Timberbots and Ironbots: Complete Mechanical Workers Guide

Bots are mechanical workers that supplement your beaver labor force, handling tasks that would otherwise require additional population growth and all the food, water, and housing that entails. Both factions can build bots, but they differ in how bots are fueled, boosted, and managed. Folktails build Timberbots powered by Biofuel, while Iron Teeth build Ironbots that recharge at Charging Stations. This guide covers the entire bot pipeline from raw materials to finished units, explains the fuel and power systems that keep them running, compares their strengths and weaknesses, and helps you determine when bots are worth the investment versus expanding your beaver population.

Bot Part Factory: Crafting the Components

Before you can assemble a bot, you need to produce three types of components at the Bot Part Factory, a Science building that requires research to unlock. The factory produces Bot Heads, Bot Chassis, and Bot Limbs, and can only work on one part type at a time. Each component has its own recipe and production time, so you need to plan your factory schedule carefully to avoid bottlenecks.

The Bot Chassis requires 1 Metal Block and 5 Planks. It is the most plank-intensive component and typically takes the longest to produce. The Bot Head requires 1 Metal Block, 3 Gears, and 1 Plank. Its Gear requirement makes it dependent on your metalworking supply chain. Bot Limbs are produced in batches of 4 from their required materials. In terms of production time, one factory cycle produces either 1 Bot Chassis, 1 Bot Head, or 4 Bot Limbs in the same number of work hours.

Since a complete bot requires 1 Bot Chassis, 1 Bot Head, and 4 Bot Limbs, you need three factory cycles to produce all parts for one bot (one cycle each for the Chassis, Head, and one batch of Limbs). This means a single Bot Part Factory can produce components for roughly one bot every three production cycles. If you need bots faster, build multiple Bot Part Factories operating in parallel, each specializing in a different component.

The material requirements add up quickly. Each bot needs at least 2 Metal Blocks (1 for Chassis, 1 for Head), 6 Planks (5 for Chassis, 1 for Head), and 3 Gears (for Head), plus the materials for Limbs. Establishing a steady supply of Metal Blocks and Gears through your Smelter and Gear Workshop is essential before committing to bot production. Running out of metal mid-production means your factory sits idle, wasting the beaver worker assigned to it.

Bot Assembler: Building Your Mechanical Workers

The Bot Assembler is the building that combines the three component types into a finished bot. It requires all components to be present in its local storage before assembly begins: 1 Bot Chassis, 1 Bot Head, and 4 Bot Limbs. Assembly nominally takes 36 hours of beaver work time, though the actual duration varies based on the assigned worker's speed. A beaver with high well-being (and therefore higher work speed) will complete assembly faster, which is an argument for prioritizing well-being even in your industrial districts.

The Bot Assembler requires a beaver operator, so it consumes one worker slot from your labor pool. However, the bot it produces works autonomously once assembled, effectively turning one beaver's temporary labor into a permanent (until the bot's lifespan expires) additional worker. This trade-off is central to the bot economy: you invest beaver labor upfront in parts production and assembly to gain labor-free workers for the long term.

Position your Bot Assembler near your Bot Part Factory and component storage to minimize hauling distances. The assembly process halts if any component runs out, so maintain a buffer stock of each part type near the assembler. A well-organized bot production district includes the Bot Part Factory, component storage, Bot Assembler, and (for Folktails) Biofuel storage, all in close proximity.

Timberbot Fuel System: Biofuel and the Refinery

Timberbots are the Folktails faction's mechanical workers, and they run on Biofuel. When a Timberbot's fuel level drops to empty, it displays an 'Out of Fuel' status and ceases work until it can access a Biofuel Tank to refuel. Biofuel is produced at the Refinery, which converts agricultural products and water into fuel using several recipes.

The Refinery offers multiple Biofuel recipes with different yields. The recipe using 2 Water and 2 Potatoes produces 30 Biofuel, making it the highest-yield option and the preferred choice for large-scale bot operations. The recipe using 2 Water and 2 Spadderdock produces 25 Biofuel. The recipe using 2 Water and 2 Carrots produces 5 Biofuel, which is significantly less efficient and generally only used when Carrots are your only available crop. Choosing the right recipe based on your agricultural output is critical for maintaining a cost-effective fuel supply.

