Frostpunk 2 – How to find a permanent source of fuel in Chapter 1

In Frostpunk 2, during chapter one (Scraping the Barrel), you have to find a permanent source of fuel. This is the first objective in the game and doesn’t have an obvious and immediate solution. You know the fuel source is somewhere in the Frostland, but you don’t know where.

Two regions on Frostpunk 2‘s Frostland map—the Frozen Bay and the Foothills—are marked with exclamation marks. If you take a closer look, you’ll see Frostlanders in the Frozen Bay and a source of coal in the Foothills.

I thought the coal in the Foothills must be the permanent source of fuel I was looking for, but it’s not. The source of fuel you want is a cluster of oil deposits, and you have to explore further afield to find it.

Where to find a permanent source of fuel in Scraping the Barrel

While the coal deposit in the Foothills is useful, I recommend exploring the Frozen Bay first if you’re chasing a permanent source of fuel. There are enough coal deposits around New London itself to keep your population warm enough for now, and it’s better to use the few Frostland Teams you have to pursue your main objective. Send out 10 Frostland Teams to explore the Frozen Bay, and use the remaining five to bring back a few thousand New Londoners from the Makeshift Shelters near New London.

Don’t just sit and wait for the Frozen Bay expedition to complete. Make use of the resources and workforce you have available in New London to build new districts there. A second coal mine to generate more heat would definitely be a good idea, plus whatever districts you require to keep the city’s other needs balanced.

Once you have explored Frozen Bay, two points of interest will be revealed. Click on the one on the left to read about The Others and reveal a clue to the whereabouts of the permanent fuel source. There’s an “old machine” somewhere in the Desolate Coast region, the next region to the west, now marked with an exclamation mark.

Send an expedition to the Desolate Coast and, once again, make use of your resources to keep your workforce busy and spare Frostland Teams while you’re waiting. Once you have fully explored Desolate Coast, more points of interest will be revealed.

Click on the one in the middle of the region to discover the Old Dreadnought. There’s no point coming back to this later, so click the “We Found Oil!” button to find a permanent source of fuel and start a colony at the Old Dreadnought.