Frostpunk 2 introduces a hexagonal map and distinct mining districts that reshape how a city is built and expanded. The terrain is largely ice covered, and clearing it with ice picks is a prerequisite to any construction. That combination makes layout decisions more demanding. This guide explains practical ways to plan hex-based areas and reduce ice-clearing mistakes.
Overview of the hex map changes
The city map is divided into large hexagonal tiles, most of them hidden beneath a thick ice crust. Clearing this ice is a daily effort, and it spans almost the entire map except for a small zone near the city center. This deliberate constraint places ice clearing at the core of Frostpunk 2’s strategy, making efficient ice pick crews essential. Better organization translates into faster room creation for new districts and quicker access to the resource map. To speed up the process, it helps to run several ice-clearing operations simultaneously, whether in different zones or along parallel routes.
How the clearing and building mechanics work
Clearing ice, laying out districts, and upgrading follow the same basic pattern: players choose spaces to clear or to build. An ice pick clears eight squares per action; a district occupies six squares; upgrading consumes three additional squares. A magazine bay takes one slot, and magazines must be kept apart with at least one empty space between them.
A key constraint is that ice axes cannot start from untouched ice. They must begin from already cleared terrain and push deeper into the ice hills. Vehicles cannot cross thick ice without a cleared corridor, so planning a path is essential before any forward movement.
How to plan districts in Frostpunk 2
Hex-based planning remains tricky. The game does not offer a simple undo for misclicks, so developers advise a cautious approach: save before testing layouts, preview several options, and if necessary, reload to set things correctly. Practically, the recommended method is to pause, review layouts, and then commit only when confident that the placement aligns with long-term needs.
What is the best way to remove ice with ice picks
Before clearing, assess the terrain carefully. Visualize the target area as a geometric shape and map a sweep that minimizes backtracking. For instance, imagine shaping the region as a triangle and tracing its edges. Start by clearing from the inner edge outward, outline the first side, then mark the second, and finally close the contour at the third corner. In broad areas, untouched resources often remain; decide whether to extract the center now or postpone it to match the chosen strategy. This structured approach helps maximize the value of every cleared square.
How to plan areas on a hexagonal map
Planning on a hex grid demands foresight for expansion, including future fields and a storage center. Sometimes it is wiser to add another neighborhood rather than forcing growth within a single district. Avoid concentrating a district’s development on a single resource. The most productive mining layouts require space and deliberate growth; early on, heat spots and modules are scarce, so decisions must account for these limits.
Therefore, priority should go to securing resource-rich fields and expanding across multiple zones. Avoid gaps inside a district; a six-square block can tolerate one empty square, but two empties reduce efficiency significantly. While there is no universal recipe, several sample layouts illustrate how large areas can be developed effectively on a hex grid.
How can you improve districts in Frostpunk 2
Upgrading a neighborhood costs more than starting a new one. Improvement happens by adding adjacent squares, typically three, following a snake-like pattern. This boosts productivity without increasing the worker count.
When planning for future improvement, the same principle applies: aim for expansion that touches at least two resource spaces while keeping one empty space for future growth. Expanding into a single field rarely pays off and can waste resources. It is also wise to maintain a free gap between districts to accommodate a storage center, which reduces the workload in nearby areas. A well-placed storage center can free up a substantial number of workers for other tasks while keeping the center itself efficiently managed.
Several effective urban layouts emerge from practical play, reflecting patterns players frequently use to balance expansion with resource access. This guide highlights approaches that work across varied map setups and resource distributions.