the temple, lose some experience and combat progress, and your equipped gear stays where you fell. Your checkpoint is kept.

Loot Tiers

Rocks deeper in the mine carry richer ore. Stone is everywhere, iron and silver get more frequent in the middle floors, gold shows up reliably only in the deepest. From the fourth floor down a rarer kind of rock appears — a rich vein that always drops iron and has a higher chance of silver and gold.

Bring your own food. Cave monsters do not drop any.

Animals — Overview

Raise different types of animals on your ranch for companionship and production.

Animal Types

• Dog — Loyal companion (male or female)
• Chicken — Hens lay eggs, Roosters sire offspring
• Sheep — Produces wool (shearable)
• Pig — Raised for meat (ham)
• Cow / Bull — Cows produce milk, bulls carry cargo
• Horse — Mountable! Unique coat colors via breeding

Black Sheep can appear through a rare 5% mutation when breeding normal sheep.

Cows produce milk; Bulls can carry cargo in saddlebags.

Roosters: most are White Roosters with random coat colors; rare legacy breeds (Gallus, Australorp Black, Rhode, White Crested) appear ~15% of the time with fixed classic looks.

Horses: most are born with unique natural coloring across 4 regions (mane/tail, body, face, hooves). Some rarer variants have fixed classic colors.

Acquiring Animals

Talk to the matching NPC and pick the sex directly from the trade window — Wick splits Hen/Rooster, Elara splits Cow/Bull, and the others list Male/Female versions of each species. The NPC delivers the animal to your halter — bring it home and release it inside your ranch.

Pet Limit

You can own up to 100 animals at the same time. This includes animals you are mounted on and any you've stored at the Livestock Yard.

Naming

Use a Name Tag on any of your animals to give it a custom name.

Pet Info

Right-click an animal and select "Pet Info" to see its stats: age, hunger, thirst, sex, pregnancy status, and production genetics.

Animal Care

Keep your animals fed and hydrated to keep them alive and productive.

Feed & Water

Animals have Feed and Water levels (0-100%). Both decrease by 25 per game day of online time (so 100 to the hungry/thirsty threshold of 75 in just 1 game day, and 100 to 0 in 4 game days). Animals on planted grass eat less (17/day instead of 25). At 0%, the animal will die!

Pasture Bonus

Animals standing on planted grass or wheat floor consume less food (~3% per hour instead of 4%, lasting ~33 hours). Plant pastures to keep your herd fed longer!

Feeding System

Fill troughs with Feed Bags and Water Buckets. Animals will automatically walk to nearby troughs when hungry and eat until full.

• Feed Bag — Adds 100 food to trough
• Water Bucket — Adds 100 water to trough
• Empty Bucket — Fill at the well

Sickness

Animals can get sick as they age. Sick animals will die within 3 game days if not treated. Use a Medicine Pouch to cure them. As animals age, medicine becomes less effective.

Status Icons

Every ranch animal displays a small icon above its head so you can read its condition at a glance:

• Heart (blue/pink) — sex of the animal (male/female). Always visible.
• Orange circle — hungry or thirsty (feed or water below 75%).
• Green cross — sick and needs a Medicine Pouch.
• Gold sparkle — ready to produce! The cow can be milked, the sheep can be sheared, or the hen is about to lay eggs.

Sick and hungry animals never show the sparkle — feed and cure them first so they can resume production.

Keep troughs stocked! A full trough (100 units) feeds an animal for about 4 game days. Top them up at least once a day.

Breeding & Genetics

Breed your animals to expand your herd and improve their genetics over generations.

How Breeding Works

When a male and female of the same species are nearby and both healthy and well-fed, they will breed automatically. The female becomes pregnant.

Animals must be at least 1 game day old to breed (= 1 hour of online play).

Pregnancy

Pregnant females carry their baby for 1 game day. When the timer ends, a new baby animal is born automatically near the mother.

Breed Groups

Hens breed with Roosters (any breed — White Rooster, Gallus, Australorp Black, Rhode, or White Crested). Sheep and Black Sheep crossbreed. Dogs breed with dogs. Cows breed with Bulls. All horse colors breed with each other.

DNA & Genetics

Production traits (eggs per day, wool per day) are inherited from the mother with a variance of +1 or -1. Bought animals always start with a base value of 1.

Horse Speed DNA is inherited from the FATHER with +1 or -1 variance. Higher speed means a faster mount!

Over generations, selective breeding can produce animals with higher production rates!

Cow/Bull Offspring

When a cow and bull breed, the baby's sex determines its type: female babies become Cows, male babies become Bulls.

Female calves (cows) inherit their MOTHER's Milk Per Day gene (+/-1 variance).

Male calves (bulls) inherit their FATHER's Cargo DNA gene (+/-1 variance).

This means cows and bulls each have their own genetic line to improve!

Hen/Rooster Offspring

When a hen and rooster breed, the baby's sex determines its type: female babies are Hens, male babies are Roosters.

Hens inherit their MOTHER's Eggs Per Day gene (+/-1 variance). Roosters do not lay eggs.

Male babies inherit their FATHER's species directly: a White Rooster always sires another White Rooster. A legacy rooster (Gallus, Australorp Black, Rhode, White Crested) always sires a son of the SAME breed — legacy lineages are breed-true. To introduce new male colors, purchase a fresh Chicken from Wick.

Black Sheep Mutation

When two normal sheep breed, there is a 5% chance the baby will be a Black Sheep. Black Sheep produce a different type of wool.

Chicken Coat Inheritance

Hens have 1 color region (body). White Roosters have 4 (mane, body, legs, feet) inherited via breeding. Legacy roosters use fixed sprite colors and are not colorizable.

• Hen baby + White Rooster father: body color is 50/50 from mother or father.
• White Rooster baby (always from a White Rooster father): mane/legs/feet 100% from father, body 50/50 from mother or father.
• Hen baby + legacy father: body color inherits 100% from the mother (legacy father has no color to pass).
• Legacy male babies: identical to their legacy father (fixed sprite, no color rolls).

