Rural Rimworld rival Clanfolk proves it cares about every player type with a major new migration and beekeeping update

I’ve watched many people tackle various colony sims, from Rimworld to Oxygen Not Included, and I’m always fascinated by how differently we all play. MinMax Games, the developer behind Clanfolk, seems to understand that well, and its latest major update takes big strides to ensure everyone is catered for in a move I really appreciate. Boasting a 93% review average on Steam, it’s fair to say that Clanfolk’s player base have always been pretty happy with what it brings to the table (and the fields), but this new overhaul makes it easier to recommend than ever, especially alongside a half-price sale you can snag if you’re quick.

Clanfolk takes all that rich simulation and management that makes the best games like Rimworld tick, and transports it to the Scottish Highlands. You’re in charge of a multi-generational family, building out your settlement and dealing with all the hunting, gathering, crafting, trading, and such as the years pass and your people grow up, marry, have their own kids, and leave behind a legacy for those to come. Clanfolk update 18 introduces a way for you to uproot and expand, but it’s part of a larger attempt to ensure all player types can enjoy the game the way they want.

Clanfolk update 18 introduces the ‘new settlement’ system, which allows you to expand your clan to a fresh location on the world map, migrating a hand-picked group of settlers and supplies and bringing across all of your unlocked technologies. It also includes beekeeping, which is far more than the simple addition of hives and honey; it’s a long, involved process that’s been lovingly designed to feel “as historically accurate as possible.”

When first putting the new update together, MinMax lead Andrew Hume studied the types of people playing Clanfolk and broke them down into three core groups: those that love challenge, those that build with a long-term vision across the map, and those that nest into a single homestead and family tree. “The problem was that update 18 was only really desirable for the first group, neutral for the second, and awful for the third,” the developer explains.

To resolve this, MinMax came up with specific solutions. For the ‘challengers,’ there’s the new story scenario the way it was previously planned. “The Brown One” unlocks the ability to take an expedition to a new settlement upon reaching a specific point in the progression. This mountainous highlands region is filled with hard stone and deep caves, and is much more consistently cold and wet. Upon arrival, you’ll need to use your pre-learned technology to accelerate the process of establishing a base, because winter has fallen and the zone’s temperatures will quickly plummet.

Once things start to progress, you’ll be visited by a beekeeper that can help you get set up with the new technology and the benefits it brings. Following that are messengers bringing whispers of bears, “since honey and bears just go together.” This story scenario won’t reach its full conclusion until the arrival of update 19, but you’ll be able to embrace beekeeping and take advantage of the other supplies the new biome brings.

If you’re more of a ‘builder,’ MinMax gives you the option to instead head to a different secondary settlement called “The Perfect Spot.” This environment is much more friendly to build in than the default, mountainous region, and allows you to get your hands on the new things without being too restricted in what you can do. For the ‘nesters,’ there’s a different option – a renown system.

Renown is unlocked alongside the new settlement scenario, and acts as “a gateway into the next phase of the game” by allowing you to choose when and how you’re ready to progress into bigger updates that can destabilize your current setup. If the idea of leaving your established homestead leaves you in a cold sweat, you can send envoys to the nearby castles to study and make connections. “This is essentially a more political approach to gaining renown,” MinMax explains.

Even before you’ve explored the new location, bees will now appear in the vicinity of the first homestead. While you won’t have a way to do anything with them until you’ve met a beekeeper, the mere presence of wild bees near farm plots will increase crop yields, adding a bit more strategy to proceedings. You can cut down dead trees that have hives on them for a small amount of honeycomb, “but nothing compared to what can be achieved later once the beekeeping technology has been mastered.”

Perhaps you’re more interested in just trying out the deep intricacies of beekeeping without going through all the rigmarole of the migration. In this case, you can opt to kick off from the very start with the Beekeeper’s Legacy scenario, where you’ll begin your clan’s adventure with a senior beekeeper and their apprentice present. It’s much more focused on this system, meaning you’ll have a far smaller initial homestead than usual.

Clanfolk update 18 is out now, and the game is 50% off on Steam through Thursday January 22, meaning you’ll pay just $14.99 / £12.49. I’ve always been impressed by Clanfolk’s lovingly crafted systems, but the sheer depth on display with the introduction of beekeeping is quite frankly staggering. Factor in the ability to play in a way that lets me experience the migration elements, but does so in a slightly less punishing manner than the default offering built for hardcore colony-sim veterans, and I’m very much on board.