All Game Items
Frostpunk - All Game Items Guide
This guide covers every tangible item in Frostpunk, from raw resources to advanced machinery. Frostpunk has no traditional weapons or armor, but features a deep system of materials, consumables, currencies, and key equipment that define your city's survival. Items are grouped logically by category.
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1. Core Resources (Currencies & Raw Materials)
These are the basic building blocks of your economy. They appear in your resource stockpile at the top of the screen.
| Item | Description | How to Obtain | When Useful | Synergies/Upgrades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | Primary fuel for the Generator. Also used in some buildings (e.g., Coal Thumpers). | Coal Mines, Thumpers, Gatherers (from coal piles), Dock (snow), occasional events. | Constantly needed to keep Generator running and heat homes. - Essential from Day 1. | Coal Mine upgrades (e.g., Steam Coal Mine), faster gathering from Automatons. Generator Efficiency upgrade reduces consumption. |
| Wood | Used for nearly all early buildings, roads, and some upgrades. | Sawmill, Gathering Posts (from wood piles), Forest Depletion, Dock (snow), scouting events. | Early game construction, research upgrades, building repairs. - Critical for first shelter and gathering posts. | Sawmill upgrades, Wood Drill Tech (increases yield). |
| Steel | Used for advanced buildings, Automatons, generator upgrades. | Steelworks, Scout finds, events, Depot (import via Automaton). | Mid-to-late game construction, Automaton assembly, high-tier research. | Steelworks upgrades, Coal-to-Steel conversion via Charcoal Kiln? Not directly, but Steel is a bottleneck. |
| Raw Food | Unprocessed food from hunting, hothouses, or explore. | Hunter's Huts, Hothouses, Scout finds, initial stockpile. | Converted to Food Rations at Cookhouse. - Store as buffer against hunger. | Raw Food yield increased by Hunter Gear tech and laws (e.g., Soup). |
| Food Rations | Edible meals for citizens. Consumed daily. What keeps hope up. | Cookhouse (from Raw Food), some events (e.g., trading), gifts from settlements. | Daily survival. - Need ~1 ration per 10 people per day (varies by difficulty). | Laws like Soup (stretch rations) or Sawdust (less food, discontent). Leftover rations used for Extra Rations to heal gravely ill. |
| Steam Cores | Rare, high-tech component. Required for Automatons, advanced buildings (e.g., Steam Coal Mine, Infirmary). | Scout finds (random events, relic sites – especially in The Last Autumn), dismantling Automatons (unused? rare). | Mid-to-late game when automating tasks. - Critical for Automaton construction. | Each Automaton costs 1 Core. Factories can be upgraded to Automaton production. |
2. Advanced Materials & Processed Goods
These are crafted or refined from core resources, often required for advanced tech.
| Item | Description | How to Obtain | When Useful | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Parts | Not in base game. Only in DLC? Actually, not present. | - | - | Ignore. |
| Steel Parts | Not in base game. | - | - | Ignore. |
| Rings / Relics | Only in The Last Autumn DLC. Act as collectibles that provide minor boosts (e.g., hope, resources) when turned in. | Scout explores ruins, random events. | Entire DLC. | Turn them in at the Dreadnought for permanent boosts. |
| Ammunition | Not in base game (no combat). | - | - | No item. |
| Medicinal Items | Not a standard resource. Health care is handled by Medical Posts/Infirmaries and laws. | - | - | No item. |
| Food | Already covered. | - | - | - |
3. Consumables & Special Items
Items that are used up or provide one-time effects.
| Item | Description | How to Obtain | When Useful | Synergies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Rations (already listed) – consumed daily. Also used for Extra Rations decision in medical context: spending 1 ration per gravely ill citizen gives a chance to save. | ||||
| Automaton Parts (if an Automaton is destroyed, might salvage cores? Not officially). | ||||
| Laws are not items but have long-term effects. | ||||
| Scout Equipment (upgrade item? Actually, Scouting Teams can get gear: like Sleds, Improved Scouts – these are tech upgrades, not items.). |
- The Last Autumn: Wooden Parts, Steel Parts, Engine Parts – used to construct the Generator. Each is a distinct resource with its own production chain. |
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4. Key Equipment (Machinery & Structures)
Not inventory items, but crucial pieces of "equipment" your city owns.
| Item | Description | How to Obtain | When Useful | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generator | Your main heat source. Must be built (campaign) or repaired (A New Home). | Story progression. | Always in use. - Can be upgraded: Power (more heat for same coal), Range (heats farther), Overdrive (temp boost, risk of damage). | Generator Efficiency tech, Overdrive Coupling, etc. |
| Automaton | Autonomous worker that never tires, but slow. Requires 1 Steam Core and 50 Steel? (cost varies). | Factory (build) or find idle ones in frostland. | Late-game workforce replacement or when discontent is high. | Automaton upgrades: faster, stronger, can work in -150°C (requires heaters? Actually no). |
| Hothouse | Produces raw food. | Built from Tech Tree. | Alternative to Hunter's Huts when workforce is available indoors. | Requires Coal to heat; upgrades increase yield. |
| Infirmary | Advanced medical building, heals all illnesses, includes gravely ill. Requires 1 Steam Core. | Tech Tree. | Critical for saving gravely ill when overcrowding. | None directly, but Automatons can staff it? No. |
| Coal Mine / Thumper | Coal gathering buildings. | Tech Tree. | Early: Thumper; Mid: Coal Mine. | Upgrades increase output and reduce workers. |
| Watchtower / Guard Station | Safety and law enforcement. | Build menu. | High discontent or crime. | Faith: Houses of Healing, etc. |
5. Collectibles & Special Items (DLC and Events)
| Item | DLC | Description | How to Obtain | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relics | The Last Autumn | Ancient artifacts found in ruins. | Scout exploration. | Turn in at Dreadnought for permanent bonuses (e.g., hope, coal). |
| Blueprint Fragments | The Last Autumn | Pieces of generator blueprints. | Scout finds. | Combine to unlock new buildings. |
| Victory Scrap | On The Edge | Trade currency. | Receive from ships. | Purchase supplies from settlement. |
6. Currencies Beyond Resources
| Currency | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Heat | Not a currency but a mechanic; effectively your most precious resource. | - |
| Discontent & Hope | Social meters. They are not items but are spent and earned through decisions. No item exists. | - |
| Steam Cores (listed above) – also an item often considered currency for trade events. | - | - |
Summary of Item Hierarchies
1. Early game: Wood and Coal are most critical. Raw food and steel secondary.
2. Mid game: Steel demand rises; Steam Cores become limiting.
3. Late game: Automatons, advanced buildings, and high-tier laws shape your supply chain.
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Important Synergies & Tips
- Coal + Automaton: Automatons can work 24/7 in coal mines, greatly boosting fuel.
- Raw Food + Cookhouse: Convert at 2:1 (2 raw food = 1 ration) but with Soup law, 1 raw food = 1.5 rations? Actually Soup gives +50% output.
- Steam Core + Factory: Build Automatons; each costs 1 Core + 50 Steel.
- Wood + Sawmill: Efficient early gathering but depletes forests; later use Wood Drill tech.
- Food Rations + Medical: Extra Rations decision costs 1 ration per gravely ill, gives high chance of survival but uses reserves.
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Note: Frostpunk lacks traditional RPG items. This guide covers all interactive, stockpile-based items and key equipment that affect gameplay. For comprehensive building and law lists, see respective guides.