In Frostpunk 2, survival is your top priority as you face the freezing wastelands. You’re responsible for keeping a growing city of residents alive, which means managing heat and fuel to protect them from the deadly cold. Luckily, there are multiple ways to increase comfort and warmth. This guide will walk you through how to get more fuel and heat in the game.
Getting More Heat
To boost heat, you need to consider various bonuses while building your city districts. Unlike the first Frostpunk, where you managed smaller areas, the sequel requires you to handle entire districts on a hexagonal grid. Planning where and how to place these districts is crucial to maintaining warmth.
Heat Demands and Bonus Heat
Heat management is a key mechanic in Frostpunk 2, and here’s how it works:
- Heat Demand: Every district has a heat demand as an upkeep cost, and some buildings or hubs also require extra heat.
- Lack of Heat: If your generator can’t provide enough heat, people will get sick or die, which raises tension and lowers your trust rating.
- Adjacency Bonuses: Placing districts next to heat sources can give +20 bonus heat. Look for three small pips representing these bonuses. When all three turn blue, the district gets extra heat.
Natural Heat Bonuses:
- Districts near the generator or city center.
- Locations in sturdy crevasses, which naturally shield against cold.
- Adjacent districts: Housing and food-related districts can be placed next to each other without issues, but don’t place housing near industrial zones—it increases squalor and disease.
- Exposed tiles: Areas with red outlines, often on elevated or open terrain, need extra heat. Avoid building there unless necessary.
What Happens With or Without Heat Bonuses
If you place districts in spots with heat bonuses, their heat demand will decrease or disappear. For example:
- A Housing District next to a generator and crevasse requires no heat at all.
- A district with only adjacency to other housing still needs some heat, but less than usual.
- Districts placed without bonuses will need the full amount of heat.
Fuel Sources and Generator Upgrades
Fuel in Frostpunk 2 comes in three types: oil, coal, and steam. These are often located far from your city, so you’ll need to expand your reach by “Frostbreaking” to access them. Once connected, build an Extraction District to gather the fuel.
Generator Upgrades:
- Upgrade I: Converts your generator to use a more efficient fuel source, such as switching from coal to oil.
- Upgrade II: Unlocks features like Surplus Injectors, which burn excess fuel to boost district output.
- Upgrade III: Makes the overdrive feature safer and boosts heat output from fuel sources like oil.
Other Fuel and Heating Technologies
Check your tech tree under the Heating tab to find research options for more fuel efficiency and heat. Examples include:
- Housing Insulation: Lowers heat demand in housing districts.
- Food Energy Efficiency: Reduces the heat needed in food districts.
- Other techs increase the fuel output for coal, oil, and steam.
Additional Heat and Fuel Sources
There are other ways to get heat and fuel beyond generators and upgrades:
- Heating Hub: A critical structure providing +40 heat to nearby districts. Place it in the middle of multiple areas to maximize its reach.
- Laws:
- Heat Recycling: Lowers heat demand in housing districts.
- Weather-Adjusted Shifts: Reduces heat needs in non-housing areas while slightly decreasing production efficiency and disease.
- Heatpipe Watch: Reduces heat demand but raises tension slightly.
- Frostlands Exploration: When exploring the Frostlands, look for settlements or colonies with fuel reserves that you can send back to your city.
That’s all for this guide on managing heat and fuel in Frostpunk 2. For more tips, check out our other guides on the best laws and techs to optimize your city’s survival!
