Frostpunk: Edition

Step by step guide to finish The Arks in Survivor mode. Although it's possible, we'll be partly ignoring New Manchester for this playthrough as it does make things a lot harder.

A quick note, difficulties don't stack! Unfortunately if it's your second playthrough, you'll have to make another one on hard. Obviously this solution works there as well, hard will be much easier and you should be able to save New Manchester if you want to.

This solution will be exhaustive so I added a TL:DR section with laws and techs for those who don't want to read a 7 A4 pages long wall of text. All general pieces of advice will be available under 'A New Home' survivor achievement, once I'll complete it.

As with every single playthrough in this game, getting solid start is the ultimate solution. The only difference between different difficulty levels is how good start you can have and get away with it. If you mess up in survivor, you may as well restart. However, around day 15 when the New Manchester's survivor arrives, my city was almost at the autopilot.

I assume you know the layout of this map and are familiar with the game concept and how to, well, survive. Before starting this scenario on Survivor, please complete it on Easy, possibly saving New Manchester. Scouting locations may have a little different names (and it doesn't help that I play different language version) but if you are in doubt, I usually went to the closest location and followed the natural route from one side to another. The only exception is the top of the map, you have to rush your top locations. Otherwise, the storm might be faster than you.

Please use this guide almost like a walkthrough. You won't be able to copy it 100% because of randomness (such as how many sick you get during the night) and which depots did you take first. However, when reading this you should be getting an idea where are you compared to my playthrough, what needs to be done during different days and what is the plan for the next ones. I finished gathering resources with a few days more to go so you can definitely make some mistakes and be still on track. I'd say you should keep up with buildings, techs and laws until second temperature drop (day 6), after this the hard part will be over. Getting to day 6 without working hothouse means restart.

During my playthrough I didn't get a single gravely ill person, all my engineers survived, the New Manchester survivor died, two people needed prosthetics, my automaton in wall drill was stucked once so I closed the facility.

General layout, leave generator circle for houses, fighting arena and 2 medical posts. I had almost entire city next to the ark on the right hand side (the closest one), behind a stockpile.

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TL:DR

Rush beacon, collect wood from wall drill and coal mainly from coal mines. 4 workshops at extended shifts. Discard all requests excluding the first one. Always take discontent hits instead of hope.

Book of laws:
Emergency shift -> Extended shift -> Radical treatment -> Extra rations for the ill -> Fighting arena -> Care house -> Prosthetics -> Corpse disposal -> Organ transplants

Techs:
Beacon -> Faster gathering -> Steelworks -> Drawing boards -> Hothouse -> Heaters -> Wall drill -> Coal mining -> More scouts -> Steam hub -> Drafting machines -> Bunkhouse -> Generator power upgrade I -> Steam steelworks -> Mechanical calculators -> Steam coal mine -> Resource depot -> Automaton integration -> Difference engine -> Generator power upgrade II -> Engineer automaton -> Coal thumper -> House -> Automaton integration II -> Coal mining optimisation -> Cookhouse insulation -> Automatic prototyping -> Improved heaters -> House insulation -> Medical post upgrade -> Healthcare insulation -> Anything, really.

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Day 1:
Start by getting Emergency Shift (EmS). Go to build mode ASAP and delete all roads around arks. Notice that it pauses the game, so you don't need to rush the next step. Make sure you delete roads side by side (not one by one). After it's done, you'll have 45 wood which you should use to create 2 workshops. Send 15 engineers to wood depot to the left, automaton to a steel depot and 10 engineers to any coal depot (in that order). Assign engineers to both workshops as soon as they're built and start researching beacon. Send your 10 engineers to the second steel depot. Save and quit.

Load your save and return to your city. When the clock hits 18:00, start the generator, EmS the coal depot and the wood depot with 15 engineers and one workshop. Take engineers out of the second workshop (not EmS) and move them to coal. Take your 10 engineers from steel. Your goal is to research beacon, if any engineer dies in the meantime, dashboard and load the game. Promise that you'll build houses for some. For the next step make sure you'll have 60 wood. When you'll research beacon, immediately start building it (I picked the spot to the right of my right ark, close to the wall, don't forget about the road!). Move your automaton to a wood depot once you have 10 steel. Take your engineers out of EmS workshop (important!). Wait until beacon is ready, then assign your scouts and move them to abandoned supplies.

Build medical post to the right from the stockpile. Start building 2 tents to the left from the stockpile. Get extended shifts at 2 am and use them on one workshop (the one without EmS). Make sure your workshops are fully staffed before 6 am (EmS should have a 4h break which should be met close to 6 am) and start researching faster gathering.

