Necesse Settlers Guide — Jobs, Recruitment & Management
Settlers are the backbone of your Necesse colony. Here's how to recruit all 16 types, assign their jobs, and keep them productive.
What Settlers Do
Every settler handles four base tasks automatically:
- Hauling — moving items between storage and crafting stations
- Crafting — producing items at workstations
- Forestry — planting and chopping trees
- Farming — planting and harvesting crops (Farmer NPC uses fertilizer too)
Exceptions: Elders do no work. Guards only haul.
Settler Recruitment Requirements
Always Available (No Boss Requirement)
| Settler | Recruit Cost |
|---|---|
| Elder | Free — arrives at game start |
| Villager | Leather, Wheat, Wool |
| Blacksmith | Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Gold Bar |
| Farmer | Fertilizer, Sunflower, Wheat |
| Guard | Health Potion, Attack Speed Potion, Battle Potion |
| Angler | Various fish |
| Hunter | Leather, Wool |
| Animal Keeper | Leather, Wool |
Unlocked by Boss Progression
| Settler | Required Boss | Recruit Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemist | Evil's Protector | Fire Blossom, Ice Blossom, Mushroom, Sunflower, Wheat |
| Gunsmith | Evil's Protector | Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Gold Bar |
| Miner | Evil's Protector | Copper Ore, Iron Ore, Gold Ore |
| Explorer | Pirate Captain | Iron Ore, Quartz, Gold Ore |
| Mage | Void Wizard | Recall Scroll, Teleport Scroll |
| Broken Pirate | Reaper | None |
| Stylist | Reaper | Leather, Wool |
| Trader | Rune Chief | None |
Special Settler Abilities
| Settler | Special Ability | How to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer | Fertilizes crops | Provide Fertilizer in storage |
| Hunter | Hunts small animals | Automatically hunts nearby wildlife |
| Animal Keeper | Tends livestock | Place near Cows and Sheep |
| Mage | Enchants trinkets/weapons | Spend coins at the Mage |
| Angler | Fishing missions | Assign via dialogue |
| Explorer | Cave exploration missions | Assign via dialogue |
| Miner | Mining missions | Assign via dialogue |
| Stylist | Change appearance | Spend coins at the Stylist |
How to Get New Settlers
Settlers appear in three ways:
- Visitors — wander into your settlement over time
- NPC villages — found while exploring, some require boss kills to recruit
- Trapped NPCs — rescued from caves (free recruitment, no condition)
Keeping Settlers Productive
- Happiness drives everything — unhappy settlers work slowly or go on strike
- Larger rooms + better furniture + good food = higher happiness
- Each settler has personality traits — match their preferences for bonus efficiency
- Always feed them. Hungry settlers stop working.
Community Pro Tips (From Veteran Players)
Practical settler management tips sourced from experienced Necesse players. These fill in what the wiki data tables don't tell you.
Beds Are Non-Negotiable
Settlers leave if there aren't enough beds. A new visitor will enter your village, look around, and walk right back out if no bed is free. Before recruiting anyone:
- Craft spare beds first (wool from sheep)
- Place one bed per settler — plus one extra before a new visitor arrives
- You can "steal" beds from generated village houses early game if wool is scarce
The Settler Chest Feeds Everyone
When you see the "settlers are hungry and cannot find food" alert, don't drop food on the ground — place a Settler Chest and fill it with food. Settlers will grab meals from it automatically. Propping it near the kitchen/farm keeps the feeding loop hands-off.
Give Settlers Weapons — They Fight For You
Settlers can equip weapons and armor:
- Hand a settler a gun + bullets and they become a turret on legs
- They'll use melee weapons (copper swords etc.) if no ranged option
- Well-armed settlers can follow you into caves and fight alongside you — a free bodyguard for dangerous mining runs
Work Zones: Free Labor
You can designate work zones (e.g., a mining zone) and settlers will clear the area for you — often faster than you could mine it yourself. Delete the zone when done. Combined with the Miner settler's missions, you can automate most resource gathering.
Recruit On Sight
Visitors who wander in won't wait forever — recruit them the moment they arrive if you have the materials. If you can't afford them yet, they'll leave and you'll wait for the next wave. Keep a stockpile of common recruit materials (leather, wool, bars) in storage.
For NPC personality traits and adventure party mechanics, see our NPCs Guide.