Timberborn News

Hello everyone!

It’s finally time to unveil that big (and futuristic) thing coming to Timberborn in the next patch. In Update 2, we will add a new category of advanced beaver dwellers, collectively called golems. These artificial beavers are mechanically unique for each faction, they use new buildings, and change how Timberborn is played, especially closer to the endgame. Dive in to learn more!


Golems are mechanized beavers that perform most duties of regular beavers. They’re very efficient and don’t worry about mundane things such as food or sleep. On the other hand, they need to be assembled, powered and maintained in special buildings. Golems of each faction have unique strengths and life cycles, and if not cared for, they pose a danger to their masters.

• Golems made by Folktails are called Barrelbots. They run on biofuel, a new resource created from spare food. They cook, plant and harvest crops at higher rates, and they move faster when wet. After reaching their lifespan, they start rotting and spilling toxic waste (*). You will need to dispose of (and recycle) the old golems fast. And yes, you’ll get some materials back.
  

Concept arts for Folktails' golems

• The Iron Teeth counterpart is a Coghead. It’s a clockwork contraption that works faster when placed in a factory but you should avoid exposing its metal body to water. To keep it operating efficiently, you also need to create a grid of Control Towers. Properly maintained, Cogheads work indefinitely, but neglected, they may break down and explode violently (*).
  

Concept arts for the Iron Teeth's golems

(*) We are still working on the end-of-life mechanics, and they're subject to change. We'll need your feedback on what works best here when the update hits the Experimental Branch.


We’ve heard your requests for a more engaging and branching endgame. Golems and related buildings are just that. We expect them to come into play in mid to late game. With their superior performance, golems are invaluable in the largest cities and during the harshest of droughts.

At the same time, they make Timberborn more sandbox-y. Want to build a dedicated district that specializes in metal production? Send your golem crews to the mines and see the production skyrocket. Do you feel like building a beaver utopia with maxed out well-being numbers? Let the golems do the hard work 24/7 while their beaver overlords just chill in the mud bath.

Concept arts for (left to right): Maintenance Station, Disposal Facility, Golem Factory

We’ve had a rough idea for golems for a long time now but their current form was shaped after the Update 1 release in December. In the end, golems turned out to be a larger feature than originally anticipated but it was made possible by gradually expanding our team. For context, while we shipped Update 1 as a team of six, Mechanistry is now a team of twelve.

A larger team means we could try many different concepts for this feature. We brainstormed and scrapped multiple ideas for golem-related features, such as the Tree-D Printer that would manufacture all types of resources (too OP), a farm where Barrelbot parts grew in garden-like vats (too elvish), or the mechanic with golem buildings draining the surrounding areas (too easy to avoid). What we have gone forward with feels much more coherent and fits the gameplay.

An early prototype for Folktails' Chassis Farm, later replaced with a Golem Parts Factory


You’ll learn more about the new buildings and golem mechanics when Update 2 comes to the experimental branch, but here’s a quick rundown of what to expect.

The main building additions are related to the golems’ life cycles.

• To assemble a golem, you need Limbs, a Chassis and a Head. All parts are made in a Golem Part Factory (using different recipes) and turn into a golem in a Golem Factory.

Golem Factory and Golem Parts Factories for the Iron Teeth

• You will need to take care of the power for your golem. Barrelbots are refuelled at Biofuel Tanks, smelling of a new resource produced from spare food at the Biofuel Refinery. Cogheads need to be wound up in Charging Stations.

Biofuel Refineries and a Biofuel Tank

• Barrelbots have a finite lifespan, and you need to recycle the worn-down ones at the Disposal Facility before they poison your beavers. And to prevent Cogheads from blowing up, ensure they can visit the Maintenance Station every now and then.

Disposal Facilities at work. Look how happy the Barrelbots are to be recycled!

Golems allowed us to add multiple new Science Point sinks to Timberborn. You need to unlock the new buildings (duh) but also only select workplaces are available to golems right away. Assignment slots in other buildings need to be unlocked first. Also, Control Towers – the buildings that allow Cogheads in range to operate quickly and efficiently – constantly consume the SP.

