«You could, for example, attempt to monopolise Iron Slabs by hiring all Merchants on routes that export them.»
Medieval city-builder Manor Lords had a quiet 2025, as its developer adjusted to the game’s enormous success following its release into Steam early access in 2024. Things picked up speed toward the end of the year, however, with a major patch arriving in December that introduced a rework to core systems and an overhaul to castle construction.
It seems Slavic Magic and publisher Hooded Horse are keen to maintain that momentum in 2026. In a Steam update, Hooded Horse’s CEO Tim Bender provided a detailed rundown of what’s coming to the management sim this year.
The most immediate planned change is a new upgrade level for the Burgage Plot—Manor Lords’ basic homestead that can be expanded and tailored to a variety of uses. Burgage plots currently have three upgrade levels, but Slavic Magic is adding a new level, which exists between 2 and 3. «Its goal is to more smoothly bridge the gap between early and late-game housing», Bender explains.
Alongside this, Slavic Magic is also considering shifting certain workshop progressions to later in the game, tying baker extensions to level 3 Burgage Plots to encourage use of the early-game communal oven, and also doing the same with cobbler extensions.
