Alright, so today I wanted to share my little journey with getting horses up and running in Manor Lords. It’s one of those things you might not think about immediately, but trust me, they make a difference.
My First Fumbling Steps
When I first started my little village, everything felt, well, slow. My folks were hauling wood and stone by hand, or maybe with a handcart, I guess. I kept thinking, “There’s gotta be a way to speed this up.” I’ve played enough of these city-builder, resource-management games to know that animals are usually key for logistics. So, I was on the lookout for horses right from the get-go.
I built my usual starter buildings, you know, the logging camp, the stonecutter, a granary, a storehouse. And I was looking through the build menu, clicking on everything, trying to find where the horses were hiding. Was it a research thing? A special building I hadn’t unlocked? For a bit, I just resigned myself to slow progress, thinking maybe they came much later in the game.
The “Aha!” Moment with Hitching Posts and Pack Stations
Then, as I was expanding and needed to move goods more efficiently between my production areas and the central storage, I stumbled upon the Hitching Post. The description mentioned something about animals. “Okay,” I thought, “this must be it!” So I built one. And… nothing. No horses magically appeared. Classic, right? You build the thing, and then you have to figure out the next step.
A little later, I built a Pack Station. I think initially I just assigned a worker there, and they were still using handcarts or maybe an ox, if I remember correctly for the heavier stuff like timber. But I noticed an empty slot in the Pack Station’s UI, looking suspiciously like it was meant for an animal. That got me thinking again.
Actually Getting My Hands on a Horse
So, how do you get one? It wasn’t immediately obvious. I didn’t see a “buy horse” button anywhere in the early game menus. Then I remembered, Manor Lords is big on trade and regional connections. I had a Trading Post built by then, trying to sell off my surplus berries or whatever. I started looking at the import options.
And there it was! Under livestock, or a similar category, you could actually import horses. They cost a fair bit of regional wealth, mind you. Not something you can just splurge on in the first year. So, I saved up. It took a while, selling off planks and leather, but eventually, I had enough to order my very first horse.
I placed the order, and then it was a waiting game for the trader to arrive with my precious cargo. The anticipation! When that horse finally showed up, it was a mini-celebration.
Putting Those Hooves to Work
Once the horse arrived, I went straight to my Pack Station. And sure enough, I could now assign the horse to it. The difference was like night and day! Suddenly, the worker at the Pack Station was zipping around, moving goods from my outlying production buildings to the central storehouse so much faster. It really helped to clear up bottlenecks.
- Goods moved from forestry to storehouse quicker.
- Food from farmhouses reached the granary faster.
- Materials got to construction sites with less delay.
Later on, I got a few more horses. I learned that you could also assign horses directly to your Trading Post. This made my traders travel much faster to off-map trade points, meaning more trades per year, and thus, more income. Super useful for boosting the economy.
I also built a proper Stable eventually. The Hitching Post felt a bit basic, and the Stable seemed like the more permanent solution if you planned on having several horses. It felt like it kept them healthier or something, though I’m not sure if there’s a direct mechanic for that, or if it just allows for more animals. It just felt right.
Things I Learned Along the Way
So, what did I pick up? Well, first off, horses are an investment. They cost regional wealth to buy, and that’s not always easy to come by early on. You need to plan for it.
Secondly, they are primarily for logistics and trade. Don’t expect to be riding them into battle yourself, at least not from what I’ve seen in my playthroughs focusing on building and economy. Their strength is in speeding up the movement of goods.
Make sure you have the infrastructure. A Pack Station is almost a must if you want to see that internal logistics boost. And a Trading Post benefits hugely if you want to use them for external trade.
I didn’t notice any direct food consumption for the horses, like needing oats in a trough, but I always made sure my general food supply was stable. Maybe it’s abstracted. Or maybe I just didn’t run into a shortage bad enough for it to become an issue. One less thing to micromanage, I suppose, which is fine by me.
So, Are They Worth It?
Absolutely. Once my economy could support it, getting those first few horses really felt like a turning point. Things just flowed better. My village felt more efficient, more alive. If you’re finding your supply chains are sluggish, take a look at investing in some horses. It takes a bit of figuring out, like many things in this game, but the payoff is definitely there.
That’s my two cents on horses in Manor Lords. Hope it helps someone out there who’s also scratching their head about how to get things moving a bit faster!