Path of Exile has introduced a new league mechanic in the patch 3.25, Settlers of Kalguur. If you’ve played resource management games before, the mechanics will be familiar. In this league mechanic, you’ll be managing the town of Kingsmarch — upgrading its structures, funding its upkeep, and hiring workers so that the town will flourish. In this article, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know to start managing Kingsmarch efficiently.
Accessing Kingsmarch
To gain access to Kingsmarch, you can talk to Johan, the King’s Hand when he appears in town during the campaign. After talking to Johan, you’ll have the option to teleport to Kingsmarch via waypoints.
Importance of Gold
Once you have gained access to Kingsmarch, your task is to manage the town’s resources, with Gold being the key currency. Gold is used to recruit workers, pay their wages, and for building and upgrading town structures. You’ll earn gold mostly by defeating enemies, making it a resource that is integrated into the core gameplay of mapping. Unlike traditional currencies like Chaos Orbs or Divine Orbs, Gold is a resource unique to Kingsmarch and is untradeable, making it so that you have to play the game to earn it.
Workers
Workers in Kingsmarch are the people you can hire through the Recruitment building. To begin recruiting workers, you may talk to Raulf, the Recruiter inside the main building. Hiring workers and rerolling the list of workers for hire will cost you a bit of gold. Workers come in different tiers, with high-tiered workers being a bit more expensive to pay per hour, while being more productive with their tasks. As you reroll the workers in the recruitment list, their tiers will also be rerolled. Upgrading Recruitment will help you roll higher-tiered workers, while also increasing the total amount of workers you can hire.
Structures in Kingsmarch
After gaining enough gold, you can start building and upgrading the different structures in Kingsmarch. You can explore the town to see all the structures that you can build, which you can then manage after establishing them.
Mining
The Mining structure allows workers to mine ores from nodes that you have marked while mapping. You can upgrade it so that the total number of workers that can work here increase, while also increasing their mining speed. Also, upgrading the Mine will allow your workers to mine different kinds of ore — Crimson, Orichalcum, Petrified Amber, Bismuth, and Verisium. For this structure, miners with a high tier will mine ores at a higher speed.
Farming
Farming plots enable your workers to grow and harvest crops — Wheat, Corn, Pumpkin, Orgourd, and Blue Zanthimum. These crops can be shipped to other continents via the Shipping structure. Higher-tiered farmers will produce more crops per hour, which means that you can send more crops for more rewards.
Smelting
Smelting is where the mined ores are converted into bars, which can either be shipped or be used for structural upgrades. You can manage this structure by interacting with the Smetling Information board. Higher-tiered smelters produce more bars per hour, allowing you to send out more bars for shipment.
Disenchanting
Disenchanting allows you to break down unwanted equipment into Thaumaturgic Dust, a material used for upgrading structures or increasing the value of shipments. The amount of dust produced is determined by the tier of the item’s affixes, with higher-tier items yielding more dust. This process takes time, so it’s important to plan accordingly. Disenchanters with a high Disenchanting level will break down equipment faster.
Mapping
The Mapping device in Kingsmarch functions similarly to the one in your hideout, but with a twist— your workers will run the maps for you. You can load your unused maps into the device, and your workers will complete them within a specified time, earning you items that you would typically find in maps. Workers with a higher mapping tier have a better chance of completing maps successfully and are less likely to die on the job. Your mappers can even loot Guardian fragments if they complete a Guardian map!
Your mappers may be taken hostage by Sasan, the Bandit Lord from time-to-time, with higher-tiered mappers being less likely to encounter this boss. Defeating Sasan will reward you with Runes, which can be used with the Runesmithing table.
Runesmithing
Runesmithing is similar to a crafting table, allowing you to apply enchantments to rare weapons. Instead of traditional currencies, this structure uses runes, which you can acquire through the Shipping structure. Upgrading Runesmithing unlocks additional enchantments, which we will cover in another article — there’s plenty of possible enchantments to be covered.
Shipping
Shipping is where you send your workers out to sea to export ores, bars, crops, and Thaumaturgic Dust. As you upgrade the Shipping structure, you can increase the number of ships at your disposal and the number of workers assigned to each ship. Higher-tier shipping workers have a better chance of completing their tasks successfully and are less likely to encounter severe outcomes.
Shipping is the primary method for converting the town’s productivity into rewards, such as currencies, equipment, and runes. The rewards depend on the materials you ship, and we’ll provide a more detailed guide on optimizing these shipments. Maximizing your shipping operations can lead to a steady passive income, making it a key element in your town management strategy.
Your shipment may be commandeered by pirates if the risk is too high. You’ll have the option to rescue them by defeating Admiral Valerius. This boss also drops Runes, similar to Sasan. After defeating Valerius, your crew members will be rescued, and the rewards for your shipment will have a 50% cut.
Conclusion
The Settlers of Kalguur mechanic is a passive currency generator in Path of Exile, if used properly. Gathering gold, hiring and managing workers, and strategically upgrading structures are crucial to ensuring the town’s success. Each aspect of Kingsmarch ties back to the Shipping mechanic of the town, which serves as the gateway to obtaining currencies in game.
Whether you’re a seasoned Path of Exile player or new to the game, utilizing this mechanic is a smart way of getting currency in the Settlers of Kalguur League. Even if you join the league late, you can quickly catch up by focusing on this mechanic or by purchasing PoE currency.