No mutations or random colors occur at birth — every channel always traces back to a parent.

Horse Coat Inheritance

Horses have 4 color regions: mane/tail, body, face marking, and hooves. When two colorizable horses breed, each region independently picks from the mother or father (50/50 chance). No mutations occur — the only way to introduce a new color to your stable is by purchasing a new horse.

Face markings are rare (10% chance of being a different color from the body). Most horses are born with a uniform face matching their body coat.

Keep your best producers and breed them together to slowly improve your herd's genetics!

Egg Production

Female chickens (hens) produce eggs that can be collected.

Requirements

• The chicken must be female (hen).
• Feed level must be at least 50%.
• A Bird's Nest must be within 7 tiles.

Eggs Per Day

Each hen has an "Eggs Per Day" genetic trait (1-10). She makes one nest visit per game-day and lays exactly that many eggs at that visit. Bought hens start at 1 (= 1 egg per session); through selective breeding the number climbs over generations. Sell eggs to Marta at the tavern!

Collection

Eggs are placed on the ground near the nest at a random minute of the game-day. Simply pick them up!

Place nests inside a fenced area with your hens so eggs don't scatter too far.

Wool & Shearing

Shear your sheep to collect wool, a valuable crafting resource.

How to Shear

Use shears on any of your sheep to collect wool. The amount of wool depends on the animal's "Wool Per Day" genetic trait.

Requirements

• You must own the sheep.
• The sheep must not be sick.
• Feed level must be at least 50%.
• 1 game day cooldown between shearings (1 shear per game day).

Wool Types

• Wool — From regular sheep
• Black Wool — From black sheep

Genetics

Each sheep has a "Wool" genetic trait (1-10) that determines how much wool you get per shearing. With a 1-day cooldown, you can shear once per game day. Bought sheep start with 1. Through breeding, offspring can inherit higher values (+1 or -1 from mother).

Black Wool may be rarer and more valuable than regular wool!

Milk Production

Milk your cows to collect fresh milk using a Milk Churn.

How to Milk

Use a Milk Churn (empty or filled) on any of your cows to collect milk. The churn will fill up based on the cow's "Milk Per Day" genetic trait.

Requirements

• You must own the cow.
• The cow must not be sick.
• Feed level must be at least 50%.
• 1 game day cooldown between milkings per cow (1 milk per game day).

Accumulating Milk

Keep using your Milk Churn on cows to accumulate milk. Each churn holds up to 50 liters. When it reaches 50L, it becomes a Full Milk Churn that can be sold to Marta at the tavern for 500 gold!

Milk Genetics

The milk production trait is inherited from the MOTHER. Female calves (cows) get their mother's Milk Per Day gene with +1 or -1 variance.

Bought cows start with 1 Milk. With a 1-day cooldown, you can milk once per game day. Through selective breeding, daughters can inherit higher values over generations.

A cow with high milk production will pass her trait to her daughters. Breed your best cows to build a high-yield dairy herd!

Bull Cargo

Bulls can carry items in saddlebags, making them useful for hauling materials.

How to Use

Right-click a bull and select "Cargo". This opens the cargo window with 8 item slots.

Storing Items

Click "Store Item" to activate a crosshair. Then click on any item in your inventory to store it in the bull's cargo. Stackable items of the same type will automatically stack together in one slot.

Retrieving Items

Right-click an item in the cargo window and select "Retrieve" to move it back to your inventory.

Weight Limit

Each bull has a Cargo DNA trait (1-10) that determines its maximum cargo weight. Each level adds 200 oz of carrying capacity. A bull with Cargo DNA 1 can carry up to 200 oz, while a bull with Cargo DNA 10 can carry up to 2000 oz.

Cargo DNA Genetics

Male calves (bulls) inherit their FATHER's Cargo DNA with +1 or -1 variance. Bought bulls start with Cargo DNA 1. Breed your strongest bulls to produce calves with higher carrying capacity!

Saddled Appearance

When a bull is carrying items, its appearance changes to show saddlebags. When the cargo is empty, it returns to its normal look.

Proximity & Persistence

You must be adjacent to the bull (1 sqm) to open cargo. If you walk too far away (3+ sqm), the cargo window will close automatically.

Cargo items are saved and persist across server restarts. If the bull dies, all cargo items drop on the ground.

Use the halter on your bull and lead it while gathering resources. The extra carrying capacity lets you bring home much more materials in one trip!

Horse Mounts

Horses are special ranch animals that can be ridden as mounts!

Horse Coat Colors

Most horses are born with unique natural coat colors across 4 regions: mane/tail, body, face, and hooves. Each region is independently colored from a curated palette of realistic tones. Coat colors carry over to the mount — your horse keeps its look when you ride it!

Mounting

Right-click on your horse and select "Mount" to ride it. The horse disappears and your character appears mounted.

While mounted, your movement speed increases based on the horse's Speed DNA.

Requirements

• You must own the horse.
• The horse must be at least 2 game days old.
• The horse must not be sick.
• You must be standing next to the horse.
• You cannot ride two horses at once.

Dismounting

Right-click on your character and select "Dismount". The horse reappears next to you and your speed returns to normal.

Logout While Mounted

If you log out while mounted, your horse will automatically spawn next to you when you log back in. You always log in dismounted.

Speed DNA (1-10)

Each horse has a Speed DNA trait that determines how fast you ride. Bought horses start at 1. Through breeding, offspring inherit their father's Speed DNA with a variance of +1 or -1.

Speed bonus formula: 100 + (Speed DNA x 20). A horse with Speed DNA 10 gives +300 speed!

Sugar Oat Speed Treat

Use a Sugar Oat on your horse to apply a +5% mount-speed buff for 30 real minutes. The boost stacks on top of the base Speed DNA bonus. See Farming → Sugar Cane for how to grow and craft sugar oats.

