The 9.4 update of Farthest Frontier introduces significant enhancements across the board, from the decorating system to new housing mechanics like Mansions. This guide explores everything new and vital, providing detailed strategies for city layout, food logistics, resource optimization, and how to maximize the benefits of the game’s newest mechanics.

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Decorating System Changes: Less is More

You now need fewer decorative buildings to reach high desirability levels. Most of your desirability will come from key buildings:

• Grand Theater
• Large Statue
• School
• Festival Pole
• Tier 2 Bakery (Pastry Shop)
• Temple (optional but helpful)

Desirability ranges have been improved. Decorations like garden trails and small statues have massive radius boosts, making city layout more flexible and compact.

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The Rise of the Mansion: How to Unlock and Maximize

Mansions are Tier 5 housing and can hold up to 10 people. To upgrade to a mansion, you need:

• A Manor (Tier 4 House)
• 4 different food types
• Luxury Food (Pastries)
• Either 1 Spice or 2 Books

Taxes from Mansions average around 3 gold each—not game-breaking, but helpful for income scaling.

How to Provide Luxury Food: Pastries

• Produced in Tier 2 Bakeries
• Ingredients: 1 Flour, 1 Preserve, 2 Honey, 1 Egg

Egg Sources:

• Chicken Coops (300+ eggs per coop)
• Wild Bird Nests (40+ eggs/year)

Honey Tips:

• Avoid overlapping Apiary zones to prevent honey penalties
• ~15 Apiaries with efficient placement should be enough
• Avoid alcohol production if you want stable labor (alcohol causes idleness)

Preserves: Use one Preservist building with a production cap (e.g., 1,000) to avoid overspending fruit and glassware.

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Luxury Goods for Mansions: Books vs. Spice

Books Requirements:

• Paper: Made from flax (20 paper = 1 book)
• Pelts: Required for each book (1 pelt/book)

Pelt Strategy:

• Upgrade hunting cabins and use animal traps (2 iron per 2 traps)
• Traps last ~5 years—very efficient, low iron cost
• Bores now hunted automatically; combine with defense towers for safety

Important Note: Books are distributed via Markets, not Libraries. Libraries only provide desirability and entertainment.

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Library Use

• Large radius for entertainment and desirability
• Not needed for Mansions, but highly recommended for morale boosts

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Deep Mining and the Guild Hall

Unlocking the Guild Hall at Tier 4 gives access to mining bonuses:

• Up to 30% mining efficiency with full Guildmaster staff
• Regular mines deplete faster but yield more
• Deep core mines benefit greatly due to infinite resources

Recommendations:

• Avoid deep mines too far from town—workers waste time commuting
• Use temporary shelters + wells near remote worksites for efficiency
• Be selective: Buy sand, iron, stone if it’s cheaper than mining

Resource Output Examples:

• Clay pit with 14 workers: ~290 clay/year
• Deep quarry with full bonus: ~238 stone/year
• Sand mine: ~200 sand/year

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Forestry Rotation Strategy

Trees are more sparse in 9.4. Use 2 foresters in a rotation:

• Toggle planting zones between two areas
• Let one regrow while the other is harvested
• Shut one down if wood surplus becomes too high

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Food Production System Overview

Barn & Cheese Production:

• One barn can produce ~1,200 cheese/year
• One barn feeds a large part of the population

Chicken Coops:

• One coop provides enough eggs for multiple bakeries
• Disable eggs in market inventory to preserve them for pastries

Meat Handling:

• Disable raw meat in market storage
• This ensures meat is routed to smokehouses and not left to rot

Farm Layout:

• Use three 12×24 farms with crop rotation
• Prioritize: Wheat (for flour), Flax (for books), Turnips/Peas (for fertility and cattle feed)
• One field rotation: Clover > Wheat > Turnip > Clover > Peas > Turnip

Wheat Strategy:

• Three windmills can process ~3,000 flour/year
• Don’t exceed grain demand to avoid spoilage

Fruit Management:

• Two Arborists (Apple + Peach, 50/50 split)
• Split helps spread harvest timing, reducing waste

Fishing Tip:

• One fishing shack per ~250 fish count
• Overfishing lowers returns—don’t overbuild

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Temporary Shelters: Placement Tips

Shelters reduce downtime from workers traveling for food/water:

• Place one shelter + basic well near each major remote work area
• Avoid spamming shelters—they drain wagon resources
• Ideal for large mines, clay pits, or distant farming

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Marketplace and Storage Pro Tips

• Disable raw meat and eggs in market inventories (prevents spoilage)
• Monitor storage rot levels to adjust worker count
• Tools improve farm efficiency; with tools, 9 workers is enough per large field

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Design and Efficiency Takeaways

• Decorations now have huge range, giving freedom to compact layouts
• Fewer gaps = more population density and centralized service coverage
• Hospitals, Temples, Libraries, and Theaters all contribute heavily to housing upgrades
• Example desirability contribution:
  • Large Statue: 11%
  • School: 7%
  • Market: 7%
  • Temple: 5%
  • Bakery (Pastry Shop): 6%
  • Hospital (tier 3): 6% even from a distance

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Conclusion and Design Preview

Version 9.4 offers expanded flexibility, greater production clarity, and better economic control. You can now:

• Hit Mansion tiers with streamlined city blocks
• Run more compact and efficient builds
• Centralize desirability with fewer decorative buildings
• Design for over 600 population using just two markets and one library

A detailed city blueprint for this style is in development. Stay tuned for a full breakdown in the upcoming video series.

Until then—build smart, rotate your crops, and don’t underestimate the power of one barn and a pastry.