In the icy world of Frostpunk 2, you’re up against more than just the freezing cold. Population booms, resource shortages, and a host of other challenges await you in the gameplay. Here’s a practical guide to help you navigate and survive in this harsh environment.

At the start, you’ll face a flood of refugees, which can quickly swell your population. Then come the nobles, bringing more health and work issues. To handle this, make sure you use child labor laws and set up faith-based treatment centers. Implement the overcrowding law to ensure everyone has a job, and build enough medical posts to keep diseases in check.

Building a lighthouse and exploring the south early on is crucial. The southern areas usually have fishing villages, which are great for food. Set up an outpost there to keep your food supply steady before the refugee wave ends. Also, increase the number of hunters to handle the extra food demand from the nobles. Early on, consider adding greenhouses to keep your food supply constant.

Steam hubs are your best friends here. They provide stable heat and expand your city’s heat coverage better than generators. While generators have their uses, prioritizing steam hubs is more efficient for your resources.

Before the first cold snap hits, make your workers gather resources overtime. This helps avoid shortages. To prevent deaths from overwork, remember this trick: if no one dies within two hours, the worksite won’t trigger an overwork death event.

Coal thumpers are more effective than traditional coal mines. When the nobles arrive, two fully loaded steam coal thumpers can meet all your coal needs, and three will ensure you have enough reserves.

The furnace generates heat and needs oil to run. This heat is crucial for your buildings and people.

Develop oil rigs to get the oil needed for the furnace.

These trucks produce prefabricated parts, essential for building structures.

These trucks produce materials necessary for daily upkeep, similar to how food works.

Houses provide a comfortable living environment. If you have more houses than people, your population will grow. If not, people will get crowded and cold.

This hub increases your food storage capacity by 15K.

This land can produce food.

Waste is generated weekly based on your population size. More people mean more waste. Use waste for breaking ice and daily construction. You can also give it back to the community to boost your prestige.

Your community prestige depends on how well your people are living, like whether they’re hungry, cold, or sick.

For newcomers, Frostpunk 2 can be tough to get into. For veterans, it’s a whole new ball game. Beyond the icy survival setting, the game introduces heavy political policy simulation to the city-building mechanics, with the Frostpunk 2 Research Institute playing a crucial role in tech development. The design in areas like frostland exploration, political decisions, and faction balance feels quite different from the first game.