One of the nice extras of the Wartlaes squad-based fantasy RPG is the wealth 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 detailed guide.
Complete Brewing and Brewery Guide for Wartales The Tavern Opens
As you may have guessed, Brewing adds the ability to brew alcoholic beverages to the list of professions you can choose for your team members. It is studied in the same way as any other profession and Brewery has a separate section in the Compendium. This means you can create a new food source for your raid, but it works differently than the traditional cooking option. I have listed all the details below.
Brewing is a great profession for any of your companions as, when selected, it grants bonuses to both Constitution (i.e. health and carrying capacity) and your critical hit chance. At higher levels, you will also have to trade a small amount of willpower for an increase in troop relationships.
A brewer who works on the brewing tank while camping will gain Brewer XP when alcohol is produced. A brewer will earn 20 Brewer XP for each beer brewed. So if you’re brewing three beers at once (see below), you can earn 60 Brewing XP in a single night.
- Novice brewer: Constitution +2, Critical Hit +2 percent.
- Brewer apprentice: Constitution +3, Critical Hit +3 percent, Willpower -1. Troop relations improve 20 percent faster.
- Experienced brewer: Constitution +4, Critical Hit +4 percent, Willpower -1. Troop relations improve 20 percent faster. Generates +1 Valor when the troop consumes at least 1 alcohol.
- Official Brewer: Constitution +6, Critical Hit +5 percent, Willpower -2. Troop relations improve 20 percent faster. Generates +1 Valor when the troop consumes at least 1 alcohol. You can craft 1 more time with each recipe.
Related: Wartales Region Orders and Tiers Guide
Beer brewing vats
Open your Compendium and select the Workshop tab. There are three levels of Brewing Vat available, with the original available to craft immediately. To make a brewing vat, set up camp and use your workshop (with a Tinkerer) to build it. It will appear in your inventory and you can place it in your camp as usual. Only one brewer can be assigned to a brewing vat.
Once you have done this, the first upgrade will be available to purchase for 1 knowledge point in your compendium. Once you have completed this upgrade, a second upgrade will be available (also for 1 knowledge point). The brewing vat allows the assigned brewer to produce brewed fruit alcohol during a break.
- beer brewing vat (2 leather, 2 iron ore, 2 wood): allows a preparation
- 1 star brewing vat (4 leather, 4 iron ore, 14 wood): allows 2 simultaneous preparations
- 2 star brewing tank (6 leather, 6 iron ore, 18 wood: allows 3 simultaneous preparations
Simultaneous preparations mean that you can prepare several different drinks at once. These drinks must be different, meaning you can’t split one ingredient to quickly make a large batch of the same drink. As with other camp items, you can only make one brewing vat.
Recipes and Aging
There are 16 recipe slots listed in the Brewing Vat compendium at the time of the DLC’s release. Only 2 of them are available as soon as you take up the profession, 3 more require a knowledge point and will be available once you make the easier drinks, while the remaining 11 require you to find a recipe.
I will add to this list as I discover more recipes. All alcohol counts as 1 Food for troop members who require it.
| Alcohol | Fountain | Ingredients | Food value | Crown value | Details |
| brandy (x4) | Start | 3 cherries | 1 | 2 | Increases troop happiness by 1. A strong alcohol, which could also be used to unclog latrines. |
| Cider (x4) | Start | 3 apples | 1 | 2 | Increases troop happiness by 1. Cider, traditionally consumed on rare occasions, has become a staple in Gosenberg’s taverns in recent years. |
| Beer (x4) | Available to learn after making cider or brandy once. | 4 hemp | 1 | 2 | Increases troops’ happiness by 1. A cold amber beer. |
| Came (x3) | Available to learn after brewing once. | 5 grapes | 1 | 3 | Increases troops’ happiness by 2. A very tannic wine with a silky mouthfeel. |
| Mead (x3) | Available to learn after making Wine once. | 2 Honey and 2 Alchemical Residue | 1 | 5 | Increases troops’ happiness by 3. The favorite drink of the gods. |
Aging
Aging can only be carried out by a Brewer who is Brewmaster. Each of the Brewing Vat slots can then be assigned to aging the alcohol you’ve already brewed. This will upgrade 1 alcohol from standard to 1 star (delicious), doubling the amount of happiness it provides. The value, the food given, etc. they are not affected.
Related: How to get and use condiments in Wartales Tavern Opens
where to find fruit
Fruit can be found randomly while foraging and can also be purchased at the fruit and vegetable stalls in each market in the city. Fruit usually costs 3 crowns to buy and is sold for 2 crowns. I think what is available in each market is somewhat variablebut this is my experience of what is sold and 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 (Arts County): Apricot
- Clan Garussa (Ludern Region): Cherries
- Grinmeer (Grinmeer Province): Apples, Grapes
- New Asthel (Drombach County): blueberries
- Per Bast (Belerion Archipelago): Apricot
Pros and cons of alcohol
In addition to granting a happiness bonus to troops, a variety of different types of alcohol are required for missions, as well as advanced cooking recipes, banquet cooking recipes, and special cooking recipes.
Basic alcohol is usually valued at 2, but advanced alcohols such as Mead and Gosenberg wine can sell for 5 or more. However, since it costs 3 fruits to make 4 of a basic alcoholic drink and the cost of the ingredients is the same as the retail price, you will only make a small profit for your trouble. This profit margin increases once you can brew.
Although the extra happiness that alcohol brings is welcome, the basic ingredients have twice the value of pure foods. Additionally, the more alcohol you put into your night, the more likely you are to give your troop members the drunk trait. Drunk companions must consume alcohol with every meal to benefit from the Happy state.
For more information on Wartales, check out Wartales: All Inquisitor Questions and Answers here on MyFullGames!