Breed stallions with high Speed DNA to produce the fastest mounts! A Speed DNA 10 horse is extremely rare and valuable.

Donkeys

Donkeys are the working settler's animal — cheaper than a horse, smaller than a bull, and they cover both jobs at once. Half the speed bonus of a horse, half the cargo capacity of a bull, but you only need to feed and shelter one animal. Sold by Marlow Pell for 300 gold, west of the castle between Elara's pasture and Grubb's pigsty.

Two Animals in One

A donkey can carry cargo like a bull and be mounted like a horse — and the two modes stack. Load her up while she's on the ground, then hop on her back: she carries you home with everything still on her. The only rule is the load order: cargo first, mount second. You can't open the cargo window while riding.

Cargo

• 4 cargo slots (half a bull's 8).
• Cargo DNA × 100 oz max weight (half a bull's 200 oz/level).
• Right-click the donkey while standing on the ground, pick "Cargo".
• Sprite changes to a saddled donkey when anything is loaded.
• If the donkey dies, all cargo drops on the ground — same as a bull.

Mount

• 50 + (Speed DNA × 10) speed bonus (half a horse's 100 + DNA×20).
• Must be at least 2 game days old.
• Must not be sick.
• Same right-click "Mount" / "Dismount" controls as a horse.
• You can ride a donkey that is already carrying cargo.

Breeding (Sheep-style)

Donkeys are sex-neutral — both jennies (females) and jacks (males) look identical, with no coat color genes to track. Babies are always donkeys regardless of sex. Both speed and cargo genetics inherit from the father with +/-1 variance, so keep your strongest jack for breeding.

Why Pick a Donkey?

A donkey isn't the best at anything, but it's the only animal that does both. For a small ranch that can't justify keeping a horse and a bull, one donkey is the answer. Many settlers start with a donkey and upgrade later — some keep theirs for life.

Buy a donkey from Pell after you have shelter and a trough working. Don't take her home to bare dirt — donkeys have feelings about lazy owners.

Slaughter

Slaughter animals to obtain meat and other resources.

How to Slaughter

Use a Butcher Knife on any of your animals. A confirmation dialog will appear before proceeding. This action is permanent and cannot be undone!

Loot by Age

Older animals produce more resources when slaughtered. There are 4 age tiers:

• Baby (0-2 days) — Minimal loot
• Young (3-6 days) — Small amount
• Adult (7-14 days) — Normal amount
• Elder (15+ days) — Maximum loot

Resources by Animal

• Hens: meat and feathers
• Roosters: meat and feathers
• Sheep: meat and wool
• Black Sheep: meat and black wool
• Pigs: ham and pig feet
• Cows: meat and cowbells
• Bulls: meat (more than cows, no cowbells)
• Horses & Donkeys: horseshoes (chance scales with age). Animals 21+ days old can also drop a rare golden horseshoe.
• Dogs: cannot be slaughtered

Consider whether an animal is more valuable alive (producing eggs/wool/milk) before slaughtering it!

Your Land

Lands are plots where you build your ranch. You need a land to place structures, raise animals, plant trees, and dig basements.

Finding a Land

Open the Houses menu from the main panel to browse all available lands. You can see each land's name, size, rent, and current owner.

Buying a Land

The purchase price is 1 gold per square meter (sqm). A 100 sqm lot costs only 100 gold.

Select a land from the Houses menu and click "Buy". You will need to pay the purchase price plus the first week's rent upfront.

Requirements to Buy

• You must have enough gold to cover the lot price + first week's rent.
• You can only own one land at a time.

Weekly Rent

Every week, rent is automatically deducted from your bank account. The rent amount varies by land and is shown in the Houses menu.

If you don't have enough gold in your bank when rent is due, you lose ownership of the land and all items inside are moved to your depot.

Managing Your Land

• Edit Guest List: Invite players to enter your land.
• Edit Sub-Owners List: Grant full access to trusted players.
• Kick Player: Remove someone from inside your land.

Guests can enter the land but cannot modify anything. Sub-owners have almost full access — they can edit guest lists and kick players.

Type player names in the list, one per line. You can also type a guild name to invite an entire guild.

Ranch gates can only be toggled by the owner or sub-owners — guests and passersby cannot open them, so a careless visitor can't accidentally let your livestock escape.

Transferring Your Land

You can transfer ownership to another player through the Houses menu. Select your land and choose "Transfer". Type the new owner's name and confirm.

The new owner must meet the same requirements as buying (no other land, enough gold for rent).

Leaving Your Land

If you no longer want your land, use the Houses menu to leave it. Your ownership ends immediately.

All furniture and items inside will be moved to your depot box. Animals inside will remain on the lot.

Choose your lot wisely! Bigger lands cost more rent but give you much more space to build. Make sure you can afford the weekly rent before buying!

Farming

Plant seeds, water them, and harvest crops inside your ranch! Available crops: pine trees, orange, banana, mango and strawberry plants, wheat, and sugar cane.

General Rules

• All farming happens inside your ranch on tilled soil.
• Use a Hoe on grass or dirt to create fertile soil.
• Fill your Watering Can at a Draw Well before watering.
• Each growth stage needs at least one watering.
• The first watering after planting advances the crop instantly to stage 1.
• Use a Hoe on any planted crop to uproot it and remove the soil.
• Season matters: Spring grows crops 1.5x faster, Winter freezes growth (but no drought either). See Seasons for details.

Pine Trees

Buy Pine Seeds from Ivy. Hoe a tile, plant the seed, and water it ONCE — the plant sprouts and grows through every stage automatically as your house clock ticks (online time only):

1. Fertile Soil — Seed planted
2. Sprout — First growth
3. Sapling — Almost there
4. Pine Tree — Fully grown, cut with an axe for logs

• If you forget to water for 12 game days of online time, the plant dies.
• Cut trees leave a stump. Water the stump and it regrows after 1 day.