As soon as a Coghead enters the range of a Control Tower, its efficiency gets a huge boost

Golems themselves cannot work at the Inventor and the Observatory, which makes sense lore-wise. We’re giving each faction a new, golem-friendly way of generating the SP, though.


We have mentioned that rotting Barrelbots spill toxic waste, making beavers sick. That’s yet another big thing coming with Update 2. We’re reworking some of the existing needs and expanding our system to include more temporary effects as well as ways to interact with them.

Multiple new beaver statuses are coming, and since Timberborn is a post-apo game, guess what, most of them are negative! For example, lumberjacks will break their teeth, bees from beehives will sting, and during a drought, overheating will become a real risk. Yay!

Broken teeth? Nothing a bit of grinding wouldn't solve!

Of course, there will be countermeasures to that… but if you think you can handle these new hurdles easily, think again. We’re also changing how basic needs (food, water, shelter, sleep) work. They will now hit negative values. No longer can you keep your workers hungry for extended periods of time and then magically fix that by tossing them a few leftover carrots.

The basic needs rework will go live on the experimental branch alongside the golem content. Additional statuses and related buildings will be added a little later.


As always, we don't want to give any dates until we're sure the new stuff works but Update 2 is coming to the experimental branch soon. No, really, you’ve waited long enough. In the meantime, feel free to ask your questions on our Discord.

~Team Timberborn

Hello, Timberborn community!

We want to tell you that you’re awesome. Thanks to the sales of Timberborn and Timberborn OST at the Earth Appreciation sale, we’ve just donated $29.724,28 to save foxes, raccoon dogs, and other animals in need taken care of by the Viva! Foundation in Poland. Thank you!

It’s a perfect moment to announce a very special community project. See, we know that our players enjoy listening to the Timberborn soundtrack composed by Zofia Domaradzka. They also record the game-related songs on their own. So… why not both?!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Watch the video above and join us in recording “The Shores of Beaver Bay” - a beaver version of a 19th-century sea shanty! The music was arranged by Zofia Domaradzka, we have the community members on the verses, and we’re inviting you to join the chorus. Some of the devs will be there, too!

The deadline for submissions is May 13, 2022. For other key information as well as the early mix of the song feat. our player DerHouy, please watch the video above. There's also a FAQ section below.

We hope you'll join us and we'll make "The Shores of Beaver Bay" the summer hit 2022 deserves!
~Team Timberborn

No, we're not adding warships to the game but hey, it's a sea shanty!



What is this about?
We’re recording a Timberborn-themed rendition of “The Shores of Botany Bay”, a traditional Irish shanty from the 19th century.

Is this official? Who’s doing that?
Yes. The music was arranged by Zofia Domaradzka. The song features guitar and mandolin performance by Krzysiek Łochowicz and violin performance by Magdalena Szczebiot - Murawska. The lyrics and main vocals are provided by community members Synthron and DerHouy, and the chorus is open to everyone. Some of the Timberborn devs will also join the chorus (yikes!).

What do I need to do?
Watch the video above. After Miami finishes his part, DerHouy takes over to help you with singing. Put on the headphones, get yourself comfortable, prepare your mic and recording software, and sing along! If you record that on the video, it will help us make a cool video for the final montage.

What are the lyrics?
Here are the lyrics for the chorus (they’re also in the video description and in the video itself).

Good morning little beavers, good morning happy life,
Let’s build a big and mighty dam before the drought arrives!
With plenty trees for chopping, we'll block the water's way
in the riverbed, keeping this land wet, living here in Beaver Bay!

What if I can't sing this?
You can! The more participants we have, the more harmonical the song gets, with the voices blending into one big, impressive chorus. Do not worry about your pitch, tone or perfect pronunciation. It’s about us all coming together to have fun!

How and when do I send my contribution?
We have a submission form for that. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 13, 2022.

Please note that:

• there's some selection process - we're not going to be very restrictive but if a recording has a very bad sound quality or we get too many submissions to handle, it may be rejected
  
• if selected, you will be asked to digitally sign a copyright transfer contract with us - if you fail to do that, we legally can't use your contribution.

What’s the deal with that copyright transfer contract? How do I sign this?
If your entry is selected, we'll e-mail you to ask for details to be used in the contract (real name, address, and ID number). You'll then receive a contract to sign via DocuSign. If you haven't signed anything via DocuSign before, they will need to verify your identity in a video call first. This requires downloading a mobile app.

