Frostpunk 2 puts you in the shoes of the Steward, who is tasked with restoring a decaying community to its former glory. However, you will not be alone in this adventure. There are several factions and communities that will help you (or try to hinder you).
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Frostpunk 2 factions and what you need to do to ensure your relationships with them don’t deteriorate over time.
Frostpunk 2 Factions and Communities
In Frostpunk 2 there are several factions and communities, each with their own political ideas. It goes without saying that it is impossible to satisfy each of them, precisely because there will be factions (or communities) that have ideals completely opposed to each other. Therefore, it will be your task to try to adopt guidelines that can keep calm.
However, it should be noted that, although the list of factions and communities is quite long, they will not all be present in the same playthrough. In fact, based on the actions you decide to take in-game, you will find yourself managing four different factions. Furthermore, some of them are not present in the story mode of the game, but only in the Utopia Build mode.
All Frostpunk 2 Factions
Factions are actual organizations within Frostpunk 2. One of the main differences with communities is that factions will never decide to deal against their own ideals when it comes to voting on a law in the Council. Furthermore, in the event that you decide to go against their will, they will organize protests and riots that you will have to heal.
As for the story mode, the game will start with one faction available: Stalwarts. However, based on the choice you will have to make in the prologue, you can decide to continue the game with the Stalwarts or change to the Faithkeepers. Furthermore, as you progress, a new faction will be created that will oppose the one already present: Pilgrims if the Stelwarts are present and Evolvers if the Faithkeepers are present.
| Faction | Description | City Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrims | They are bound by tradition and believe that everyone should embrace the frostland as their new home. | ・Tradition ・Equality ・Adaptation |
| Stalwarts | They are strict disciples of the late Captain. They are eager to implement order and control in New London. | ・Reason ・Merit ・Progress |
| Faithkeepers | They are religious followers who seek ascension via technology. | ・Progress ・Equality ・Tradition |
| Evolvers | They are calculating individualists who oppose ‘religious fanaticism’. | ・Adaptation ・Merit ・Reason |
| Legionnaires | They treat themselves as the front line against the Great Frost, valuing discipline, equality, and tradition. | ・Progress ・Equality ・Tradition |
| Proteans | They are rationalists who are dedicated to adaptation and merit-driven evolution. | ・Adaptation ・Merit ・Reason |
| Icebloods | They are hardened survivalists who only recruit the City’s most resilient and capable. | ・Adaptation ・Merit ・Tradition |
| Technocrats | They are rational, calculating, and tech-minded | ・Progress ・Equality ・Reason |
All Frostpunk 2 Communities
Communities, unlike factions, do not have a real hierarchical structure and can be negotiated to be able to weigh the votes for a law from one side or the other. Consequently, even if they have their ideals, they are not binding and with the right promises in exchange, you will be able to change the minds of its followers.
In the story mode, there are two communities available at the beginning of the game: Frostlanders (focused on adaptation) and New Londoners (focused on progress). The rest of the communities that you see in the list below, however, are present in the Utopia Build mode.
| Community | Description | City Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Frostlanders | They are explorers who value adaptation in the harsh cold. | ・Adaptation |
| New Londoners | They are the original citizens of New London who value technology. | ・Progress |
| Foragers | They are foragers who were forced to adapt to the harsh conditions of the frostland. They put their faith in human endurance over machines. | ・Adaptation |
| Thinkers | They are intellectual theorists who are focused on the transformation of society. | ・Reason |
| Machinists | They are descendants of the City’s first inhabitants and builders. They believe the answer to everything lies in technology. | ・Progress |
| Labourers | They originated from physical labourers and factory workers, valuing equality and the needs of the many. | ・Equality |
| Merchants | They are enterprising and industrious. They believe fortune favours the clever and everyone else should just work harder. | ・Merit |
| Lords | They believe that the old ways are the bedrock of society, sharing traditional values passed down from old-world distinguished families. | ・Tradition |
How to Improve (or Worsen) Relations with Factions
One of the goals of Frostpunk 2 is to try to keep factions from becoming hostile towards you, but to do this there are several things you need to take into consideration. Before I tell you what they are, however, it is appropriate that you know what relation scaling is, so that you know how you are managing everything.
Relation Scaling
- Devoted
- Supporting
- Favourable
- Neutral
- Sceptical
- Opposing
- Hostile
To keep the people following your orders, one of the main things to do is to listen to their needs. In fact, you will have the possibility to guarantee that a certain faction can propose a law in the next vote and you can promise that that law will be accepted. If you succeed in doing so, this will give a great boost to the confidence of the faction in question.
Another thing you can do to improve your relationship is to allocate funds for their research and, at the same time, promise that faction to research one of their ideas. These actions, if successful, will also have a great impact on the confidence of the faction. This will help you to unlock special actions that you can perform to gain even more confidence (something not available with communities).
However, you should note that, in the event that you fail to keep your promises or decide to pass laws that go against the ideals of that faction (or community) or, again, ask for loans due to lack of resources, this will only make the situation worse. So, if you don’t want the people’s confidence to fall, you will have to satisfy their needs.