- Anvil Empires farming requires a hoe, seeds, a water source, and a scythe before planting.
- Tilled fields need 1 hoe and 10 branches each, built directly at the blueprint site.
- A shallow well (5 planks, 4 animal fat) provides up to 2 buckets of water over time.
- Fertilizer from the Animal Crafting building speeds up crop growth noticeably.
- Seed returns are RNG — harvesting rarely gives back enough seeds to replant a full field.
Anvil Empires Farming Basics: What You Need First
Farming in Anvil Empires is the backbone of any settlement's food supply. Before a single seed goes into the ground, you need four things: seeds (wheat and cabbage, marked by icons on the map), a hoe to till and build fields, a scythe for the harvest, and a reliable water source. Skipping any of these stalls the entire operation.
Video Highlights:
- Crafting a hoe at the workbench: 3 planks + 1 iron ingot, 30-second production
- Building tilled fields with the hoe and 10 branches per field
- Placing a shallow well (5 planks, 4 animal fat) near your crops
- Planting, watering, fertilizing, and harvesting full fields of wheat and cabbage
Place fields close to your well and walls. Orienting fields along walls keeps them compact, and short water-carrying trips save enormous amounts of time over a full growth cycle.
Tools and Buildings: Costs at a Glance
Every piece of farming infrastructure costs specific materials. Gather these before you start building so you never interrupt your workflow halfway through.
| Item | Recipe | Built At | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoe | 3 planks, 1 iron ingot | Workbench | Builds and tills fields |
| Scythe | 3 planks, 1 iron ingot | Workbench | Harvests wheat and cabbage |
| Tilled Field | 1 hoe (tool), 10 branches | Build menu (Farm) | Planting plot, up to 20 seedlings |
| Shallow Well | 5 planks, 4 animal fat | Build menu (Well) | Generates 2 buckets of water over time |
| Animal Crafting | Build menu (Workshop) | Build menu | Produces fertilizer from dung and ash |
| Fertilizer | 1 animal dung, 5 ash | Animal Crafting | Speeds up crop growth |
Finished tools land in the workbench's inventory, not your own. Left-click the finished item to move it to your personal inventory, then press 1 to equip it.
Step-by-Step: From Bare Ground to Harvest
Craft Your Hoe
Bring 3 planks and 1 iron ingot to a workbench, press E, and order the hoe. It takes 30 seconds to produce. Collect it from the workbench inventory and equip it.
Place and Build Tilled Fields
Press B to open the build menu, select Tilled Field under the Farm category, position the blueprint (hold right-click to rotate orientation), and left-click to confirm. With your hoe equipped, hold left-click to build and till the field. Fields snap together side by side.
Build a Shallow Well Nearby
Gather 5 planks and 4 animal fat, select Shallow Well in the build menu, and place it close to your fields. Equip a hammer and left-click to construct it. The well fills with up to 2 buckets of water over time.
Plant Your Seeds
Right-click seed stacks to grab a full stack, equip seeds via Tab and press 1, stand on the tilled field, and left-click to plant. Each field holds a maximum of 20 seedlings.
Water the Fields
Open the well with E, take a bucket of water, stand on the field, and left-click to throw water over it. A field accepts up to 3 buckets at once; rewater whenever crops look parched.
Craft a Scythe and Harvest
Order a scythe at the workbench (3 planks, 1 iron ingot). Once crops are ready, equip the scythe and hold left-click on the field to harvest wheat sheaths or cabbages plus seeds.
Watering and Fertilizer: Growth Optimization
Crops will not grow without water — this is the single most common mistake new farmers make. Watering and fertilizing together dramatically shorten the growth cycle.
Watering
- Up to 3 buckets stored per field
- Well regenerates 2 buckets over time
- Rewater when fields look parched
Fertilizer
- 1 animal dung + 5 ash
- Made at Animal Crafting building
- Spread with left-click, speeds growth
Ash Supply
- Byproduct of fire pits, hearths, ovens
- Free resource from cooking operations
- Pair kitchens with farms for synergy
Dung from horses and ash from your settlement's cooking fires are effectively free byproducts. Building an Animal Crafting station near both your stable and kitchen turns waste into a constant fertilizer supply.
Seed RNG and Sustainability
Here is the catch every Anvil Empires farmer must understand: harvesting does not guarantee seed returns. A full 20-plant wheat field yielded only 8 seeds in testing, and a cabbage field gave just 9 — less than half of what replanting requires.
| Crop | Field Capacity | Harvest Output | Seed Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 20 seedlings | 20 wheat sheaths | RNG, often under half |
| Cabbage | 20 seedlings | 20 cabbages | RNG, often under half |
Never assume a harvested field can replant itself. Actively stockpile extra wheat and cabbage seeds from map seed locations to keep production running continuously.
Farming Setup Checklist:
- Craft hoe (3 planks, 1 iron ingot)
- Build at least two tilled fields (10 branches each)
- Construct shallow well near fields (5 planks, 4 animal fat)
- Stockpile wheat and cabbage seeds beyond one field's needs
- Set up Animal Crafting for fertilizer (dung + ash)
- Craft scythe before first harvest window
FAQ
Q: What do I need to start Anvil Empires farming?
You need a hoe (3 planks, 1 iron ingot), wheat and cabbage seeds found at map icons, 10 branches per tilled field, and a shallow well (5 planks, 4 animal fat) for watering. A scythe is needed before harvest time.
Q: How many crops fit in one tilled field?
A single tilled field supports up to 20 seedlings. Fields snap together when placed adjacently, so building them in blocks along walls keeps your farm compact and efficient to water.
Q: Why won't my crops grow?
Crops require water to grow. Take buckets from your shallow well (it holds up to 2 at a time) and throw them over the field — each field stores up to 3 buckets. You must rewater periodically throughout the growth cycle.
Q: How do I get enough seeds to replant my fields?
Seed drops from harvesting are RNG-based and typically return fewer seeds than the 20 needed per field. Gather extra seeds from map seed locations in advance so shortages never halt your farming cycle.