Graveyard Keeper 2 Graveyard Quality: How Graves Score and How to Raise It
Graveyard quality in Graveyard Keeper 2 is one number: the total of every grave, decoration and upgrade on your graveyard, minus the mess. Below: how one grave is scored, every headstone, fence and decoration with its value, and what the total pays at Mass.
TL;DR — Graveyard quality in six lines
- Grave score = wreaths − red skulls, capped at white skulls. The corpse sets the ceiling; the headstone and fence fill it.
- Red skulls come off first. A 5-red body under 2 wreaths scores −3 and drags the total down.
- Decorations need no grave. Benches, monuments, lanterns, a crypt and columbaria count anywhere on a graveyard module.
- Debris costs points. Stones, stumps, bushes, trees, open graves and unburied bodies on a module all subtract.
- Quality pays at Mass: 5–30 bronze per point on a successful sermon.
- Big jumps: Upgrade Fence I and Upgrade Road and Paths (+10 each), the Crypt (+10), Columbarium I (+12).
Part of the Corpses hub — More corpse & zombie guides
How a grave is scored
Each grave takes the lower of two numbers:
- Wreaths minus red skulls. Add the wreaths of the headstone and the fence, then subtract the corpse's red skulls.
- The corpse's white skulls. This is the cap, and nothing you build lifts it.
If step 1 comes out below zero, the grave counts negative against the total. A corpse gets its skulls from its body parts, and both organ removal and embalming change them. The white-skull cap goes up to 7 on the best corpses (the ones that pay a Burial Certificate III).
| Corpse | Headstone + fence | Wreaths | Grave score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 red, any white | Wooden Sign + Wooden Fence I | 1 + 1 = 2 | 2 − 5 = −3 |
| 3 red, 4 white | Gravestone I + Stone Fence I | 4 + 3 = 7 | 7 − 3 = 4 |
| 0 red, 3 white | Marble Cross II + Marble Fence II | 7 + 7 = 14 | capped at 3 |
| 0 red, 4 white | Wooden Cross I + Wooden Fence I | 2 + 1 = 3 | 3 |
The third row is the classic waste: marble on a 3-white body. The last row matches one creator's video tip: remove red-skull organs, keep the white ones, and a cheap cross and fence nearly fill the cap.
Why graveyard quality matters
Quality is mainly sermon money. When a sermon succeeds, the Church adds a bonus for every point, on top of the normal donations — graveyard quality boosts sermon donations.
| Prayer | Bronze per quality point | At 100 quality | Parishioners needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money Prayer I | 20 | 20 silver | 7 |
| Prayer for Repose I | 20 | 20 silver | 20 |
| Combo Prayer I | 20 | 20 silver | 30 |
| Money Prayer II | 25 | 25 silver | 20 |
| Combo Prayer II | 25 | 25 silver | 60 |
| Prayer for Storms | 30 | 30 silver | 20 |
| Money Prayer III | 30 | 30 silver | 50 |
| Combo Prayer III | 30 | 30 silver | 120 |
Across all prayers the bonus runs from 5 to 30 bronze a point, or 6 to 36 with the Performer perk; the rows above are the prayers that pay 20 or more. Excessive zombies lowers it — keep under your zombie limit. At 200 quality, a successful Money Prayer III earns 60 silver from the quality bonus by itself.
Quality is also the goal of the Resting Place inspiration (Anatomy): goals at 10, 20, 30, 60, 120 and 200 quality, claimed for 1, 3, 5, 8, 12 and 20 Faith. See Inspirations: best early perks.
Headstones and fences
Both are crafted, then set on a grave from its window. A headstone needs Building mastery equal to its wreath number (1–7); fence mastery is in the second table.
| Headstone | Wreaths | Materials | Tech |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Sign | 1 | 2 Board + 2 Stick (Woodworking Workbench I) | Wooden Sign |
| Wooden Cross I | 2 | 2 Wooden Plank + 2 Bronze Nails | Wooden Gravestones I |
| Wooden Cross II | 3 | 2 Wooden Plank + 2 Iron Nails | Wooden Gravestones II |
| Gravestone I | 4 | 3 Polished Stone (Stonemason's Workbench + Tool Rack) | Stone Gravestones I |
| Gravestone II | 5 | 2 Carved Stone + 2 Iron Detail | Stone Gravestones II |
| Marble Cross I | 6 | 3 Polished Marble (Fine Tool Rack) | Marble Gravestones I |
| Marble Cross II | 7 | 2 Carved Marble + 2 Advanced Detail | Marble Gravestones II |
| Fence | Wreaths | Materials | Building mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Fence I | 1 | 2 Wooden Plank + 2 Bronze Nails | 2 |
| Wooden Fence II | 2 | 2 Wooden Plank + 2 Iron Nails | 3 |
| Stone Fence I | 3 | 3 Polished Stone | 4 |
| Stone Fence II | 4 | 4 Carved Stone + 2 Iron Detail | 5 |
| Marble Fence I | 5 | 5 Polished Marble | 6 |
| Marble Fence II | 7 | 4 Carved Marble + 2 Advanced Detail | 7 |
The Anatomy perk Monument builder adds +4 Building mastery on gravestones and fences, and Grave Builder takes 2 ticks and 1 energy per tick off 39 recipes.
The white-skull cap: decorations beat bigger headstones
Once a grave hits its white-skull cap, extra wreaths are wasted. That is the moment to stop upgrading headstones and build decorations, which count anywhere on a graveyard module with no grave needed. Before that, fix the corpse: remove red-skull parts at the autopsy table so the wreaths are not eaten first.
