Mastering SteamWorld Build: Meeting the Demands of Citizens and Workers

Satisfy the Needs of Worker Units and Citizens in SteamWorld Build

In SteamWorld Build, satisfying citizen and worker needs is crucial for ensuring everyone is happy. This involves being mindful of the various goods and services your people demand. As you meet these demands, new tiers unlock, offering additional functions and materials. Our guide will help you understand how to meet the needs of citizens and workers in order to reach key milestones early in the game.

Table of Contents:

- How to Satisfy Worker Units and Citizen Needs in SteamWorld Build

- Service Buildings

Production buildings

How to check the needs of citizens

What are the needs of Workers?

What are the needs of Engineers?

How to satisfy the needs of worker units and citizens SteamWorld Build

Determining When to Upgrade to Higher Citizen Tiers

In SteamWorld Build, it's important to pay attention to the services and goods that impact each type of citizen tier in order to fulfill their needs. Once specific criteria are met, you can then proceed to upgrade to a higher tier.

Service buildings

In general, the buildings within the game can be categorized into two groups: services and production. Service buildings have the ability to operate independently once they have been constructed. It is important to ensure that they are connected by road and are in close proximity to the appropriate types of residential buildings that they are intended to serve.

For example, Worker residences should have a nearby General Store in order to fulfill their specific needs. You can click on a Service building to check if it affects all relevant types of housing.

In this image, it is evident that the General Store has an impact on almost all Worker Residential buildings, with the exception of one.

Production buildings

Production buildings need to meet certain requirements in order to function effectively, including being connected by road to a Warehouse to receive finished goods. They also require specific resources. A prime example is the Moonshiner building, which necessitates the following:

- Cactus Farm: Produces Cactus Water.

Sand Sifting Factory - Placed on a sandy area; collects Sand.

Glassblower - Turns Sand into Glass.

All of these buildings should be located in close proximity, with a Warehouse nearby. The Moonshiner building will process Cactus Water and Glass to produce Moonshine, meeting the needs of Engineers. Later, other buildings will require materials from the mines before they can produce finished goods. For more information, refer to our Workshops and Extractors guide.

To produce Moonshine for your Engineers, you will need multiple buildings and various materials.

How to check the needs of citizens

You can view the requirements of citizens in SteamWorld Build by selecting a specific type of residential complex. Here is a brief overview:

Initially, when a type of residence is constructed, you will only see a few needs and the maximum capacity of that building. For example, a Worker Residential complex may have a maximum occupancy of five Workers and a few needs, such as a General Store and Service Shop.

As you build more housing complexes and reach new goals, you will unlock new service and production buildings. This will create additional needs for different types of citizens, such as workers who want Cactus Water and Charcoal.

By meeting these needs, you will increase the maximum capacity of the building and therefore attract more citizens of that type. This will also increase the amount of money they generate.

Once you have achieved 100% satisfaction for a specific citizen type, you have the ability to upgrade them to a higher tier.

What are the needs of Workers?

Citizens will start to have more needs, but their residential buildings will also gain additional slots if you are able to satisfy these needs. These are the Worker Residential needs in SteamWorld Build:

Road connection to Train Station.

Service: General Store - Requires 200 Money.

Service: Service Shop - Requires 400 Money and 3 Boards.

Production: Cactus Farm - Requires 600 Money and 5 Boards.

Production: Charcoal - Must have a Forester and Charcoal Kiln.

What are the needs of Engineers?

These are the Engineer Residential needs in SteamWorld Build:

Road connection to Train Station.

Service: General Store - Requires 200 Money.

Service: Saloon - Requires 2,000 Money and 12 Boards.

Service: Surveyor Office - Requires 2,400 Money, 5 Tools, and 4 Boards.

Service: Wash Service Shop - Requires 7,000 Money, 8 Tools, 24 Boards, and 12 Sheet Metals.

Production: Charcoal - Must have a Forester and Charcoal Kiln.

Production: Moonshine - Must have Moonshiner, Cactus Farm, Sand Sifting Factory, and Glassblower.

Production: Spare Parts - Must have Spare Parts Maker, Scrap Extractor, and Ironium Extractor.

Production: Water - Must have Water Purifier and Dirty Water Extractor.

Production: Robo Burger - Must have Robo Meister, Cattle Farm, Ironium Extractor, Forester, and Charcoal Kiln.

Upgrading a residential building to a new tier is achieved by maximizing the satisfaction of a specific citizen tier.

When to upgrade to higher citizen tiers

In SteamWorld Build, it is essential to ensure the happiness and fulfillment of citizen needs, reaching a 100% satisfaction rating for a particular residential type. This accomplishment enables the upgrade of the building to a higher tier. This gameplay mechanic bears resemblance to other management sim games, such as Anno 1800. For example:

Workers to Engineers - Requires 300 Money, 3 Boards, and 3 Tools.

It is essential to carefully consider when to upgrade to a higher tier. It's important to be aware of potential disruptions to the functioning of factories or farms. Furthermore, it's important to remember that certain farms and factories still require a certain number of citizens of a specific type to continue operating. For example, if you upgrade all your Workers to Engineers, there will be no one left to work in the fields or harvest trees. Similarly, if you upgrade all Engineers to Aristobots, there will be no one left to operate the factories. It's also important to note that residential complexes cannot be downgraded, so constructing additional ones may be necessary to fill any gaps.

That concludes our guide on meeting the needs of citizens in SteamWorld Build. If you're looking to advance further in your playthrough, be sure to check out our guides on accessing underground mineshafts/doors and finding Old Tech/Rocket Parts.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z fan, I am excited about the release of SteamWorld Build. I have been a fan of the SteamWorld series for years, and I am eager to see what this new game has to offer. I am particularly interested in the new citizen and worker management mechanics. I think it will be fun to balance the needs of my citizens and workers in order to create a successful colony.

I also appreciate the fact that the game is set in a steampunk world. I love the unique aesthetic of steampunk, and I think it is a perfect fit for the SteamWorld series. I am confident that SteamWorld Build will be a great addition to the series, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.