Don't neglect Manor Lords' most important building—the humble burgage plot

GamesCity BuilderManor LordsDon’t neglect Manor Lords' most important building—the humble burgage plotWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

Manor Lords burgage plot under construction

Manor Lords isn’t your typical city-builder—the first time I realised that was when I started building burgage plots. At first, these humble peasant abodes look like your standard dwelling, and so in typical city-builder fashion I created them as compact as possible—that good ol' trick to maximise space and population. What I didn’t count on was burgage plots aren’t just your average house; they’re the foundation of Manor Lords' economy.

And the benefits don’t stop there; once you build a church and upgrade your burgage plots to level two, their importance only grows. Tired of your peasants taking forever to bake bread in the communal oven? Unlock bakeries with a development point and construct one in a burgage plot. Needaleto supply your tavern? Turns out that besides buying it, your only option is to create a brewery extension in a burgage plot to make it from malt.

Image1of2Drag out your burgage plots until you can see the hammer and roof workshop symbol(Image credit: Slavic Magic)You can build all sorts of workshops, though some convert the inhabitants into artisans(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

Image1of2

Drag out your burgage plots until you can see the hammer and roof workshop symbol(Image credit: Slavic Magic)You can build all sorts of workshops, though some convert the inhabitants into artisans(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

Drag out your burgage plots until you can see the hammer and roof workshop symbol(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

A medieval village

You can build all sorts of workshops, though some convert the inhabitants into artisans(Image credit: Slavic Magic)

Manor Lords tavern - Brewery extension

The list goes on: shields, warbows, weapons, and even armour to create your militia. They’re all items of immense value that can only be produced in a burgage plot workshop. These items aren’t free to produce, though.

Manor Lords is a bit inconsistent mentioning what’s required up front—understandable for an early access game—so here’s a list of what each burgage plot workshop requires:

You can build all of these in a burgage plot of level 2 or higher provided you have the necessary materials and regional wealth to purchase them. When you do, the family living there will become dedicated artisans all year round, meaning you can’t reassign them or use them to build stuff as with other families, so make your choice of workshop wisely.

I personally recommend the bowyer’s workshop early on, since planks are easy to get, and it provides the only item you require to create archer militia units. You can also export warbows for a decent price throughtrade. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to take advantage of your burgage plots; whether it’s passively producing all that food for the market, or having an artisan family craft valuable items based on what you’ve got in abundance.

If you’re anything like me, your past city-building experiences might lead you towards not realising the importance of these buildings, when actually they’re one of the coolest and most flavorful mechanics in the game.

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