Resource management is a core component of city-building strategy games. At the bare minimum, city-builders will require the player to manage their cashflow and the materials they need to create new buildings. The more complex acity-builderis, the more resources tend to be present, and that’s certainly the case forFrostpunk 2.
The firstFrostpunkhad its fair share of resources, with players needing to keep their Heat Generator Tower fueled with coal or wood, create new buildings using steel, keep their population fed, and carefully manage their workforce to ensure it all ran smoothly. ButFrostpunk 2kicks things up a few notches. There are at least 13 distinct resource types inFrostpunk 2, many of which feed into one another and overlap in rather complex ways. It’s a lot for long-time series fans to wrap their heads around, and even more for newcomers to get to grips with.
Every Resource in Frostpunk 2 Explained
Heat
Arguablythe most important resource inFrostpunk 2, Heat is required to keep New London’s citizens alive amid the game’s new ice age. Expanding the city will increase the demand for Heat, which in turn requires players to upgrade their generator and ensure it’s kept fueled with Coal or Oil.
Shelter
Going hand-in-hand with Heat, Shelter is also a vital resource that keeps the cold at bay. Building more Housing Districts will ensure the population has enough Shelter.
Food
Another vital resource, Food also keeps the player’s population alive. Not meeting the demand for Food will cause hunger to grow, which can quickly lead to deaths and anarchy. Players can increase Food supply by finding more sources in the Frostland and building more Food Districts.
Materials
Denoted by a little icon of a box, Materials are one of themost valuable resources inFrostpunk 2, being used for the construction of most Districts and buildings. If players don’t have enough Materials to meet the demand of their buildings, the Squalor of their city will steadily increase. Materials can be gained by building Extraction Districts on Iron Ore deposits and Frozen Forests.
Prefabs
One ofFrostpunk 2’s currencies, Prefabs are another resource used to create any type of building, hub, or District. While Prefabs can be found in abandoned deposits in the Frostlands and the outskirts of New London, the most efficient way to secure a steady income is to create an Industrial District that turns Materials into Prefabs.
Heatstamps
Another currency, Heatstamps are used to purchase new technologies in the Idea Tree, and are used alongside Prefabs and Workforce in the construction of new buildings, hubs, and Districts. Heatstamp production can be increased by researching specific technologies related to society, and by increasing New London’s population. Meeting the people’s demand for Goods also ensures a steady income of Heatstamps.
Goods
A resource that’s gradually drained by New London’s population, Goods refer to everyday items that citizens need for a relatively happy life. Meeting the demand for Goods helps to keep Crime down, and keep Heatstamp income high. Goods are produced via an Industrial District, where players can manually switch between the production of Prefabs or Goods.
Coal/Oil
Atthe start ofFrostpunk 2,players will need to fuel their generator with Coal. The campaign’s first chapter will see them search the Frostlands for a new form of energy, which leads them to Oil. Both fuel types can be gathered via Extraction Districts.
Steam Cores
One ofFrostpunk 2’s rarest resources, Steam Cores can only be found by scavenging the Frostlands. Once retrieved, Steam Cores can be used to research advanced technologies and construct advanced buildings.
Trust
Trust isFrostpunk 2’s general metric to show the player’s standing with the game’s various factions. Negotiating with factions, passing certain laws, and generally keeping the wider population safe and happy will keep the player’s Trust meter filled, though any tough decisions will quickly impact it.
Frostland Teams
These explorers head out to the Frostland surrounding New London, gathering resources from long-abandoned colonies and bringing them back to base. Players canacquire more Frostland Teamsby constructing more Logistics Districts and researching certain technologies.
Workforce
Every District and building the player creates needs a certain number of workers to operate. This number is taken from the player’s Workforce, which itself is a certain portion of the player’s Population. Players can increase their Workforce by increasing their Population, and by passing laws that allow for new types of workers.
Frostpunk 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The game takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard that has taken place in Frostpunk. Earth is still overwhelmed by the neverending frost and harsh, icy climate. You play as the leader of a resource-hungry metropolis where expansion and internal conflicts are an unavoidable reality. It’s up to you to make decisions about your City’s future and face their consequences.In Frostpunk 2 you may build your City on a new scale by creating entire districts with different purposes. Make sure that all parts of the City work well together as well as research technologies that will set the direction for your citizens’ progress.THE CITY MUST NOT FALL “Frostpunk 2 is still a game about the City and its society,” states Jakub Stokalski, game Co-Director and Design Director at 11 bit studios. “But inner turmoils, sparked by rising social differences, mean that players will be facing new kinds of threats. We use a post-apocalyptic setup to tell a meaningful story about human ambition. Because ultimately, what can end us is not nature itself – it’s human nature.”NAVIGATE BETWEEN FACTIONS AS A STEWARD As the City grows, creating and passing new laws becomes a more complex matter. The people slowly divide into factions with different, often contradictory visions of the future. The Council is a place where these ideas clash, sometimes violently. It’s your role as a Steward to ensure that the city will not fall because of those conflicts. Manage emerging crises while at the same time steering humanity towards a new destiny.
