Should You Send Elders to the Frostland in Frostpunk 2? Explained

Frostpunk 2 isn’t afraid to give you some grim scenarios to navigate, and one of the first is whether or not to send Elders into the Frostlands to cut down on mouths to feed. But is this the best choice to make? And what are the ramifications of this decision?

What Happens When You Send the Elders to the Frostlands in Frostpunk 2? Explained

Well, for starters, sending the Elders to the Frostland in Frostpunk 2 does indeed reduce the amount of food you need to stockpile in the prologue.

Instead of needing to stockpile 40,000 Food resources, you only need to accrue 25,000. In exchange though, you lose 500 members from your workforce. This can make it harder to reach even that goal if you haven’t taken the time to properly distribute your workers.

Not only that, but the Faithkeepers and New Londoners trust you less at the start of Chapter 1. This is because the choice runs counter to their moral views. You’ll have a harder time pursuing their respective city build tracks as a result.

In contrast, the alternative options come with their own benefits and drawbacks. If you slaughter the Seals, then you immediately come much closer to the initial goal of 40,000 Food stocks. In exchange, the Faithkeepers aren’t as fond of you in Chapter 1 and their city build tracks are harder to unlock. Telling the Wanderers to tighten their belts, meanwhile, leads to a small decrease in everyone’s trust, though not as sharply if you make either tough choice.

With this in mind, we do recommend sacrificing the Elders if you’re unable to produce enough food. Otherwise, there’s actually a way to get through the Whiteout without making any sacrifices.

How to Clear Prologue Without Making Sacrifices

To get through the Whiteout without making any sacrifices in Frostpunk 2, make sure you establish at least three Food Districts and build Food Stockpile Hub buildings next to them. The latter can be accessed via the circular icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. They cost about half as many Prefabs and Scrap as a Food District to build.

Once these are built, give each district Emergency Shift orders to increase their output. Doing so increases how much food they produce, and stays in effect until you end the shifts. This can result in accidents that injure or kill members of your workforce though. It’s best to take breaks whenever accidents occur to let your workers rest and recover.

Maintain this pressure, and if any of the Districts start to deplete, tear them down and use their resources to harvest from another source of food. Continue this for a few dozen weeks, and you can amass the Food supplies needed to survive the Whiteout without sacrificing anyone or anything.

And that’s everything we have on whether or not you should send the Elders to the Frostland in Frostpunk 2. For more on the series, check out our other guides on how to get Prefabs fast and whether you should choose Order or Faith.