Orange Trees

Buy Orange Seeds from Ivy (40 gp each). Hoe a tile, plant the seed, water it ONCE — the plant sprouts and grows through every stage automatically as your house clock ticks:

1. Fertile Soil — Seed planted
2. Sprout — First growth
3. Orange Sapling — Young plant
4. Young Orange Tree — Tree shape, no fruit yet
5. Mature Orange Tree — Fruit ready to harvest!

Click the mature orange tree with your hand to pick 2 to 4 oranges per harvest. After harvesting, the tree reverts to its young state and stops producing fruit.

If the watering caused the tree to fruit immediately (enough time had passed), the tree stays healthy after harvest and refruits on its own in 3 hours — no extra watering needed. If the tree fruited later via scheduled growth, you need to water it again after harvest.

• After harvest, the tree returns to a "dry" state and needs ONE more watering to start the next fruit cycle. Missing 12 game days of water kills it.
• Once mature (or in its post-harvest young state), it will never die from missed watering — it just stays fruitless until watered again.
• You can cut a young or mature orange tree with the Axe for logs. Water the stump and it regrows after 1 day as a young tree (no fruit — water again to refruit).

Banana Trees

Buy Banana Seeds from Ivy (40 gp each). Hoe a tile, plant the seed, water it ONCE — the plant sprouts and grows through every stage automatically as your house clock ticks:

1. Fertile Soil — Seed planted
2. Sprout — First growth
3. Sapling — Young plant
4. Young Banana Tree — Tree shape, no fruit yet
5. Mature Banana Tree — Fruit ready to harvest!

Click the mature banana tree with your hand to pick 2 to 4 bananas per harvest. After harvesting, the tree reverts to its young state and stops producing fruit.

If the watering caused the tree to fruit immediately (enough time had passed), the tree stays healthy after harvest and refruits on its own in 3 hours — no extra watering needed. If the tree fruited later via scheduled growth, you need to water it again after harvest.

• After harvest, the tree returns to a "dry" state and needs ONE more watering to start the next fruit cycle. Missing 12 game days of water kills it.
• Once mature (or in its post-harvest young state), it will never die from missed watering — it just stays fruitless until watered again.
• You can cut a young or mature banana tree with the Axe for logs. Water the stump and it regrows after 1 day as a young tree (no fruit — water again to refruit).

Mango Trees

Buy Mango Seeds from Ivy (40 gp each). Hoe a tile, plant the seed, water it ONCE — the plant sprouts and grows through every stage automatically as your house clock ticks:

1. Fertile Soil — Seed planted
2. Sprout — First growth
3. Sapling — Young plant
4. Young Mango Tree — Tree shape, no fruit yet
5. Mature Mango Tree — Fruit ready to harvest!

Click the mature mango tree with your hand to pick 2 to 4 mangoes per harvest. After harvesting, the tree reverts to its young state and stops producing fruit.

If the watering caused the tree to fruit immediately (enough time had passed), the tree stays healthy after harvest and refruits on its own in 3 hours — no extra watering needed. If the tree fruited later via scheduled growth, you need to water it again after harvest.

• After harvest, the tree returns to a "dry" state and needs ONE more watering to start the next fruit cycle. Missing 12 game days of water kills it.
• Once mature (or in its post-harvest young state), it will never die from missed watering — it just stays fruitless until watered again.
• You can cut a young or mature mango tree with the Axe for logs. Water the stump and it regrows after 1 day as a young tree (no fruit — water again to refruit).

Strawberry Plants

Buy Strawberry Seeds from Ivy (40 gp each). Hoe a tile, plant the seed, water it ONCE — the plant sprouts and grows through every stage automatically as your house clock ticks. Unlike the fruit trees, strawberries are low-growing plants that cannot be cut with an axe; the only way to remove a planted strawberry is with the Hoe.

1. Fertile Soil — Seed planted
2. Sprout — First growth
3. Sapling — Young strawberry plant
4. Young Plant — Mature shape, no fruit yet
5. Strawberry Plant — Fruit ready to harvest!

Click the mature strawberry plant with your hand to pick 2 to 4 strawberries per harvest. After harvesting, the plant reverts to its young state and stops producing fruit.

• After harvest, the plant returns to a "dry" state and needs ONE more watering to start the next fruit cycle. Missing 12 game days of water kills it.
• Once mature (or in its post-harvest young state), it will never die from missed watering — it just stays fruitless until watered again.
• To remove a strawberry plant, use a Hoe on the tile. There is no axe option and no stump.

Wheat

Buy Wheat Seeds from Ivy. Hoe a tile, plant the seeds, water them to start growing. Wheat grows in real time — 2 hours per stage, even while offline:

0. Seed — Planted in fertile soil → water → 2h
1. Young Wheat — First sprout → water → 2h
2. Growing Wheat — Getting taller → water → 2h
3. Mature Wheat — Ready to harvest!

ONE watering per cycle. The plant sprouts on first water and grows through every stage automatically while you are online. The full cycle from seed to harvest takes 1 game day (1 hour of online play). Does NOT advance while offline.

Use a Scythe on mature wheat to receive 2 Bunches of Wheat and 5 XP. The wheat resets to young wheat — no need to replant, just water it again!

Use a Bunch of Wheat on a Millstone to grind it into Flour. Flour has two uses:

• Add water to flour to make Dough, then bake in an Oven to make Bread (food).
• Use 2 Flour on a Distilling Machine to make a Feed Bag (animal feed).

Sugar Cane

Buy Sugar Cane Seeds from Ivy (15 gp). Hoe a tile, plant the seeds, water them to start growing. Sugar cane uses the same pacing as wheat — 1 game day of online play per full cycle:

0. Seed — Planted in fertile soil → water
1. Young Cane — First sprout
2. Growing Cane — Getting taller
3. Mature Cane — Ready to be burned and harvested!

