Party & Combat
Dungeon Settlers Recruit - How to Inspect and Hire Settlers
Dungeon Settlers recruiting starts at the settlement Recruit panel. For a new save, lock a race that fits the job, reroll the key attributes toward Outstanding or Genius, lock the Background and Individual traits, and check skills last; the opening target is role coverage, not four perfect cards.
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- FAQ
- Continue with Dungeon Settlers Inscriptions - Effects & How to Choose
- The short answer
- Opening four-person target: cover jobs before chasing perfect rolls
- How to read this screenshot batch
- Recognize the race icon first
- Background icons: your main skill-tree direction
- Individual icons: your sub-trait filter
- Use the icons in this reroll order
- Recruit a settler step by step
- Read the candidate without a tier list
- If recruiting is unavailable or confusing
- Version boundary
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FAQ
FAQ
Where do I recruit in Dungeon Settlers?
Use the Recruit action in the settlement interface, currently shown in the upper-right area in the supplied Early Access screen. The exact button placement can move, so follow the current UI label.
What should I check before hiring a recruit?
Start with the missing role, then compare relevant attributes, traits, talents, background, skills, equipment direction, displayed cost, and whether the settlement can feed, house, and equip the candidate.
Do recruits refresh on a fixed timer?
A periodic refresh is reported by older player material, but a permanent current timer is not verified. Use the current Recruit panel and record the displayed behavior for your build.
Is recruiting the same as building a party?
No. Recruiting acquires a candidate; Characters and Party Builds explain how to evaluate that candidate and fit them into the current rank-based expedition party.
Continue with Dungeon Settlers Inscriptions - Effects & How to Choose
Open the companion guide for the next production, character or progression decision.
The short answer
Open Recruit at the settlement and read the whole candidate, not just the portrait or one attractive stat. A useful hire fills a real job, has a manageable cost, and can be fed, housed, equipped, and assigned without creating a larger bottleneck at home.
The supplied current recruit screen shows a candidate list alongside attributes, equipment slots, skill paths, and a recruit action. Use it as a checklist for what to inspect, not as proof of a permanent price, refresh timer, or tier list.
Opening four-person target: cover jobs before chasing perfect rolls
For a new save, aim for one front line, one ranged recruit, one magic or support recruit, and one flexible worker or second damage slot. The default frame is Lizardman front line + Elf bow/nature + Human flexible slot + Human/Elf magic-support. If the current pool only shows Lizardmen and Elves, hire one reliable front line and one reliable back line first; do not freeze the run waiting for four perfect cards.
Read the talent labels as Genius > Exceptional > Outstanding > Average. For a Lizardman, check Strength and Constitution first; for an Elf bow recruit, Agility and Perception; for an Elf magic/nature recruit, Intelligence and Willpower. Outstanding on the key stats is enough to move on; Genius is a bonus, not a requirement for every field.
How to read this screenshot batch
Candidate 2, Karax (male Lizardman), is the first lock-and-hire: Strength 14 and Constitution 13 give him the clearest front-line job. Candidate 3, Risa (female Elf), is also a keep: the three back-line-relevant values visible in the screenshot are 13, 12, and 13, making her the better bow, nature, or magic candidate.
Candidate 1, Sharg (male Lizardman), is a usable second-front-line placeholder, but his front-line core is weaker than candidate 2. Candidate 4, Rubarae (female Elf), has a Forest Keeper direction but lower back-line values around 11, 10, and 11, so reroll her first. This is one screenshot batch, not a permanent tier list.
Icon reading from the supplied batch: candidate 3 has Hunter as the second Background icon; candidate 4 has Forest Keeper; candidate 2 has the smiley Optimistic sub-trait, acceptable on a front line but poor for a bow or magic recruit; candidate 4 has Belly Beggar, more useful on a high-Constitution front line. The first Background icon and candidate 3’s sub-trait are too small to name safely; hover them in-game.
