Every building costs materials of two families. Higher levels cost rarer materials, and a building's capacity grows up to a level cap.
Hearth
Type
Core
Costs
Wood and Stone
What it does
The heart of a shelter; every shelter starts with one, and it keeps working even when damaged. A higher Hearth slows heat loss while you are away and softens cold attacks. You cook meals for your creatures here.
Storehouse
Type
Core
Costs
Wood and Stone
What it does
Raises how much of each material family your shelter can hold. A working Storehouse also protects part of your materials when bandits win.
Forge
Type
Production
Costs
Metal and Stone
What it does
Refines materials into the next rarity, upgrades tools and weapons, and makes runes, nets and traps. A higher Forge unlocks rarer work and works faster.
Mining camp
Type
Production
Costs
Wood and Metal
What it does
Expeditions bring back more with a higher Mining camp, and it adds worker slots for creatures.
Archive
Type
Production
Costs
Wood and Crystal
What it does
Unlocks hero slots, rune recipes and relic work. Higher levels unlock more.
Watchtower
Type
Defence
Costs
Stone and Crystal
What it does
Widens your shelter's territory, so it reaches more land to contest.
Wall
Type
Defence
Costs
Stone and Metal
What it does
Cuts the damage cold attacks do to your buildings, and adds defender slots for creatures.
Beacon
Type
Social
Costs
Crystal and Metal
What it does
Lets you repair neighbours' buildings within its range and lets players without a shelter lodge with you. Its range is also a heat source that refills energy.
Gallery
Type
Social
Costs
Wood and Crystal
What it does
A display room for items you hold. A higher level shows more.
Heroes
Heroes unlock through play. Active heroes give their main specialty's bonus in full and their minor one at a smaller share. Promotion takes pieces of the next rarity from the main specialty's families. What each specialty does:
Prospector: Expeditions bring back more.
Smith: Refining costs less heat.
Mason: Building upgrades cost fewer materials.
Warden: A wider territory for contested land, and less cold damage.
Scout: Expeditions cost less heat to send.
Keeper: Less cold damage, and cheaper expedition trips.
Envoy: A wider Beacon range for helping neighbours, and cheaper repairs for them.
Quartermaster: Expeditions carry more home.
Agent: Stores Pine in your shelter once a day while your heat isn't decaying.
Mara Pell
Specialty
Prospector (main), Scout (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Your first hero: you start with her.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in stone and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Oskar Venn
Specialty
Smith (main), Keeper (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Build your first Forge.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in metal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Ilse Darrow
Specialty
Mason (main), Warden (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Upgrade any building through its common-cost levels.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in stone and wood, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Tomasz Kral
Specialty
Keeper (main), Envoy (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Keep your shelter for a while after settling.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in wood, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Juno Hale
Specialty
Scout (main), Quartermaster (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Dig at, or send expeditions to, several different mines.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Edda Quill
Specialty
Envoy (main), Scout (minor)
Base rarity
Common
Unlock
Repair a neighbour's building or host a lodger.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in wood and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Rhett Calloway
Specialty
Quartermaster (main), Prospector (minor)
Base rarity
Uncommon
Unlock
Bring home a lot of materials from mines.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in wood and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Bram Okafor
Specialty
Warden (main), Mason (minor)
Base rarity
Uncommon
Unlock
Hold contested land for many hours in total.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in metal and stone, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Sefa Lind
Specialty
Envoy (main), Keeper (minor)
Base rarity
Uncommon
Unlock
Repair neighbours' buildings or host lodgers, many times in total.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in wood and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Nika Sorel
Specialty
Smith (main), Prospector (minor)
Base rarity
Uncommon
Unlock
Refine a piece up to rare at the Forge.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in metal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Hollis Grey
Specialty
Mason (main), Smith (minor)
Base rarity
Uncommon
Unlock
Repair your own buildings a few times.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in stone and wood, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Vera Antal
Specialty
Scout (main), Warden (minor)
Base rarity
Rare
Unlock
Discover a builder district.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Aldo Brisk
Specialty
Prospector (main), Quartermaster (minor)
Base rarity
Rare
Unlock
Take a piece from an event vein.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in stone and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Ciro Vance
Specialty
Keeper (main), Mason (minor)
Base rarity
Rare
Unlock
Bring your Hearth to a high level.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in wood, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Unit 7
Specialty
Agent (main), Quartermaster (minor)
Base rarity
Rare
Unlock
Bring your Archive to a high level.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in metal and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Lattice
Specialty
Agent (main), Smith (minor)
Base rarity
Rare
Unlock
Bring your Archive to a very high level.
Promotion
Pieces of the next rarity in metal and crystal, once the hero reaches the level for it.
Creatures
The creatures the collection book shows from the start. Each is best at one job; in another job it gives that job's basic bonus, weaker. Bonuses grow as a creature levels up.
Rock mole
Habitat
Stone mines
Rarity
Common
Best job
Companion
Bonus
Digging at stone mines is faster.
Bark beetle
Habitat
The forest and wood mines
Rarity
Common
Best job
Companion
Bonus
Chopping trees is faster.
Snow hare
Habitat
Anywhere, and near home after a cold attack
Rarity
Common
Best job
Companion
Bonus
Expeditions bring back more.
