Medieval Dynasty: Survival and Village-Building Guide

A guide to Render Cube's medieval life sim: your first year, survival needs, skills and technology, founding and running a village, farming and production chains, family and heirs, co-op on The Oxbow, and the new legendary animals.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Wild Game update (2.7.0.2, 22 September 2026), with hotfix 2.7.0.3 on the public branch (25 September 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

What's New (September 2026)

• Wild Game free update (2.7.0.2): Adds 15 legendary animals to hunt, each dropping a unique trophy you can display as a wall decoration.
• Hunting Set DLC: Two outfits and four hunting weapons (bow, spear, knife and crossbow) crafted from legendary-animal trophies. It unlocks on purchase, but you still have to hunt and craft the items.
• Exquisite Pack DLC owners received a free update alongside Wild Game.
• Patch 2.7.0.3 (public branch): Fixes a legendary spear recipe, stops vendors selling Easter Eggs, and returns legendary trophies to your inventory if you delete or change their decorations.
• The Backwood, a free DLC map with a Creative Mode, is planned for Q1/Q2 2027.

Quick Start

• Survival first, village second. Keep food, water, health and stamina in check before worrying about buildings.
• Tools wear out. Carry a spare axe or pickaxe on long trips. A broken tool in the middle of nowhere wastes a day.
• Your first build is a small house. It gives you a bed (save/sleep), storage access and a base.
• Build a well and storage early. Water and storage underpin everything.
• Do tasks for villagers. They give money, reputation and sometimes recipes.
• Dynasty Reputation is a key currency. Many buildings and actions cost reputation, and you earn it from quests, tasks and village growth.
• Prepare for winter. Stockpile food, firewood and warm clothes before the snow.
• Recruit villagers once you have housing. Each villager needs a house, food, water and firewood.
• Use technology points wisely. Doing activities earns tech points in that category, which unlock new buildings and items.

Maps and Modes

Map | Mode | Notes

The Valley | Solo | The original story map; you play Racimir, arriving in the region to start a new life

The Oxbow | Solo and Co-op | Added December 2023 on PC; up to 4 players, full character customization

The Backwood | Planned (2027) | Free DLC map with Creative Mode

The Oxbow is the map for co-op play and a fresh start with customizable characters. The Valley has the main story quests.

The Oxbow in brief

• Released on PC on 7 December 2023, alongside co-op.
• You start as an initially unnamed prisoner and outlaw who narrowly survives a bandit attack on a convoy camp, so the opening is harsher than The Valley's.
• In co-op, one player hosts; divide labor early (one gathers and builds, one hunts, one farms) so nobody's tools and stamina are spent on the same job.
• Everything in this guide about survival, skills, technology and villagers applies to both maps.

Scale of the game

Per the Steam page, you can build 25+ building types from shacks to stone houses, place 120+ furniture and decoration pieces, and craft 300+ items (weapons, tools, furniture and clothing). You will not need most of them in year one; focus on what keeps you and your villagers fed, warm and supplied.

Survival Basics

• Food: Eat regularly. Cooked food is better than raw. Diversity helps.
• Water: Drink from wells, lakes or carry water containers.
• Temperature: Winter demands warm clothes and fires. Summer heat is less dangerous but still matters.
• Health: Injuries from animals and falls. Rest and eat to recover.
• Stamina: Sprinting and heavy work drain it.

Threats: Wolves, boars and bears are dangerous early. Hunting with a bow from range is safer than melee.

Your First Year, Season by Season

A new game in The Valley starts in spring. Treat the first year as a race to be self-sufficient before winter.

Spring: settle in

• Pick a building site near water, forest and flat ground. Being close to an existing village helps with early trading and tasks.
• Gather sticks and stones; craft basic tools first (axe, pickaxe, knife, spear or bow).
• Build your first house as soon as you can. A bed means safe sleeping and saving.
• Take small tasks from nearby villagers for coins and reputation.
• Gather mushrooms, berries and herbs for food and early income.

Summer: build the base

• Add a well and storage, then start producing something you can sell (firewood and planks are dependable).
• Unlock your first production and farming buildings through technology points.
• Recruit your first villager once you have a spare house.
• Start hunting with a bow to build Hunting skill, meat and hides.

Autumn: stockpile

• Harvest everything you planted.
• Stockpile firewood for yourself and every villager.
• Buy or craft warm clothes.
• Store preserved or cooked food.

Winter: survive and plan

• Stay near home; the cold drains you quickly.
• Use the time to craft, manage villagers, and plan next year's layout.
• Pay attention to firewood and food consumption; if stocks run low, prioritize the essentials.

Season length is adjustable in the game settings. Longer seasons give you more breathing room on a first playthrough.

Skills

Your character has six skill trees. Using activities raises skill experience, which gives points to spend in that tree.

