Managing a thriving dwarven fortress in Dwarf Fortress involves more than just digging for gems and crafting weapons.  Surprisingly, the most profitable venture had become food production.  However, a recent update has rebalanced this culinary gold rush, much to the chagrin of some players.

Update 51.06, released this week, includes a significant change: a reduction in the value of prepared food.  Dwarf Fortress’s publisher, Kitfox Games, acknowledged the impact of this change on Bluesky, stating,  “We also apologize for breaking your food-based economies in this update.  Didn't realize so many of you were running those.”

The community response on Steam has been largely positive, despite some disappointment from those who profited from the inflated food prices.  Previously, the value of a meal was calculated based on the ingredients and the quality of preparation, leading to some absurdly high values. Stories abound on the Dwarf Fortress forums of roasted vegetables accounting for 10% of a fortress’s wealth or a single cooked crocodile egg being worth a king’s ransom.

The change comes after calls from veteran players to address the food-based economy exploit. Many hardcore players already avoided selling food, considering it a cheat that undermined the challenge of wealth generation.  The long-term effects of this nerf remain to be seen, but hopefully it will encourage entrepreneurial dwarves back to their rightful place: the mines, not the kitchens.