How to Keep Approval High in Manor Lords
If your village suddenly feels grumpy in Manor Lords, you are not imagining it, and you are not bad at the game. Approval can feel tricky because it blends what is happening right now with what villagers still remember from earlier trouble. The thumbs-up meter combines Recent factors (current needs) and Lingering memories (older positives and negatives that fade over about 90 days), so a fix you make today may take a little time to fully show up.
Quick targets to remember: at 55%+ approval, you gain monthly migration. At 80%+, migration gets faster. At very low tiers (below 20%), families can start leaving. A Burgage Plot is a family house, and these houses drive approval through needs, mostly through Marketplace stalls (fuel, food variety, clothing), plus basics like water and church access as your settlement develops.
Fast Recovery When Approval Drops
When approval dips, pause and run this triage in order: 1) Hover the approval icon and fix the biggest red recent penalty first. 2) Remove homelessness pressure by getting families into Burgage Plots quickly. 3) Restock your Marketplace by staffing logistics (Granary/Storehouse) so stalls stay filled, not just warehouses. 4) If you are taxing, lower Land Tax until the settlement stabilizes. 5) Before winter, bank extra fuel and keep multiple food categories active so one shortage does not crash your mood.
If you are stuck around 40-50%, take a calm reset month: stop expanding for one month, lock in fuel + at least two food categories + one clothing supply, then recheck approval at the next month tick. That steady reset usually restores momentum and gets growth flowing again without a full restart.