Sapiens Guides - Guide Hub

Sapiens is a game about turning a tribe of wandering nomads into a successful village. Our Sapiens Guides will help you get started with your grand adventure!

Quicklinks: Sapiens Guides | Starter Guide | F.A.Q.

Sapiens Guides

• Crafting Guide
• Investigations and Breakthrough Guide
• Roles Guide
• Farming Guide
• Building Guide

Sapiens Starter Guide

Sapiens is not immediately intuitive to new players, but it's easy enough to figure out once you get into the swing of things. Let's break down the basics of the game!

Select Your Tribe and Start Location

Your first step will be to generate a world and select a Tribe and start location. I recommend you pick somewhere with plenty of trees, a Moderate Summer, and a Moderate Winter. Don't pick an area with "Very Hot" Summers or "Very Cold" Winters -- it will be an additional challenge for new players.

As for your Tribe, you should make sure you have at least six people in your Tribe. This will ensure that you can quickly set up your village and get moving on learning more useful technologies.

Starting Your Village

Once you've selected your Tribe, the camera will zoom in on the planet and you'll be able to start issuing orders. Here are your opening moves:

1. Gather Hay in a 3x3 area.
2. Build 30 or so Storage Areas nearby to organize your goods.
3. Gather Branches (either from the ground or from Trees) and Stone.

Building Beds

Your next step will be to Build one Hay Bed for each Sapien in your Tribe plus two spares. Place them on the ground for now.

Investigating New Knowledge

While your Sapiens are Gathering, it's time to start Investigating new Roles. We'll have three things to Investigate first:

• Investigate Branch (unlocks Fire Lighting)
• Investigate Stone (unlocks Rock Knapping)
• Investigate Hay (unlocks Thatch Building)

You can do these one at a time, but it's easier to do all three simultaneously -- we want to get things set up quickly so we can start advancing to better technology!

Assigning Roles

Completing Investigations will unlock new Roles, but you'll have to assign them to your Sapiens. Make sure you have at least two Sapiens assigned to Thatch Building -- it's time to make your first structure!

Your First Building

Continue to collect Branches and Hay. We're going to build a small 2x2 Thatch Building with a roof -- this is where our first Sapiens will sleep and where we'll store our Food.

Gathering Food

While the Building is under construction, you're also going to want to gather some Food. Do not gather Apples, Pumpkins, or Beetroots just yet -- focus on other Food items like Oranges, Gooseberries, and Raspberries. These will spoil quicker and you should have proper Food storage built before they rot.

Storing Food (and Sapiens) in Your Completed Building

By now, your Thatch Building should be complete. Build one Storage Area inside of the Thatch Building. You'll need one space for each type of Food you have plus a space for Hay, Flax, and Seeds. Make sure to edit the Storage Area and restrict it to only that item.

You'll also want to Build Hay Beds inside for your Sapiens. Sapiens are happiest when they're sleeping indoors! Don't forget to have additional Hay Beds for future children or other wandering Sapiens who join your Tribe.

Making Your First Tools

We'll also want to Build at least four Crafting Areas. These will allow Crafting of Tools and other important items. Craft at least four Stone Axes and four Stone Knives.

You'll also want to Build a Campfire, but don't light it just yet -- you can do that at nighttime if you need the light or heat. For now, focus on conserving Branches and leave it unlit in the daytime.

Learning Farming and Planting for the Future

Now it's time to get started with Farming and Planting. You'll have to Investigate two things:

• Investigate the ground with a Hand Axe (unlocks Digging)
• Investigate any plant-based Food (unlocks Planting)

Now that these items are unlocked, you should do everything you can to collect Apples. Apples are one of the best foods in the early game because each tree will produce several Fruit. I strongly recommend Planting at least 1 Apple Tree for every Sapien plus two extras. For example, if you have 6 Sapiens in your Tribe, you should plant 8 Apple Trees.

You're also going to want to gather Tree Seeds from all nearby Trees and plant at least 25 Trees near your village. It will take some time for them to grow, and you'll likely run out of nearby Logs and Branches by the time they're finished growing.

Finally, you'll want to prioritize planting Pumpkins and Beetroots. These last for a very long time once properly stored, so they're a great long-term food.

Growing Your Tribe and Learning More

By now, you have your Sapiens and your Food indoors, more Food growing, and the ability to Craft all of the basic Tools you need. What next?

You should focus on three things:

• Stockpiling Food and Materials (like Branches and Stone)
• Investigating new Roles
• Growing your Tribe

On that last point, you'll occasionally see another Tribe wander nearby. They might even steal your Food! Sapiens with the Diplomacy Role can invite them to join your Tribe, immediately adding another permanent member.

Pregnancy is also possible for Sapien women. Children and Pregnant women will help out with some (but not all) Roles, so be careful about what sort of work you assign to them.

All that's left to do from here is to continue to expand your village however you like, learn new Roles, and keep your Tribe alive. Good luck!

Sapiens F.A.Q.

What is Sapiens?

Sapiens is a sandbox colony sim where you will take control of a Tribe and guide its development into a budding civilization.

Is Sapiens Multiplayer?

No, Sapiens is not multiplayer as of Version b15.

How Do I Get More Sapiens?

You can get more Sapiens by recruiting wandering Sapiens who come near your Tribe with the Diplomacy Role. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for your Sapien  women to get pregnant.

Is There Combat in Sapiens?

No, there is no combat in Sapiens as of Version b15.