Here is the contract that we’ll need to sign with you if you want to review that in advance. We're sorry for all the hassle but Polish copyright laws oblige us to sign a contract.

How do you want to use the song after the final mix?
We’ll put together a final montage with a video to unveil that at a special occasion. And who knows, perhaps it will not be the last you hear of that song.

I have another question.
Feel free to ask that on our Discord!

Hello everyone!

The experimental Timberborn update has just been pushed to the main branch. Before we dive into the full patch notes, let’s talk about what’s going to happen a bit later today.


World’s Earth Day is just two days away and today at 7 PM CEST (10 AM PT), a very special Steam sale event begins. Earth Appreciation Festival is a collection of 100 released and upcoming games that showcase the beauty of nature and our home planet, or warn us all about what can happen due to climate change, lack of sustainability, conflicts, and other perils. We'll add the link once the sale is live.

This event has been organized by us so it won’t surprise you that Timberborn and its OST are present with a 20% discount. What’s important is we’ll donate 15% of all our revenue during the sale to Viva!, a trustworthy animal welfare organization from Poland (KRS number 0000135274).



One of the initiatives we’ll support this way will be an expansion of a fox asylum located in Korabiewice, Poland, where foxes and raccoon dogs saved from fur farms find peace and security. Beavers building a shelter for foxes - how cool is that! :3

To celebrate, our game designer Jon has recorded a special Earth Day-themed Timberborn challenge. Can they turn the entire map green again? Find out on our YouTube channel at 7 PM CEST (10 AM PT)!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And if you’d rather watch some hot live action, watch the mighty Sean “Day9” Plott take on Timberborn on Twitch today at 10 PM CEST (1 PM PT)!


Alright, onto the meaty part. The experimental update has gone through several iterations and has now been deployed to the main branch of the game. As a reminder: this is not Update 2. Our major futuristic patch is still in the works and we hope to start unwrapping things soon-ish.

[h2]New day/night visuals[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We’ve made a series of tweaks to the lighting to diversify how the game looks depending on the time of day, whether the drought is in progress, and so on. To get an idea of what to expect, watch the video above but please note that it was recorded before several tweaks to the fog etc.

• Added dawn and dusk to the day/night cycle, each with unique lighting effects.
  
• Adjusted the lighting’s colors and intensity across the day.
  
• Added variable length to in-game shadows – it changes depending on the time of day.
  
• Added unique fog effects to droughts and temperate seasons, most visible during dusk and dawn.
  
• Added a new skybox that gradually transitions between day and night.
  

[h2]Settlement panel and job priorities[/h2]

Per popular request, we’ve added a panel that lists all beavers and buildings in one place (in six tabs). This allows you to control the colony, and that includes setting the newly added job priorities! You can browse global or, which probably makes more sense, district-based lists.

• Added job prioritization. Similarly to building prioritization, there are five priority levels, which affect where your beavers go to work first.
  
• Added population panel to the game. It contains data split into six tabs: Characters, Housing, Workplaces, Storage, Power, Attractions.
  
• The population panel is accessed with a new button in the upper left corner or with a hotkey (“G”). While the panel is open, the game is paused.
  
• Using the panel you can pause buildings, change their recipes, mark the building as a priority for the haulers etc. Most importantly, you can pick a job priority for the building.
  
• Clicking an object on the list shows its location in the game. Each tab contains information about currently active status effects such as “Building paused”.
  
• The panel also displays data such as workplace productivity and how attractive your colony’s attractions actually are.
  
• The upper left panel now contains only key information such as population count.
  
• As part of panel-related changes, we added clickable district indicators in individual building and beaver panels.
  

[h2]New map: Beaverome (192x192)[/h2]

Beaverome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be your settlement here. This brand new map challenges you to follow the steps of the beaver pioneers who transformed seven water-filled craters into the heart of the modern beaver civilization.

• Beaverome (192x192) is now a part of the built-in map roster.
  
• With this map, we’re trying a more challenge-like approach. The available areas are narrow and the slopes steep, and it’s not that easy to find a strong water current – but hey, at least there’s enough to drink for everyone, right?
  

