Thefirst chapter ofFrostpunk 2concludes with the discovery and transfer of oil to New London.Oil serves as your permanent source of fuel, and as long as you can pump out enough to meet your city’s needs, you won’t have to worry about running out of fuel for the rest of the game.

However, discovering oil offers only a brief reprieve. In the second chapter,you must protect your growing city from a familiar enemy — the Whiteout! This guide provides a detailed walkthrough of Chapter 2 -AmbitionsinFrostpunk 2with the “We will defeat the frost” choice in mind.

Frostpunk 2 - We Will Defeat The Frost

What To Expect When Choosing To Defeat The Frost In Chapter 2: Ambitions

InFrostpunk 2, the second chapter begins with you having to make a critical decision that will determine not only how the rest of the chapter plays out, but also the rest of the game. The question is whether to defeat the frost or embrace it, and choosing to defeat it willstrain your relationship with one faction and forge a stronger alliance with the other.

The discovery of oil ensures a permanent fuel source for your generator, and with the choice of defeating the frost,you must now seek ways to upgrade it. An upgraded generator will produce enough heat to eliminate the concerns of frost and Whiteouts, while allowing you to focus the efforts on developing New London. The decision to defeat the frost will also create a political divide between the two opposing factions (theStalwartsandPilgrims).

Frostpunk 2 - Pilgrims

Choosing to defeat the frost has significant gameplay implications for the rest of the game, with thePilgrims assuming that you’re pushing the Stalwarts' agenda of progress forwardwhile shunning their worldview of adaptation to the frost. Following this decision, the valley of contempt will only widen between the Stalwarts and the Pilgrims, and you can expect to witness several interesting political standoffs between the two factions.

From this point onward in Chapter 2, theStalwarts will rally in the city,gathering public support for you as the city’s destined leader, while the Pilgrims pressure you to research and implement their ideas for the city’s development. You will now begin to feel a boiling political pot in society and may have to walk a fine line if keeping everyone content is your goal.

Frostpunk 2 - Surplus Injectors

To gain a deeper understanding of the consequences of choosing to defeat the frost over embracing it, consider reading ourdetailed guide on this important decision.

After choosing to defeat the frost, why not take a moment to ponder what embracing it could have meant for your city’s future?

Frostpunk 2 - Building Oil Pumps

Defeat The Frost - List Of Tasks

With the choice of defeating the frost, the second chapter inFrostpunk 2will present you with a list of tasks geared toward theprimary objective of reaching a heat surplus in the city. You’ll need to research an idea for your generator and construct it to activate surplus injection.

How To Construct Oil Pumps In Central District

Building Oil Pumps is as simple as building aResearch Institute. Here are the steps involved in building one on your generator:

Building Oil Pumps restricts the generator to using only oil as its source of fuel. You canno longer use coal or steamto power the generator.

Frostpunk 2 - Surplus Injectors

How To Research & Construct Surplus Injectors

Surplus Injectors are an upgrade for the generator, allowing it to burn surplus fuel and generate more heat. The decision to defeat the frost now requires you to generate enough heat to survive the impending Whiteout. Failing to meet the heat demandwill prove catastrophic for the people of New London.

To build the Surplus Injector,first research the idea under the “Heating” section in the Idea Tree, then find it under the Buildings panel by pressing “N,” and build it over the generator. Constructing a Surplus Injector requires the following resources to build:

Frostpunk 2 - Expedition for Cores

While most resources can be found within the city,Cores can only be found throughExpeditions. You may have to launch several Expeditions before you can have 4 Cores to build a Surplus Injector, and 1 additional Core if you wish to complete the optional objective of building theDeep Melting Drill.

Some of these valuable Cores can be found in the most treacherous territories in the Frostlands, and gathering them safelywill require an upgrade to the Logistics District with the Scouts' or Survivalists' Headquarters.

Frostpunk 2 - Deep Melting Drill

If your Frostland Team isn’t equipped enough to explore certain territories in the Frostlands,those territories will be tagged as “Dangerous” and “Deadly.”

If you don’t adhere to this warning and still send out the Frostland Teams into these territories,don’t be surprised if they end up injured or killed.

Frostpunk 2 - Fracturing Pumpjack

How To Access Dangerous & Deadly Territories In Expeditions

To explore the dangerous and deadly territories of the Frostlands, you must outfit theLogistics Districtwith the following upgrades:

The sooner you upgrade your Logistics Districts with one of these Headquarters,the sooner you can explore the farthest territories of the Frostlands.

Frostpunk 2 - Sending Oil

In addition to upgrading the Logistics District with the Scouts' or Survivalists' Headquarters, you can also research and build either the Vanguard Logistics Bay or Automated Logistics Bay to increase the Frostland Team size. A bigger Frostland Team will allow you to launch multiple Expeditions.

Optional Objective: How To Build & Use The Deep Melting Drill

The Deep Melting Drill automatically becomes available for researching and building after choosing the “We Will Defeat The Frost” story arc in Chapter 2. You canbuild the Deep Melting Drill on Material or Fertile Soil tilesthat have a distinct infinity symbol alongside them.

The Deep Melting Drill acts as an upgrade to an Extraction District or Food District and provides unlimited access to resources from that District. The cost of building a Deep Melting Drill is as follows:

Frostpunk 2 - Heat Surplus

It’s highly recommended to make use of the Deep Melting Drill tostockpile Materials and Foodfor the frosty days.

How To Pump Enough Oil To Reach Surplus

The Surplus Injectors enable the generator to burn the surplus fuel and generate additional heat, enabling the city to survive the impending Whiteout. If you successfully manage to achieve this objective, nobody in New London will have to die from the cold — provided everybody has food and shelter.

You have to make several key decisions to pump enough oil to meet the surplus threshold. First, ensure that the city meets the needs of its population, andmanage popluation growth. If the “Allow All Outsiders” law is in force, thousands of people will migrate to New London, seeking refuge from the Whiteout. If your plan is to welcome the refugees, aim tobuild at least 100+ houses in advance. Also, consider stockpiling enough food by building multiple Food Stockpiles — and evenexploiting the Fertile Soil patches with the Deep Melting Drill.

While a growing population doesincrease Heatstamp productionand workforce count, it also presents challenges in meeting their needs. On the contrary, a stagnant population can hinder expansion efforts due to a limited workforce.

For now, you may pass the “No Outsiders” or “Allow Only Productive Outsiders” law to avoid unexpected population surges right before the Whiteout. You can change this law to “Accept All Outsiders” later.

Finally, once you have oil pumping from theOld Dreadnought, you must use theResource Transferpanel to send this oil to New London.

Here are all the necessary steps you should consider taking to meet the oil surplus demand:

How To Survive The Whiteout In Chapter 2

The Whiteout at the end of Chapter 2 lasts for 30 weeks. Calculating the exact amount of oil you need to have in surpluswill depend on the total heat demand in your city. Nevertheless, a good number to shoot for is50% of the total supply.

Activating the Surplus Injectors allows you to see how much surplus fuel the generator is burning. If you find that the surplus is below the 50% threshold,you can install additional pumpjacks in the Extraction Districts to increase oil output.

Always test fuel surplus in colder weather, as heat demand is reduced in warmer seasons.