Frostpunk 2 is a survival city builder game, making it naturally more challenging than many games on the market. The genre demands careful attention to numerous mechanics and quick decision-making to solve multiple problems simultaneously.
If you’ve picked up Frostpunk 2 and are wondering which difficulty setting to choose, then you’re in the right place. The guide below explains all the difficulty settings and answers any questions you may have, helping you decide which one best suits your playstyle and skills.
Every Difficulty Setting In Frostpunk 2
Frostpunk 2 offers four distinct difficulty settings, each of which significantly alters the gameplay. These settings impact various factors such as resource availability, the margin for error, the severity of the weather, and how easily you can satisfy the population. The four difficulty levels are:
- Citizen
- Officer
- Steward
- Captain
In Frostpunk 2, you
cannot change the difficulty
once you’ve started the campaign. The difficulty you select at the beginning is locked for the entire playthrough. If you want to lower the difficulty, your only option is to
restart the campaign
.
Which Difficulty Setting In Frostpunk 2 Is Best For You?
Choosing the wrong difficulty setting in Frostpunk 2 can greatly diminish your enjoyment of the game. Read the information below carefully to ensure you make the right choice.
Citizen Difficulty
Citizen is the easiest difficulty in the game and is recommended for players new to the genre. If you haven’t played the first Frostpunk or any other city builder, Citizen is the best choice. There’s no need to be overly ambitious, as this setting still offers plenty of challenges.
Officer Difficulty
Officer is the second-easiest difficulty and is recommended for players with at least some understanding of the game’s mechanics. Officer is a suitable choice if you’ve played the firstFrostpunk but aren’t confident in tackling harder difficulties. While challenging due to limited resources and high demands, it still allows you to make a fair number of mistakes.
Steward Difficulty
Steward is the second-hardest difficulty and is recommended for expert players. If you have a solid grasp of the mechanics from the first game and excel at other city-building games, then Steward is the right choice for you. However, be warned — this difficulty is highly punishing. You’ll have very little room for error, facing extreme weather, scarce resources, and a difficult-to-please population.
Captain Difficulty
Captain is the hardest difficulty in Frostpunk 2 and is generally not recommended for most players. This setting is best suited for those who have already completed the game and possess expert knowledge of its mechanics. There is virtually no room for error, and you’ll be managing one crisis after another. You will know what it takes to be a true leader.
Custom Difficulty Setting In Frostpunk 2
While there are four developer-defined difficulty settings, the game also offers an option to create a custom one. As the name suggests, players can adjust various aspects of the game’s mechanics to suit their preferences. For example, if you enjoy managing faction politics but prefer a less demanding resource management experience, you can make resources abundant while increasing the difficulty of faction interactions.
The following aspects can be adjusted to create your custom difficulty:
|
Difficulty Aspect |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Economy |
This setting determines the needs of the population, the time you have to react to crises, and the availability of resources within the city. |
|
Weather |
This setting controls the severity of cold seasons and the frequency and length of whiteouts. |
|
Frostland |
This setting dictates the scarcity of people, food, and resources in the Frostland. |
|
Society |
This setting influences how manageable the population is and how difficult it is to pass laws. |
Survivor Mode In Frostpunk 2
While Survivor Mode is not a separate difficulty setting, it does make the game significantly more challenging. In this mode, you cannot pause the game, and progress is only saved when you quit. Be sure to click on the checkbox when selecting your difficulty if you want to enable Survivor Mode.
Frostpunk 2 also includes
difficulty-based trophies
, so players aiming to unlock all achievements will need to complete the game on Captain difficulty at least once.
