The last time I played Frostpunk 2, I was about a hair's breadth away from a political breakdown. I had somehow managed to anger every faction. I fell behind on promises I made to pass laws, and every time I get something done I end up pissing off more people than I impress. In the end, a vote of no confidence that would've certainly seen me stranded in the tundra was the last straw—I haven't been back in over five months.
But even with all the stress, I'm still morbidly intrigued to see first-hand what Frostpunk 2's first major content update has in store for us today. "This substantial update introduces transformative new systems, a sprawling new map, and several long-requested community features to the city builder," a press release says.
The new map is for the Utopia Builder mode, and it's set around the remnants of a failed Generator project. This may mean there's some leftover resources for you to mine, but it will be a challenge to build near thanks to the rugged terrain.
There are also new optional narrative challenges like quests, storylines, and rewards for you to explore, as well as modding tools, which are finally exiting beta, providing a little bit of replayability as players can shape the frostland to their liking. Alongside this, there's an overhauled heat system, meaning you can manage temperature at a district level, but with this comes new research laws and consequences, as citizens will be more responsive to how warm or cold they are.
But the best feature arriving in this update, as far as I'm concerned, is the Serenity Mode. I know, I'm a coward. But I'm a coward who just wants to experience building in the frostlands without having to deal with all the relentless bickering, politics, and everyone getting angry at me when I accidentally kill a bunch of orphans—I didn't know the mine was going to collapse and I was told the kids were fine with it.
The Serenity mode will provide a "gentler survival experience with mild weather, plentiful resources, and no faction conflict," which is perfect for beginners or players like me who just want to build cool cities in the snow without all the yelling.
This content update, which is releasing today, is just the beginning for the support lined up for Frostpunk 2. "This update marks a significant step forward in the evolution of Frostpunk 2, reinforcing 11 bit studios’ long-term commitment to significant post-launch support and player-driven creativity," the press release says.
More updates are scheduled for 2025, including DLC announcements and the console release. And players also have Frostpunk 1886, a remake of the original game, to look forward to as early as 2027.
