Dungeon Settlers Food Guide: Diets, Farming and Spoilage

Diet by race

Settlers eat automatically when hungry, so the fix for diet problems is the Consume Policy screen: a grid of every food against every settler with an allow/ban tick. The official screenshot shows an Elf with Tough Raw Meat, Grilled Meat and Meat Porridge unticked, which is exactly the setup you want.

Foods on the Consume Policy list

The official screenshot lists, in order: Hardtack, Luma Fruit, Blue Berry, Tough Raw Meat, Turnip, Grass Porridge, Grilled Meat, Grilled Turnip, Turnip Salad, Meat Porridge, Turnip Porridge and Improved Grass Porridge, and the list continues below the visible rows. Players and patch notes add Oat Porridge, Monster Barbecue, Jerky, Slime Pudding and Meat Bowl.

What players report about specific meals:

• Monster Barbecue fills the same as meat porridge but gives +7 mood instead of +1, a big win for meat eaters (Mythoe tips video).
• Grass Porridge carries a heavy mood penalty; keep it at home, never in the dungeon (Rhadamant).
• Jerky unlocks quickly and keeps for a long time; Improved Grass Soup can be made endlessly (Steam forum).
• Grilled Turnips can be cooked for a bonus back home (Rhadamant).
• Wild Herbs heal over time but cost -10 mood for 10 seconds.

Farming

CanOpener added farming after testers complained about diving “solely to gather food”. Farm plots need clay, which is why clay is the first bottleneck (see how to get clay). Elves farm 30% faster. Early dungeon floors also give blueberries, meat and turnips, so a hunting run can cover the gap until fields grow.

Cooking and the dining room

The cooking station needs clay pots. Good meals cooked from good ingredients and eaten in a proper dining room give a longer mood buff than the same food eaten anywhere else, so a mediocre dining room with a few plants for quality pays for itself. Humans cook 30% faster; Lizardmen cook 20% slower.

Spoilage

Food expires, and a whole stack spoils together, which players dislike. CanOpener extended spoilage times and increased food availability after its second test, and says a refrigeration system is planned for the mid-to-late game behind high magic progression. Until then:

• Keep a stack of long-life food (hardtack, jerky) for expeditions.
• Cook in smaller batches rather than one huge stockpile.
• Use the Consume Policy to stop settlers eating your expedition food at home.

For the mood side of meals see mood and stress; for where ingredients come from see the resource finder.