Manor Lords' next big update adds the city builder's first new maps and lets you build bridges to stop drunk villagers from drowning

One of Manor Lords citizens building in a new update
(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

If Manor Lords' one and only map has burned itself onto the other side of your eyelids after dozens of hours, then rejoice! Developer Slavic Magic has given us an early look at the game's first new maps, as well as a list of other upcoming features. 

Slavic Magic decided to spread a little holiday joy by sharing a preview of Manor Lords' upcoming and undated update. The biggest new additions are easily the two new playable maps, Swiss Valley and Winding River, which are coming alongside a map selection feature. Swiss Valley seems to be a slightly colder affair with patches of snow littered around, while Winding River has, well, a big ole river running through it.

But I can already hear your cries, dear reader. How are my drunkard villagers supposed to navigate water, of all things? Well, the update is also adding a bridge-building feature to the game. It seemingly works in the same way as the existing Road Tool, letting you drag bridges and connect them to walking paths. You can see the feature, plus the two new maps, in the developer's most recent Steam blog post.

Other, smaller changes include the ability to reorder unit cards in your hand by dragging and dropping them, just in case the lack of organization was haunting you. Some reworked animations also mean that miners will soon actually mine. Like, you'll be able to zoom in and watch them head into the depths before bringing whatever materials back up, rather than slacking off on the surface until their genre-mandated timer is up.

"To keep supply smoother in larger settlements, workers will now bring extra resources preemptively—almost as if additional Burgage Plots were consuming them," is the final, handy change we know of. "For example, tavern workers may 'overstock' when they sense a resource like ale is about to run out, ensuring a steady flow and reducing supply disruptions. This change helps minimize fluctuations in resource delivery caused by logistics, particularly in large towns where managing supply chains can become challenging."

After 2.5 million in sales, Manor Lords publisher says it “would almost be arrogant” to not be surprised by its success - but “you cannot count on it to repeat.”

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Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.