Frostpunk 2: Best Ideas to Research First

As a seasoned city planner with years of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that managing a thriving metropolis is no easy feat! The key to success lies not only in providing the necessities like food and shelter but also in ensuring the well-being of our citizens by keeping crime at bay, maintaining their health, and meeting their demands for goods.

In the face of plummeting temperatures and escalating stress, it’s innovative thoughts and actions that fortify the city in “Frostpunk 2“. Just as an old saying goes, a well-started journey is already half victorious, so too does this apply when expanding your city in this tough survival-city builder. If the generator serves as the heart of the city, then the concepts you explore are its lifeblood.

Knowing which ideas to prioritize first will set your city on the right path for efficient production and smooth expansion. Here are the best research ideas you should consider researching first when starting out in Frostpunk 2.

In this manual, you won’t find information about the Coal Mines research because the game clearly states that you should conduct this research and construct them first. If, by any chance, you haven’t researched Coal Mines yet, it is strongly suggested to make it a priority over the other suggestions in this guide.

Housing Insulation

Frostpunk 2: Best Ideas to Research First

In growing cities, you’ll find that more Housing Districts need to be constructed to accommodate the increasing population, each requiring 40 units of heat. The generator is not limited to providing heat for Housing Districts; it also supports crucial areas such as Extraction, Food Production, and Industrial Districts. A malfunction in the generator’s heat supply could potentially disrupt these essential processes.

The research on Housing Insulation serves as an energy-efficient improvement for Housing Districts, thereby reducing their initial heat requirement from 40 to 25. Additionally, constructing multiple Housing Districts next to each other allows for further reduction in heat demand. Surrounding a Housing District completely reduces its heat demand to zero.

You can research the Housing Insulation idea under the Heating section in the Idea Tree.

Filtration Towers

With cities advancing into an era of industrialization and technology, poverty and poor living conditions often become a regrettable outcome. Neglecting this issue could lead to the deterioration of neighborhoods and even foster disease outbreaks. A feasible solution for addressing squalor involves conducting research and constructing Purification Towers.

Construction of Filtration Towers should be incorporated into enlarged Residential Areas, as they function not just as standalone structures, but as an enhancement to these districts themselves. These towers can serve as a valuable resource when aiming for your city’s industrialization. You can discover the Filtration Towers under the Resources tab in the Idea Tree, and they provide the following research opportunities:

Moss-Filtration Tower: Significantly reduces squalor. Requires: 400 workforce, 20 heat.
Ventilation Tower: Less effective than the Moss-Filtration Tower. Requires: 300 workforce, 40 heat.

Sawmills

In the game Frostpunk 2, all districts except for Housing Districts need resources to operate. Running low or out of these resources will stop the generation of food and other supplies. Although some materials can be mined from the ground, it’s not wise to heavily depend on them when growing your city. Mined resources are limited and they deplete over a period of several in-game weeks.

Great news, you can boost your materials production industry by delving into Sawmill research under the Resources section of the Idea Tree. Essentially, Sawmills enhance Extraction Districts and need one vacant building space to install. The type of Sawmill you can research depends on your city’s objectives:

Mechanized Sawmills: Produces 200 materials. Requires 300 workforce and 60 heat. Downsides: Slightly increases squalor.
Untreated Sawmills: Produces 170 materials. Requires 400 workforce and 20 heat. Downsides: Slightly increases disease.

Hothouses

The importance of managing food becomes evident when the city’s population soars and there isn’t enough soil available to grow food. Ending up in such scenarios can lead to panic, and compel you to abandon strategic future plans and focus on the escalating food crisis. The longer the city goes without a sufficient supply of food, the higher the death toll from starvation, which ultimately raises tension and drops in trust.

Prepare for these possible scenarios ahead of time by exploring Greenhouses under the Resource section of Idea Tree. Greenhouses are an enhancement to the Food Districts, and they boost the total food output of the district. In your research, you’ll find two types of Greenhouse variations:

Biowaste Hothouse: Produces 70 additional food. Requires 400 workforce and 20 heat. Downsides: Slightly increases disease.
Chemical Hothouse: Produces 50 additional food. Requires 300 workforce and 40 heat. Downsides: Slightly increases squalor.

Skyways

In Frostpunk 2, embarking on expeditions enables you to traverse the Frostlands, uncovering essential resources such as food, fuel, cores, and other valuable items. On occasion, you might stumble upon resource caches that require constructing a trail for their extraction. However, trails come with drawbacks: they transport resources at a slower pace and have limited carrying capacity.

