Frostpunk 2 Factions Complete Guide: Cornerstone, Opposition and Special Abilities

In Frostpunk 2, players step into the shoes of the Steward of New London, following in the footsteps of the Captain from the first game. As the city’s infrastructure crumbles and resource management becomes increasingly challenging, the Steward must also manage competing Frostpunk 2 factions, each with their own beliefs and goals.

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Keeping the Frostpunk 2 factions happy, balancing their opposing ideologies, and leveraging their unique abilities is key to a successful playthrough. Factions can also provide benefits or cause major disruptions, and mismanaging them can lead to a disastrous game over.

Here’s a complete guide to how Frostpunk 2 factions work, their cornerstones, how to manage them, and which faction combinations are optimal for different playstyles.

Also Read: 5 Best Games Like Frostpunk

Frostpunk 2 Factions Core Mechanics

As mentioned earlier, Frostpunk 2 factions mirror the Hope and Discontent mechanics from the first game. However, they are far more complex. Each faction has its set of beliefs and desires, and they influence the city in different ways such as:

• Approval Levels: The more a faction trusts the Steward, the more they support your laws and provide city-wide bonuses.
• Displeasure: If a faction becomes disillusioned, they can riot, sabotage critical infrastructure, or call for a vote of no confidence in the Steward, potentially ending the game.

It’s important to tactically nurture factions whose goals align with your playstyle while keeping opposing groups under control.

Thus, to maintain faction approval, you must align decisions with their values, which fall into three core categories, each containing two traits:

• Adaptation / Progress
• Equality / Merit
• Reason / Tradition

Each faction is tied to specific values within these categories. You can see how your actions affect these values by tracking the belief icons tagged to each decision or law. Hovering over the values bar at the bottom-left side of the screen shows how the factions react to your choices. Listed are some quick ways to boost Frostpunk 2 factions approval

• Fund Faction Projects: This gives a temporary approval boost.
• Make Promises: Promises, if kept, increase faction trust.
• Delegate Law Proposals: Letting a faction propose the next law, even if it doesn’t pass, improves relations.

However, faction approval naturally decays over time if their beliefs are not consistently supported, so these tactics may need to be repeated.

Frostpunk 2 Factions Spawning and Campaign Overview

There are two primary groups of Frostpunk 2 factions:

• Campaign Factions: These appear as the story progresses.
• Utopia Mode Factions: These factions appear in the sandbox version of the game.

During the campaign, players can encounter up to nine factions, though only seven can be present in any playthrough. The factions are triggered by major decisions in the storyline, and many will oppose each other by design, forcing the player to manage competing groups carefully.

Campaign Factions Overview

Listed is a breakdown of the factions you’ll encounter during the Campaign:

Faction	Spawn Condition	Beliefs	Special Abilities
Frostlanders	Default from Chapter 1 onward	Adaptation	Deradicalize: Reduce fervor and size of either the Evolvers or Pilgrims.
New Londoners	Default from Chapter 1 onward	Progress	Deradicalize: Reduce fervor and size of either the Stalwarts or Faithkeepers.
Faithkeepers	Choose Faith in the Mysterious Symbol dialogue	Equality, Tradition	Prayers and Baptisms: Increase Trust and reduce tension at the cost of faction size.
Stalwarts	Choose Order in the Mysterious Symbol dialogue	Progress, Merit, Reason	Deploy Guards: Increase guard squads temporarily.
Pilgrims	Appears at end of Chapter 1 with Stalwarts active	Adaptation, Equality, Tradition	Deploy Guides: Increases Frostland exploration speed.
Evolvers	Appears at end of Chapter 1 with Faithkeepers active	Progress, Adaptation, Reason	Train Workers: Increases workplace efficiency with a chance of injury.
Wanderers	Default from Prologue onward	Survival at All Costs	Tighten Belts: Reduces food scarcity but slightly increases hunger.
Colonists	Settle a colony	No Core Beliefs	None
Prisoners	Build a prison and round up protesters	Favors Captain’s Rule	Enlist Guards: Prisoners serve as guards, reducing crime temporarily.

Utopia Mode Factions Overview

In Utopia Mode, players have more control over faction generation. When starting a game, you select two known factions and a random one, making faction choice critical to your success. Each faction’s core beliefs align with their abilities, and they provide resource bonuses when happy.

Here’s a breakdown of each faction’s beliefs and abilities in Utopia Mode:

Faction	Spawn Condition	Beliefs	Special Abilities
Laborers	Starting faction	Equality	None
Merchants	Starting faction	Merit	None
Foragers	Starting faction	Adaptation	Deradicalize: Reduces Icebloods’ size and fervor.
Machinists	Starting faction	Progress	Deradicalize: Reduces Technocrats’ size and fervor.
Thinkers	Starting faction	Reason	None
Lords	Starting faction	Tradition	None
Icebloods	Splinters from Foragers	Adaptation, Merit, Tradition	Hunting Trip: Massively increases food income temporarily.
Technocrats	Splinters from Machinists	Progress, Equality, Reason	Assist Researchers: Massively increases research speed temporarily.

Closing Notes

Frostpunk 2 factions play a significant role in city management. Their beliefs, abilities, and interactions with other factions add depth to the survival experience. Players must manage these factions carefully by choosing laws, research, and actions that align with the faction they wish to nurture.

Here are some recommended faction combinations that might benefit specific playstyles:

• Progressive Growth: New Londoners + Evolvers + Machinists: Focus on scientific research, workplace efficiency, and expansion.
• Tradition and Stability: Faithkeepers + Pilgrims + Lords: A conservative, faith-based society on tradition and unity.

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