Should You Salvage or Settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2? Explained

One of the biggest choices you make in Frostpunk 2 is related to Winterhome, the abandoned colony marred by tragedy. Given how big the decision is though, you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering: Should you Salvage or Settle Winterhome? For that, you need look no further than this comprehensive guide.

Frostpunk 2 Salvage or Settle Winterhome – All Outcomes Explained

While the Embrace or Defeat Frost choice in Frostpunk 2 sets you further along a given path, the Salvage or Settle Winterhome choice decides which problems you face in the final couple of chapters. Winterhome rests on top of Cores you can use to upgrade your Generator to the highest level, but it can also be restored to working order and turned into a new home for your swelling populace.

We’ve detailed what each choice means for your playthrough down below, along with our personal pick for which one is the best option.

What Happens When You Salvage Winterhome?

The choice to Salvage Winterhome is an aggressive one, as it makes the area permanently uninhabitable.

The resources you can strip from it are minimal, as there’s no longer a way to plug up the toxic vents that killed the original city’s inhabitants. This makes it a hotbed for disease, and any workforce you send there has to be pulled out within a year’s time or they’re liable to get wiped out before you ever have a chance to set up supply lines between them and New London.

In exchange though, you can harvest an unreal number of Cores for use by your main city. These can be used to craft a number of cutting-edge technologies and Buildings, and all of them boast some terrific benefits for New London.

Also of note is the fact that it puts you firmly on the path toward the city vision preferred by the Faithkeepers and Stalwarts, whose Trust will go through the roof. Their abilities are much easier to trigger, and they stand firmly behind you during the final stretch of the game.

Most important of all, however, is that you can upgrade your Generator to the highest rank. This makes it much more efficient, to the point that you can keep it on Overdrive for longer periods and the Heat it generates is enough for you to fight off the Frost as you see fit.

What Happens When You Settle Winterhome?

Those who choose to Settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2 are treated to a more gradual but beneficial outcome.

While it can take a while to set up, Winterhome is an invaluable new colony. It features a wealth of different resource deposits you can make use of for both it and New London, and there are still a fair few Cores to be found in the surrounding area. This can still be put toward top-of-the-line tech, and they can even contribute toward the maximum Generator upgrade if you were frugal enough with the ones found out in the Frostlands.

The Evolvers and Pilgrims are also ecstatic about the choice. Both Factions throw their weight behind your choices more readily, and you can work more easily toward their vision for the city rooted in Adaptation and coexistence with the new state of the world.

Likewise, the colony is a godsend when your population starts to increase to radical levels. Because it’s such a sustainable location, it’s safe to send a large number of people there. Not only that, but it’s easy to keep them happy, making it easier to maintain relations with every faction minus the usual protests, sabotage, and violence.

And then, there’s the Steam veins you can tap into. Steam is the third type of Fuel you can use to run your Generator, and it’s incredibly plentiful in Winterhome. Once extracted, it can be used to change the game in terms of your Fuel consumption, with the issue of lack of Heating all but disappearing once you set up the proper supply lines.

Which Winterhome Choice Is Better?

With all of that said, the question remains: Is it better to Salvage or Settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2?

Based on our experience with both scenarios, it’s far better to Settle the former colony and make it your own. The resources it boasts are worth even more than the Cores provided by Salvage, and the fact that it serves as another livable space for your population can save your skin in the late game when space becomes scarce.

The Cores you can still get are substantial too, and can even be enough to fund the best Generator upgrade without having to make a major sacrifice. It’s very much the payoff for the unseen third option presented to you in the prequel, and opens up the best ending possible as opposed to one where only a few factions are happy.

The support of the Evolvers and Pilgrims is also a big boon. The former’s ability to increase worker efficiency can keep your resource output at its peak, and the latter can help fortify your support in the Council during votes to pass the last few Laws needed to earn the ending tied to Equality.

Finally, there’s the fact that it provides you with access to Steam. Though it might still be hard to fully utilize if you chose to Defeat the Frost, Steam is still an invaluable Fuel source that can all but eliminate any fears of Fuel scarcity. It was so effective that our playthrough lost any sort of challenge once we set up Steam Extraction Districts in Winterhome, and it was the deciding factor in whether or not we finished the game.

To that end, choose to Settle Winterhome if you want to make the best choice possible. Only choose to Salvage Winterhome if you want more of a challenge, or if you depleted your other sources of Cores and are desperate to max out your Generator’s upgrades.

Hopefully, this helped you decide whether you should Salvage or Settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2. For more on the game, we have some other helpful guides on every Faction and how to get Goods fast.