ONE watering per cycle. Sprouts on first water, grows automatically while you are online. Does NOT advance while offline.

Harvesting (vanilla fire-bug chain)

Unlike wheat, sugar cane is harvested using fire. Buy a Fire Bug from Hank (25 gp) and use it on a mature cane:

• ~70% success: the cane ignites and burns for 30 seconds. Once the fire dies down it becomes harvestable.
• ~10% fizzle: nothing happens, the fire bug stays in your bag.
• ~10% bug lost: the bug burns out in your hand and is destroyed.
• ~10% explode: the bug blows up in your face — takes 5 fire damage. Ouch!

Once the cane has burned down, use a Sickle (50 gp at Hank) on it to receive 1 Bunch of Sugar Cane directly into your inventory (5 XP). The plot resets to young cane — water it again to start the next cycle.

Processing

Use a Bunch of Sugar Cane on a Millstone to grind it into Sugar (3-second countdown).

From there, sugar has two paths:

• Use a Bunch of Sugar Cane directly on a Bunch of Wheat to craft Sugar Oat (vanilla recipe, instant, no machinery).
• Use Sugar on a Distilling Machine to make a Sugar Cube (3-second countdown). Sells well to Marta and may be used in future oven recipes.

Sugar Oat — Mount Speed Treat

Use a Sugar Oat directly on your own horse or donkey (standing next to it, not mounted) to apply a +5% mount-speed buff for 30 real minutes. The buff ticks in real time, even while you're offline, so use it shortly before your next ride!

• Feeding again refreshes the timer back to a full 30 minutes (no stacking).
• A cyan sparkle icon appears over the animal while the buff is active. It disappears when the buff wears off, or as soon as the animal becomes hungry or sick (those icons take priority).
• The +5% is calculated from the mount's current speed bonus, including any DNA roll. Higher Speed DNA = bigger absolute gain from the treat.

Mix all crops in your ranch — pine for logs, fruit trees for steady income, wheat for flour and animal feed, sugar cane for treats and trade. Set up near a Well, a Millstone and a Distilling Machine for maximum efficiency!

Grass & Wheat Floor

Plant grass or wheat floors to decorate your ranch and feed your animals!

Grass

1. Buy Grass Seeds from Ivy at her shop above Barnaby's tannery (15 gp each).
2. Use the Grass Seed on any ground tile inside your ranch.
3. The grass is placed instantly.
4. Borders are created automatically around the grass area.

Wheat Floor

1. Harvest mature wheat with a Scythe to get Bunches of Wheat.
2. Use a Bunch of Wheat on any ground tile inside your ranch.
3. The wheat floor is placed instantly.
4. Borders are created automatically, just like grass.

Pasture Bonus

Animals standing on grass or wheat floor consume less food (~3% per hour instead of 4%). Build pastures to keep your herd fed longer!

Automatic Borders

When you plant next to existing tiles of the same type, the borders adjust automatically. Edges, corners and inner corners are all handled for you.

Removing

Use the Hammer on a grass or wheat floor tile to remove it. The original ground underneath is restored. Surrounding borders recalculate automatically.

Both floors can only be planted on the ground floor (z=7) inside your ranch. Plan your layout and plant tile by tile — the borders will handle themselves!

Fishing

Cast your line into the water and catch fish to eat or sell!

How to Fish

1. Buy a Fishing Rod and Worms from the shops.
2. Use the Fishing Rod on any water tile.
3. One worm is consumed on every cast — fish steal the bait whether you catch one or not.

Catch Chance

Your catch chance starts at 15% and increases with your Fishing skill level, up to a maximum of 60%. Every attempt gives Fishing skill experience, even if you don't catch anything.

Fish Types

All fish are edible and can be sold to Marta at the tavern. Rarer fish sell for more gold and grant more XP when caught!

Keep fishing to level up your skill! Higher Fishing skill means more catches per trip. Stock up on worms and find a good fishing spot near town.

Order Board

Complete daily orders from the town NPCs for bonus gold rewards!

How It Works

Visit the Order Board in Marta's pub (The Golden Ale). Click on it to see 5 active orders from various NPCs around town.

Each order shows the NPC requesting the items (with their portrait), the items and quantities needed, and the gold and XP reward for completing it.

Delivering Orders

Have the required items in your inventory, then click the Deliver button on the order. All items are removed and you receive the reward instantly!

Rewards are 2x the normal NPC sell value of the items, making orders very profitable.

Order Reset

Orders are the same for all players and reset every server restart. Completed orders show a green checkmark.

NPCs Who Place Orders

• Marta — Food and tavern supplies
• Hank — Raw materials and tools
• Barnaby — Animal products and leather
• Ivy — Seeds and natural goods
• Elara — Cattle-related items
• Grubb — Pig products
• Wick — Chicken and poultry
• Rashid — Wool and sheep products
• Osric — Horse supplies
• Marlow Pell — Donkey feed, treats, and horseshoes

Check the Order Board every day after the server restarts! Orders are a great way to earn extra gold from items you already produce.

Machinery

Build machines to process raw materials into useful products!

Millstone

Use a Bunch of Wheat on the Millstone to produce Flour. The Millstone is a 2x2 structure that requires enough space inside your ranch.

Materials: 6 Planks, 10 Small Stones

Distilling Machine

Use 2 Flour on the Distilling Machine to produce a Feed Bag for your animals.

Materials: 8 Planks, 10 Nails, 4 Silver Bars

Oven

Cook raw ingredients into valuable products. Light it with planks and experiment with ingredients to discover recipes. See the Cooking section for details.

Materials: 10 Small Stones, 4 Planks, 2 Silver Bars

Weaving Loom

Use 2 Wool on the Weaving Loom to produce White Piece of Cloth. Use 2 Black Wool to produce Brown Piece of Cloth. Sell cloth to Barnaby for profit!

