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How To Build A Temple In Dwarf Fortress

How To Build A Temple In Dwarf Fortress

Building a temple becomes almost essential for your dwarfs in Dwarf Fortress if you want them to be worshippers. However, you might be wondering how you can make it in a way that’s accurate and efficient. In this guide, we’ll be discussing just that.

  • Dig out or Construct a surface with 25 tiles.
  • Place this surface in a prior meeting area with a Deity.
  • To know which DLC you’re using then adhere to the following:
  • Select Temple at the top of the Location Menu
  • Note down the Deity you must build the Temple for.
  • Begin construction of the Temple that you wish to create.

Building a Temple might initially seem like you are signing up for a lot. However, I can tell you from experience that once you understand a few basic principles then you will have no issue building one in Dwarf Fortress.

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Building a Temple in Dwarf Fortress

Screenshot of a Temple in Dwarf Fortress.
Temples – Dwarf Fortress

If you’re new to Dwarf Fortress then chances are you’re wondering how you can build your dwarves a Temple. It’s quite common for your Dwarves to send you a petition regarding it. But when you can’t figure out how to do it, it can become quite frustrating. So within this section, I’ll detail everything.

If you don’t have a temple within your world then your dwarves will lack a location to worship. These places are essential, especially if you want to ensure that your dwarves stay happy and content.

If after a while, you do not build them a temple, it can become quite problematic. Which is why building the temple becomes necessary.

Temporary Temples

Screenshot of places you can turn your Meeting Zones and Meeting Areas.
Meeting Area Options – Dwarf Fortress

If you’re looking to make a temporary temple the process is quite simple. But there are a few prerequisites that you need to establish before you can begin the building process. The most important aspect of building a temporary temple is to construct a meeting zone that you convert into a temple.

To establish a new Temporary Temple you must do the following:

  • Construct a Meeting Zone or Select an existing Meeting Zone for your Dwarves.
  • Navigate to the button with a Plus Sign and a Wooden Sign.
  • Click the New Temple Option
  • After your new temple has been established you need to set a deity.
  • For a Temporary Temple select the “No Specific Deity” setting.
  • Voila! you’ve constructed a usable Temporary Temple now.

Now that your Meeting Area has been built into a temple, and no specific deity is set, it will be considered a temporary temple. A temporary temple is important if you have dwarves of a variety of different religions. It can be quite resource-intensive if you build temples for all of them. But building one can alleviate this worry initially.

You can use these temporary temples as a buffer. They satiate the immediate need of your dwarves for a temple. While you can spend your time constructing one more specific to the major religious factions that form within your dwarf populace. Merely having an area allocated to worship will appease your dwarves for the time being.

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Permanent Temples

Creating New Permanent Temple - Dwarf Fortress
Creating New Permanent Temple – Dwarf Fortress

Now that you know how to make a temporary temple. It’s time that we make a permanent one, specifically for your dwarves. Your dwarves might petition for one of these later in the game. It depends on the amount of religiosity that they’ve developed. So let’s go over how to do this, shall we?

To make a permanent temple, you must do the following:

  • First, dig out or construct a room with at least 25 tiles worth of Surface Area.
  • This 25 tile Surface Area acts as an initial “Dance Floor
  • Next, place the surface area that you have constructed or dug out in a Meeting Area.
  • Next, Navigate to the button with a Plus Sign and a Wooden Sign
  • Select the option that says “Build a new Temple
  • After constructing the new Temple, you must select a specific Deity.
  • Ideally, this deity should be the one that is most worshipped by your dwarves.
  • Simply select this deity and set it as the Temple’s Deity.

You can usually tell which deity you should be selected based on two factors. Either your dwarves will petition you to construct the temple of a specific deity. Or you will be able to tell which deity you should make a temple for by noticing the deity that is most worshipped by your dwarves.

This is a good idea, as it preemptively stops them from forming petitions, and it better manages the needs of your specific dwarves.

How To Furnish Your Temple?

It’s not enough to simply construct a new temple. There are many added furniture and instruments you will need to add to make it enticing for your dwarves. Otherwise, they might not be too inclined to thank you for building them an empty meeting room with not much to do.

Among the best things you can place within your temple are the following:

  • Place Instruments within your Temple. These are important because your dwarves will utilize them to play religious songs and perform religious dances. Without them, you might notice them become far more agitated. And that’s never a good idea.
  • Another good item to place is Chests within your Temple. These are important because you can utilize them to place other important items within your temple. The aforementioned instruments can be placed by utilizing the chests that you have established in the Temple zone.

Both of these items are necessary even if you’re trying to make the bare minimum temple. These items are essential, so I recommend that you make sure that you have them on hand to place. A good idea is to petition your workshops to make instruments.

They will automatically be picked up and placed in the temple chests once they are complete.

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What To Do If Your Temple Receives Visitors?

If you’ve built a temple, and the deity is sufficiently popular then don’t be surprised if you get visitors. It can be aggravating for your dwarves if visitors are not allowed into the temple. So it is a good idea to do the following:

  • Open the Temple Menu
  • Navigate to the area where you can allocate Performers and Choose the Visitor Status
  • Set the Temple’s Status to accepting visitors.
  • This should allow visitors from outside your fortress to enter your temple. They will thus be able to worship along with your dwarves.

Temple Levels

Finally, let’s talk about Temple Levels. Your Temple will have different levels based on a related value associated with your temple. You can increase this value by building more valuable ornaments within your temple and making it look better.

Once your temple has achieved a value of 2000 it can be upgraded, usually from a shrine into a full temple. At this point, you will also be able to assign a Priest.

If the Temple’s value goes beyond 10,000 then it will be able to upgrade to a Temple Complex. Here you can assign a High Priest as well.


And that’s how you guys can make a Temple of your own in Dwarf Fortress.