Research drives the development of your city in Frostpunk 2, and determines which cornerstones you build your utopia around. The mechanic is a lot deeper than it first appears, though. We’re here to break it all down with this detailed Frostpunk 2 research guide.
How to Research Fast in Frostpunk 2
There are a few different ways to crank up your Research speed in Frostpunk 2.
While most of them are centered around the research and construction of specific buildings, other methods require expansion and exploration out in the Frostlands. Make sure you have Logistics Districts set up so that you can do expeditions, and then give some of the methods listed below a shot.
Build Research Institutes
To start, you can build Research Institutes in any Housing District that has been expanded. Each one increases the overall speed at which you discover new Laws and Technologies, but the effect is decreased with each new Institute you build.
Likewise, these fill the limited Building slots each Housing District features. As a result, you can’t add other beneficial buildings unless you tear down the Research Institute.
All the same, this strategy drastically speeds up your Research time. At its peak, it can reduce the time needed to discover new ideas down to a couple of weeks.
Research Buildings Backed by Reason
Other buildings like Teaching Hospitals can also increase the speed you Research topics at. The only catch is that you first need to discover and Research them via the various trees, which can be time-consuming.
Luckily, there is a way to focus on these projects and get them done fast. When you open up the Research Trees, look for the Reason or Progress icons over any ideas present. These tend to lead to discoveries that help advance your city’s Research speed, and can be unlocked more quickly when you prioritize them.
Set up Research Outposts in the Frostlands
Another lucrative way to Research fast is to set up Research outposts in the Frostlands.
Certain points of interest can be turned into facilities dedicated to studying whatever idea you decided on. A small number of Frostlanders need to be assigned to it though, which prevents them from participating in the construction of trails, Expeditions, and other activities.
In exchange, the outpost speeds up the discovery rate of new ideas and Laws, and allows you to dedicate your city’s Building slots to other structures.
Best Laws and Buildings to Research
Once your Research speed is as high as possible, you can focus on what new Laws and Buildings you want to look into in Frostpunk 2.
While every option can be a viable one, some do offer better advantages than others and should be at the top of your priority list. We’ve listed a few down below for your consideration, and highly recommend them so long as they fit with your vision for your city.
Automated Workforce
A resource that can seem impossible to keep up is Workforce, so the Automated Workforce tract of ideas is some of the best around.
Each one increases your available workforce through the use of automation in factories, the creation of Automatons, and policies that generally reduce the need for human workers. This leaves your available Workforce much higher than if you pursue ideas dedicated to squeezing every ounce of effort out of your available workforce, and decreases the Tension of your populace thanks to the fact that they work less.
These ideas are supported by the Faithkeepers and New Londoners, so keep an eye out for their icons if you don’t know which Law or Building to research next. Once they’re Rsesearched, you’ll also net yourself plenty of positive press with both Factions, which goes a long way toward their respective endings.
Mandatory Unions
Though this Law is initially a drain on your resources, Mandatory Unions help to reduce Tension across your city and improve the conditions your workers deal with. It also leads to less injuries and deaths on the job, and can keep your Workforce at its maximum level as often as possible.
And that’s just to start. So long as you meet the Union’s demands, they start to increase efficiency overall, which increases the yield of resources from every District possible.
Maintenance and Rail Hubs
Any of the Hubs are worth unlocking, but the Maintenance and Rail Hubs are some of the best in the entire game.
Maintenance Hubs reduce the overall demand for Materials from any and every District, which is a heaven-sent boon once you start to deplete your initial Material veins. Rail Hubs, meanwhile, increase the efficiency of the Districts they’re built next to, which increases their output in exchange for a small injection of active Workforce.
Both can optimize your city and improve how smoothly resources flow from one point to another. Toss in the fact that each only takes a few weeks to Research, and there’s little reason not to give them a look.
Experimental Treatment
While there are risks tied to the study of this idea, the benefits do outweigh them in the end.
The ability to test new medical treatment methods helps your doctors discover new cures for illnesses, which reduce Disease overall. It also allows you to minimize diseases from incoming residents, as you can inoculate them with vaccines and ensure your existing population that everyone is safe and healthy.
It’s also one of the tamer ways to get in good with the Evolvers, whose preferred Research topics tend to lean toward dangerous and self-centered.
Vanguard Logistics Bay
There’s nothing worse than when you need to press further into the Frostland or want to build a vital Trail, but can’t because you don’t have enough Frostlanders to work with. Fortunately, the Vanguard Logistics bay solves that and then some.
This building adds 20 more Frostland Teams to your available pool, and you can build up to three across your Logistics Districts for a final bonus of 60 Frostlanders. They can then be used to explore new regions, harvest Frostlands materials, delve into dangerous areas, and otherwise help you expand the reach of your city.
It also nets you plenty of goodwill with the Frostlanders faction, which is never a bad thing and helps you inch closer toward the Adaptation Cornerstone.
And with that, you’re all caught up on how to Research fast and what the best Research topics are in Frostpunk 2. For more on the game, check out our other guides on how to get Materials fast and all the Factions in the game.
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