The third predefined map you can play in Pioneers of Pagonia - that isn't just a tutorial, anyway - Hinterland is a bit calmer than its predecessor, Cursed Coast. You don't need to fight anything this time around, you just need to make some new friends. Yes, plural friends. There's more than one village in the Hinterland.
Getting Started
Your landing point in Hinterland is a bit tight, so you'll want to set up Guard Towers immediately to expand your borders. An Explorer's Hut comes next, so you can see more of the surrounding terrain, and after that you'll want to go for resource accumulation. There's plenty of Wood to plunder in your immediate area, and you should focus on getting rid of the patch in the middle of your landing spot, so you have more room to build.
As you expand you'll spot Stone deposits to the north, where you should set up one or two Quarries, as well as a Stone Mason. Focus your expansion efforts north from the start so you find this early. In the process your Explorers will almost certainly notice your closest neighbors, the Steelmages. The neighbors, the Earthwind Village, are to the east of the Steelmages.
One of your greatest impediments in this map is the boggy terrain to the northwest of your settlement. It makes mining for Stone and other minerals difficult, as you can't place much on bogs aside from roads. Either look for the small gaps in the bog where you can place buildings, or set up a mining camp to the north of the bogs. The latter will require more walking on the part of your Miners, but the results will feel a little more organized.
Befriend All Factions
Unlike previous maps, where you needed to befriend a single faction to complete the game, you need to befriend both of these factions. They each have their own requests, and you'll need to do a lot of running around to satisfy them both. You won't need to worry about any enemies in the process, so feel free to just recruit Guards for expansion purposes.
Steelmages Objectives
The red-bordered faction to the north of your settlement's landing spot, the Steelmages require a lot of exploration before you'll complete their Objectives. Deal with the following problems to befriend to Steelmages:
- Find Abandoned Wagons (+40% Friendship). There are three Abandoned Wagons on the map, and you need to find them for the Steelmages via your Explorers. They're in the following locations:
- Along the mountain range to the northwest of your settlement
- In the hills to the west of the Steelmages' settlement
- On the other side of the lake to the north of the Steelmages' settlement
- Deliver Goods (+1% Friendship per item, up to 35%). The Steelmages want Iron Bars from a Smelting Works. You'll find Iron Ore deposits in the rocky terrain to the northwest of your settlement. Build a Trading Post once you've refined enough Iron Bars and send 'em over via Trade Carriers.
- Supply Curious Bazaar (+45% Friendship). There's a Curious Bazaar northeast of your starting point, and it wants 24 pieces of Light Armor. You can make Light Armor via an Armorsmith. Get the Curious Bazaar into your borders, then build a road out to it to deliver the Light Armor.
- Find Scarlet Blossoms (+50 Friendship). There are eight Scarlet Blossoms scattered throughout the map, and you need to find six of them to satisfy the Steelmages. They're in the following locations:
- Next to the Curious Bazaar to the northwest of your settlement
- West of the Steelmages' settlement (two)
- Near the lakes north of the Steelmages' settlement (two)
- Near the lake north of Earthwind Village (two)
- Beyond the mountain range in the north of the island, east of the Light Spire
Earthwind Village Objectives
The purple-bordered faction to the northeast of your settlement's landing spot, the Earthwind Village demands a great deal of construction on your part before they will agree to a friendship. On average, they are the easier faction to satisfy on this map. Deal with the following problems to befriend Earthwind Village:
- Bolster Food Chain (25% Friendship). Earthwind Village wants you to construct 14 of any of the following buildings: Hunting Lodge, Forager's Lodge, Crop Farm, Vegetable Farm, Windmill, Bakery, Provisioner, or Tavern. You can (and must b) double up on these buildings to satisfy the requirement.
- Complete Light Spire (35% Friendship). In the far north of the map, among the mountains northwest of Steelmages' village, you'll find the contruction site for the Light Spire. You'll have to extend your borders across the map and enfold the construction site, then extend a road out and complete the building. The Light Spire requires a lot of materials to complete:
- 100 Stone (Quarry)
- 100 Softwood Beams (Sawmill)
- 30 Cement (Stone Mill)
- 20 Rope (Weaving Shed)
- 10 Iron Bars (Smelting Works)
- 10 Wooden Cogwheels (Wood Workshop)
- Store Bread (15% Friendship). Earthwind Village wants you to have 40 loaves of Bread in Storage. You can bake Bread by creating a Cropfarm with Wheat on its Farmland, a Windmill to grind the Wheat into Flour, and a Bakery to turn the Flour into Bread.
- Recruit Veteran Guards (30% Friendship) Earthwind Village wants you to train 20 Carriers in the ways of the Veteran Guard. You'll need a Military Academy for training, as well as a Weaponsmith for making Iron Lances and an Armorsmith for making Chain Mail.
- Build Buildings (+20%). Any building at all. You'll get this one just by expanding your settlement over time, so long as it winds up with at least 70 buildings.