Immigration, Emigration & More

Villagers in Farthest Frontier are your most valuable resource next to wealth, and early settlements can be quite hampered by too few hands for a whole lot of work to be done.

Naturally, an enterprising settlement leader will look to grow their settlement population quickly enough to fill the Professions needed for their starting infrastructure, but the path to do so may not always be clear.

In this explainer, we will cover the key causes of population increase and decrease and how to best approach them and develop a thriving populace.

[[File:Villager_Birth.png]] Births
Once you have an established population, births are an occasional occurrence throughout the year.

While there is no specific requirement for births to occur, chances for births increase with Villager happiness and sufficient unoccupied housing slots.

Impacts to happiness vary by housing tier, it is recommended to check the happiness report for additional details.

[[File:Villager Immigration.png]] Immigration
Immigration provides a significant boost to town population and is crucial in early game to reach sustainable numbers.

The likelihood of immigrants (and size of the band of individuals hoping to immigrate) is confirmed to be impacted by a few factors:


 * Stockpiled food
 * Unoccupied Housing supply
 * Desirability of housing areas
 * Relative levels of health/disease
 * Access to basic goods (clothing, shoes, etc.)
 * Access to amenities (market, school, etc.)
 * Access to luxury goods (pottery, glassware etc.)
 * Entertainment
 * Beer
 * Overall Villager happiness

These factors will not all impact at the start but will become more important as your Town Center and Shelters upgrade to higher tiers.

NOTE: As more villagers have a basic education, the likelihood that prospective immigrants will be educated also increases.

[[File:Villager_Emmigration.png]] Emigration
As the town's population booms, they player may find it difficult meeting the needs of every villager. Perhaps the cupboards have run bare with so many new mouths to feed or the Weaver isn't keeping up with clothing demands, or maybe the new composter went in just a little too close to the neighbors.

Regardless of cause, Villagers who are at maximum unhappiness can and will eventually emigrate from the city.

In the case of departure, a villager retains all items on their person, including their weapons and armor if they serve in a guard capacity. They may also take additional resources from Storage buildings ahead of their journey, so this situation is to be avoided at all costs if possible.

To quickly diagnose root cause, it is recommended to review the happiness report to identify quick solutions.

NOTE: Access to Hide Coats does not meet the Clothing happiness requirement, Linen Clothes fulfill this need.

[[File:Death_Disease.png]] Death & Disease
Death on the frontier is an eventuality, but that doesn't mean that it can't be avoided!

Some common causes (and solutions) for different deaths:

Raider Attacks
When invaders come knocking at the gates, your villagers may get caught in the crossfire. The simplest solution when a raid approaches is to garrison civilians at the Town Center. Click on the Bell icon above the Town Center (or in the town center's infopane) to sound the call for all villagers to gather inside. As an added bonus, a garrisoned Town Center acts like a defensive tower, shooting an unlimited supply of arrows at invaders.

If your villagers are unable to flee in time, they can develop Festering Wounds when attacked. While these injuries will sometimes heal on their own, a Healer's House or similar can increase the likelihood of success.

Exposure
The start of winter proper is kicked off each year with a snap of Deadly Cold. Villagers that are not able to get to shelter quickly enough will soon freeze to death. Thankfully, there are a few steps which can help limit this impact...


 * Ensure a sufficient supply of Hide Coats to boost Villager's cold resilience
 * Situate workplace Buildings and work areas near enough to the settlement to avoid long travel times
 * For buildings and tasks a significant distance from the main settlement, Temporary Shelters provide an option for shelter-in-place until the cold snap passes.

Natural Causes
If you're seeing this cause of death start to climb, congratulations! Your villagers survived the hardships of the wild and lived through the extent of their natural lifespan. Anecdotally, education level may positively impact villager maximum lifespan, but no villager lives forever in the Farthest Frontier.

Additional Notes

 * A summary report (button at top left) exists for population trends. This is a helpful report for understanding the underlying causes contributing to population shifts.
 * The Happiness report can be accessed by clicking the 'happiness' icon in the top bar or as an option in the Town Center's infopane when the building is selected.