Materials: 6 Planks, 8 Nails, 2 Silver Bars

Forge

Smelts iron ore, silver nuggets, and gold nuggets into bars; converts iron bars into stacks of nails. See the Forge & Smelting section for details.

Materials: 6 Iron Bars, 8 Clay Lumps, 6 Planks, 12 Nails

Oven (Premium variant)

Functionally identical to the basic Oven (light with 3 planks, cook ingredients). Costs more raw resources for players who want a more polished kitchen.

Materials: 12 Small Stones, 4 Silver Bars, 4 Iron Bars, 8 Nails

Saw Machine

An automated alternative to the hand-saw. Drop a log on top of the saw and it consumes the log, cuts for 1 second, and drops 1 to 5 planks on the adjacent tile.

Output direction depends on rotation: the south-facing saw drops planks one tile south, the east-facing saw drops planks one tile east. Rotate it like any other furniture to swap directions.

Only one log at a time per machine. A second drop while it's busy bounces back. Three times faster than the hand-saw (1s vs 3s), and you don't have to stand still — just keep tossing logs.

Materials: 6 Planks, 8 Nails, 2 Iron Bars

How to Build

1. Open the Building Book and select the Machinery category.
2. Select the machine you want to build.
3. Click on an open space inside your ranch to place it.
4. Apply the required materials to the construction site.
5. Once all materials are applied, the machine is complete!

The Millstone takes up 4 tiles (2x2). Make sure you have enough space cleared before placing it!

Machines are locked in place while in use — you can't drag a Distilling Machine or Loom while it's processing.

Cooking

Use the Oven to transform raw ingredients into valuable cooked products. Experiment with different combinations to discover all the recipes!

How to Cook

1. Build an Oven from the Building Book (Machinery category).
2. Light the Oven by using Planks on it (costs 3 planks). The fire lasts 5 minutes.
3. Click the lit Oven to open the cooking interface.
4. Add ingredients using the Add button (crosshair targeting from your inventory).
5. If the combination matches a recipe, the result will appear in the preview area.
6. Click Cook to produce the item. The ingredients are consumed and you receive the product.

The Oven also accepts fluid containers (vials, mugs, buckets). Recipes that need "milk" want a vial filled with milk — extract milk from a Full Milk Churn into a vial first. The container is returned empty to your inventory after cooking, so you never lose your vials or buckets.

Basic Recipes

Cheese Chain

Savoury Cooked

Sweets & Pastries

Cookie Dough Tray is made outside the Oven: use a Lump of Cake Dough on an empty Baking Tray (sold by Marta for 30 gp).

Buff Foods

Some dishes grant a temporary buff when eaten or drunk. Check the item's description for the exact effect.

More buff foods will be added — keep an eye on the cyclopedia and patch notes.

Tips

• The Oven must be lit (burning) to open the cooking interface.
• You can retrieve ingredients from slots by right-clicking them before cooking.
• The fire goes out after 5 minutes — light it again with more planks. If the server restarts while an oven is lit, the timer is recovered automatically the next time anyone opens it.
• Specificity wins: when several recipes share an ingredient (e.g. Cake Dough alone makes Cake, but adding Sugar Cube + Small Stone makes Throwing Cake), the Oven always picks the recipe with MORE ingredient types.
• Fluid containers (vials, mugs, buckets) do not stack in the Oven — each takes its own slot.
• Cooked products sell well or, increasingly, grant temporary buffs. Processing is the key to ranch profit!

Jousting

Mount your horse, pick your aim, and unhorse your opponent for glory and gold!

Getting Started

Ride up to the Herald at the arena while mounted on one of your saddled horses. Say hi, then ask about tiers to see which bracket your horse fits in based on its Speed DNA.

Solo (vs AI)

Say the tier name (bronze, silver, gold, champion). The Herald quotes the entry fee and asks for confirmation — say yes to charge in, no to back out.

PvP Duel

Say challenge <playerName> to call out another rider. Both must be at the Herald and in the same tier bracket. The challenged rider says hi to the Herald, sees the duel prompt, and answers yes (both pay entry, match starts) or no (cancelled). Challenges expire after 30 seconds if unanswered.

Horse Brackets

Each horse fits in exactly one tier based on its Speed DNA — no tier-ladder farming. For PvP both riders must share the same bracket, or the Herald refuses to set the match.

Tier Requirements & Prizes

• Bronze — Speed DNA 1–3, fee 100 gp, prize 180 gp (Win: 10 / Loss: 2 pts)
• Silver — Speed DNA 4–6, fee 400 gp, prize 720 gp (Win: 25 / Loss: 5 pts)
• Gold — Speed DNA 7–9, fee 1,000 gp, prize 1,800 gp (Win: 60 / Loss: 10 pts)
• Champion — Speed DNA 10+, fee 1,500 gp, prize 2,700 gp (Win: 150 / Loss: 25 pts)

The prize is the combined pot of both entry fees (yours + the opponent's) minus a 10% bailiff tax. Win and you take home ~1.8× your fee. Lose and you forfeit the entry. Draw and your own fee is refunded in full.

Higher tiers have a tighter timing window. Faster horses unlock the big-money brackets, but the skill check gets brutal.

Round Flow (Best of 3)

1. Prep phase: a countdown 5..4..3..2..1 plays while you pick your aim — HIGH, DEFEND, or LOW.
2. Skill bar: a marker sweeps across the bar. Click STRIKE when it reaches the green zone — the closer to centre, the better the hit.
3. Clash: both riders gallop and meet at mid-arena. The loser falls off; the horse keeps galloping alone to the end.
4. Match end: first rider to win 2 rounds takes the match and the prize.

Aim Rules (when both riders land a perfect hit)

• High beats Low
• Low beats Defense
• Defense beats High
• Same aim on both sides = draw round.