Skill | Improves

Extraction | Woodcutting, mining, gathering

Hunting | Bow accuracy, tracking, animal loot

Farming | Field work, animal husbandry

Diplomacy | Trade prices, persuading villagers

Survival | Food, water, temperature resistance

Crafting | Tool durability, crafting efficiency

Skill perks mostly smooth out repetitive work (for example, a tracker perk highlights animals in inspection mode), and most have up to three tiers.

Specialize in what you do most, then diversify.

Technology

Technology is separate from skills. Doing activities (yourself or through villagers working in the matching buildings) earns technology points in the main categories:

• Building: constructing buildings and logging.
• Survival: hunting, gathering and fishing. It unlocks hunting buildings, hunting equipment, campfires and traps.
• Farming: field work and livestock. It unlocks farming and animal husbandry buildings and related items.
• Production: crafting goods at workshops.

Spend tech points to unlock new buildings, stations and recipes. If a building you want is locked, check which category it sits in and do more of that activity (for example, chop trees and build to unlock more Building tech).

Building Your Village

Early building order

• Small house for yourself.
• Well for water.
• Storage to keep resources.
• Woodshed or similar production building.
• Houses for villagers.
• Barn, farm buildings as farming unlocks.

Villagers

• Villagers join once you have space, reputation and a good relationship with them.
• Each villager needs housing, food, water and firewood.
• Assign villagers to jobs (farming, hunting, crafting, gathering) in buildings.
• Villagers have skill levels; a skilled worker produces more.

Production chains

• Woodcutting: Logs to firewood and planks.
• Farming: Plow, plant, harvest, then process in a barn or workshop.
• Hunting: Meat, hides and bones; process into food and leather.
• Crafting: Tools, clothes, furniture.

Villagers can run these chains once you assign them. Your job shifts from doing everything yourself to managing.

Taxes

The village pays taxes based on its buildings. Keep coin aside for tax day, and don't overbuild before you can afford the upkeep.

Farming

• Plant seasonally. Crops have specific planting and harvest seasons. Check crop info before sowing.
• Plow and fertilize fields for better yields.
• Harvest before winter. Unharvested crops can be lost.
• Animal husbandry gives steady meat, eggs, wool and other products.

Legendary Animals (Wild Game update)

• 15 legendary animals are now roaming the world.
• Defeating one gives a unique trophy you can display as a wall decoration.
• The Hunting Set DLC lets you craft outfits and weapons from the trophies.
• Render Cube ran a Trophy Hunter Challenge (September 2026) for the first players to show three legendary trophies on display.

Tips for legendary hunts:

• Bring your best bow and plenty of arrows.
• Keep healing food and water.
• Use terrain; legendary animals are tougher than normal ones.

Family and Dynasty

• Build relationships with villagers through talking, gifts and tasks.
• Marry to start a family.
• Children grow up over time.
• If you have an heir, you can continue playing as them later, carrying on your dynasty.

Money and Trading

• Trade with merchants and villagers.
• Sell excess production (firewood, planks, food, clothing).
• Diplomacy skills improve prices.
• Keep a stable income to afford buildings, taxes and supplies.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring survival stats early.
• Overbuilding before you can afford taxes.
• Neglecting firewood before winter.
• Not assigning villagers to jobs.
• Letting tools break during important tasks.
• Planting crops out of season.
• Going on hunts without enough arrows and healing.

Advanced Tips

• Plan your village layout so production buildings are close to storage and houses.
• Keep villagers happy with good food and housing.
• Specialize villagers by skill for better output.
• Save before big hunts, especially legendary animals.
• Co-op on The Oxbow splits work: one player farms, one hunts, one builds.
• Adjust season length in settings if you want more time per season.

FAQ

Is Medieval Dynasty still being updated? Yes. The Wild Game update (2.7.0.2) arrived 22 September 2026, and The Backwood free DLC map is planned for Q1/Q2 2027.

Can I play co-op on The Valley? No. Co-op is on The Oxbow. The Valley is solo.

How many players can join co-op? Up to 4 players.

What are legendary animals? Fifteen special animals added in the Wild Game update. Each drops a unique trophy for decoration and Hunting Set DLC crafting.

Do I need the Hunting Set DLC to hunt legendary animals? No. The legendary animals and their trophies are in the free update. The DLC adds outfits and weapons crafted from them.

What's the difference between skills and technology? Skills (Extraction, Hunting, Farming, Diplomacy, Survival, Crafting) are personal perks for your character. Technology points unlock new buildings and recipes for the whole settlement, and villagers working in buildings also generate them.

How do I get Dynasty Reputation? Complete quests and tasks, grow your village, and improve your settlement.

Sources

• Medieval Dynasty on Steam
• Medieval Dynasty Steam news (Wild Game, Hunting Set, 2.7.0.3, The Backwood)
• Medieval Dynasty (Wikipedia)
• Medieval Dynasty: The Backwood on Steam
• Medieval Dynasty: Hunting Set on Steam