Norland Guide: Tips & Tricks to Play Better

One of the best and most surprisingly good games I’ve played recently is Norland (after taking a short break with Dustland Delivery). There are plenty of things to do, unique events that can happen and even more mechanics to have in mind when playing.

But it all might seem a bit too much at first, so I am here to help both beginners and more advanced players with some Norland tips and tricks that will help you play better and be more successful overall.

I’ll have more content published for Norland soon, so stay tuned! Until then, let’s check out my tips and strategies below!

Manage your resources & money

There are plenty of things that you should do and micromanage to have a solid economy in the game, but some things are easier (and can be done sooner).

For example, reducing the costs in the local market will let your people buy more luxury items. This increases their mood without harming the economy.

What you can do to boost it is to start crafting beer as soon as possible. Not only that this will make your villagers feel less tired, but they will also give you some of their money.

TIP: Make sure to stock up some Moonshine too. This comes in handy if there’s a beer shortage. Better be safe than sorry!

Also, remember the Wood is essential for your city. Try to keep around 180-200 wood on hand at all times. Iron is extremely important too, since it is also a depletable resource (like wood). I recommend to always have these two resources set to be delivered by the village, no matter what.

Finally, always trade with the Merchant. This is extremely important for making money (see one good method below), but also for gaining valuable knowledge and improving your resource production/management capabilities.

The “free money” exploit

Another great source for some fast in-game money in Norland are books. There’s basically a bit of an infinite money glitch that you can use right now. Here’s what to do:

• get your hand on a book (ideally, as many as possible – best way by attacking your neighbors and robbing their libraries).
• have a Lord read the book. Once it’s read, it can be sold to the Merchant. Rinse and repeat for (relatively) easy money.

PRO tip: However, the best part is that your Lords can now produce books themselves, after reading them. You will need 3 paper (easily and cheaply obtained from the Merchant). Start writing books, then sell them back to the Merchant and enjoy the extra profits!

Also read: Best PC City Building Games

Always hunt bandits

Destroying bandit camps is extremely lucrative and gives you all sorts of bonuses. Even though neighbors who dislike you will dislike you more when you defeat bandits, the loot you gain from them is usually worth the trouble.

Plus, you get the neighbors who already like you to like you more, and those prisoners you gain are extremely useful.

On the other hand, you can trade at bandit camps (but this lowers your reputation, so I recommend attacking them instead). From there, you can buy stolen rings, prisoners or recruit bandits as warriors. This costs money and destroys relationships with your best neighbors, so I recommend you to skip this.

Remember to pass over the knowledge of Lords

One of the most important things you should have in mind in Norland is the inheritance of knowledge mechanics. This allows a Lord to pass all his knowledge to other characters. If you don’t do this, all of that Lord’s knowledge is lost when they die.

Therefore, it’s essential to make sure that you not only divide the knowledge between your Lords, but also preserve it. Have your Lords write books and, and make sure that knowledge is always passed over. Remember: Lords become elderly at 50 normally, or 60 with longevity!

Related reading: Best City Building Games on Switch

Mind the Lord limit!

At the moment of writing this guide, you can only have a maximum of 6 Lords in Norland. This means that you have to pay attention to them and how you raise them.

The biggest mistake, in my opinion, is to recruit the free Lords when you can produce them instead and build them up as you wish.

Keeping your bloodline intact is essential (although difficult). However, choosing the Monogamy personality trait is extremely important for your lords. Even so, they can still produce bastard children, but at a lower rate.

Here’s a trick to get rid of bastards: As soon as they reach adulthood (18 in the game), send the child with just one soldier to attack a bandit camp. They will perish and all discord will be solved. For now.

Also, since I mentioned in the previous tip that you should have Lords pass over their knowledge, I recommend trying to keep the age gap between children at around 10 years (or even a bit more). If they’re very close in age, they will all become elderly at the same time.

In order to do this, you can save often and reload just as often before birth. You will get a different outcome each time, so plan your heirs accordingly. But keep in mind that, in the game, women won’t be able to have any more children after they turn 40.

And if you find this to be all too challenging and difficult, you can switch to playing one of the best farming games on PC instead.

Keep an eye on Lord-Wife Relationships

There are many things that can influence the relationship of your Lord and his wife, with various outcomes (one of the worst potential ones being them not willing/able to have children).

So always keep an eye on their interactions and consider managing them better to reduce the chances (or at least rates) of deteriorating relationships:

• Fanatics vs. Atheists will always have problems.
• The “Beautiful” trait will positively influence it (I always take it when I create my character), while Scars obtained in battle, as well as traits such as balding or not cute will negatively influence it.
• High level of Manners helps improve relationships.

Also, make sure that the Lord and his wife interact regularly to keep that fire burning. Managing the relationship will make everything a lot easier, especially when it comes to handling future Lords and passing over the knowledge.

All in all, if you like this kind of mechanic in video games, I recommend checking out the previous article sharing the Best RPGs with Romance and Relationship Options.

Use night time for plannig

Since night time is usually event-free in the game, use it for planning your next day. Plan your tasks for each Lord, to give you time to focus on the Bishop and the Children during the day.

But don’t micromanage them excessively, as this can have negative impacts over other areas of the game. Plan their tasks during the night and let them do their own thing afterward.

If you really want to make sure that they’re not idle/have more control, you can lock the camera on them for quick orders.

Also, a good idea is to assign your Lords to manage certain areas of the town. This makes them travel less (so don’t send them all over the town).

Handling Prophecies

While this will have a guide of its own, I want to touch on the subject a bit because Prophecies are really difficult in Norland. Especially since they’re not officially announced in the game (nor are you told when they end).

You can easily see that a Prophecy is about to happen if you look at the signs. For example, when migrants start coming in greater numbers to your city, and they have a sort of an addiction (although that’s not always the case), that’s one of the prophecies.

As soon as the prophecy begins, start arresting those migrants. You can also execute them, although it’s better to go with option #1 if possible. You want to do that despite the apparent bonus, because they will always result in long term disruptions in your town.

There are different prophecies in the game, each with their own set of challenges – but really difficult. They usually last for about 7 days, so focus mainly on countering their effects during that time, and use the next few days to rebuild.

---

This is all that I have for you right now in terms of tips and tricks for Norland. There are plenty of potential topics to cover and I will add to this guide as I play the game more and more ideas pop up.

Please share your own tips and tricks below for any of the game’s mechanics (or challenges). Also, let me know what you’d like me to cover in future articles about this game.