Biofuel is stored in dedicated Biofuel Tanks, which should be placed throughout your colony near areas where Timberbots work. A Timberbot that has to walk across the entire map to refuel wastes significant productive time on commuting. Distribute tanks strategically so that no Timberbot is ever more than a short walk from a fuel source. A good rule of thumb is one Biofuel Tank per cluster of 3 to 5 working Timberbots.

The Biofuel supply chain ties Timberbots directly to your agricultural infrastructure. You need farms growing Potatoes (or other fuel crops), haulers moving crops to the Refinery, a Refinery worker converting crops to Biofuel, and haulers distributing Biofuel to Tanks. Each link in this chain must be maintained, or your Timberbots stop working. During droughts when crop production halts, your Biofuel reserves determine how long your Timberbots can keep operating. Stockpile Biofuel aggressively before droughts begin.

Catalyst Boost for Timberbots

Catalysts are a special resource that provides Timberbots with a temporary boost to their working speed and movement speed when consumed. The Catalyst recipe at the Refinery requires 1 Maple Syrup and 2 Sunflower Seeds, making it dependent on specific crop types that you may not already be growing for food. Establishing a Catalyst supply chain requires dedicated Maple Syrup production (from Maple trees and a Syrup production building) and Sunflower farming.

Catalysts are stored in dedicated Catalyst Tanks and are consumed by Timberbots automatically when available. The boost is significant, increasing both work speed and movement speed, which means a Catalyst-boosted Timberbot is considerably more productive than an unboosted one. However, the agricultural cost is substantial, requiring two dedicated crop types that could otherwise feed your beaver population.

The decision to invest in Catalyst production depends on your colony's maturity. In the mid-game, when food supply is still tight and your agricultural infrastructure is limited, Catalysts are a luxury you probably cannot afford. In the late game, when you have surplus agricultural capacity and your food needs are comfortably met, Catalysts become an excellent way to squeeze more productivity out of your existing Timberbot fleet without building additional units.

Punchcards are another Timberbot enhancement that provides specific task-related bonuses. Punchcards are produced through their own crafting chain and stored in dedicated Punchcard Warehouses. While the details of Punchcard production and effects vary, they represent an additional layer of Timberbot optimization available to Folktails players who have fully developed their industrial infrastructure.

Ironbot Power System: Charging Stations and Control Towers

Ironbots are the Iron Teeth faction's mechanical workers, and instead of consuming fuel, they recharge electrical energy at Charging Stations. When an Ironbot's energy depletes, it displays an 'Out of Energy' status and must return to a Charging Station to recharge before resuming work. This system ties Ironbots to your power grid rather than your agricultural system.

Each Charging Station requires a constant power connection and draws power continuously, even when no Ironbot is actively charging. This idle power draw must be factored into your power budget. More critically, each Charging Station can only recharge one Ironbot at a time. If multiple Ironbots arrive at the same station simultaneously, they queue up and wait, wasting productive time. To minimize queuing, build one Charging Station for every 2 to 3 Ironbots and distribute stations near work areas.

The power cost of Ironbot operations is significant. Each Charging Station's ongoing power draw, multiplied by the number of stations you need, adds a substantial load to your power grid. On the positive side, Ironbot recharging is fast compared to Timberbot refueling trips, and the power system is generally more reliable and easier to scale than the agricultural supply chain that Timberbots depend on. If you have surplus power generation (especially from Engines or Geothermal Engines), Ironbots are very efficient.

The Control Tower is an Iron Teeth building that provides an area-of-effect boost to all Ironbots within its signal radius. Ironbots working within range of a Control Tower receive increased productivity, similar to the Catalyst boost for Timberbots but without requiring a consumable resource. Place Control Towers centrally in areas where your Ironbots concentrate their work. A single well-placed Control Tower can boost several Ironbots simultaneously, making it one of the most cost-effective productivity enhancements available to Iron Teeth.