Day 2

Before 8 am, move wood squad from EmS depot to the second one, get your coal crew out, move 10 to wood depot to the north and 5 to medical post. Pause any unfinished tents constructions. Turn off the generator, save and quit. Load the game. Turn on the generator only if your automaton needs to be loaded. Your next goal is a gathering post with 3 wood depots to the north in its range. Once you can afford it, take your 10 engineers out from north wood depot. Build gathering post and connect it with road once you can afford it, then move your 10 enginners inside. Move your automaton to any coal depot. Once you hear from your scouts, move them to broken automaton. Start researching steelworks. Around 6 pm, move your automaton to wood to the left and turn on the generator. Return to your tents construction, build one to the left of existing ones and leave space after the road (same size as tent, you'll use it later on to build a fighting arena). Build cookhouse, take 5 engineers off your wood depot and put them here. Sign radical treatment. Get extended shift on the second workshop (cooldown ends at 6 pm). Once automaton collects all the wood, move it back to coal.

Day 3

Move your scouts to lost dreadnought. Turn off your generator at 8 am. Once the cooking is done, move engineers back to wood. If you want to, save and quit, you don't want gravely ill people at this point. However, it's not that big of a deal. Research drawing boards next. Sign extra rations for the ill. Build steelworks and put 10 engineers inside (you can move them from wood depot). Once your scouts get factory blueprints, send them back to the base. Turn on generator at 6 pm. If your coal depot gets empty, move the automaton to the steelworks. If it doesn't, move it there anyway around 5 am.

Day 4

You'll need 40 wood for the next step. Do the standard generator activity. Put gathering post at extended shift mode. Your research should end around 10 am, start hothouse next. As soon as your scouts are back send them to industrial ruins and start building factory (behind workshops). Your second automaton should arrive around 5-6 pm, start collecting coal for now. Build last two tents after 6 pm (remember about the space).

Day 5

It's absolutely crucial you do two activities this day. Firstly, complete heaters research, EmS if you have to. Secondly, build a hothouse, you can place it next to your northern ark. Assign automaton there. Thirdly (less important), assign 5 engineers to factory (extended shift) and create one automaton, don't worry if it's not ready this day. Sign fighting arena law when given a chance and build it after 6 pm in the free space you had left previously. Move your scouts to broken automaton, once they arrive there, move them to icefall mine. Let your engineer start the automaton project. If your wood depot (left) is empty, build third workshop and second medical post (next to your tents). Your 5 engineers should work in the workshop (extended shift) while the other 5 should be working in cookhouse (2) and medical post (3). Start researching wall drill. If your automaton is ready, move it to a coal depot.

Day 6

When the temperature falls, start heaters in gathering post, cookhouse and hothouse. Ignore the arks. From this point don't turn off your generator at all. Move your scouts back to the city. Build another workshop, you'll rotate your workers with factory (factory having higher priority whenever it's manufacturing anything). Research coal mining and build wall drill. When the engineer asks for the automaton, give it to him and make sure the steelworks is empty (you want to keep both coal and hothouse operational). Once your scouts return to the city, move them to lost dreadnought and start building another automaton. Sign care house law but don't build it for now.

Day 7

Research more scouts. Build one coal mine. Activate heaters in arks around 6 pm (don't forget to do this or you'll lose the scenario!). Give a steam core to the engineer. You should have 2 free automatons, assign one to the wall drill and the second to coal depot. Move your scouts to snow crawler. Research steam hub next. Take 5 engineers from gathering post and create second scout team. Send them to south pass (which is up). After your gathering post doesn't have any resources nearby, take your engineers and move them to cookhouse and medical post.

Day 8

You want to accumulate 108 wood, then move your wood automaton to steel. Your coal mine should be ready, move your new coal automaton inside. Next law, prosthetics. Research drafting machines. Once your coal depot is empty, move the automaton to a steel depot. After 6 pm build 2 steam hubs (don't activate them until temperature drops), one near hot house and one 3 clicks to the left from the right ark road (the one with everything nearby). You want it to cover everything but the last workshop to the left (cookhouse must be within range). You probably don't have a road between workshops and the factory, build it. Build also a care house in the empty spot between your medical posts. Once your scouts arrive to south pass, send them further up and right (broken tree).

Day 9

From now on you should be able to afford activating extra rations in medical posts for sweet 50% boost, do it in both facilities. Move your left hand side scouts to the next destination. Once temperature drops, activate steam hubs and build two more next to two arks currently without cover. Tip, if you do a small road from left ark towards your workshop (literally two clicks) and create steam hub at it's end, you'll cover last workshop with extra heat. This should leave you without any wood, time to get some. Activate heaters in your medical posts. Move your steel depot automaton (hopefully it's empty now) to wall drill. Overdrive your generator. Research bunkhouse when you have enough resources. Send your left scouts home, you'll need those steam cores. Your scouts at the top are having more important task, move to the top of the map and clear those locations. Research lighter scout sleds.

Day 10

Turn off overdrive and two steam hubs, the one to the south and the one near hothouse. Turn the rest to be operational from 6 am to 8 pm. Move hothouse automaton to coal depot. Get corpse disposal next, build the snow pit somewhere outside heat zones, on the way to coal mine is a good place. Research generator power upgrade I next although it's just to keep workshops occupied. Send top scouts group to empty shelter (to the top-left). Upgrade your 3 tents to bunkhouses.

