Our Sapiens Roles Guide will tell you what all of the Roles in the game do and which Roles you should assign to the Sapiens in your Tribe.
Quicklinks: What Are Sapiens Roles? | Sapiens Roles Permissions Chart
What Do Sapiens Roles Do? | What Roles Should You Assign to your Sapiens?
What Are Sapiens Roles?
Sapiens Roles allow you to assign tasks to your Sapiens. For example, only Sapiens with the Flax Spinning Role can make Flax Twine out of Dry Flax.
It should be noted that many Roles also require the use of Tools. Farming, for example, requires a Hand Axe or Pickaxe in order to plant Crops.
Skilled vs. Unskilled
Assigning a Role to a Sapien is not enough. If they have never done the Role before, they will be "Unskilled" -- they'll need some time to learn the Role and become "Skilled." Once Skilled, they will be able to actually perform the role.
Creative and Focused
"Creative" and "Focused" are two passive buffs that can increase the efficiency of your sapiens at certain roles. You'll see these points listed when you go to assign a Role.
How to Assign Roles in Sapiens
There are three ways to assign Roles in Sapiens:
- Select the Sapien, Click Manage, and assign them Roles
- Press F2 to go to the Tribe Menu, pick your Sapien, and assign them Roles.
- Press F2, go to the Roles Screen, and click on a Role. You can then assign Sapiens Roles from here.
How Many Roles Can a Sapien Have?
Sapiens can have a maximum of 6 Roles.
How to Unlock More Sapiens Roles
You can unlock more Sapiens Roles by completing Investigations on the appropriate objects.
Sapiens Roles Permissions Chart
This chart shows whether or not Roles can be performed by Children, Pregnant Women, and Elders. An X means that the role can be performed by that class of Sapien and a blank space means that it cannot.
| Role | Children? | Pregnant? | Carrying Infant? | Elders? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Labor | X | X | X | X |
| Basic Building | X | X | X | X |
| Investigation | X | |||
| Diplomacy | X | X | X | X |
| Fire Lighting | X | X | X | X |
| Rock Knapping | X | X | X | X |
| Basic Hunting | X | |||
| Thatch Building | X | |||
| Pottery | X | X | X | X |
| Butchery | X | X | X | X |
| Flax Spinning | X | X | X | X |
| Tree Felling | X | |||
| Digging | X | |||
| Bone Carving | X | X | X | X |
| Flint Knapping | X | X | X | X |
| Wood Working | X | |||
| Threshing | X | |||
| Basic Cooking | X | X | X | X |
| Tool Assembly | X | X | X | X |
| Wood Building | X | |||
| Planting | X | |||
| Music | X | X | X | X |
| Grinding | X | X | X | X |
| Mud Brick Building | X | |||
| Spear Hunting | X | |||
| Mining | X | |||
| Baking | X | X | X | X |
| Ceramics | X | X | X | X |
| Brick Building | X | |||
| Tiling | X |
What Do Sapiens Roles Do?
Here are what all of the Sapiens Roles do:
General Labor
Collect Hay from Grass, move objects, and collect fruit from trees, bushes, and the ground.
Basic Building
Build basic items like beds, Crafting areas, storage areas, and more.
Investigation
Investigate objects and unlock new Roles.
Diplomacy
Convince Sapiens from other Tribes to join your Tribe or convince Sapiens in your Tribe to leave.
Fire Lighting
Allows the lighting of Campfires.
Rock Knapping
Create primitive Rock tools like the Hand Axe.
Basic Hunting
Hunt small Animals by throwing Small Rocks.
Thatch Building
Allows the placement of Thatch Building pieces.
Pottery
Craft Mud Bricks and Urns.
Butchery
Allows butchering Animals.
Flax Spinning
Convert Dry Flax into Flax Twine.
Tree Felling
Chop down Trees.
Digging
Dig up the ground.
Bone Carving
Carve Bone into Tools.
Flint Knapping
Create Flint Tools.
Wood Working
Craft things out of Logs and Branches.
Threshing
Thresh Wheat into Hulled Wheat.
Basic Cooking
Cooking of simple recipes.
Tool Assembly
Assemble more complex Tools.
Wood Building
Allows the placement of Wood Building parts.
Planting
Allows the planting of Crops, Bushes, and Trees for Farming.
Music
Play a musical instrument, adding a positive buff to nearby Tribe members and increasing their Loyalty and Happiness.
Grinding
Grind Hulled Wheat into Flour.
Mud Brick Building
Allows the placement of Mud Brick Building pieces.
Spear Hunting
Hunt Alpacas and Mammoths with Spears.
Mining
Break Boulders into smaller Stones.
Baking
Baking Flour into Flatbread.
Ceramics
Allows the firing of Urns and Bricks in a Kiln.
Brick Building
Allows the placement of Brick Building pieces.
Tiling
Allows the placement of Tiles.
What Roles Should You Assign to Your Sapiens?
Deciding which Sapiens Roles to assign to your Sapiens can be a challenge, but I've worked out a system that should cover all of the bases once you've Investigated everything.
Crafter
- Rock Knapping
- Flint Knapping
- Flax Spinning
- Bone Carving
- Tool Assembly
- General Labor
Sapiens with this setup will spend most of their time sticking around Crafting Areas and making Tools for the rest of the Tribe. General Labor is included for when they're not crafting.
Potter/Woodworker
- Fire Lighting
- Pottery
- Ceramics
- Wood Working
- Basic Building
- General Labor
These Sapiens will make more complex items that are used less often. Otherwise, General Labor allows them to still be helpful.
Builder
- Thatch Building
- Wood Building
- Mud Brick Building
- Brick Building
- Tiling
- General Labor
Builders will erect Buildings; otherwise, they'll help out with General Labor.
Cook
- Grinding
- Threshing
- Baking
- Basic Cooking
- Fire Lighting
- Butchery
Cooks will handle the production of more complex food for your Tribe.
Hunter / Investigator
- Basic Hunting
- Spear Hunting
- Diplomacy
- Investigation
- General Labor
Hunters will (as you might expect) hunt Animals. The inclusion of Diplomacy allows them to quickly recruit any new Sapiens from other Tribes that spawn outside of town. Additionally, they are your only Sapiens who will Investigate new Roles.
Farmer / Gatherer
- Tree Felling
- Digging
- Mining
- Planting
- Diplomacy
Farmers / Gatherers will focus on collecting materials for your Tribe. As with the Hunter/Investigator, they also have Diplomacy in order to recruit other Sapiens.
Musician
- Music
The sole focus of Musicians is to play Music. This will buff everyone else in your Tribe with higher Happiness and Loyalty.
That's it for our Sapiens Roles Guide. If you liked this guide, consider taking a look at some of our other guides below!