Today, Slavic Magic and Hooded Horse detailed the significant changes that are coming to burgage plots and an experimental trade rework in the upcoming Manor Lords patch, which is set to help smoother progression and more strategic economic competition.
This Manor Lords update will add a new tier of housing to bridge the gap between early and late game, along with adjusted upgrade requirements. This includes a new burgage plot level (Level 2.5), which will sit between Level 2 and Level 3 housing, as well as changes to the Burgage Plot Expansion upgrade, which will add a single extra living space to improve consistent scaling.
For more convenient upgrade purposes, the Small Stone Church is no longer a requirement to reach Level 3, though building it will still result in a significant Influence bonus. The baker and cobbler extensions can now also be moved to Level 3 burgage plots, letting you use the communal oven feature earlier and helping with late-game progression for shoes.
The experiment trade rework system that is coming to Manor Lords is set to add more depth, introduce less predictability, and enable economic competition against rival lords. Merchants will now be the backbone of trade, with Foreign trade relying on hired merchants rather than assigned families acting as traders.
Trade routes will also be tied to specific external cities, with each route importing and exporting a limited set of goods at variable prices and tariffs, while supporting a limited number of merchants (three maximum). Rival lords can even buy out a merchant on a profitable route, increasing the hire fee and adding a cooldown, making popular routes competitive economic territory.
Manor Lords has been a considerable success since its launch in 2024, crossing a couple of impressive thresholds: a million copies sold just 48 hours after its early access release, and a second million just three weeks later. Momentum has continued to build since then, as the medieval city-builder crossed the 3 million sold mark back in February 2025.
Manor Lords is currently available in early access for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store for $39.99.