Horse Requirements

Your horse must be healthy (not sick) and well-fed and hydrated (both stats above 50%) to inscribe. The arena only runs one match at a time — if someone else is jousting, wait for it to finish.

Stats & Records

Ask the Herald for your record to see your total wins, losses, draws, best tier, points, and career prize money.

Champion tier's window is only 100ms wide — practice on Bronze and Silver before risking the big fees. A loss still pays some points, so it's not a total loss.

The Arena is Alive

The bleachers are never empty. 22 ghost spectators watch the arena around the clock — they chat while waiting for the next fight, then cheer or boo during matches. When a real joust starts, 14 notable townsfolk (Bailiff Roderic, Marta, Hank, Cedric and more) appear in the VIP seats to watch.

If no one jousts for a while, two wandering riders take the arena for a quick demo fight. Stop by when the city feels quiet — the crowd is always ready for some action.

Cockfights

An underground rooster-fighting ring runs in secret behind Grubb's pigsty. Bring a rooster, place a bet, and let the spurs decide. Captain Harmon runs the games — and it is his open secret on the side.

Getting In

Find the hidden pit behind Grubb's pigsty and talk to Captain Harmon. You need a haltered rooster — a male chicken at least one game day old. Hens do not fight.

Two Modes

• Death — the loser's rooster dies for real. Winner takes the pot and earns +1 fight DNA on his bird (see the climb rule below).
• Survival — birds fight until one drops to 20% HP. The loser walks out alive. No DNA gain. Only the bet flows.

PvE vs PvP

• PvE — sign up alone; the Cockmaster fields a matched-DNA opponent. House pays 1.8× your bet on win, keeps it on loss. Quick and steady, good for practice.
• PvP — open a lobby entry, wait for another settler to challenge you (or browse open entries and pick one). Pot is double the bet minus a 10% house rake. The only path past DNA 8.

Fight DNA

Every rooster carries a fight gene from 1 to 10. Higher DNA means more HP, sharper attacks, and tougher defense in the pit.

• Stat curve: HP 25–115, attack 7–25, defense 1–10 across DNA 1 to 10.
• Wick sells fresh roosters at DNA 1. Breeding can only match or lower the father's DNA — never raise it.
• The only way to raise DNA is to win a Death match. PvE wins count but cap at DNA 8. DNA 9 and 10 are PvP-only.

The Climb Rule (anti-bully)

Winning a Death match against a rooster with LOWER DNA than yours pays the bet but grants NO DNA bump. The pit only rewards climbing against equals or betters — slaughtering weaker birds buys you gold, not glory.

Match Flow (Best of 3)

Each match is best of three rounds. First to win two takes it. Between rounds, fresh clones spawn at full HP. Your real bird is kept safe until the MATCH ends, not per round — so a single Death match still costs at most one bird, not three.

While in the pit you are pinned to your spectator slot. The fight runs itself.

Bet Caps (by the LOWER DNA of the two birds)

A DNA 10 champion cannot force a fresh DNA 1 bird into a big-money fight — the cap follows the weaker bird.

Logging Out Mid-Match

• Death — your bird dies anyway and the bet goes to your opponent. The Cockmaster does not refund cowards.
• Survival — only the bet is lost. The bird walks out unharmed.

Achievements

• First Blood — win your first cockfight.
• Cock of the Walk — 10 cockfight wins.
• Pit Champion — 50 cockfight wins.
• Bantamweight — own a rooster at DNA 10 (by training or by lucky breed).

Tip: ask the Cockmaster about rules, death, survival, dna or bet for in-pit details. Wick and Beric have their own opinions about the captain — worth a chat if you want the gossip.

Livestock Yard

Sell your animals to other players through Harlan, the town auctioneer. The yard sits near the town center with 8 numbered pens and a browsing board.

Listing an Animal

1. Walk your pet up to Harlan on the halter (same way you buy from the species NPCs).
2. Say hi to start the conversation.
3. Say sell <price> (price between 100 and 1,000,000 gold).
4. Harlan quotes the listing fee (5% of your price, taken from pocket/bank) and the expected payout (price minus the 10% bailiff tax). Say yes to confirm.
5. The animal moves to the next free pen and stays there for 24 hours.

Requirements to List

• Maximum 2 active listings per player.
• Animal must be healthy (not sick).
• Feed and water must both be at 50% or higher.
• Pregnant animals CAN be listed — the buyer inherits the pregnancy (timer resumes once sold).
• You cannot list a horse you are currently mounted on. Dismount first.

Browsing the Board

Click the drawing board next to Harlan to open the browse window. Each row shows the animal's sprite, tag, species, pen number, age, seller, price, and time remaining before it moves to storage.

Rare genetics (DNA 7+) appear as green flags so you can spot quality animals at a glance. Pregnant animals are flagged pink, sick ones red.

Use the dropdowns at the top of the window to filter by species and sort by pen, price, or age.

Inspecting an Animal

Click Inspect on any listing to open the full DNA card — the same window you see on your own animals via right-click > Info. All stats, coat colors, and pedigree lines are public while the animal is on the block.

Buying

1. Pick a pen from the board.
2. Walk up to Harlan and say hi, then buy <pen> (e.g. buy 3).
3. Harlan confirms the price. Say yes to pay.
4. Gold is taken from your pockets first; the bank covers any shortfall. The animal is handed to you on the halter — walk it home to your ranch.

You cannot buy while already leading another animal on halter, and your max pet cap (listed + stored + at home) applies to purchases.

Withdrawing Your Own Listing

Changed your mind? Say retrieve <pen> to Harlan to pull your animal back on halter. The 5% listing fee is not refunded — that's the cost of occupying a pen.

Expiration & Storage

If no one buys within 24 hours, Harlan moves the animal to his stable (storage). The pen frees up for another listing. Stored animals count toward your max pet cap but are safe indefinitely.

