Starting Ability

Overview

Starting Abilities are extra capabilities unlocked at higher levels of Citadel upgrades. Once unlocked in the Smoldering City, you get the bonus the moment a member of that species joins your settlement (or at the start of the run).

List of Starting Abilities

Species	Ability	Unlocked in
Lizards	Gain 10  Tools	Monastery of The Vigilant Flame level 5 x 48
Beavers	Extends available Trade Offers by 1 in each neighboring town	Dim Square level 7 x 72, x 12, x 12
Humans	Reveals the location of 1 of the nearest patches of Fertile Soil	First Dawn Headquarters level 6 x 60, x 12, x 12
Harpies	Gain 50  Coats	Vanguard Spire level 7 x 72
Foxes	Reveals the location of 1 of the nearest Rainwater Geysers	Pioneers' Gate level 8 x 84, x 12, x 12

Additional Information and Strategies

Lizards

10  Tools can help in early game to solve Glade Events, complete Orders or be traded for other Resources. It can be also a good strategy to keep them for sending Abandoned Caches to the Citadel later, as  Tools are amongst the most expensive and hard-to-produce goods in the game.

Beavers

Beavers' passive ability will unlock the first level of expansion with every neighboring city for free (otherwise it costs 5  Amber for each), which unlocks one extra Trade Offer (2 -> 3). It allows the player to pick better offers and improve standing with trading partners faster.

Combined with Guild House being a species-specific Service building that might be offered in blueprint choices when Beavers are in the game, Beavers are a good choice for players that center their strategy around Trading.

Humans

Humans passive icon.

Humans' Starting Ability will show the nearest undiscovered Fertile Soil patch on map. This information can be useful when picking blueprints or when choosing the best direction of expansion. Based on this information players can also deduce which Glades in close proximity are unlikely to contain Fertile Soil patches.

Harpies

Although 50  Coats seems to be a large number, they can disappear quickly without real benefit if starting caravan has many villagers with a Clothing Need. It is recommended to forbid usage of  Coats at the beginning of the game in Consumption Control and enable it again when it is beneficial:

Surviving Storm Season

Harpies' Resilience is Low and their base Resolve is only 5, so it might be a struggle to keep them positive during Storm Season. Enabling  Coats before Storm might prevent them from leaving.

Resolve Orders

Orders and especially Timed Orders that require to keep Humans', Beavers' or Harpies' Resolve above certain thresholds are much easier to fulfil with  Coats at player's disposal.

Solving Glade Events

There are five Dangerous Glade Events that can be solved with a help of  Coats:

• Blightrot Cauldron
• Corrupted Caravan
• Merchant Shipwreck
• Withered Tree
• Noxious Machinery

Foxes

Foxes passive icon.

Foxes' Starting Ability will show the nearest undiscovered Rainwater Geyser' position on the map and also reveal its Rainwater type. This information can be useful when picking blueprints or when choosing the best direction of expansion. Based on this information players can also deduce which Glades in close proximity are unlikely to contain geysers.

References

1. Sentinels of the Forest Update