Cities and how they grow.

Where cities stand

On the larger worlds, roughly one square of about 65 kilometres in two has a city. Each city is between 160 and 320 metres across, laid out on streets with a block at each square. A city is never found unless you come within about 60 metres of its edge. The spot where a region's players land always has a city a short walk away.

The city's heart and edge

Towers stand near the middle of a city, and the buildings get lower toward its edge. The heart is a paved plaza with a fountain and four lamp posts. The middle holds one tall tower, and halfway out you find two halls. At the edge are four houses.

The five levels

Level	What it is built of
1	Timber, with slate roofs and gravel streets
2	Stone, with limestone trim
3	Brick
4	Concrete and steel
5	Glass and stainless steel, with glass-walled towers

Desert cities use sandstone in place of timber or stone at the first two levels. A city's buildings grow taller at each level, so a level 5 tower may reach ninety metres.

How a city grows

Every city begins at level 1 or 2. Once you have found it, it grows on its own: about half a growth point for each day. It also grows faster for every job done for its people, since jobs add growth to the village that stands at the city's heart. Growth steps are at 2, 6, 12 and 20 points above where the city began. Each step raises the level by one, up to level 5.

When a city grows, the game rebuilds its blocks round it. It is quite a sight to come back to.

The people of a city

A city has more people than a village. Its mayor gives work, as a village's elder does. There is a trader at a stall, a smith, a cook and eight more people who give work or walk the plaza. You can trade, take jobs and talk to them just as you would in a village. Calls and jobs work the same way too (see Jobs and quests).

Tips

• Helping a city grow is the fastest way to see its towers rise.
• Cities hold many people, so they are good for trading and for finding work.
• Watch the level when you return. A city grows while you are away.

Alien cities, which are different again, are described in The alien peoples.

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.