Recognize the race icon first
The current data reference lists four recruitable races: Human, Lizardman, Elf, and Lycan. The race icon gives you a direction, not a finished class. Lock the race when it matches the job you want, then judge the attributes, background, individual trait, talents, and skills together.
These cards use the current DS_B.0.4.19 data reference. They are quick recognition aids for the recruit screen; the game’s current candidate card remains the final check if a patch changes a value or availability.
Background icons: your main skill-tree direction
On the recruit screen, Background is the main-trait slot. It determines which main and sub skill trees the recruit can access, so it is more important than a single skill icon. For the first four, prioritize a rank-1 background that fills a missing job; rank-2 backgrounds are good later, but should not slow down a stable opening.
The labels below are practical translations: “front line” means the recruit can be built around shield or heavy melee; “ranged” means bow or reach; “magic” means a spell-tree direction; “worker” means the settlement bonus may matter more than dungeon damage.
Individual icons: your sub-trait filter
Individual traits are the sub-trait slot. The useful icon depends on the job: a front line can accept a health or dungeon-mood bonus, while a bow or magic recruit can value Intelligence and Perception. Do not chase a “good” icon if its tradeoff breaks the role.
The Wiki lists Curious, Adventurous, Belly Beggar, and Pessimistic across all four recruitable races. Pacifist, Light Eater, and Optimistic are easy icons to recognize and usually skip for the opening expedition team.
Use the icons in this reroll order
1. Lock the race when it matches the intended job. 2. Reroll the key ability for that job until it reaches Outstanding or Genius when the run gives you enough attempts. 3. Lock a suitable Background/main trait. 4. Reroll and lock the Individual/sub-trait. 5. Check the main and sub skill icons last; the current screen shows skills cannot be locked, so do not discard a strong candidate only because its first skill roll is imperfect.
For a fast four-person opening, stop when you have one Lizardman front line, one Human or Lycan flexible physical slot, one Elf bow/nature direction, and one Human/Elf magic or support direction. Perfect icons are a bonus; role coverage and a recruit you can feed and equip are the stopping rule.
Recruit a settler step by step
1. Open the current Recruit action after the settlement or quest has made the panel available. If the button is missing, check the current tutorial and progression state before assuming the feature is broken.
2. Name the job the next expedition or settlement is missing: protection, reliable damage, reach or control, recovery, production, research, or another role visible in your current run.
3. Compare candidates against that job. Read the relevant abilities, major and sub traits, talents, background, skill direction, equipment, and any visible restrictions together.
4. Check the displayed cost and the home-side support: available gold, housing or population room, food, equipment, work assignment, and recovery. A candidate is not ready just because the recruit button is active.
5. Hire only when the candidate improves the named problem. Then assign a first job, equip what the current build supports, and test the recruit on a short comparable expedition before rebuilding the entire party.
Read the candidate without a tier list
Start with the next task, then read the candidate’s attributes and traits that affect that task. A high value in one field can be useful, but a trait tradeoff, missing equipment, or poor settlement support can make the candidate weaker in the run that matters.
Background and skill direction are planning clues, not a guarantee of a fixed class. Compare the available path with the weapon, research, and materials your settlement can provide. If the route needs a workshop or resource you do not have, delay the hire or choose a candidate who can work now.
When two candidates are close, prefer the one that solves the next problem with fewer new dependencies. Keep a dated note of the choice and the result so one successful run is not mistaken for a universal ranking.
Version boundary
Update this page when an Early Access patch changes the Recruit panel, candidate fields, recruitment cost, refresh behavior, population support, or quest unlock. Keep `/characters` focused on evaluating and building with the recruit after hiring.
Links used for this guide.
Version note: Candidate pools, prices, refresh behavior, population limits, and available fields are version-sensitive. Use the current Recruit panel for exact values; the page does not promise a permanent timer or best-candidate list.
Version boundary: Current player footage confirms the recruit-screen fields and action flow. Exact candidate rotation, timer, cost, population formula, and trait weights remain current-build data questions.