Characters & Roles

Characters & Roles Guide

Frostpunk is a unique city-building survival game where there are no traditional heroes, classes, or playable units. Instead, the game revolves around managing population roles through laws, technology, and infrastructure. This guide covers every distinct role your citizens can fill, the Leader (your in-game persona), and how to use each role effectively.

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1. The Leader (Player Character)

Background: You are the appointed leader of the expedition—a Captain, Steward, or Commander depending on the scenario. Your decisions shape the city's laws, research, and exploration. There is no visible avatar, but the leader's persona is reflected in the choices you make.

Strengths:

• Unlimited capacity to command and coordinate all roles.


• Cannot die; only the city's failure ends the game.


• Access to all laws, technologies, and buildings.


Weaknesses:

• Single point of decision-making; no delegation until mid-game.


• Every choice has irreversible consequences (e.g., signing child labor or death laws).


• Inability to physically intervene in emergencies (e.g., cannot personally heat a building).


Playstyle: The leader's "playstyle" is your chosen path—Order or Faith, or a mixed approach. The leader adapts by signing laws and researching technologies to control discontent and hope.

Unlock Conditions: Always available at the start of any scenario.

Recommended Equipment/Builds: No traditional equipment, but leaders rely on:

• Laws: purposefully timed to avoid discontent spikes.


• Technologies: prioritize heating, food, and scout upgrades.


• Buildings: Warmth hubs, medical posts, and cookhouses.


Team Synergy: The leader does not work alongside other roles; instead, they enable all roles through laws and buildings. A successful leader balances the needs of workers, engineers, and children.

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2. Workers



Background: Workers are the backbone of your city—able-bodied adults who gather resources, build structures, and operate resource facilities. They are the most common citizen type, representing the majority of your population.

Strengths:

• Can perform any manual labor task (coal mines, sawmills, steelworks, construction).


• Efficient in large numbers for resource collection.


• Can be specialized via laws (e.g., Extended Shifts, Child Labour).


Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to cold and illness; require heating and medical care.


• High discontent if overworked or underfed.


• Cannot staff advanced research buildings (except through Automatons).


Playstyle: Workers are your primary labor force. Early game: rush to gather coal and wood. Mid-game: staff coal thumpers and steelworks. Late game: operate advanced resource buildings like the Coal Mine or Offshore Pump.

Unlock Conditions: Available from the start. You start with a pool of workers (usually 80 in New Home).

Recommended Equipment/Builds:

• Workplace upgrades: Steam Coal Mine, Steam Sawmill, Steelworks (upgrades for efficiency).


• Law bonuses: Extended Shifts (more hours, more resources), Soup or Sawdust meals to stretch food.


• Tech upgrades: Hunter's Gear, Hothouses for food variety.


Team Synergy: Workers support Engineers by freeing them from manual tasks. Paired with Automatons, workers can be redeployed to higher-value tasks.

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3. Engineers



Background: Engineers are educated citizens who work in research buildings (Workshops, Engineering Stations) and manage advanced facilities. They are fewer than workers but critical for technological progress.

Strengths:

• Generate research points in Workshops (up to 4 engineers per workshop).


• Can staff medical facilities (Medical Posts, Infirmaries) for faster healing.


• Can be assigned to Automaton maintenance for faster repair.


Weaknesses:

• Cannot gather basic resources as effectively as workers.


• More prone to discontent if asked to do manual labor (e.g., through laws like Forced Labour).


• Limited number; losing engineers to death or discontent slows research.


Playstyle: Engineers are your ticket to survival. Always keep at least 1 Workshop running 24/7 (using Emergency Shift if needed). In mid-game, build more Workshops and assign engineers to research important techs like Beacon, Heaters, and Automatons.

Unlock Conditions: Start with a small pool (usually 10-15 in New Home). More survivors may include engineers.

Recommended Equipment/Builds:

• Workshops: multiple for parallel research.


• Tech priorities: Steam Hub, Sawmill Upgrade, Beacon, Coal Mining, Automaton, Infirmary.


• Medical: Infirmary is best; engineers heal faster there.


Team Synergy: Engineers work with Workers to implement new tech. They also synergize with Automatons (Automatons don't get sick but need repairing; engineers can repair them).

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4. Children



Background: Children are young citizens who cannot work in standard roles unless laws are passed that allow child labor. They are a vulnerable group; their death or sickness hurts hope significantly. However, they can be educated to become useful.

Strengths:

• Can be educated in a Schoolhouse to become engineers later (increases total engineer count).


• Under child labor laws, they can gather resources or work in cookhouses.


• Require less food than adults.


Weaknesses:

• Cannot work in advanced buildings.


• High hope penalty if they die or are injured.


• Child labor increases discontent in the early game.


Playstyle: Two paths:

• Child Labor: Sign the law immediately to get extra workers for resource gathering (best on Survival difficulty).


• Shelter/Education: Keep children safe and build a Schoolhouse to train them into engineers. This is slower but yields better long-term workforce.


Unlock Conditions: Children automatically appear as part of survivors (usually 15 children in New Home). You cannot recruit children; they come with events.

Recommended Equipment/Builds:

• Child Labour law: allows work in gathering posts, cookhouses, and coal thumpers.


• Schoolhouse: requires wood and steel; educates 15 children at a time.


• Apprentice law (Faith/Order): +10% efficiency from children in certain buildings.


Team Synergy: Educated children become engineers, synergizing with research. Child labor synergizes with early resource rush.

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5. Automatons



Background: Automatons are steam-powered mechanical workers built in the Automaton Factory (research tier). They require steam cores—a rare resource. Automatons work 24/7 without rest, food, or heat, making them invaluable.

