Summary
- Stockpile Heatstamps and Prefabs to take crucial actions in Frostpunk 2.
- Ensure Food and Fuel are abundant to meet demand during storms.
- House all citizens to prevent cold exposure, illness, and disease spread.
Frostpunk 2 is a demanding game that requires players to balance the needs and wants of thousands of citizens in a post-apocalyptic world. There are many problems in the world of New London, from the constant threat of the cooling planet to the possibility of rebellion in the city.
Frostpunk 2's Great Frost Explained
Frostpunk 2 is a dystopian city-builder that tasks players with protecting their citizens from extreme cold weather, a hangover from the Great Frost.
With a large list of potential laws, an array of steampunk technology, and an enduring workforce at their fingertips, players have a large arsenal of tools to combat the myriad challenges they face. Knowing which aspects of the game to prioritize is a skill that will take Frostpunk 2 players from barely surviving to a thriving metropolis.
10 Resolve Crime
Crime Creates Multiple Issues For The City
- Having enough Goods prevents crime from growing
- Building Prisons can help contain crime
Crime is one of the five problems that players need to resolve in both Utopia Builder and the campaign. Crime causes Tension to rise and slows the growth of the new population in the city. Since high Tension can cause the player to lose the game, and low growth can effectively prevent them from expanding their city, it is important to keep this problem low whenever possible.
Producing enough Goods from Industrial Zones is the easiest way to keep crime down because the citizens won't need to resort to theft to get what they need. Making Goods requires using up Materials, so players need to have multiple Extraction Zones or Materials sources outside the city to ensure that this chain of production stays active. And, if all else fails, the player can research and build Watchtowers and Prisons to reduce crime that has gotten out of hand.
9 Resolve Squalor
Keep The City From Being Too Messy
- Squalor represents pollution and the wear and tear on machines in the city
- Stockpiling Materials can keep squalor from becoming too much of a problem
As the steampunk technology of the city becomes more complicated, its people need Materials to keep the machines functional and clean. Squalor is the condition that happens as the city's machines belch too much exhaust or start to wear down. Without sufficient Materials, squalor grows and becomes more of a problem. Districts will start to break down and require the player to repair them before they can become productive again.
The other way to resolve squalor is by relying less on technology. Many of the Adaptation-oriented buildings keep squalor low, although at the cost of disease or other negative effects. Different kinds of ventilation towers can be built in Housing Districts to lower squalor as well. Whatever the method, keeping this problem low can keep the city running smoothly and let the player focus on more pressing concerns.
8 Resolve Disease
Keep The Citizens Healthy So They Can Work
- Sick citizens cannot work
- Sick citizens spread diseases to others unless the player intervenes
Disease can become a problem very quickly in Frostpunk 2. As it becomes more problematic, disease lowers the available workforce in the city, which can lead to bigger problems if the player has not stockpiled enough resources to afford lower productivity. A lower workforce also means that the player cannot expand or build new Districts.
Fortunately, there are several ways to lower disease. Players can research one of a variety of hospital types in the Idea Tree and then build one inside a Housing District. Multiple laws can reduce the spread of illness, such as quarantining the sick.
7 Maintain Trust, Tension, And Faction Relationships
To Lead The People, You Must Earn Their Loyalty
- Keeping the factions happy prevents problems and grants bonuses
- The game is over if Tension remains too high or Trust too low
Placating the various factions of Frostpunk 2 is a challenge that persists for much of the game. Players must decide which faction to side with every time they research new technologies, propose laws, build certain types of buildings, and more. If the relationship between a faction and the player gets too low, protests and civil war can break out.
Frostpunk 2 Asks Old Dogs to Learn New Tricks
Frostpunk 2 carries forward a lot of the same mechanics found in the original 2018 game, but long-time fans are asked to forget everything they know.
Trust and tension measure the overall state of the city and its relationship with the Steward. Players need to keep tension as low and trust as high as possible. Much like hope and discontent in the original Frostpunk, the player has a limited time to correct the issue or they will be banished into the frostland and lose the game. Many abilities can help solve these problems, but having a good relationship with the largest faction is definitely a good start.
6 Explore The Frostland
No City Site Can Be 100% Self-Sufficient Forever
- Many different resources can be found at points of interest
- Up to three other cities can be founded at specific sites
In both the story campaign and the Utopia Builder mode, no city in Frostpunk 2 can survive on its own. For example, some cities may start with ample food but lack the fuel to sustain themselves long-term. By building a Logistics District, players can send scouts outside the city to search for new resources and more.
