Settlers IV: economy basics in 5 steps
How to set up wood, stone and food so your settlement grows on its own. Handy when you hand control to the bot, too.
In The Settlers IV the economy decides who wins. This guide shows a good order for building your settlement and helps you understand what Settlers IV Bot does.
1. Wood comes first
Start with two woodcutter's huts, a forester and a sawmill. Without planks you can't build anything else, so this chain has to work from the first minute.
2. Stone and room to grow
A stonecutter next to the rocks and one guard tower to push your borders. Don't overdo towers early on, they eat materials.
3. Food for the mines
A fisherman, a hunter and a grain farm, a mill and a bakery. Mines without food stand still.
4. Mines and smelters
Coal and iron, then a smelter and a toolsmith. Tools mean more settlers at work.
5. Watch your warehouses
When one good piles up while another is always missing, you have a bottleneck. The bot checks this every few seconds and builds the missing link.
Tip: you can change the bot's expansion plan in the launcher at any time during a game.