Pine marten
Habitat
The forest and wood mines
Rarity
Common
Best job
Worker
Bonus
Brings Pine to your store every few hours.
Copper newt
Habitat
Metal mines
Rarity
Common
Best job
Worker
Bonus
Brings Scrap iron to your store every few hours.
Moss toad
Habitat
Builder districts
Rarity
Common
Best job
Defender
Bonus
Cuts cold damage to your buildings a little.
Ember fox
Habitat
Builder districts
Rarity
Rare
Best job
Worker
Bonus
Adds heat to your shelter, only in hours your wallet earns heat.
Crystal moth
Habitat
Crystal mines
Rarity
Rare
Best job
Companion
Bonus
You see event veins from farther away.
Iron boar
Habitat
Metal mines
Rarity
Rare
Best job
Defender
Bonus
Cuts cold damage to your buildings.
Quartz crab
Habitat
Crystal mines
Rarity
Rare
Best job
Worker
Bonus
Brings Quartz to your store every few hours.
Lynx
Habitat
The forest and wood mines
Rarity
Rare
Best job
Companion
Bonus
Your hits do more damage.
Gear
Every player starts with each tool at common. Weapons are forged at the Forge, the first one at common. Upgrade any item at the Forge with pieces of the next rarity from its family.
Axe
Kind
Tool
Family
Wood
Better tiers
A rarer Axe chops faster, more often brings a second Pine, and digs rarer wood at wood mines.
Pickaxe
Kind
Tool
Family
Stone
Better tiers
A rarer Pickaxe digs faster at stone mines and can dig rarer stone.
Drill
Kind
Tool
Family
Metal
Better tiers
A rarer Drill digs faster at metal mines and can dig rarer metal.
Chisel
Kind
Tool
Family
Crystal
Better tiers
A rarer Chisel digs faster at crystal mines and can dig rarer crystal.
Spear
Kind
Weapon
Family
Metal
Better tiers
Hits hard at close range. A rarer Spear hits harder.
Crossbow
Kind
Weapon
Family
Wood
Better tiers
Hits from farther away, lighter than a Spear. A rarer Crossbow hits harder.
Runes
A rune puts an enchantment on one item. Each dig, chop or hit it helps uses one charge, and at zero it fades. Runes are forged from crystal with a working Archive, and are also sold in the game.
Swiftness
Fits
Tools
Charges
100
What it does
Digging and chopping take less time.
Forge recipe
4 Sapphire
Plenty
Fits
Tools
Charges
100
What it does
Digs and chops sometimes give a second piece.
Forge recipe
4 Sapphire
Fortune
Fits
Tools
Charges
50
What it does
Your tool can dig a rarity above its own at a mine.
Forge recipe
4 Glacial crystal
Frost
Fits
Weapons
Charges
80
What it does
Your hits do more damage.
Forge recipe
3 Glacial crystal
Binding
Fits
Weapons
Charges
80
What it does
Raises the catch chance on creatures you hit.
Forge recipe
3 Glacial crystal
Nets and traps
Nets and traps are made at the Forge.
Net
Recipe
2 Pine and 1 Rubble
Use
The basic net. You start with a few.
Strong net
Recipe
2 Steel
Use
A better catch chance than a Net. It needs a Forge that can do rare work.
Trap
Recipe
3 Pine and 2 Scrap iron
Use
Set it outside the village, clear of mines, shelters and trees. After some hours it may hold a creature of that place; walk to it to collect it.
Mystics
Mystics are rare creatures met in the wild now and then. Only the working mystic's power counts, and it grows with the mystic's level.
Emberkin
Role
Guardian
Found
Near your home.
Power
Slows your shelter's heat loss while you are away, cuts cold damage to it, and slows your energy drain outside heat sources. Its power grows with its level.
How to earn one
Wear it down in a catch fight, then net it once it is below half health. A catch gives its egg, and hatching is free.
Veinseer
Role
Companion
Found
By a crystal mine near your home; without one, by another mine or near home.
Power
You see event veins from farther away, and epic and legendary pieces come up more often when you dig. Its power grows with its level.
How to earn one
Wear it down in a catch fight, then net it once it is below half health. A catch gives its egg, and hatching is free.
Bandit camps
Bandits camp 15–35 tiles from your home, outside every heat source, and stay 6 hours. Only you see your camp.
Tiers: Camps farther from home hold more bandits with more health in total, and pay better.
A win: Materials of one family, rarer at higher tiers, and sometimes a tool or weapon. Gear better than yours becomes yours; otherwise it is salvaged into pieces of its family.
A loss: They take 20 percent of each material stack you hold (a working Storehouse protects part of it), and you wake at home. Tools, weapons, Embers and mystics are never taken.
Tier 1
Distance
Nearest to home
Materials won
Common or uncommon
Gear it can drop
Uncommon tools and weapons
Tier 2
Distance
Farther out
Materials won
Uncommon or rare
Gear it can drop
Rare tools and weapons
Tier 3
Distance
Farthest out
Materials won
Rare or epic
Gear it can drop
Epic tools and weapons
Materials
Four families, each from common to legendary. Tools of a family dig it, and buildings cost two families each.
Wood
Rarities
Pine (common), Oak (uncommon), Ironwood (rare), Frostwood (epic), Heartwood (legendary)
Builds
Hearth, Storehouse, Mining camp, Archive and Gallery