Frostpunk 2's Huge 1.3 Update Builds Upon an Already Awesome Game

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I love Frostpunk 2, and I’m probably more invested in it than I was with the original game! 11 Bit Studios is one of my favorite publishers for their intriguing selection of games. This War Of Mine and the first Frostpunk are both exceptional experiences, and last year, they put out the big Frostpunk sequel.

11 Bit Studios made sweeping changes to the sequel that initially made me skeptical. Sometimes, when sequels change too much from the original vision, things can backfire, but I feel Frostpunk 2 benefited from it. I got to try out the massive 1.3 Update early, which greatly adds to the game! The patch will drop on May 8, and the open beta for the patch kicks off this weekend.

To those unfamiliar with the game, Frostpunk 2 focuses heavily on the political situation of your struggling colony as it tries to expand beyond its frozen prison. Juggling the squabbling factions as you try to keep enough food and fuel to stay alive is brutal. I have lost count of how many times my colony collapsed, and the consequences of my decisions were often not immediately known. This sounds more frustrating than it was, and I appreciate that it's high difficulty won't be for everyone.

Onto the content update, 11-bit Studios has pulled out all the stops on this one. A new map has been added, called The Pit, and it is set at the foot of a giant mountain. Playable in the Utopia Builder mode, which can be a starting map or as a Point-Of-Interest during gameplay, the map offers its unique challenges. There’s little space for your colony to grow, but the plentiful resources might make it worth the risk. I had a little go with The Pit, and it might be my favorite map so far.

There are also new narrative questlines called Tales of the Frostland that take place in both story and builder mode, bringing some extraordinary stories into the frozen wasteland. These missions are optional, but they come with unique rewards and challenges. They are also a high risk: if you fail one, it is game over! Given how brutal Frostpunk 2 is already, this felt natural. Only take them on if you are confident!

It’s not just new content; some prominent overhaul features are included in this patch. Heat management is localized now, with each district having its temperature control, and allows the player to allocate heat from the generator. I found the new visual overhaul incredibly helpful, as knowing when to moderate district heat is a matter of life and death!

There is also a more relaxed difficulty mode called Serenity Mode, which was brought over from the original Frostpunk game. It doesn't make Frostpunk 2 easy, but I like this mode. The weather shifts are slightly less brutal, and the faction conflict is removed entirely for those not keen on the political shift from the first game. More options to play are always good, leaving Frostpunk 2 in a great spot.

Other changes include a revamped Prologue with updated quests, new tutorials, improved pathfinding, and a nice district visual when you lay down the housing centers. All these things are to improve the core experience, and they have done a great job overall.

The update I am most excited for, but the one I have yet to try, is the full release of the modding tools. Frostkit has been in beta for a while now, but from May 8, it will be fully available, and I’m excited to see what modders come up with, using the toolkit.

This frozen sequel has much to unpack, and I’ve been engrossed in the story campaign. Learning more about the world while trying to survive the brutal conditions makes for an incredible gameplay loop, and the 1.3 update looks like a big leap forward for Frostpunk 2.

Frostpunk 2 is available on Steam. You can try out the open beta for this update right now by going to the game's properties, into the beta tab, and clicking on the "beta -prerelease of free major content update" beta to try it out. It will last until May 5th, and the update will be fully released on May 8th.

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