You’re no longer the Captain in Frostpunk 2, which means you won’t be able to tell everyone to do your bidding on a whim. Now, you’re just the Steward, someone who makes tough decisions for the city, while also taking note of the demands of various factions. Beliefs and ideals will clash often, and it’s up to you to strike the right balance. This guide discusses the best Council laws in Frostpunk 2 to help you navigate the postapocalyptic political scene.
First, we’ll discuss basic mechanics, such as faction delegations and negotiations. We’ll then look into the ideal laws from the four main categories: Survival, City, Society, and Rule. Lastly, we’ll delve into some amazing functions that you can use to get more votes in your favor.
How to build the Council Hall
You can have your own Council in Frostpunk 2 once you’ve built the Council Hall in the city center. Simply press the “N” key and check the Central tab to see the option. Construction requires 80 heatstamps, 40 prefabs, and 200 workforce.
What affects laws and proposals?
When it comes to laws in Frostpunk 2, you need to be mindful of the factions at the start of the game, as well as any emergent groups that might appear when you meet certain requirements. Each group follows a certain tenet: Adaptation versus Progress, Merit versus Equality, and Tradition versus Reason. Here are some other tidbits to keep in mind.
- The Council is in session every 10 weeks after a law is passed or rejected.
- The Council consists of 100 delegates from across all existing factions. Passing a law requires a majority, which means getting 51 people to vote in your favor.
- A select few laws from each category are available at the start of your run. However, the rest are unlocked as you continue to research more technologiess.
- Some technologies, such as those considered to be “Radical Ideas,” will be proposed in the Council by the faction that wants that tech.
- Choosing the “Grand Agenda” action when talking to an organization, or promising it as part of a negotiation deal, will cause that faction to propose a law that they prefer in the next Council session. If a law is being proposed by delegates, then you won’t be able to change it manually.
Successful proposals and negotiating with factions
Passing Council laws in Frostpunk 2 requires careful consideration of rival groups in your settlement if you want 51 or more delegates to support your proposal. Here are some tips.
- When proposing a new law, you’ll see the faction groupings and the expected voters that are “for,” “against,” or “hesitant.” Check the number of faction delegates that are “mostly hesitant,” as these are swing votes.
- You need 51 votes in most scenarios. Assuming there are still several “mostly hesitant” delegates, it should be fine to vote if you only have 40 that are in favor at the start.
- However, if too few are in favor, then you need to negotiate. Click on the “Negotiate” button and look for the faction with the most number of “mostly hesitant” delegates. They should be your target for a particular deal.
- A negotiation deal requires you to pick from several options that are usually randomized. These include the following.
- Constructing a specific building or researching a specific tech
- Passing or repealing a law
- Denouncing a rival faction
- Granting an agenda so the faction proposes the next bill
- Paying heatstamps to fund projects
- Failing to complete your end of the bargain in the alloted time will cause your reputation with that faction to drop. In some cases, this will also increase their fervor or tendency to cause riots.
The best laws for Survival, City, and Society
Below, you’ll see our suggestions when it comes to the best laws in Frostpunk 2. Remember that some of these options won’t be available at the start since you still need to research certain techs, increase your favor of a tenet/belief, or progress further into the campaign.
Survival category
- Scout Training: Pathfinder Scouts — This is pretty much mandatory since it lowers the threat level in Frostland territories.
- Waste Heat Conversion: Heat Recycling and Worker Shifts: Weather-Adjusted Shifts — These lower the heat demands of various districts.
- Goods: Durable Goods — This decreases the goods demand per capita.
- New Work Model: Machine Attendants — This is a Radical Idea for those who want to achieve progress. It significantly decreases workforce requirement, but some workers may occasionally die from accidents. Grab this if you need more manpower and you have Ceremonial Funerals active.
City category
- Housing Distribution: Merit-Based Housing — Increases shelter provided by Housing Districts, as well as heatstamps generated per capita.
- Outsiders: Allow Productive Outsiders — This is one of the best laws in Frostpunk 2 since it increases the number of active workers, population growth, and heatstamps income.
- Community Service: Heatpipe Watch — This is a pretty decent option since it decreases heat demand across the board, though tension is marginally increased.
- Maintenance Duty: Unproductive Do Maintenance — Another great option as it decreases materials demand while increasing production efficiency.
Society category
- Funerals: Ceremonial Funerals — You should enact this early in your run since it lessens the impact of trust loss in case your citizens die. Tension does marginally increase, but it’s quickly offset.
- Treatment: Experimental Treatment — This provides boosts to research speed and disease control, as well as a special function for Hospitals that you’ve built.
Rule category: Become the Captain
Several of the best laws in Frostpunk 2 come from the Rule tab. These provide additional actions that you can choose to bring disparate factions to heel, allowing you to establish yourself as a Captain with nigh-unlimited power. The key difference is that two-thirds of the majority, or roughly 67 delegates, must vote in favor for these proposals to be successfully enacted. They cannot be repeated either.
Note that all of these laws need to be passed first before you can enact Captain’s Authority.
- Guard Enforcers — Unlocks the Quell Protest and Mobilize Watchtower Squads abilities.
- Captain’s Motion — Unlocks the Enlist to Captain’s Militia action; makes Guard Squads more effective when fighting crime.
- Martial Law — Lowers the number of Guard Squads needed to fight crime.
- Guided Voting — Curtails debates and convinces wavering delegates to support the motion.
- Bureau of Propaganda — Significantly reduces tension in the city; less impact to faction relations due to deaths, Guided Voting, and Emergency Sessions.
- Secret Police — Unlocks the Assign Secret Police action so you can manipulate factions even further.
- Captain’s Authority — Trust and voting no longer become a problem; everyone addresses you as the Captain.
Guided Voting, complete control of the Council, and more
There are a few notable functions that you can unlock to further establish your rule. For instance, the Secret Police action lets you select a particular faction for the following effects.
- Improve their standing — Greatly increases the number of members and greatly improves relations.
- Decrease their size — Greatly decreases the number of members and worsens relations.
- Revoke Council seats — Prevents delegates from voting in the next elections; slightly worsens relations.
Guided Voting from the Rule category, meanwhile, is one of the most viable options when you have a proposal that you wish to pass. When toggled, it causes the most hesitant delegates to be for or against a particular bill depending on your decision. It avoids having to pick a negotiation deal, though it can impact your relations with other factions.
Last but not least, enforcing Captain’s Authority means that you no longer need to worry about the Council voting system. All 100 delegates will vote the way you want them to — it’s a bit like the first game where there’s no oversight.
That does it for our guide on the best laws in Frostpunk 2. As you navigate the political realm, don’t forget to find ways to improve your scientific progress as well.
