MineColonies Basics - Shadows of Aethro
MineColonies is the heart of Shadows of Aethro. It allows players to build, manage, and grow fully functioning NPC villages. This page covers the basics to get started with your colony.
Starting a Colony
Craft a Supply Ship or Supply Camp
Supply Ship requires water; Supply Camp requires flat land.
Place it to generate your Town Hall and claim your starting chunk.
Place Your Town Hall
This officially starts your colony.
No other colony can be started within a large radius of your Town Hall.
Hire Your First Citizen
Citizens spawn automatically once your colony begins.
They’ll need food, housing, and jobs to function properly.
Essential Buildings
Builder’s Hut: Needed to construct and upgrade all other structures.
Citizen Huts: Provide housing. Required for more citizens.
Town Hall: Central hub of your colony.
Warehouse: Stores all colony resources.
Builder, Miner, Forester, Farmer, Fisherman: Supply basic materials.
Cook, Baker, Restaurant: Feed your citizens.
Managing Your Colony
Citizens get hungry, tired, and sick. You must provide food, rest, and medical care.
Assign citizens to jobs using the Town Hall or individual work buildings.
Upgrade buildings to unlock new functions and increase efficiency.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Don’t spam buildings. Expand slowly and keep citizens fed.
Don’t ignore housing. No beds = no citizens = no workers.
Use paths between buildings to increase efficiency.
Watch the Builder: If they're stuck or out of materials, nothing progresses.
Helpful Tips
Use the clipboard item to view what your citizens need.
Use a Warehouse + Deliveryman + Courier to automate resource movement.
Research in the University to unlock higher-level features.
Building a successful colony takes time and planning. Prioritize food, housing, and builder support early on.