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Timberborn Wiki

Wiki: Guide to Core Systems, Water, Buildings & Mods

Timberborn is a single-player city-builder about post-human beaver civilizations managing water, resources, and infrastructure to survive droughts and Badwater. This reference page summarizes core systems, factions, maps, building classifications, mods and tooling, and other essentials players need to plan and run a colony.

Core concept and why it matters

Timberborn’s gameplay centers on water management, layered construction, and faction-specific technologies. Understanding maps, building classes, needs/well‑being, and the modding ecosystem lets you plan efficient settlements, survive drought cycles and Badtide events, and extend the game with community content.

Factions

  • Folktails: nature‑oriented faction. Windmills are their primary power source; many buildings are wooden/light colored. Folktails typically have organic water and irrigation options and early-game friendly tooling for beginners.
  • Iron Teeth: industrial faction. Engines (fuel-powered) provide power; they have metal buildings and alternate transport mechanics (e.g., Tubeways). Each faction has unique housing and production variants; some buildings are faction‑exclusive.

Both factions share many common buildings (District Center, Construction Hut, Hauling Post, basic farms, Dams, Tanks, Warehouses, etc.). Choose a faction based on playstyle: Folktails for wind-powered, nature-focused designs; Iron Teeth for high power output and industrial approaches.

Maps and world scale

  • Official maps come in several sizes and biomes (Plains, Beaverome, Canyon, Mountain Range, Waterfalls, Thousand Islands, Helix Mountain, Lakes, Terraces, Craters, Diorama, etc.). Each map includes a set number of water sources, underground ruins, and terrain features that affect strategy.
  • Map sizes commonly used: 128x128, 192x192, 196x196, 256x256 and smaller diorama maps (example sizes shown in the Map selection). Map choice influences starting water availability and building space—larger maps give more space for ambitious, stacked builds.
  • The Map Editor supports saving custom maps to platform-dependent user folders (e.g., Windows: C:\Users<User>\Documents\Timberborn\Maps). Map Editor toolbars and save/load dialogs allow naming and managing custom maps.

Water and environment systems

  • Water is the central resource: buildings may require "deep water" to operate (status icon shows "Building needs water"). Dams, pumps, tanks, irrigation systems and flood control are essential to survive droughts and Badtide (Badwater).
  • Badwater: toxic underground sources that surface and expand during Badtide. It contaminates nearby water and terrain; you need barriers, Badwater caps, extractors, and decontamination strategies to protect beavers and crops.
  • Weather and drought are managed by game services (DayNightCycle, WeatherService, DroughtService). Droughts and Badtide durations are part of the game cycle and affect resource planning.

Building classifications and stacking

  • There are 14 building classifications (paths & structures, housing, food, water, power, wood/forestry, metal, science, labor/logistics, storage, well‑being/leisure, decorations, monuments, landscaping/terrain editing).
  • Many buildings are "solid"—other buildings can be placed on top of them—and the game supports stacked construction up to many layers (buildings can be stacked very high for dense vertical colonies).
  • Buildings can be ground‑only or placeable on other solids; some features and updates changed placement rules over time (e.g., Dams and Terrain Blocks changes across updates).

Housing, population, and well‑being

  • Population Well-being is tracked at individual, district, and global levels. District Well-being can be viewed in the District UI (upper-left).
  • Needs determine beaver behavior and productivity. When core needs (water, food, rest, hygiene, knowledge, social, etc.) are unmet they reduce condition—severe deficits impose large penalties (reduced movement, refusal to work, etc.). Boosts and social buildings improve well‑being.
  • Housing types vary by faction; some high-density options are faction-dependent (Triple Lodge, Large Rowhouse, etc.). Choose housing to balance capacity and district condition.

Logistics, transport and worker roles

  • Hauling posts, ziplines (Folktails), Tubeways and vertical tubeways (Iron Teeth) provide transport options. Each transport system has unique properties: ziplines carry beavers across open gaps and high terrain; Tubeways allow underground routing; conveyors and platforms provide structural traversal.
  • Builders, haulers, and other worker roles are governed by district flags and building assignments. Construction requires a Construction Hut; without it you can’t place new buildings.

Power and production

  • Power options: Windmills (Folktails) rely on WindService and are fuel-free but variable; Engines (Iron Teeth) provide high, reliable output but need fuel (wood).
  • Key production chains include forestry and lumber mills, industrial lumber mills (introduced and changed over updates), metal smelting and mining buildings, food production (farms, gristmills, food factories), and advanced manufacturing (paper mill, printing press, fermenters, grease factories, etc.).
  • Science points are an abstract resource earned through research buildings (Observatory, Numbercruncher variants, etc.) and used to unlock new technologies.

Storage and resource handling

  • Multiple storage building sizes: small piles and warehouses, tanks for fluids, and large ground-only piles for bulk storage. Warehouses exist in tiers offering different capacities (e.g., 30, 200, 1200).
  • Tanks hold water and other liquids in increasing capacities and sizes. Properly placed storage and routing reduce hauling inefficiencies and prevent bottlenecks.

Special systems and monuments

  • Monuments, decor and well‑being buildings (Motivatorium, Temples, Shrines/Contemplation Spots) improve social or district condition.
  • Badwater-specific buildings include extraction, contamination barriers, Badwater Domes and decontamination pods introduced in later updates.

Modding and community content

  • Timberborn 1.0 introduced an official modding pipeline and SDK. Code mods are written in C# using Unity-related tooling, BepInEx (BepInExPack Timberborn recommended), and the Timberborn modding SDK. The SDK contains templates, examples and API docs.
  • Mods are distributed via Steam Workshop (Steam players), mod.io (official cross-platform hub integrated in the client), Thunderstore (popular for BepInEx), and Nexus Mods. Many QoL and content mods exist (smart power, extended reach, planting overrides, camera tools).
  • Installation: for BepInExPack, extract into the game folder, run Timberborn to finish installation and verify the BepInEx console window. Enable and manage mods from the in-game Mod menu or platform-specific subscription (Steam Workshop).
  • Recommended practice: play through the vanilla game before adding content mods; begin with QoL mods first (BeaverBuddy, Water Overlay Enhanced) if you want convenience without changing core mechanics.

UI, saves and map tools

  • Classic menus include Launch Screen, Load Game (manage save files), Save Map and Map Editor. Save timestamps use ISO 8601 formatting.
  • The Map Editor lets you place terrain, water sources, ruins and export custom maps. Saved custom maps appear in platform-dependent user folders.

Media, soundtrack and community

  • Official Timberborn soundtrack composed by Zofia Domaradzka is available on streaming platforms and stores.
  • Official community channels: Mechanistry forums (feature requests and bug reports), Timberborn Discord for general discussion and modding help.

Tips and practical rules of thumb

  • Prioritize a Construction Hut and Hauling Post early to avoid building stalls.
  • Secure reliable water storage (tanks) and build redundancy for droughts/Badtide.
  • Stack buildings where possible to save space and defend against floods; consider vertical layout early.
  • Match housing capacity to workforce demands and spread recreational/knowledge buildings across districts to keep well‑being high.
  • Use faction strengths: Folktails—windmills & irrigation; Iron Teeth—engines & industrial throughput.
  • Use the mod ecosystem to add QoL features, but ensure compatibility and backups for saves.

This page condenses core facts about Timberborn’s systems, maps, buildings, factions and modding. Use it as a quick reference while planning colony layouts, researching technologies, and integrating community mods.