As a big fan of Frostpunk, I was delighted to discover the official mobile version of this popular game. Although the game is still in the early access, it already promises almost the same immersive and challenging experience as the console and PC versions.
After hours of gameplay, we have put together this Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice guide with essential tips and tricks that would greatly help beginners navigate the harsh frozen world of Frostpunk.
Keep in mind that some features may be improved or added in the future, but this beginner’s guide will surely provide a solid foundation for your journey in this steampunk city-building simulation.
What Is Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice?
Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice is the official mobile version of the award-winning and bestselling video game Frostpunk. In this game, you must lead a group of survivors in building and managing your own steampunk city in a frozen, post-apocalyptic world.
You will face challenges such as extreme weather conditions, resource management, and moral dilemmas. It has the same survival theme as the popular mobile game Without Survival but with a unique and captivating story and better graphics.
At the time of writing, Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice is only available in the US, UK, and Philippines, but is expected to be released globally soon this year in 2024.
Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice Gameplay Basics
The gameplay of Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice follows a similar format to its bigger version, but of course with some adjustments for mobile play and less complex mechanics. You start by building your city around the central Generator, which is the only source of heat and life in this frozen world.
As you progress, you must manage resources, construct buildings, make decisions that affect your citizens’ well-being and survival, craft items and trade various resources to continuously improve your city.
Gathering and Managing Resources
There are 3 main resources in Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice that you must gather and manage effectively to ensure your city’s survival: Wood, Coal, and Food. Wood is used for building structures and is obtained by constructing Lumberyards or sending workers to chop down trees in the surrounding area.
Coal is necessary for keeping the Generator running and can be obtained from coal deposits, or building Coal Mines, while Food is essential for keeping your citizens fed and healthy.
In the early stages, you can obtain Food by sending your workers to gather it from Food Crates in the wilderness around your camp/city. Later on, you can build a Cookhouse and Greenhouses to gather Food automatically.
In addition to the main resources, you will also need to construct special buildings, some of which, also produce resources. This includes:
- Production Workshop: a factory used to craft various items like
- Commodity Factory: it can produce Steam Core, a valuable material for city development
- Resource Base: it automatically produces Coal, Food, and Iron
In-game currencies
For the majority of these buildings, you will need Shillings and Brass, two in-game currencies that are used to purchase different items in the game. Both can be obtained by completing missions and daily tasks, but Brass is harder to get.
Shilling is a more common currency and the easiest way to get some is by upgrading Dwellings(Tents, Premium Tents, and Bunkhouses) and completing achievements and quests.
Buildings and Planning Your City Layout
The placement of buildings is crucial in Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice as it affects the efficiency and functionality of your city. Placing buildings too far from the Generator can cause them to malfunction or not work at all due to the extreme cold. Buildings also need to be connected to a heated road (the thick circled lines around the Generator) to function properly.
As seen in the above screenshot, the orange slots are heated buildings, whereas the red area is the heat range of the Generator (how far you can expand your city at your current Steam level). To place a building, tap the Build Queue button in the lower-right corner, choose the building you want to place, and drag it on a slot marked as “Placeable”.
It is recommended to place your essential buildings, such as Tents or Bunhouses, Medical Posts, Workshops, and Resource Factories, inside the red area to ensure they function at maximum efficiency.
Surviving the Cold: Heat Management
As mentioned earlier, the Generator is essential to your city’s survival as it provides heat and power. To keep it running, you need to ensure you have enough Coal and adjust the Steam level, depending on the weather conditions.
During extreme cold or blizzards, it is recommended to increase the Steam level to a Warm level. Otherwise, a Normal level should be enough to keep your city heated and functional.
It is also crucial to upgrade the Generator as it will increase its heat range and efficiency. To do that, you need to raise the population to a certain number, and craft or obtain special items.
For example, to upgrade the Generator to level 2, you will need 1 Machine Tool (which can be bought from the Trade Base for 60 Shillings or completing trade missions) and 400 Shillings.
Population and How to Get More Workers
Population number is one of the key factors in the game as it determines the number of workers you have at your disposal and which features you can unlock.
To get more workers in Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice, you need to build Dwellings (you will have Tents and Premium Tents in the beginning) and fulfill their needs such as food, heat, and healthcare. You can also gain more people by upgrading the existing dwellings by simply dragging another Premium Tent onto the Tent slot, or a Bunkhouse over a Premium Tent, for example.
Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice Tips and Tricks
Here’s a list of essential tips and tricks to help you earn more rewards and improve your village/city development:
1. Trading is key to evolution in Frostpunk
Trading is one of the most crucial aspects of Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice. Not only does it allow you to obtain rare resources, but also unlocks new buildings and upgrades. It is recommended to trade regularly and keep an eye on the available deals from people in your city.
We recommend prioritizing trade missions that reward you with valuable resources or unique items. If you don’t have the required resources for a trade, you can always craft some via the Production Workshop.
2. Keep an eye on the resource crates
The resource crates are a good way for new players to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics and get a head start in gathering resources. They can be found scattered around the area around your city, but once they are depleted, you need to tap them to call back your workers and collect the resources.
3. Do not build more roads than necessary
Roads can be a costly Shilling investment if you tend to overbuild them (I know I did). Only build roads to connect essential buildings, such as those mentioned above, and try to keep your city compact for better efficiency. More importantly, avoid building roads before ensuring you have enough space between the road rings to fit new buildings.
4. Unlock the third build queue
If you want to progress faster in the game, it is highly recommended to unlock the third building queue. This will allow you to construct or upgrade 3 buildings simultaneously, increasing your efficiency and productivity.
You can either pay 100 Brass (earned through missions or purchased with real money) or purchase a premium pack that includes the unlocked third building queue as an item.
5. Repair Damaged Steam Hubs around your city
Besides upgrading the Generator to increase its heat range, you can also repair damaged Steam Hubs around your city.
These small structures provide heat to a limited area and can be crucial in keeping important buildings functioning during extreme cold conditions or blizzards. Make sure you meet the population requirement and have enough resources to repair them when necessary.
6. Redesign your city layout
If you are not happy with your current layout, or if you simply want to optimize your city, you can always redesign it. Tap the Build Queue button in the bottom-right corner and press Edit City in the top-left corner.
From there, you can move buildings by tapping on them or take all buildings at once by pressing Collect All and replacing them individually.
You can also dismantle buildings by pressing the Dismantle button, which will return some of the resources used to construct them. Keep in mind that dismantling a building will also remove its upgrades, so make sure you are okay with losing them before doing so.