Day 11

Your scouts should return home, send them to broken automaton. Upgrade the next two tents. Once you can afford it, build a second coal mine. Sign organ transplants for extra 20% treatment. Send left scouts to misty valley and top to research outpost (further to the top). Once the mine is ready, move your coal automaton there. Research steam steelworks next, switch generator mode back to 1, you don't need that extra power. Reactivate your 2 steam hubs at 6 pm. Send your misty valley scouts further down to cracked ice. Don't build next automaton, you need 100 wood and 50 steel.

Day 12

Send your top scouts to supply trailer. Build one resource depot (coal). Send your left scouts to the location at the right and continue from right to left. Once your top scouts clear the left side, send them back to broken tree to clear the location to the right. Research mechanical calculators next. Upgrade your steelworks.

Day 13

Continue sending your scouts. Once you clear last location at top, send them home. You don't need any laws from now on. Your next research should be steam coal mine. Turn your other two steam hubs to 6 am - 8 pm. Start constructing automaton, move your cooks to factory if you need to. Research resource depot upgrade. Once your top scouts return with goods, order next automaton and upgrade both coal mines. Disband scout team and move them to cookhouse.

Day 14

Another temperature drop. Activate steam level 2 at 6 am. Once an automaton is ready, move it to hothouse and turn the steam hub next to it to operate 24h. Research automaton integration next. Don't worry if your wood is at max, it's not a critical resource now. Move your new automaton to any depot, I went to steel but it shouldn't really matter. Keep an eye on the New Manchester survivor, once he reaches your city, you'd like to form a next scout team from your factory workers. Overdrive the generator for the night and activate extra food rations.

Day 15

Turn off overdrive at 8 am. Send your scouts to the right once the survivor reaches your city. Your next priority is difference engine, if you can afford another automaton without waiting for resources for your research, build it. Your discontent should be at low level, pick up the option for helping New Manchester to increase it (it's better to increase this than to decrease hope). Once your left scouts are done with scavenging the Frostland, send them home. Build next steam steelworks and put an automaton there. It doesn't really matter if the survivor dies or not. Research generator power upgrade II.

Day 16

You want to build another resource depot for coal. When your research is completed, switch steam level back to 2. Keep your right scouts on a straight line to New Manchester, once your second group returns home, send them to all the 'leftovers'. You should be done with all the depots now, send your automaton to cookhouse. Build another automaton and three resource depots, two for coal and one for food rations. Leave your new automaton unassigned for now, research engineer automaton next. When given a resource chance (keep around 100 wood & steel available at all time) build next two resource depots for coal.

Day 17

Another temperature drop, activate steam level 3. Build 1 more automaton. Once you get to New Manchester, select that you have your own problems. When a woman/survivor asks you to help New Manchester, say that you won't help. Build another automaton. Research coal thumper next. From now on you should micromanage your workshops. Let engineers work in 3 of them during the day and put automatons there for the night shift. Build a coal thumper next to the gathering post in the north, build another gathering post close. This is where your 3 automatons will spend the day shift. Take your automaton out of cookhouse and let it be operated by people. Research house next. Overdrive during the night.

Day 18

Turn off the overdrive at 8 am. Turn off extended shift from all 4 workshops, one should be operated by automaton all the time while other 3 should have human labour only between 8 am and 6 pm. Once you clear out right side of the map, send your scout home. Research automaton integration II. Upgrade 3 houses first, once it's done proceed with the rest. Overdrive for the night. Research coal mining optimisation.

Day 19

Build two more resource depots (wood & steel). Turn off the overdrive at 8 am. Switch back your engineers with automatons in workshops. Once your research is done, get cookhouse insulation. Don't disband your scouts, you don't need extra workforce and this way they don't take extra food. Build next automaton. Research automatic prototyping.

Day 20

Another temperature drop. We'll deal with this using overdrive during the day. Research improved heaters next. Once it's done, get house insulation. Build your final city automaton, this way everything apart from cookhouse and medical posts (which require heat anyway so it's safe for people) will be covered by them.

Day 21

Research medical post upgrade, then healthcare insulation. Disband your scouts. Wait until you meet scenario requirements with having 6 more days to go.

Day 22

Since there will be another temperature drop (final one) you want to get generator power upgrade III. Bear in mind that your coal consumption will increase so your next step should be advanced coal mine. You have enough resources so now it's just a waiting game. You can (and should, just for telling yourself that you did your best) try to save New Manchester, it's possible in survivor mode although requires a perfect playthrough. Don't worry if it doesn't work, it's probably an uphill battle.

Day 23

Get automaton integration III and advanced steelworks. Build one more automaton.

Day 24

Your next research is sawmill (build it between steelworks and coal mines, put automaton from gathering post there) and hothouse insulation. Send resources to New Manchester. When engineers will get angry at you, promise that you'll keep 6 working automatons in the city. Not a big deal, we have 14. However, you won't be able to get enough food for the second city, let alone coal. This is where the help for them ends.

Day 25 (and beyond)

Get coal mining rationalisation, both generator efficiency upgrades and heaters upgrades (or anything else, doesn't really matter at this point). Wait until scenario ends.