Certain sites in the frostland can be turned into temporary settlements that deliver a resource to the city. Others can be made into permanent colonies that the player manages just like their starting city. Colonizing the frostland is one of the ambitions for Utopia Builder, but can be a lifesaver even for players with other ambitions.
5 Research Ideas And Pass Laws
Advance The Steward's Abilities And Expand The City
- Research Institutes can be built in Housing Districts
- The Council is only built in the original city's Central District
By building a Research Institute in a Housing District, players gain access to the Idea Tree, which allows them to unlock new technologies and create solutions for the city's problems. The Idea Tree is an essential part of the game, and players should always have new research progressing as long as they can afford the associated cost in heatstamps.
Frostpunk 2's Idea Tree is a Logical Progression From the First Game's Tech Tree
Frostpunk 2 features an Idea Tree that grants players new technologies, abilities, and structures, and it's a natural improvement over the first game.
The Idea Tree is interwoven with the City Council since many of its ideas need to become Laws for them to have an effect. This means that playing politics with the city's factions is an integral part of unlocking technology. There is a waiting period between each session of the Council, so players should call a vote as quickly as they can, especially if they have promised to pass multiple laws.
4 Stockpile Heatstamps And Prefabs
- Players pay Heatstamps for nearly every action in the game
- Prefabs are needed to build or expand Districts
Heatstamps are a source of frustration early on in Frostpunk 2 because nearly every action that the player can take requires at least 50 of them. From frostbreaking so that new Districts can be built to expanding established Districts, players will find themselves running out of Heatstamps quickly. Increasing the city population and passing certain laws like Paid Essentials increase the income of heatstamps so that players won't be as limited.
Prefabs, which can be built in Industrial Zones or sometimes collected with Extraction Districts, are similarly limiting for players early on in the game. They are a required resource for expanding Districts, constructing buildings, and building new Districts. Having a lot of these can enable players to expand as quickly as the city's population allows, but players need to make sure that they don't ignore the need for manufactured Goods and cause crime to go up by having all of their Industrial Districts produce Prefabs instead.
3 Stockpile Food And Fuel
Demand For These Resources Goes Up During Storms
- Hunger and Heat grow significantly during Whiteouts
- Citizens begin to starve if food runs out
Food and fuel are the most important resources in the game. Without food, the citizens will quickly begin to die of starvation. As they die, the available workforce plummets and can cause productivity to reach lows from which the player cannot recover. Given the rarity of food in the frostland, building Food Districts and finding herds of animals while exploring are the most reliable ways to keep hunger from becoming a problem.
Fuel is also vitally important, given that the generator must stay on to keep people from freezing to death. Beyond their significance to the people of Frostpunk 2, these two resources are linked because demand for them skyrockets during storms. As the temperature plummets, people need more to eat to stay warm, and heat scarcity can easily get out of control. Any time a Whiteout is in the forecast, players must ensure that they have enough food and fuel to last through it.
2 House Everyone
Adequate Shelter Can Solve Many Problems
- Cold becomes more problematic if there isn't enough housing for all citizens
- Several buildings can provide shelter in Extraction, Industrial, and Food Districts
With temperatures never reaching above -20 Celsius, having a house to sleep in is vital for the survival of Frostpunk 2's citizens. Those without shelter die from cold exposure, which happens more quickly during storms. They can also become ill faster, causing disease to spread throughout the city.
Housing Districts are the primary way to create shelter for the residents of the city, although many buildings also provide shelter. Worker villages can provide housing in most kinds of Districts and have the added effect of increasing productivity there. Laws like Mandatory Crowding can also reduce the requirement for housing but at the cost of increasing disease. This can be a helpful temporary measure until more Housing Districts can be built. Since the city grows consistently throughout the game, players should aim to have excess housing available.
1 Keep The Generators On
The Generators Are The Source Of Life For The Cities
- Heat scarcity cannot be solved if the Generator is off
- Generators are automatically built whenever a new colony is constructed
Generators are the lifeblood of civilization in Frostpunk 2. While scouts can occasionally find small groups of survivors in areas without one, these people can do little more than gather firewood and forage for food. The heat from a generator is what allows the player's cities to excel and truly rebuild society.
At the start of the game and when a new colony is built, the player has to turn on the Generator. After this, they need to do everything they can to keep it on. Generators can be powered by oil, coal, and/or steam depending on how the player chooses to upgrade them. Since all generators are bound to the player's first choice, it is vital to understand the commitment. Adaptive generators lead to flexibility since they can use three sources of fuel, while progressive generators only use oil but are much more efficient. No matter how the generator is fueled, it must stay on. Without generators, the entire society of the frostland is doomed.
Frostpunk 2
- Released
- September 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Survival, City Builder