Decorations are placed from the graveyard's Blueprint Desk.
| Decoration | Quality | Materials | Tech |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monument I | +2 | 5 Piece of stone | Graveyard Keeper II |
| Exterior Bench I | +3 | 3 Wooden Plank + 5 Bronze Detail | Graveyard Keeper I |
| Flower Bed I | +2 | 4 Oiled Plank + 3 Peat + 3 Rhododendron | Graveyard Keeper III |
| Lantern I | +2 | 2 Oiled Beam + 2 Iron Detail + 2 Glass | Graveyard Decor I |
| Monument II | +4 | 4 Bronze Ingot + 3 Polished Bronze + 5 Polished Stone | Graveyard Keeper IV |
| Flower Bed II | +4 | 4 Polished Stone + 6 Peat + 6 Rhododendron | Mixed Graveyard II |
| Exterior Bench II | +5 | 6 Polished Marble + 5 Steel Detail | Graveyard Decor II |
| Lantern II | +5 | 4 Steel Detail + 2 Polished Marble + 8 Glass | Graveyard Decor II |
| Monument III | +6 | 4 Bronze Ingot + 2 Golden ingot + 6 Marble Plate | Mixed Graveyard III |
| Flower Bed III | +6 | 4 Polished Marble + 12 Peat + 6 Night flower | Graveyard Decor II |
| Crypt | +10 | 6 Polished Stone + 2 Iron Detail | Mixed Graveyard I |
| Columbarium I | +12 | 6 Piece of stone + 4 Bronze Detail + 8 Urn with Ashes I | Columbariums I |
| Columbarium II | +20 | 6 Polished Marble + 2 Golden ingot + 8 Urn with Ashes II | Columbariums II |
Modules, expansions and upgrades
Only things standing on a graveyard module count. Module areas are free, each adds a 12×12 space, and each type can be built up to twice (Grave Area I–IV, Walkway Area I, Columbarium Area I–II, Mixed Area I–III).
Expansions make room for modules. The quest Certificate, Please opens the first; each one opens the next:
- Expand graveyard I — 12 Piece of stone
- Expand graveyard II — 12 Polished Stone
- Expand graveyard III — 24 Polished Stone
Upgrades are the cheapest big jumps:
| Upgrade | Quality | Materials | Tech |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Fence I | +10 | 12 Wooden Plank + 12 Bronze Nails + 12 Piece of stone | Graveyard Path and Fence I |
| Upgrade Road and Paths | +10 | 24 Polished Stone | Graveyard Path and Fence I |
| Upgrade Fence II | +20 | 12 Polished Stone + 12 Marble Plate | Graveyard Path and Fence II |
See tech tree priority for when to buy the Graveyard techs.
Debris, open graves and bad corpses
Anything left lying on a module subtracts until you clear it:
| Object on a module | Quality |
|---|---|
| Stones, ore, broken barrels, trash | −2 to −3 |
| Bushes | −1 to −2 |
| Trees | −1 to −3 |
| Stumps | −2 |
| Dug grave with no body | −3 |
| Body in a grave, not yet buried | −3 |
Clearing debris is free quality, often worth more than a new bench.
Exhuming a bad corpse. If you buried a high-red body early, digging it back out is the fix. One creator's video says the sign has to come off first; digging a grave up also needs an Exhumation Certificate, which Januarius sells. Rebury a cleaner corpse, or send the old one on to the Crematorium or red skull zombies.
Zombies can't be buried. An empty grave only accepts a corpse.
Build order for the first 60 points
- Clear every module — stumps and stones are the easiest points.
- Autopsy before burial. Strip red-skull organs so wreaths aren't wasted.
- Wooden Cross I + Wooden Fence I on 2–4 white bodies (3 wreaths).
- Graveyard Path and Fence I: Upgrade Fence I and Upgrade Road and Paths, +20 together.
- Crypt (+10) from Mixed Graveyard I, then a bench and Monument I.
- Stone headstones only on 4-plus-white corpses; columbaria later, once urns arrive.
Eight 3-point graves plus steps 4 and 5 come to about 60, with no marble. Time the jump before a Wrath sermon to make money from it the same week.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Marble on a 3-white corpse | Cap is 3 — build a decoration instead |
| Burying a 5-red body under a sign | Autopsy first; −3 graves cost you twice |
| Decorating off-module | Only module tiles count |
| Leaving an open grave | Each counts −3 |
FAQ
Q: How is graveyard quality calculated in Graveyard Keeper 2?
A: It is the sum of every grave score plus decorations, fence and path upgrades on your graveyard modules, minus debris. A grave scores its wreaths minus the corpse's red skulls, capped at the corpse's white skulls.
Q: Why does a grave show a negative number?
A: Its red skulls outnumber the wreaths from the headstone and fence. The negative score is subtracted from the total, so remove red-skull parts at the autopsy table first or add wreaths.
Q: What gives the most graveyard quality?
A: Per item, Columbarium II (+20), Upgrade Fence II (+20), Columbarium I (+12) and the Crypt (+10). Upgrade Fence I and Upgrade Road and Paths add +10 each. Single graves are capped by their white skulls.
Q: What does graveyard quality do?
A: When a sermon succeeds, the Church pays 5 to 30 bronze per point of quality, depending on the prayer. It is also the goal of the Resting Place inspiration.
Q: Can I bury a zombie?
A: No. Graves accept corpses only; neither your zombies nor a wild zombie's body can go in one.
Q: Do burial certificates depend on graveyard quality?
A: No. Each burial pays a Burial Certificate I, II or III depending on the corpse, not the grave. Sell burial certificates for steady early money.
Also read
- Autopsy & skulls — clean a corpse before burial
- Faith & sermons — where quality turns into money
- Make money — certificates and sermon income
- Zombie limit — Excessive zombies cuts the bonus
- Inspirations — Resting Place and Monument builder
- Corpses hub — more corpse & zombie guides