Grease is an additional consumable that Iron Teeth can produce to further boost Ironbot performance. When Grease is available, Ironbots consume it for a temporary speed increase. Unlike Control Towers (which provide a passive radius-based boost), Grease provides an active, time-limited boost that stacks with the Control Tower effect. Producing Grease requires its own resource chain, but for late-game Iron Teeth players seeking maximum Ironbot output, it is a worthwhile investment.

Bot Capabilities vs Beaver Workers

Bots and beavers have different capabilities and limitations. Bots do not need food, water, housing, or well-being buildings. They do not reproduce, do not age naturally (though they have a fixed 70-day lifespan), and do not need leisure time or sleep. They work continuously during their operational hours, making them tireless laborers for repetitive tasks.

However, bots cannot perform every task that beavers can. Bots are generally limited to basic labor tasks such as hauling, farming, and simple production work. They cannot operate all building types, cannot research Science, and cannot fulfill roles that require beaver-specific capabilities. The exact list of bot-compatible tasks depends on the current game version, but as a general rule, bots excel at manual labor while beavers are needed for skilled work.

The 70-day lifespan is a critical factor in bot economics. A bot's durability starts at 100% and declines steadily over its 70-day life, eventually reaching 0% and causing the bot to break down. This means you need a continuous production pipeline to replace aging bots. If your Bot Part Factory or Bot Assembler is disrupted (by power outage, labor shortage, or material shortage), your bot workforce will gradually shrink as old units break down without replacements.

Bots also do not contribute to well-being calculations. They have no needs to satisfy, which means they do not benefit from (or drag down) your colony's average well-being score. This is a subtle but important advantage: adding bots to your workforce increases total labor output without diluting your per-beaver well-being optimizations.

When to Build Bots: Timing Your Investment

Bots are a mid-to-late-game investment. The research requirements, material costs, and infrastructure needed (Bot Part Factory, Bot Assembler, fuel or power systems) mean that building your first bot requires a well-established colony with surplus resources. Rushing bots too early diverts resources from more immediately impactful investments like food production, water management, and basic well-being infrastructure.

The ideal time to start bot production is when your colony has stable food surplus for at least 5 days, reliable power generation with spare capacity, a functioning metalworking chain (for Metal Blocks and Gears), and enough beaver population that assigning workers to the Bot Part Factory and Bot Assembler does not create critical labor shortages elsewhere. In most games, this occurs around the time you are expanding your second or third district.

Bots are most valuable for tasks that are labor-intensive but do not require beaver-specific capabilities. Hauling is the quintessential bot task, as large colonies often need many haulers to move resources between production buildings, and each hauler slot filled by a bot frees a beaver for more skilled work. Farming is another excellent bot application, particularly on large agricultural districts where the repetitive planting and harvesting cycle suits a tireless mechanical worker.

Consider bots as a way to break through labor ceilings. When your colony reaches a point where adding more beavers is bottlenecked by housing, food, or water capacity, bots let you add workers without expanding those support systems. Five bots can perform the equivalent of five beavers' worth of basic labor without requiring five additional housing units, food production chains, or water supply capacity. This makes bots an efficient scaling mechanism for mature colonies.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Are Bots Worth It?

The economics of bots depend on your colony's specific situation, but a general analysis is instructive. The upfront cost of one bot is 2 Metal Blocks, 6+ Planks, 3 Gears, plus Limb materials, plus 36 hours of assembly labor. The ongoing cost is either Biofuel (Timberbots) or power (Ironbots). The benefit is 70 days of continuous labor that requires no food, water, housing, or well-being infrastructure.

Compare this to the cost of an equivalent beaver worker. A new beaver requires a housing slot (construction cost plus space), food production capacity (farm space, processing buildings, labor), water supply, well-being buildings, and time to mature from kit to adult (which is longer for Iron Teeth). The beaver lives indefinitely (until old age or accident) but requires ongoing support for its entire life. The bot has a fixed 70-day lifespan but zero ongoing support beyond fuel or power.

