Best Buildings In Frostpunk 2

Key Takeaways

• Biowaste Hothouses increase food production with drawbacks.
• Moss-Filtration Towers reduce Squalor in Housing Districts.
• Teaching Hospitals decrease disease but increase Tension.

Frostpunk 2 is an apocalyptic city builder set in a world where the Earth suddenly entered a new ice age during a steampunk era. Players control a city built around a powerful generator that provides warmth even in the face of temperatures that never reach above -20 degrees Celsius.

The city is significantly larger than the one controlled in the original Frostpunk, with players building entire Districts at a time, each of which can employ hundreds of citizens. Players can construct individual buildings in a District once it has been expanded. While each building has its uses, some are better than others.

1 Biowaste Hothouse

Food Districts

• 70 Food production & unlocks “Excessive Fertilisation” ability
• Greatly increases disease

Hothouses were a great way to grow food in the original game, and they are back in Frostpunk 2. Each kind of Hothouse boosts the output of Food Districts but with different drawbacks.

Biowaste Hothouses use human waste to fertilize food, which generates 70 extra food for the District. The downside is that disease is greatly increased as a result of having workers interact with the waste. However, treating disease is not difficult, especially when the player has resolved the city’s Hunger problem.

2 Moss-Filtration Tower

Housing Districts

• Significantly reduces Squalor
• Unlocks the “Rapid Filtration” ability

Moss-Filtration Towers are the solution to Squalor proposed by factions that adhere to Adaptation rather than Progress. By using naturally growing moss in the towers, the air quality in the city is significantly reduced. While it is more efficient than other proposed towers, Progress-focused factions will not be happy about it.

The “Rapid Filtration” ability is useful when Squalor has become a huge problem, but players should use it sparingly since citizens can be injured by the force of the vents. If Squalor has become a problem, Moss-Filtration Towers are a great solution for players with the resources to build them.

3 Teaching Hospital

Housing Districts

• Greatly decreases disease & speeds up research
• Increases Tension

Teaching Hospitals are a type of hospital proposed by the Stalwarts in the story campaign. They are more effective at reducing disease than other types of hospitals, which makes them the best choice for players who are facing a growing disease problem in their city.

In addition to greatly decreasing disease, teaching hospitals also speed up research since they are about expanding knowledge as much as curing patients. This does increase Tension as well, however, as some patients do not want student doctors taking care of them. As long as players keep an eye on their city’s Tension and take measures to reduce it, this downside does not outweigh the positives for this building.

4 Deep Geothermal Plant

• Increases efficiency of Extraction Districts over steam vents
• Increases Squalor

Steam power is not as efficient as using oil, nor can it be traded between settlements. However, it is still very useful because geothermal vents are essentially infinite sources of fuel for the generator. Deep Geothermal Plants help to make up for the shortcomings of using steam by increasing how much steam power comes from a single Extraction District.

As long as players keep increasing the production of other fuel types and make efforts to decrease Squalor, Deep Geothermal Plants are very helpful. By building a few of these in one city, players can free up a decent amount of coal or oil to be stockpiled or sent to another city.

5 Deep Melting Drill

• Allows access to deep deposits
• Increases efficiency and Squalor

Most resource deposits in Frostpunk 2 are finite, which causes players to constantly look out for new sources of food, fuel, and materials. Deep Melting Drills solve this issue by allowing their Districts to access deep deposits that are unreachable otherwise. By tapping into these deposits, the District can continue production virtually forever since their capacity tends to be in the millions rather than the thousands that are typical for surface deposits.

Another useful aspect of Deep Melting Drills is that they can be built in multiple types of Districts, allowing players to solve multiple issues with a single type of building. This frees up the Idea Tree to be used for other things while players are building multiple Deep Melting Drills.

6 Research Institute

Housing Districts

• The first one unlocks the Idea Tree and unlocks research
• More Research Institutes speed up research

The Idea Tree is one of the most important parts of the game, as it allows the player to advance technology, propose laws, and unlock new abilities. Without the Idea Tree, the citizens of the frostland do not stand a chance of survival. To unlock the Idea Tree, players have to spend the resources and workforce to build a Research Institute in Housing Districts. This should be one of the first things that players do so that new ideas can be researched as quickly as possible.

While the first Research Institute is a necessity, building more can be helpful. Each subsequent Research Institute speeds up the progress of researching new ideas, which can help players fulfill promises or even reach much-needed parts of the Idea Tree before things go sideways.

7 Council Hall

Central District (Can Only Build One)

• Introduces the council
• Players must visit it to propose, negotiate, and vote on laws

Like the first Research Institute, the Council Hall is a necessity for any game of Frostpunk 2. Since players take the role of the city’s Steward, who has less authority than the Captain before them, they must navigate the politics of organized factions and communities to keep the city running.

Players will come back to the Council Hall more than any other building in the game since it is where they can propose laws, view the consequences of existing laws, call for a vote, and negotiate with factions. Since no other building in the game plays such a continuous role in the city’s success, the Council Hall is the heart and soul of Frostpunk 2.