NPC Mood System
5 mood states affecting tribesperson productivity, output, and combat effectiveness
Mood represents the happiness and morale of each tribesperson in your settlement. It directly scales their work speed, crafting output, harvest yield, and combat power.
Mood is influenced by food quality, rest conditions, entertainment, settlement cleanliness, and the presence of your tribe leader. Each tribesperson has an independent mood value (0–100) that decays over time without active maintenance. Managing mood for key workers — crafters, fighters, harvesters — is essential at all stages of the game.
Mood States
Severely Depressed
The tribesperson is deeply miserable. Severe penalties apply to all output and combat performance. Immediate intervention is critical.
- Work speed −40%
- Crafting output −30%
- Harvest yield −30%
- Combat damage −30%
- May refuse to work entirely
- Extended hunger or thirst
- No rest area or sleeping space
- Overcrowded or filthy settlement
- Extended time without entertainment
- Witnessing tribesperson deaths nearby
- Feed immediately with high-quality food
- Ensure a bed or sleeping area is available
- Add entertainment structures
- Reduce settlement crowding
- Assign a caretaker tribesperson
Depressed
The tribesperson is unhappy and their productivity is noticeably reduced. Mood needs to be improved before penalties worsen.
- Work speed −20%
- Crafting output −15%
- Harvest yield −15%
- Combat damage −15%
- Low food quality or infrequent meals
- Sleeping on the ground (no bed)
- Lack of tribal entertainment
- Poor settlement conditions
- Improve food quality (cooked meals over raw)
- Build and assign beds
- Build a bonfire or tribal drum for morale
- Ensure regular meals via food storage
Neutral
The tribesperson is content but not motivated. Basic needs are met and performance is at its baseline rate.
- Work speed 100% (baseline)
- Crafting output 100%
- Harvest yield 100%
- Combat performance standard
- Basic needs met: food, sleep, safety
- No active bonuses or penalties
- Upgrade food to boost to Content
- Add entertainment to push toward Very Happy
- Ensure tribe is safe and well-staffed
Content
The tribesperson is happy and working efficiently. A good target state for most tribe members.
- Work speed +15%
- Crafting output +10%
- Harvest yield +15%
- Combat damage +10%
- Regularly eating quality cooked food
- Has a bed assigned
- Access to basic entertainment (bonfire, drum)
- Settlement is safe and not overcrowded
- Maintain meal schedule
- Add more entertainment options
- Further upgrade food to push to Very Happy
Very Happy
The tribesperson is thriving. Maximum productivity bonuses apply. This is the ideal state for all tribe members and especially important for crafters and fighters.
- Work speed +30%
- Crafting output +25%
- Harvest yield +25%
- Combat damage +20%
- May generate bonus output on crafts
- High-quality meals (cooked dishes, rare ingredients)
- Comfortable sleeping area
- Active entertainment (tribal bonfire, music, dance)
- Nearby tribe leader with high Charisma
- Settlement clean, spacious, and well-defended
- This is the goal — maintain conditions
- Keep food storage stocked with cooked meals
- Build advanced entertainment structures as they unlock
Food Quality & Mood Gain
| Food | Quality | Mood Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Meat | Very Low | +2 |
| Roasted Meat | Low | +5 |
| Cooked Stew | Medium | +12 |
| Spiced Dish | High | +18 |
| Feast Dish | Very High | +25 |
| Tribal Feast | Exceptional | +35 |
Settlement & Environmental Bonuses
Mood Management Tips
- →Mood decays passively — even a Very Happy tribesperson will drop over time without regular food and entertainment upkeep.
- →Prioritise keeping your top crafters and fighters at Content or Very Happy — the productivity bonuses dramatically accelerate progression.
- →Severely Depressed tribespeople can stop working entirely, which can halt crafting chains or leave the settlement undefended.
- →The tribe leader's Charisma stat provides a passive mood bonus to all nearby tribespeople — invest in Charisma early.
- →Upgrading from raw to cooked food is the single most impactful early improvement to tribe-wide mood.
- →Beds must be assigned — unassigned tribespeople sleeping on the ground will not gain rest mood bonuses.