SteamWorld Build Best City Layout Tips

SteamWorld Build is, after all, a strategy game, so it’s important to make sure you have an efficient layout for your citizens. Initially, the planning things doesn’t seem too daunting. However, as you get further into the game, it can get cramped pretty easily! Here’s the best city layout.

How to Plan the Best SteamWorld Build City Layout and Design

Before we start, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind when planning the best base layout in SteamWorld Build. Citizen needs are the most obvious but one of the most important. It’s also key to keep pathing in mind, and then we have to think about the mines. I’ve gone into more detail below.

Planning for Steambot Needs

When thinking about an efficient base layout, it’s important to consider citizen needs. There should be designated areas for different types of residential builds. All Resident types, such as Engineers and Aristobots, should be next to each other in their own specific regions. This allows you to best meet their needs by building the proper buildings in their sector. There’s no point putting buildings like the Casino next to Worker Residents who don’t need it.

Making the Best Use of Paths

When starting the game, the only path available will be the dirt path. Paths are essential in SteamWorld Build, as they allow you to connect buildings to the Train Station. However, the dirt path has a low service building coverage, meaning your Steambots must be very close to service buildings to receive the necessary benefits.

The best paths to have in SteamWorld Build are the Maglev Road paths. These are unlocked once you’ve upgraded an Aristobot to a Scientist. It has high coverage, meaning residential builds don’t have to be super close to their required buildings. I highly recommend having these paths, as they’ll make meeting your citizens’ needs much easier. 

If you haven’t unlocked the Maglev Road paths, the Paved Road paths are another great option. They have medium service building coverage and are available once you’ve reached Milestone 6.

Mines

In SteamWorld Build, the city layout isn’t the only thing to think about. When you’ve unlocked the mines, having an organized layout is also crucial. I recommend having a different section for every type of Minerbot. Production cards can be added to quarters, so it’s important to have one big quarter for each type of miner bot. Otherwise, you’ll have to add a production card for every new quarter you create.

When building things, such as workshops and armories, you should check if there’s a large amount of space to start this first. If you choose to build a workshop in a small area, it won’t be as efficient since you’ll have trouble expanding your workshop as the game progresses.

Building a workshop that doesn’t connect makes a separate workshop. Having a big space for these expansions is necessary so you can keep adding on to them, rather than having scattered armories and workshops everywhere.

SteamWorld Build Maps

When thinking about a layout, it’s also important to think about what map will give you the best amount of space. If you really want to optimize space, I recommend Giddy-Up Gorge. This map has a lot of open area throughout the map and doesn’t include many unremovable objects. Logs in SteamWorld Build tend to have high demand, so the abundance of trees for the Forester build is perfect. Other maps, such as Fossil Park, aren’t ideal for foresters and maximum space (I learned that the hard way).

Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to build the best city layout for your Steambots, which they’ll be very pleased about! Don’t forget to check out the tips on the loading screen of the SteamWorld Build game, as it also gives some very useful advice.