Say claim to Harlan to see a numbered list of your stored animals. Say claim <N> (e.g. claim 1) to take the Nth stored pet back on halter. No fees for retrieval.

Useful Commands

• mine — Harlan tells you how many active listings and stored animals you have.
• fee — Harlan explains the listing fee and bailiff tax.

Sale Notifications

If someone buys your animal while you're offline, the gold goes straight to your bank. The next time you log in, a message from Harlan's clerk tells you what sold and for how much.

DNA lines are the core of long-term ranching. Expect rare animals (DNA 7+ in any stat) to command premium prices. Build pedigrees on your own ranch, then cash out selectively.

Mushroom Farming

Grow edible mushrooms in your basement for food and gold. Underground-only — a perfect use for that cave you dug out.

Getting Spores

Buy Mushroom Spores from Ivy for 5 gp each. They're consumable — one spore per tile.

Planting

1. Dig out cave floor in your basement with a Pickaxe.
2. Use a Mushroom Spore on the bare cave floor inside your ranch.
3. The spore takes root instantly. Water it with a Watering Can so it begins growing.

Mushrooms cannot be planted on grass, tilled soil, or any surface floor — they need the damp cool of the basement (z > 7).

Growth Stages

Mushrooms grow through 3 stages and reach maturity in 1 game day (1 hour of online play) from spore to mature. ONE watering per cycle — sprouts on first water and grows through every stage automatically while you are online.

• Stage 1 — tiny sprout
• Stage 2 — growing cluster
• Stage 3 — mature (ready to pick)

Unlike wheat, mushrooms do NOT die from neglect. They pause at the current stage until you water them again.

Rare Red Variant

When a mushroom reaches maturity, there is a 5% chance it will grow into a Stuffed Mushroom (red) instead of a normal Brown Mushroom. The red variant sells for 3× the price at Marta's.

Harvesting

When the mushroom is mature, drag it into your backpack like any item. You earn 5 XP per harvest.

You can also right-click to eat it in place (it's a normal food item), but you won't earn XP that way.

Either way, the tile clears afterwards — mushrooms do not regrow. Plant a fresh spore to start the next cycle.

Selling

• Brown Mushroom — sells to Marta for 20 gp
• Stuffed Mushroom (red) — sells to Marta for 60 gp

Because mushrooms are single-harvest and only grow underground, they reward players who've already invested in a basement. Plant a full batch at once so you can harvest the whole crop in one trip.

Weather & Rain

Thornfeld has real weather. Every few hours a rainstorm may sweep across the land, soaking the whole map and watering your crops for free.

When It Rains

The sky darkens, rain falls across your screen, and a town-wide message announces the storm. Storms last between 5 and 10 minutes.

Free Watering

The rain automatically waters every dry surface plant on the server — your trees (including stumps waiting to regrow) and your wheat fields. It behaves exactly as if you had walked by with a full watering can: the plant becomes "wet" for that cycle. Note that plants only ADVANCE through stages while you (or any subowner of the ranch) are online; rain on offline ranches just leaves the watering primed for when you log back in.

Plants that are already watered are skipped — you haven't lost any progress.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms grow in caves underground, so rain does not reach them. You still need to water mushroom patches yourself.

Frequency

Rain chance rolls every 3 hours of server time and hits roughly 15% of the time. On an average day you'll see one or two storms.

If the server restarts mid-storm, the rain ends — it does not resume.

Rain is the best free helper. If a storm rolls through while you're offline, your dry crops are ready to go the moment you log back in — saving you the manual watering trip.

Irrigation

Skip the watering can. Build a cistern, lay pipes to your sprinklers, place a lever, and one click waters every covered crop in the ranch.

How It Works

Build a cistern to store water, lay pipes from the cistern out to your fields, and place sprinklers near your crops. Then build a Lever anywhere in the ranch. When you USE the lever, every sprinkler in the ranch fires once, drawing water from the connected cistern and watering dry crops in its 3×3 area.

The lever does NOT need to be physically connected to the pipe network — it is just a switch you can place wherever is convenient.

The Cistern

Stores up to 1000 liters of water. Use a bucket of water on the cistern to add 100L per bucket — the bucket is not consumed (same as animal troughs). It takes 10 buckets to fill the cistern completely. Look at the cistern to see the current water level.

Rain automatically tops up every cistern on the map (even while you are offline) — keeping one built gives you passive fill-ups.

Pipes

Connect the cistern to your sprinklers. Pipes must be adjacent to each other and to the cistern along North, South, East, or West — no diagonals. Nine visual variants let you pick the right shape for your layout (straight, corners, junctions).

A sprinkler must be placed directly on top of a pipe tile. The pipe is what feeds the sprinkler — adjacent pipes do not count. Lay the pipe first, then drop the sprinkler on the same square.

Sprinklers

When the lever is pulled, each sprinkler waters every dry wheat or tree in the 3×3 tiles around it (the sprinkler's own tile plus the 8 neighbors). Each tile watered consumes 10L from the connected cistern.

• The sprinkler only fires if it is sitting on a pipe that connects back to a cistern.
• If the cistern is empty, the sprinkler does nothing.
• No water is wasted on already-watered tiles.
• A full cistern covers up to 100 tile waterings.

The Lever

Use to fire every sprinkler in the ranch at once. Only the ranch owner or a subowner can pull it. 60-second cooldown so you don't spam-empty your cistern by accident.

Tip: pull the lever once after each harvest cycle to instantly re-water all fields.

Building Requirements

• Cistern: 15 planks, 30 nails, 3 iron bars.
• Pipe: 1 iron bar each.
• Sprinkler: 4 iron bars.
• Lever: 1 iron bar, 2 nails.

Placed via the Building Book under the Irrigation category. Hammer deconstructs for half materials back, like any other construction.

A spine of pipes along your wheat fields, sprinklers every few tiles, lever near the cistern. Log in, pull the lever, watch the whole farm get watered. The single ritual that keeps your fields running.