Manor House
residential
Footprint sizes in Manor Lordsvary by patch and (for burgage plots) by how you draw them in-game. Use the planner's drag-to-size tool to match what you see on your map — we don't hardcode any dimensions here.
Where to place the manor house
- •Place it on a defensible rise or near a chokepoint, since the retinue garrisons here and it doubles as a fallback strongpoint during raids.
- •Keep it reasonably close to your main road network so the retinue can mobilize quickly toward threatened areas of the settlement.
- •Avoid boxing it in tightly with burgage plots; you may later want to add walls, gatehouses, or palisade segments around it.
- •It needs flat enough ground for its footprint, so scout the terrain before committing rather than forcing it onto a slope.
- •Position it where it reinforces your town's identity as the center, but not so deep in the build area that you cannot later expand around it.
Strategy & timing
- •You can claim and run a region for a while before building it, but you need it (and a manor) to recruit the personal retinue used for early military pressure.
- •Build it once your economy can spare the resources, since stone and timber spent here is not producing food or goods.
- •Pair its construction with your defensive plan so the garrison position lines up with where enemies actually approach.
Common mistakes
- ×Treating it as purely decorative and placing it in a corner where its garrison role is useless during an attack.
- ×Building it before the basic food and fuel economy is stable, stalling the rest of the town.
- ×Cramming burgage plots right up against it and leaving no room for later fortifications.
Related buildings
Frequently asked
Do I need a Manor House to recruit soldiers?
You need it to raise your personal retinue, which is your lord's standing bodyguard. Your militia levies are raised separately from burgage plots, so you can field some troops without it, but the retinue specifically depends on the manor.
Can I move the Manor House later?
It is far better to plan its location upfront. Repositioning means demolishing and rebuilding, which wastes resources, so scout the terrain and your defensive needs before placing it.
Does the Manor House need to be in the town center?
No. Many players place it on higher or more defensible ground rather than dead center, since its garrison and authority roles matter more than visual centrality.