Who knew the end of the world would prove so difficult to survive? In the city-building survival world of Frostpunk 2, a worker’s strike is one thing, but a strike in the middle of a whiteout proves devastating. You must keep everyone warm, fed, and satisfied; otherwise, your settlement crumbles into dust and, along with it, the human race.
But hey, here’s an Idea! The game features an extensive technology tree, known as the Idea Tree, in which you can unlock new advancements that make surviving the frozen apocalypse easier. And to get it, you’ll need to build the Research Institute.
Here’s how to build and use the Research Institute in Frostpunk 2!
To place a Research Institute, you require a tier-two Housing District. It’s not enough to plop down a bit of Housing, as it’s not large enough to accommodate a building upgrade. Instead, place the Housing District, select it once construction completes, and select the upgrade option—the left-most icon on the bottom of the pop-up that appears. It looks like four arrows expanding outward.
Of course, expansion isn’t free. You require prefabs and heatstamps to expand a Housing District. However, it’s not overly expensive and, at this point, it’s worth every single resource to unlock the technology tree.
With the Housing District leveled up to its second tier, select the Building construction menu from the bottom-right HUD. It’s the icon that looks like a building or a stack of boxes. Choose the Research Institute under Housing, then place it in your newly expanded District to kickstart research!
You need to pick and choose wisely, as you can only research a single Idea at a time, making progress relatively slow—unless you optimize your research with additional Institutes across your settlement. You’ll want to prioritize city problems like heating and food production first, before delving into the necessary but less essential projects. Here’s a short list of research to prioritize:
With your research underway, surviving the harsh world of Frostpunk 2 may start to get a little easier. While you wait for construction to finish, check out your next big goal: finishing the game on its hardest setting.