By investigating Skyways within the Frostland segment of Idea Tree, you’ll find that it significantly enhances the speed and volume of resource transfers. To build a Skyway, simply click on the cable car icon located at the bottom right corner of your screen in the Frostland.

To enhance the capability of Skyways at a later stage, consider delving into the concept of Freight Docks for future research, though it’s not necessary to make it a priority at the beginning of the game.

Scouts’ Headquarters

In the same vein as Frostpunk, Expeditions play an essential part in advancing your city’s objectives and addressing resource scarcities. To begin with, you can safely venture into some territories that are near your city. However, more distant regions are either marked as risky or lethal, and venturing into these areas necessitates researching and constructing a Scouts’ Headquarters to gain access.

The Scouts’ Base camps serve as an enhancement over Logistics Districts, offering a unique advantage. They help to lower the peril level in hazardous and lethal regions. Furthermore, they decrease the time required for exploration during expeditions. In the Frostland section of Idea Tree, you can investigate and unlock two variations of Scout’s Headquarters:

Scouts’ Headquarters: Slightly decreases exploration time and decreases territory threat level. Requires 400 workforce.
Survivalists’ Headquarters: Further decreases exploration time, but matches the Scouts’ Headquarters in decreasing territory threat level. Requires 400 workforce.

Logistics Bays

Once you gain access to Expeditions in “Frostpunk 2”, you’ll start with only 15 Frostland Teams at your disposal. If you’re planning to embark on numerous expeditions or wish to traverse the deepest parts of the Frostland, this initial team size might seem limiting. In some cases, you might also have to assign a few Frostland Teams to harvesting sites, preventing them from participating in explorations.

In this scenario, the Logistics Bays serve as a valuable resource. These facilities enhance the Logistics Districts and are designed to boost the overall count of Frostland Teams. You can locate the concept for Logistics Bays within the Frostland segment in the Idea Tree. They present several options:

Automated Vanguard Bay: Outputs 15 additional Frostland Teams. Requires 500 workforce.
Vanguard Logistics Bay: Outputs 20 additional Frostland Teams. Requires 600 workforce.

Watchtowers

In the heart of my bustling city, I’ve noticed an exciting expansion. However, catering to the escalating needs of its growing populace isn’t always a walk in the park. While ensuring their basic necessities like food and shelter are non-negotiable for their wellbeing, satisfying their desires for goods can be quite the task. Overlooking these requests might not seem critical at first glance, but it could lead to an increase in criminal activities. This, in turn, creates a tense atmosphere that no city dweller wishes to experience.

It’s fortunate that you won’t need to manufacture goods for meeting people’s needs; instead, constructing a few watchtowers can help reduce crime levels. These towers should be placed within the enlarged Residential Districts, and you’ll locate them under the Society branch of the Idea Tree. Watchtowers offer the following research opportunities:

Surveillance Watchtower: Outputs 12 guards and slightly decreases crime. Requires 100 workforce and 20 heat.
Patrol Watchtower: Outputs 16 guards and slightly decreases crime. Requires 200 workforce and no heat.

Hospitals

If the city’s heating requirements aren’t fulfilled, it will lead to an increase in illnesses among the population, and under severe circumstances, fatalities may occur. It’s important to note that these health issues can directly affect the workforce, as people might become unwell due to inadequate heat and housing conditions. Moreover, prolonged exposure to unfavorable conditions can further exacerbate sickness.

However, researching Hospitals under the Society section of the Idea Tree will help you treat sick absentees and return them to your workforce sooner. You have the following options available when researching Hospitals:

Teaching Hospital: Decreases disease slightly and increases research speed slightly. Requires 300 workforce and demands 20 heat.
Recovery Hospital: Decreases disease slightly and increases population slightly. Requires 200 workforce and demands 40 heat.

Factories

For a city that’s set to grow, it’s crucial to have a well-organized automation blueprint. Relying solely on natural resources might lead to trouble when those resources run out. Without devising an alternate production method, you could end up in a stalemate. Thankfully, you can dodge that situation by conducting research and establishing factories instead.

Factories serve as production hubs for prefabricated structures, materials, and merchandise, and they require Industrial Districts for establishment. To discover and enhance your factories, navigate to the Resources tab within the Idea Tree. Here are several options you can utilize:

Salvaging Factory: Outputs 40 goods and 10 prefabs. Requires 400 workforce and 40 materials. Downside: Increases disease slightly.
Mechanical Factory: Outputs 40 goods and 10 prefabs. Requires 300 workforce and 60 materials. Downside: Increases squalor slightly.

2024-09-24 12:54