In most scenarios, bots are cost-effective when your colony is space-constrained (no room for more housing and farms), when you have surplus power or agricultural products, or when you need temporary labor surges (such as major construction projects). Bots are less cost-effective in the early game when materials are scarce, when your power grid or food supply is already strained, or when you need workers for tasks that bots cannot perform.

The break-even point is roughly when a bot's 70 days of labor output exceeds the total value of resources invested in its creation and fuel. Given that a bot works every hour of every day without breaks for eating, sleeping, or leisure, its effective labor output is significantly higher per day than a beaver, which spends substantial time on personal needs. Most analyses suggest that bots become net positive within 15 to 20 days of operation, meaning they provide 50 to 55 days of pure profit before breaking down.

Faction Comparison: Timberbots vs Ironbots

Timberbots (Folktails) are fueled by Biofuel, boosted by Catalysts and Punchcards, and tied to the agricultural supply chain. Their primary advantage is that Biofuel production uses crops and water, resources that Folktails already produce in abundance. The downside is that Biofuel competes with food production for agricultural output, and during droughts when crops stop growing, Biofuel reserves determine Timberbot operational duration.

Ironbots (Iron Teeth) run on electrical power through Charging Stations, receive passive boosts from Control Towers, and can be further enhanced with Grease. Their primary advantage is that recharging is fast and does not depend on seasonal agricultural cycles. The downside is the constant power draw from Charging Stations and the need to maintain surplus power generation. Iron Teeth's reliable Engines and Deep Water Pumps help mitigate this, making Ironbots a natural fit for the faction's industrial playstyle.

In terms of operational efficiency, Ironbots tend to have less downtime because recharging is faster than refueling, and Charging Stations are simpler to distribute than Biofuel Tanks (which require a hauling supply chain). However, Timberbots with Catalyst boosts can achieve higher peak productivity than unboosted Ironbots. With both Catalyst and Punchcard enhancements, a fully optimized Timberbot can be remarkably efficient.

The Control Tower gives Ironbots an edge in concentrated work areas. Because the Tower boosts all Ironbots within its radius without consuming any resources, it is essentially a free and permanent productivity multiplier. Placing a Control Tower in the center of a farming district or warehouse cluster and assigning multiple Ironbots to work there creates a highly efficient labor zone. Timberbots have no equivalent passive area boost, relying instead on consumable Catalysts for similar effects.

Scaling Bot Production: From First Bot to Full Automation

Your first bot should be treated as a proof of concept. Build one Bot Part Factory, one Bot Assembler, and produce a single bot to verify your supply chain works. Assign the bot to a hauling task and observe its fuel or energy consumption rate to calibrate your ongoing supply needs. Only after confirming that your support infrastructure can sustain one bot should you scale up.

Scaling to 5 to 10 bots requires a dedicated production district with 2 to 3 Bot Part Factories (ideally each specializing in one component type to eliminate recipe-switching downtime), 1 to 2 Bot Assemblers, ample component storage, and an expanded fuel or power supply. At this scale, you should also plan for replacement production: with 10 bots and a 70-day lifespan, you need to produce roughly one new bot every 7 days just to maintain your fleet size.

At 15 or more bots, your production pipeline becomes a significant industrial operation in its own right. Multiple Bot Part Factories running continuously, dedicated material supply chains (Metal Blocks, Gears, Planks), and a robust fuel or power infrastructure are all required. At this scale, consider using bots themselves for hauling bot components to the assembler, creating a self-sustaining production loop where bots help build their own replacements.

The upper limit of bot production is typically constrained by your Metal Block supply. Metal is the bottleneck resource for bot production because each bot requires at least 2 Metal Blocks, and metal production (from ore mining and smelting) is power-intensive and slow compared to wood processing. Expanding your mining and smelting operations is usually the key to scaling bot production beyond the initial handful of units. With a well-optimized supply chain, a large colony can sustain 20 to 30 bots alongside its beaver workforce, creating a hybrid labor force that combines the versatility of beavers with the tireless efficiency of mechanical workers.