One of the nice extras in the squad-based fantasy RPG Wartlaes is the large number of options you have when crafting and camping overnight. The April 2024 Wartales DLC added Brewing to the mix as a new profession so read on for my in-depth guide.
Complete Brewing and Brewer Guide for Wartales The Tavern Opens
As you may have guessed, Brewing adds the ability to brew up alcoholic beverages to the list of professions you can choose for your squad members. It is taken in the same way as any other profession and Brewing has a separate section in the Compendium. This means you can make a new food source for your warband but it works differently than the traditional cooking option. I’ve listed all the details below.
Brewing is a great profession for any of your companions as, while selected, it gives bonuses to both Constitution (so Health and Carrying Capacity) as well as your Critical Hit Chance. At higher levels, you will also have to trade a small amount of willpower for a bump in troop relationships.
A Brewer set to work on the Brewing Vat while camping will earn Brewer XP when alcohol is produced. A Brewer will earn 20 Brewer XP for each brew made. So if you’re making three brews at once (see below), you can earn 60 Brewing XP in a single night.
- Novice Brewer: Constitution +2, Critical Hit +2 percent.
- Apprentice Brewer: Constitution +3, Critical Hit +3 percent, Willpower -1. Troop relationships improve 20 percent faster.
- Experienced Brewer: Constitution +4, Critical Hit +4 percent, Willpower -1. Troop relationships improve 20 percent faster. Generate +1 Valor when the troop consumes at least 1 alcohol.
- Journeyman Brewer: Constitution +6, Critical Hit +5 percent, Willpower -2. Troop relationships improve 20 percent faster. Generate +1 Valor when the troop consumes at least 1 alcohol. Can craft 1 time more with each recipe.
Brewing Vats
Open your Compendium and select the Workshop tab. There are three tiers of Brewing Vat available, with the original available to craft immediately. To make a Brewing Vat, set camp and use your Workshop (with a Tinkerer) to build it. It will appear in your inventory and can be placed in your camp as usual. Only a Brewer can be assigned to a Brewing Vat.
Once you’ve made this, the first upgrade will become available to buy for 1 Knowledge Point in your compendium. Once you’ve made this upgrade, a second upgrade will become available (also for 1 Knowledge Point). The Brewing Vat allows the Assigned Brewer to produce brewed fruit alcohol during a rest.
- Brewing Vat (2 Leather, 2 Iron Ore, 2 Wood): Allows one brew
- 1-Star Brewing Vat (4 Leather, 4 Iron Ore, 14 Wood): Allows 2 concurrent brews
- 2-Star Brewing Vat (6 Leather, 6 Iron Ore, 18 Wood: Allows 3 concurrent brews
Concurrent brews mean you can make several different drinks at once. These drinks must be different, which means you can’t split an ingredient to quickly make a lot of the same drink. As with other camp items, you can only make one Brewing Vat.
Recipes and Ageing
There are 16 recipe slots listed under the Brewing Vat compendium at the time of the DLC launch. Just 2 of these are available as soon as you take the profession, 3 more require a Knowledge Point and become available once you make the easier drinks, while the remaining 11 require you to find a recipe.
The only way to find 10 of the recipes is to steal them from rival taverns by using the Infiltrate option in the Wartlaes: The Tavern Opens! DLC. I’ll add to this list as I find more recipes. All alcohol counts as 1 Food for troop members who require it.
| Alcohol | Source | Ingredients | Food value | Krown Value | Details |
| Brandy (x4) | Starter | 3 Cherries | 1 | 2 | Increase Troop Happiness by 1. A strong alcohol, which could also be used to unclog latrines. |
| Cider (x4) | Starter | 3 Apples | 1 | 2 | Increase Troop Happiness by 1. Traditionally consumed on rare occasions, cider has become a staple in Gosenberg taverns over the past few years. |
| Beer (x4) | Available to learn after making Cider or Brandy once | 4 Hemp | 1 | 2 | Increase Troop Happiness by 1. A cool amber beer. |
| Wine (x3) | Available to learn after making Beer once | 5 Grapes | 1 | 3 | Increase Troop Happiness by 2. A highly tannic wine with a silky mouthfeel. |
| Mead (x3) | Available to learn after making Wine once | 2 Honey and 2 Alchemical Residue | 1 | 5 | Increase Troop Happiness by 3. The Gods’ favorite tipple. |
| Gin (x3) | Steal by infiltrating rival taverns (requires The Tavern Opens! DLC) | 3 Marsh Parsley | 1 | 3 | Increase Troop Happiness by 2. Great for cleaning wounds and warding off mosquitoes, it can also be consumed. |
| Rum (x4) | Steal by infiltrating rival taverns (requires The Tavern Opens! DLC) | 2 Syrup | 1 | 2 | Increase Troop Happiness by 1. A strong liquor that goes down especially well with mint. |
| Edoran Wine (x4) | Steal by infiltrating rival taverns (requires The Tavern Opens! DLC) | 3 Grapes | 1 | 2 | Increase Troop Happiness by 1. Vinegar claiming to be wine. |
Ageing
Ageing can only be done by a Brewer who is a Master Brewer. Then, each of your Brewing Vat slots can instead be assigned to age alcohol that you have already made. This will upgrade 1 alcohol from standard to 1 Star (Delicious), which doubles the amount of Happiness it gives. Value, food given, etc. are not affected.
Related: How to get and use Seasoning in Wartales The Tavern Opens
Where to find fruit
Fruit can be found randomly while foraging and can also be bought from the fruit and vegetable stall in every town market. Fruit usually costs 3 Krowns to buy and sells for 2 Krowns. I think what is available at each market is somewhat variable, but this is my experience of what is sold where after the DLC (let me know in the comments if you find other fruit elsewhere):
- Stromkapp (Tiltren county): Apples and Grapes
- Marheim (Vertruse Province): Apples, Cherries, Grapes
- Cortia (County of Artes): Apricot
- Garussa Clan (Ludern Region): Cherries
- Grinmeer (Grinmeer Province): Apples, Grapes
- New Asthel (Drombach County): Blueberries
- Per Bast (Belerion Archipelago): Apricot
Alcohol pluses and minuses
As well as giving a Happiness bonus to troops, a variety of different types of alcohol are required for quests as well as in Advanced Cooking Recipes, Feasts Cooking Recipes, and Specialities Cooking Recipes.
Basic alcohol usually has a value of 2 but advanced alcohols such as Mead and Gosenberg Wine can be sold for 5 or more. However, as it costs 3 fruits to make 4 of a basic alcoholic drink, and the ingredient cost is the same as the sale price, you’re only making a small profit for your troubles. This profit margin increases once you can make Beer.
While the Happiness bonus of alcohol is to be welcomed, the basic ingredients have twice their value as straight food. Also, the more alcohol you put into your nightly means the more chance you have of giving your troop members the Drunkard trait. Companions with Drunkard must consume alcohol with every meal to benefit from the Happy status.
For more on Wartales check out Wartales – All inquisitor questions and answers here at Pro Game Guides!
Published: Apr 20, 2024 08:03 am