💧 Timberborn Water Management Guide
Water is life. Your colony dies in 3–5 days without it. Understanding water physics, reservoir sizing, and drought timing is the single most important skill in Timberborn.
💦 Water Physics Basics
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Water flows downhill | Always place pumps at the lowest accessible point of your water source |
| Evaporation rate | Shallow water (1 tile deep) evaporates fastest. Deep reservoirs (3+ tiles) lose water much slower |
| Drought cycle | Starts mild (5 days wet / 5 days dry) and escalates over time. By cycle 5+ expect 15–20 days of drought |
| Flooding | Blocking a river upstream creates a reservoir behind the dam. But uncontrolled flooding destroys buildings instantly |
| Water sources | Natural springs are infinite. River sources slow during drought but rarely dry up completely early-game |
🏗️ Reservoir Design
Step 1: Find a Natural Basin
Look for a natural U- or V-shaped valley downstream of your starting area. The narrower the valley mouth, the fewer levees you need. Ideally the valley floor is at least 2 tiles below your settlement so gravity feeds your water intake.
Step 2: Build the Dam Wall
| Structure | Purpose | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Levee | Completely blocks water | Side walls and dam bulk. Stackable for height |
| Dam | Allows overflow when full | Spillway section — prevents pressure buildup |
| Floodgate | Manually controlled release | Place 2–3 at the lowest point. Open during wet season, close when drought hits |
Pro tip: Build your dam 3 tiles high minimum. Water overflow during wet season spills over the top naturally, but a 1-tile dam is useless — you need depth for drought survival.
Step 3: Floodgate Strategy
Place 2 floodgates side-by-side at the lowest point of your dam. Keep them open during the wet season so your reservoir fills naturally. As the drought approaches (watch the 3-day weather warning), close all floodgates. The river flow spills over the dam top while your reservoir stays sealed.
Advanced: Use a second row of floodgates 1 tile above the bottom row. Open the bottom ones first to release bottom water (which is nutrient-rich for crops) and keep the top ones as reserve. This gives you precision water level control.
Step 4: Size Your Reservoir
| Colony Size | Min Reservoir (units) | Recommended Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| 10 beavers | 150 | 10×10×2 deep |
| 30 beavers | 600 | 20×15×2 deep |
| 50 beavers | 1,500 | 30×20×3 deep |
| 100+ beavers | 5,000+ | 40×30×4+ deep |
A "unit" = 1 tile × 1 tile × 1 tile of water = enough for 1 beaver per day. A 10-beaver colony on a 15-day drought needs at least 150 units. Double this for safety.
Step 5: Water Pumps Placement
Critical rule: Place your water pumps inside the reservoir, not the river. Once the river dries up during drought, pumps in the riverbed become useless. Pumps inside your reservoir draw from stored water directly.
Tip for Folktails: Build a small secondary water tank (5×5×3) next to your farms. Fill it during wet season via a sluice. Even a small dedicated farm reservoir can keep crops alive through short droughts without wasting main reservoir water on irrigation.
🌊 Irrigation — Keeping Crops Alive
Crops need water. During drought, your reservoir keeps them alive through irrigation distance.
- Irrigation range: Water tiles irrigate crops up to 3 tiles away horizontally and 1 tile below
- Irrigation channels: Dig narrow canals (1 tile wide) from your reservoir through farm plots
- Vertical farming: Stack farm plots on terraces with an irrigation channel at each level. Each tier channels water to the one below
Short-drought strategy (days 1–20): A 2-deep canal running through your farm zone is enough for 30 crops. Re-fills during every wet cycle.
Long-drought strategy (day 50+): Build a separate irrigation reservoir uphill from farms. Pump water into it during wet season. Gravity-feeds irrigation throughout drought without draining your main drinking reservoir.
⚙️ Mechanical Pumps (Ironteeth Only)
The Ironteeth mechanical pump changes the game:
- Pumps water uphill — enables rooftop and cliff-top reservoirs
- Requires power connection (steam engine or windmill)
- Medium power draw (about 1 windmill per 2 pumps)
- Attach to large pipe networks for long-distance water transport
High-ground reservoir strategy: Use mechanical pumps to fill a reservoir at the top of your tallest building or cliff. During drought, gravity feeds water down to every level. This creates a multi-layered water security system that keeps your colony alive through even the worst droughts (30+ days).
Pair with large water wheels — place them in the spillway overflow from your dam. The constant flow during wet season generates power 24/7, effectively giving you free power on top of your water management.
🛡️ Drought Survival Checklist
- [ ] Reservoir built and filled before drought warning
- [ ] Floodgates closed by day 2 of drought (don't wait!)
- [ ] Water pumps inside reservoir (not river)
- [ ] Crops planted with irrigation channel access
- [ ] Emergency water tank at farm zone
- [ ] Population growth paused (disable breeding pods)
- [ ] Non-essential water consumers disabled (less urgent production chains)
- [ ] Mechanical pumps have dedicated power source (Ironteeth)