Building Projects and Upgrades — Frostpunk Guide

Master Frostpunk's Expert Mode with this comprehensive guide. Learn essential tips for building, resource management, and law progression to survive the harshest conditions.

Welcome to our Frostpunk Expert Mode Guide! These tips are for beginners and experts alike!

General Tips:

• Dismantle and pause the Cookhouse to prevent unnecessary food consumption and save Food Rations.
• For a "no deaths" run, prioritize laws like Child Labour, Food Additives, Radical Treatment, Overcrowding, Emergency Shift, and Extended Shift. This approach delays comfort but minimizes fatalities.
• Escort survivors home to ensure they reach your city quickly and safely, which is crucial for early-game expansion.

How to Beat The Rifts - Expert Mode:

1. Start by signing the Emergency Shift law and having all workers (especially on Wood and Steel) work 24 hours on the first day.
2. Build one Gathering Post and two Medical Posts within the innermost heat circle.
3. Construct a Workshop before unpausing, placing it outside the inner circle for its +2 building insulation.
4. Sign the Extended Shift law as soon as possible, followed by the Food Additives law.
5. Manage food consumption by dismantling and pausing the Cookhouse when the hungry icon disappears, reducing the need for early Hunter's Huts.
6. Keep 10 Engineers free to build Workshops immediately. Once built, research the Beacon and send scouts for survivors and resources.
7. During the night, respond with "some shelter" to requests, as you likely won't house everyone. Activate the generator and overdrive. Build the Cookhouse and another Gathering Post, ideally on the second rift for its resources.
8. Research either the Sawmill or Heaters next, prioritizing the Sawmill for increased Wood production. Build the Beacon and deploy scouts.
9. The bottom-left area of the map has a high chance of discovering the Buried Hamlet site for survivors.
10. Prepare meals with Food Additives and continue managing eating times. Build one or two Sawmills to stockpile Wood for bridges and technology.
11. Sign the Radical Treatment law to enable Overcrowding. Research Drawing Boards, Hothouse, or Steam Hub. For a smoother experience, research Drawing Boards, Hothouse, then Steam Hub.
12. Sign the Child Labour law to boost resource gathering. Build the Hothouse and Hunter's Huts when new survivor groups arrive.
13. When building the first bridge, aim for one leading to an Iron Ore deposit to construct a Steelworks. Research the Steelworks and build bridges to Iron Ore. After researching the Hothouse and Generator Power Upgrade, research Drafting Boards and then the Steam Steelworks.
14. Build more bridges to Coal Deposits for a Coal Mine. This phase helps you survive the first storm, after which prosperity becomes easier to achieve.