Strengths:

• Work 24 hours a day, no need for breaks or heat.


• Immune to cold, illness, and death.


• Can operate any resource building (coal mine, steelworks, hothouse).


• Can be upgraded (e.g., Engineering Automaton for faster repair).


Weaknesses:

• Require steam cores to build (each core is precious).


• Slow work speed unless upgraded (Automatons work at 80% speed of a worker, but 24/7).


• Cannot be used in research or medical roles.


• Need to be repaired if damaged (costs steel and time).


Playstyle: Build Automatons mid-to-late game to drastically reduce labor needs. Assign them to resource-gathering buildings that are turning idle due to night shifts or deaths. Use them in the Coal Mine for constant fuel, or in Steelworks.

Unlock Conditions: Requires research: Automaton (after Beacon, Tier 3), and building Automaton Factory (75 steel, 4 steam cores). You also need at least one steam core. Automatons can be produced indefinitely if steam cores are available.

Recommended Equipment/Builds:

• Upgrades: Automaton Efficiency (Tech), Basic/Improved Automaton (from Factory), Engineering Automaton (law/tech?).


• Placement: In resource buildings with high demand—Coal Mine, Steelworks, Offshore Pump.


• Repair priority: Keep 1-2 engineers dedicated to repairing Automatons.


Team Synergy: Automatons replace workers, freeing them for other tasks. Pair with Engineers for repair. Automatons can be assigned to almost any resource building, allowing workers to focus on construction.

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6. Scouts



Background: Scouts are small groups of citizens (usually 5 per scouting team) sent out to explore the Frostland. They are not a distinct citizen type; you assign workers or engineers to a Beacon or Scout Tower. Scouts find survivors, resources, and valuable locations.

Strengths:

• Discover new survivors, steam cores, and food caches.


• Can find locations that trigger events (e.g., Winterhome).


• Provide map knowledge and strategic options.


Weaknesses:

• Scouts can die permanently if caught in storms or if they run out of supplies.


• Taking citizens from the city reduces workforce temporarily.


• Scouting trips require time and can delay city growth.


Playstyle: Early game, send scouts to nearby locations to find survivors (quick boost). Mid-game, explore further for steam cores and advanced tech. Always keep one scout exploring while another returns for supplies.

Unlock Conditions: Build a Beacon (requires 25 wood and steel, plus research). Initially you get one scout group; later you can research more scouts (up to 2 extra).

Recommended Equipment/Builds:

• Upgrades: Scout Speed (Tech), Improved Scout (reduces food consumption).


• Supplies: Food for scouts (automatic consumption).


• Route planning: Prioritize locations with steam cores or large survivor groups.


Team Synergy: Scouts bring back survivors that become workers, engineers, or children—directly feeding into all roles. Also bring steam cores for Automatons.

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7. Special Roles from Laws



Frostpunk has no distinct character classes, but laws create specialized roles that change how citizens behave.

#### Foreman & Engineer Foreman

• Foreman: Appointed by signing the Foreman law (Order tree). Boosts workplace efficiency in a single building by 20% for a few hours (requires maintenance).


• Engineer Foreman: An engineer assigned to a Workshop boosts research speed by +20%.


• Background: Overseers who push workers.


• Strengths: Short-term efficiency gains.


• Weaknesses: Increases discontent (especially when used repeatedly).


• Playstyle: Use on critical buildings like the Coal Mine during a storm or Workshop before a major tech.


#### Overseer & Guard

• Overseer: Law (Order) that stations a guard at a workplace to reduce discontent and prevent strikes.


• Guard: Can be spawned by Patrol, Guard Stations, and Prisons. They enforce order.


• Strengths: Reduce discontent in a district, suppress Londoner faction.


• Weaknesses: Require building space and can be cruel (if using certain laws).


• Playstyle: Build Guard Stations in high-discontent areas. Place Overseers on key resource buildings.


#### Medic & Dreadnought Medic

• Medic: Workers assigned to Medical Posts or Infirmaries (heal the sick). Engineers are better medics (faster healing).


• Dreadnought Medic (Scenario: Winterhome): A unique staff role in the Dreadnought's hospital.


• Strengths: Crucial for reducing deaths.


• Weaknesses: Medical posts require heat and be accurate location.


• Playstyle: Ensure at least one medical facility per 50 citizens. Engineers boost healing speed.


#### Faith Keeper & House of Healing

• Faith Keeper: Appointed by Faith laws (e.g., Temple, House of Healing). They provide hope boosts and reduce discontent through sermons.


• House of Healing: A building that treats the sick and also provides hope.


• Strengths: Better than medical posts for hope generation; treats gravely ill citizens efficiently.


• Weaknesses: Expensive (requires steam cores and high cost).


• Playstyle: Transition from Medical Posts to House of Healing once you have steam cores.


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8. Role Synergies and City Planning




• Early Game: Workers gather wood/coal while engineers research Beacon. Scouts find survivors. Children either work or learn.


• Mid Game: Build Automatons to replace workers in resource buildings. Workers then build more structures. Engineers research Automaton upgrades and better heaters.


• Late Game: Use Automatons for 24/7 resource generation. Engineers work in Infirmaries and Workshops. Faith/Order structures manage hope/discontent via special roles (Foreman, Faith Keeper).


• Crisis Management: In a storm, assign all engineers to medical facilities and use Automatons for coal production. Use Foreman on the Coal Mine. Guards reduce discontent from overwork.

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Summary Table

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This guide covers every distinct role in Frostpunk. Remember that the true "character" is your city itself; these roles are the tools you use to shape its fate.