[h2]New(-ish) map: Helix Mountain (256x256)[/h2]

The map co-created with the community and used in our city-building contest turned out to be so popular we wanted it permanently in the game! To ensure smooth gameplay, however, we made a series of changes to the map, including moving the mountain.

• Helix Mountain (256x256) is now a part of the built-in map roster.
  
• The map underwent significant changes, including moving the mountain closer to the map’s center. The mountain is also larger, which makes creating your settlements a bit harder, as the water takes longer to flow down.
  

[h2]New decorations[/h2]

We have added two new faction-specific decorations.

• New building: Wind Gauge (Folktails) helps you measure wind speed.
  
• New building: Bell (Iron Teeth) signals the start and end of the workday.
  

[h2]Balance changes[/h2]
We have realized that the number of gears needed to grow your colony is too dam high.

• Wood Workshop: Gears cost reduced from 50 to 40.
  
• Mud Bath: Gears cost reduced from 50 to 40.
  
• Mine: Gears cost reduced from 500 to 350.
  
• Efficient Mine: Gears cost reduced from 600 to 450.
  

[h2]First-time language prompt[/h2]
After you launch the game for the first time after the update, you will be prompted to pick your preferred language. As a reminder, Timberborn is now available in 12 languages: English, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

[h2]Model updates[/h2]

• All models in the game have had their models updated to reduce the number of polygons and improve the game’s performance.
  
• Updated all flag models with cute little lamps. We’re doing the below just for consistency’s sake. Totally.
  

[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• Windmill, Large Windmill: Shafts can be connected from any side now.
  
• Added missing flavor texts to buildings and resources.
  
• Resources have received updated panels to better communicate what, when, and how they yield.
  
• Many panels are now available during the construction stage. Most importantly, the warehouse inventory panel – you can micro your warehouses right after placing them!
  
• Builders now use the Working Speed bonus to put up constructions faster.
  
• Added the names of new team members to in-game credits.
  
• You can now hear them… those little, jumping, green frogs.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Beehives no longer work underwater.
  
• Crops affected by the Beehive are now correctly highlighted.
  
• Fixed the torches not lighting up in the Temple.
  
• Fixed a bug with water becoming too bright at the deepest levels.
  
• Underwater buildings and plants are now correctly highlighted when selected.
  
• Fixed the collider in Mechanical Water Pump.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed building a Mine in the middle of two adjacent Underground Ruins.
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented beavers from using books directly from the Printing Press.
  
• Fixed a bug with stock counts in the district distribution panel calculated differently than in the top panel.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed Farmers, Gatherers, Lumberjacks and Tappers to pick up goods not belonging to their workplace.
  
• Fixed a visual bug where Smelter’s worker would not sit in the door when there was nothing to do.
  
• Fixed the camera switching places when the game was paused or unpaused with a beaver selected inside the building. Uh-oh.
  
• Fixed a bug where moving a cursor slooowly over buttons broke their highlighting and the ability to click them.
  
• Fixed a bug with attractions not accounting for Power Efficiency.
  
• Fixed a bug with hot single beavers in your area not pairing with each other in Lodges.
  
• Fixed a bug forcing children to grow up only in the morning.
  
• Fixed a bug with water not being hidden after selecting a construction site.
  
• Fixed a crash when trying to connect two districts.
  

[h2]New decorations[/h2]
Surprise! We have added two new faction-specific decorations.

• New building: Wind Gauge (Folktails) helps you measure wind speed.
  
• New building: Bell (Iron Teeth) signals the start and end of the workday.
  

[h2]Irrigation changes[/h2]
Having reviewed the player feedback, we realized that the experimental irrigation changes, while helpful, created a different set of issues. We’re working on another iteration of the fix but for now, we’ve reverted the irrigation mechanics to the pre-Experimental state.

• Reverted changes to irrigation mechanics.
  
• Reverted changes to Irrigation Tower. One Tile, One Dump is back on the menu, boys.
  

[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• Builders now use the Working Speed bonus to put up constructions faster.
  
• Added the names of new team members to in-game credits.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Fixed the mismatched Harvesting and Planting icons.