Quick answer: Start by giving settlers shelter, water, and food, then check the wishes above occupied homes; nearby requested decorations help you reach the 60 satisfaction needed to attract new settlers. The most common early snags are placing a well outside underground water, looking for the Scout Hut before unlocking its idea, and trying to upgrade a tent without selecting its upgrade and accepting it.
Quick facts
- Settlement goal: Reach 60 satisfaction to attract new settlers.
- Water: Place wells over highlighted underground water and keep homes within the blue coverage circle.
- First expedition: Unlock the Scout Hut idea, build and connect the hut, then send five people with 20 money and 20 canned goods to Deep Forest.
- Housing upgrade: After Margaret returns, Glen and Margaret ask for a Wooden Hut; its housing improvement costs 40 cash in the walkthrough.
Quick start
Cover basic needs
Provide shelter, water, and food. Use the underground water view to place a well on highlighted ground, with homes inside its blue circle; then check each occupied home's wish and place the requested decoration nearby.
Prepare the first expedition
Unlock the Scout Hut in the Expedition and Ideas panel, make boards with a sawmill, build the hut, and connect it to the Town Hall by road. Supply five people, 20 money, and 20 canned goods before sending scouts to Deep Forest.
Bring Margaret home
Talk to Margaret among the people in Deep Forest, then return the scouts to the settlement to reunite her with Glen.
Upgrade a tent
When Glen and Margaret request better housing, buy the Wooden Hut improvement for 40 cash. With enough wooden planks, select a tent's upward-triangle upgrade icon and click Accept to build the Wooden Hut.
Build and improve the settlement
- Where to Place Wells and How Their Range Works explains underground-water placement, the blue home-coverage circle, and water tanks.
- How to Upgrade a Tent to a Wooden Hut shows how to buy the improvement and confirm the tent upgrade.
Send and recover expeditions
- How to Unlock the Scout Hut covers its Ideas unlock, road connection, and the supplies for Margaret's search.
- How to Bring Scouts Back to the Settlement explains the world-map return order and what to check if the expedition stays put.
Solve exploration puzzles
- How to Distract the Dog at Blackbark Ridge shows where to get the meat that lets you reach the chest with five rifles.
- How to Find and Interact With the Mole covers the large molehill in Deadman's Wash at the quest's final stage.
FAQ
Turn on the underground water view and place it over a highlighted area. Keep homes within the well's blue circle; the exact river-edge placement rule is not confirmed yet. See well placement.
Unlock its idea in the Expedition and Ideas panel first, then look under World Map at the far right of the build menu. See the Scout Hut guide.
Select the scouts on the world map, right-click the settlement, and choose Send Scouts, or use the expedition's send back arrow. Unpause if they do not move. See returning scouts.
Buy the Wooden Hut improvement, have enough wooden planks, then select the tent's upward-triangle upgrade icon and click Accept. See the Wooden Hut upgrade.
Take meat from a barrel in the scene and interact with the dog, then open the chest for five rifles. See the dog puzzle.
Go to Deadman's Wash, find the large molehill, and use its popup interaction after the arrival cutscene. See the mole quest guide.