Once you start playing Utopia Builder inFrostpunk 2, you’ll have to consider how your decisions will impact the formation of factions in the city. The Cornerstones that you focus on early will have a lasting impact on your run, even if you don’t stick with them, as they’ll determine which political parties appear.
Whether you prefer to let the city’s zeitgeist form organically or to shepherd your people’s beliefs with a careful selection of ideas, the presence of the city’s two factions will have a massive impact on how you play the game. We’ve ranked all eight for their overall usefulness in furthering the Steward’s designs.
8Bohemians
Adaptation, Equality, Reason
The Bohemians' hearts are in the right place, especially considering that they oppose the heartless Overseers. Unfortunately, the world of Frostpunk left good intentions behind way back in 1886. While their Cornerstone combination isn’t necessarily bad, the Bohemians' faction abilitiesaren’t impressive in the least, especially compared to those of their rivals. If you need their boosts to Trust and community relations to survive, you’re already in way over your head.
You could maintain the Reason Cornerstone to keep the Bohemians from rioting andenhance your research speed… or just ignore them entirely, prepare for rebellion, and rely on the Overseer’s impressive production capacity.
7Legionnaires
Progress, Equality, Tradition
Admittedly, there’s a strong case to be made forbringing in the Legionnaires early, then stabbing them in the back and turning the city over to their enemies the Proteans. The Legionnaires canprovide you with extra Prefabs, which can be a game-changer before you really get your Industrial Districts online. If you can get them torally in multiple districts at onceand get Prefabs from all of them, so much the better.
Once the late game rolls around, though, your city should be more than capable of producing its own Prefabs, and you should reallyrecruit your own Guard Squads via Watchtowersrather than relying on keeping the Legionnaires happy.
6Menders
Adaptation, Equality, Tradition
Like the Legionnaires, the Menders aremuch more effective in the early game, though they are better atsetting your colony up for success in the long-term. If your Ambition is to Colonize the Frostlands, or if you simply need to rely onOutposts and Settlementsto supplement the city’s needs, the Menders are a faction that can make it happen.
The Mender’s ability toboost your population by a few hundred citizenshelps offset the fact that growth is usually pretty stagnant for the first few years of a new campaign, and their passive ability tospeed up expeditionsmakes it much easier to find and exploit resources in the wilderness. If the Menders are present, you’ll probably want to try and strike a balance with their opposition, the Venturers.
5Venturers
Progress, Merit, Reason
The Venturers are Frostpunk 2’s ruthless capitalists, and their strong set of Cornerstones areideal for building an efficient, productive city.Keeping them happyboosts your Heatstamp income, which stacks nicely with similar bonuses that you get fromMerit Laws and ideas, while Progress ensures that you can produce plenty of Goods to avoid the shortfall penalty.
Making lots of Heatstamps per week also means you have to rely less on raising funds from communities and factions, helping you maintain good relations with the populace.
The Venturers' ability to recruit more Guard Squads is nice when you need it, but there arebetter powers available from Progress factions.
4Proteans
Adaptation, Merit, Reason
Not only do the Proteans offer agreat Cornerstone combination, they alsooffset one of the main disadvantages of Adaptation.Many Adaptation buildings cause Disease to spread in the city, but the Proteans specialize in negating that penalty byhealing the sick and providing a healthcare buff.
The Proteans offer a much better vision for the city than their enemies, the Legionnaires, making it much easier to pick a side than in some other matchups. Plus, steampunk cyborgs are pretty cool.
3Technocrats
Progress, Equality, Reason
The Technocrats are a great faction to have on your side, but not for the reason you probably think. Theirresearch speed boostis certainly attractive, but when you have multiple projects competing for your Heatstamps and their Equality ethos potentially holding back your income, its overall effectivenessmight be bottleneckedif you research ideas faster than you can fund new ones.
Where the Technocrats really shine is inreducing your overall Materials Demand.They give a large bonus in this regard as long as they’re happy, and they’ll support theAll Do MaintenanceLaw, which lowers Materials Demand further. If you’re on a map with little in the way of wood or iron, Technocrat frugality can be a lifesaver.
2Icebloods
Adaptation, Merit, Tradition
You’ve got to respect the faction that wrestles polar bears for fun. The Icebloods are second to none when it comes tosurviving in the Frostland, so if you’re relying on expeditions and imports they can get the job done. Their real strength, though, is in their abilities,both of which provide Food, despite the text on their recruitment screen saying otherwise.
It’s unclear whether they’re meant to work as shown in the image above, or if the devs forgot to change the text from a previous build. Personally, I’d rather have the Food.
The Icebloods areeffectively a free Food Districtas long as they’re on your side, and their Rallies can provide even more for your people to munch on. Given how easy it is to find your city on the brink of starvation, the Icebloods should always be welcome, even if they butt heads with the Technocrats every now and then.
1Overseers
Progress, Merit, Tradition
ResearchDeep Melting Drillsand send your Frostland Teams out in search of Cores early if the Overseers are in town - with theabsurd amount of production capacitythat they bring to the table, you’ll burn through your surface deposits in record time. Assuming you have enough Deep Deposits to maintain output, though, the Overseers can build aself-sufficient(if very grimy) city like no other.
Progress buildings have thehighest outputs in the game, before adding any bonuses… and the Overseers have bonuses to give. By stacking theirOverdrive Outputability with Rally buffs and buildings like theWorker’s Dormitory, you’ll be able to squeeze every drop of oil and every mote of coal out of the ground. The city must not fall, after all.
Frostpunk 2
WHERE TO PLAY
11 bit studios' Frostpunk 2 blends city-building, survival, and strategy mechanics as it challenges players to survive on a post-apocalyptic Earth with power-hungry humans.
