How to appoint Priests in Dwarf Fortress

The happiness of your dwarves is of paramount importance for your base in Dwarf Fortress. There are many ways in which you can satisfy their needs, but they will invariably ask for all of their major concerns to be addressed. The need for religion is certainly one of them, and you will find that your dwarves worship different deities. Each sect will grow the number of followers until they ask for a temple and a priest to be appointed to tend to their religious services. If you’re wondering how to appoint a Priest in Dwarf Fortress, read on to find out how. 

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How to appoint Priests in Dwarf Fortress

To appoint a Priest in Dwarf Fortress, you will first have to deal with a few issues. Your dwarves will first ask for a temple dedicated to their deity. After building them a Temple, you should look into outfitting that temple with good-quality furniture and ornaments, with the aim of raising the Value of the room to 2,000. After passing that threshold, you will be able to appoint one dwarf of that religion to be that Temple’s Priest from the Nobles & Administrators menu.

If you find that you can’t appoint a dwarf as a Priest, check the size of that religion’s flock. There need to be 10 worshipers before they call for a Priest. Similarly, other religious sects in your fortress will eventually ask for their own Temples and Priests, once they’ve grown enough in size. Also, double-check the Value of their Temple, making sure that it’s 2,000 or above.

As religions in your base grow, they will eventually want to have a Temple Complex and a High Priest, which require a Temple of 10,000 Value and 25 followers. You can then promote the current Priest to High Priest, and assign another believer to become the new Priest.

What do Priests do in Dwarf Fortress

Priests will tend to their flock’s religious needs, improving their moods through inspiring sermons and by consoling upset dwarves who share their religion. Interestingly, Priests can also accompany your parties on raids, sieges, and skirmishes.