Frostpunk 2 – Should you salvage or settle Winterhome?

In Frostpunk 2, at the end of chapter three, Return to Winterhome, you’re presented with your biggest choice yet. You can either salvage or settle Winterhome, and your decision greatly affects how the rest of the game plays out.

The fate of Winterholm in Frostpunk 2 is your decision alone, but two of your communities have very strong views on what you should do. The Stalwarts insist that you salvage it, and the Pilgrims are just as determined that you should settle it. There are significant practical and strategic differences between the two choices, so this is not a decision to take lightly.

Should you salvage Winterhome or settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2?

There is no concrete answer here, as with the choice between defeating the frost or embracing it. As I said in my guide to that decision, I’d recommend trying out each choice on multiple playthroughs because the gameplay and story experiences resulting from each are different. The game advises against salvaging Winterhome if you embraced the frost and against settling Winterhome if you defeated the frost. But even there, I wouldn’t rule out experimenting.

I decided to settle Winterhome because, as before, I’m more persuaded by the Pilgrims’ “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” philosophy. But then, I must admit, I found the next chapter extremely challenging. Establishing a new settlement in hostile territory while dealing with an equally hostile populace back in New London was seriously tough. Salvaging Winterhome is also far from easy, but it’s at least a more straightforward process. You must strip all of the Cores out as fast as possible and then leave.

What happens if you salvage Winterhome in Frostpunk 2?

If you salvage Winterhome, your goal is to extract all of its Cores so you can then use them to upgrade the generator in New London. Unfortunately for gamers, you can’t do this simply by clicking a button on the Frostlands map. You have to “play” Winterhome in detail as if it’s a temporary colony, meaning you have to do a lot of frostbreaking and build a lot of extraction districts to get all the Cores. This is dangerous work you’ll have to undertake while simultaneously trying to quell the unrest triggered by your betrayal (as they see it) of the Pilgrims. And then, once you’ve salvaged all the Cores, you’re left with the problem of most of your population being in New London and, therefore, all being vulnerable to whiteouts. The fancy new generator upgrade will help counterbalance that issue, but nothing’s ever easy in Frostpunk 2.

What happens if you settle Winterhome in Frostpunk 2?

If you settle Winterhome, your goal is to transform some very hostile territory into a stable, productive settlement. This is not an easy goal and is made harder by the Stalwarts who, having seen their dreams of an ultra-cozy New London dashed against the icy rocks, immediately sabotage everything you build in Winterhome. Your priority is to build Fume Filtration Districts to deal with the toxic gas leaking into Winterhome, but you won’t be able to ignore the Stalwarts while you’re at it, not to mention all the usual problems and shortages that Frostpunk 2 routinely throws at you. The good news is if you establish a settlement in Winterhome, you’ll be well equipped to cope with future whiteouts as each severe weather front will hit your settlements in turn, not at the same time.