Frostpunk 2 has received a free major content update today, which introduces new heat mechanics, a new map in Utopia Mode, and challenges with new quests and storylines. The team at 11 bit studios is committed to delivering additional free major content updates for the game, along with the DLCs that have already been announced. There has been skepticism about Frostpunk 2’s support since the developer revealed Frostpunk 1886, but it reiterated that each title has its own dedicated team.
Dubbed Patch 1.3, today’s update adds The Pit as a new map. It’s a large map with a distinctive “proto-crater” pit that’s considered mountain terrain. It’s built around the remnants of a failed Generator project and is a sandbox location available in Utopia Builder mode as a starting location or a Frostland colonization site. Designed to deepen Utopia Builder’s replayability and storytelling, the team has added Tales from the Frostland, which are narrative-driven optional challenges. Multiple Tales can be combined in a single playthrough and completing a Tale unlocks a unique Monument Hub that can be used to decorate the city.
As for the overhauled heating system, it’s the biggest systemic change to the game since launch. Along with a redesigned Generator UI for better control and feedback, players can now manage temperature by district, with local effects. Players will also have to deal with consequences when heat is lacking, including sickness, injuries, or even death. These changes affect more than just temperature; citizens will now react to heating shortages through negotiations, protests, or praise. Finally, the Idea Tree and laws have been expanded to add nine new research topics, two new buildings, three rebalanced technologies, one new law, and five reworked laws.
For those who have been wishing for a more relaxed playthrough experience, Serenity Mode has been added with gentler weather, abundant resources, shorter whiteouts, and no Fervour system, meaning minimal protests and no faction conflict. The mode is fully compatible with other difficulty presets.
Frostpunk 2 has also added core game improvements, including a rebalanced prologue, updated quests, and more.
Frostpunk 2 Free Major Content Update Video
Frostpunk 2 Full Patch Notes 1.3
Gameplay
- Updated gameplay feature – Heat management. Heat management has been reworked with a focus on locality.
– Districts now have local heat levels, replacing the global heat demand concept
– Each district now has several basic heat levels. Freezing, Very Cold, Cold, Chilly, Livable, Warm, each with local effects.
– Heat levels can be increased by distributing heat from the generator through Heat Allocation, with multiple levels of allocation available
– District proximity effects now apply to one city cell individually; previously, 3 cells were required for the effect to apply
– Each Housing District now have the exact number of people it can accommodate
– Every Community and Faction can now occupy an individual district
– New city overlay related to Heat Management
– Revamped Laws and Researches which previously affected Heat demand, now relate to Heat Levels
– New Researches are available in Research Institute to support reworked heating mechanics - New Utopia Builder set of settings – Tales from the frostland. New challenges that expand the Utopia Builder experience, adding depth to both difficulty and narrative.
– Beacon of Hope – Provide shelter and resources for all newcomers escaping their fallen city
– Apocalyptic Whiteout – Survive a catastrophic and long Whiteout
– Depleted Cores – Search the frostland to restore an unfinished IEC Core Factory
– Beating each challenge unlocks a buildable Monument - New Utopia Builder difficulty setting – Serenity mode. Relaxed mode with easier start, mild weather, abundant resources, shorter whiteouts and no faction wars.
- New Utopia Builder map – The Pit. Plan around a failed Generator construction site and try to create a thriving city
- The district area can now be readjusted after its construction, along with the Buildings placement
Balance
- The generator can now produce a limited amount of power. Additional power levels are unlocked via researches
- Adaptation cornerstone now nullifies the consequences of Chilly temperature
- Workers’ Shifts and Apex Workers now reduce sickliness produced by non-housing districts
- Waste Heat Conversion now makes extraction districts generate heat proximity and disease
- Heatpipe Watch children’s fallback allows activating additional Heatpipe Watch as an ability
- Rebalanced the early stages of Prologue, granting a smoother entry with an opening in the midpoint of the playthrough
- Expanded randomisation of frostland in Utopia Builder
- Frostbreaker cost is now counted per cell instead of per usage
- Housing district rebalance
- Removed 3rd tier upgrade
- Base Housing District now has an available Special Building slot
Interface
- District panels have been refreshed to follow gameplay changes
- Generator panel redesign
- Chapter selection settings menu redesign
- Updated the city needs top widget to reflect heat management changes, and put more emphasis on temperature
- New tutorial modals explaining District Temperature, District Abilities and Community Actions
- Clicking on the empty Building slot on the District Panel now brings up the Building construction panel
- Districts now have their unique names
- Deaths, injuries and absentees notifications are displayed over the affected districts
- Moved economy overlays from bottom right to top left
- Improved visibility of Hostile relations with Factions and Communities
Art
- Improved overall district visuals. Toggleable in settings, so Steward can choose between planned and organic urban layout
- Steward can now select where the Building slot will be placed within the constructed district
- Refreshed some of the Buildings visuals
- Improved visibility of Buildings in the district
- A lot of new artwork for narrative events
- New artwork for district panels to reflect the current heating level in the district
- Updated and expanded artwork for story mode faction/community frontmen
- Improved city life visuals
- Improved roads pathfinding logic
- New visual effect for cells selected for District construction
Other
- Upgraded game engine to Unreal Engine 5.4.3
- Optimized loading and saving times
- Game performance optimizations
- New achievements:
– Guiding Light
– Apocalypse Nah
– Raiders of the Lost Cores
– Born Ready
– No One Left Behind
– Seen Worse
– Gotta Go Fast
Mods
- Play in Editor is now available in Frostkit
- Mod Menu visual overhaul
- Added a search bar
- Added Cook Mod button inside the Frostkit
- Significant optimizations to Frostkit loading times
- Added multiple tutorials and sample mods to lower the entry threshold for modding community beginners
Beta feedback fixes and improvements
- Fixed the empty input issue
- Proximity effects coming from previously expanded or rebuilt districts will no longer be displayed on city cells during the next district rebuild
- UI polish and improvements
- Replaced missing artwork for Cold Houses narrative event
- Randomization for finding Core Parts is now seeded
- You can now evade fatalities/injuries when exploring the Core Factory Parts Site by constructing buildings that reduce the Territory Threat Level
- Beacon of Hope upgrade now costs 300 Heatstamps and 250 Prefabs
- Utopia Builder Tales can now be randomized along with other settings
- Fixed no notification sounds for events in districts
- Fixed Serenity mode not using proper fervor setup, so Faction Wars could occur under certain circumstances
- Fixed game freeze caused by faulty modifier in Adaptation Generator
- Fixed crashes which could occur upon establishing the Progress cornerstone
- Fixed a rare Zoom Stories crash
- Fixed a rare crash related to Policies, which could occur on loading a save
- Fixed some other singular crashes
- Some other minor fixes and improvements
