Frostpunk 2 Idea Tree Guide

The Idea Tree is the research and progression backbone of Frostpunk 2. Where the original game used a workshop-based tech tree, Frostpunk 2 spreads research across six thematic branches accessed through Research Institutes in your Housing Districts. Alongside research, the Council system governs your city through laws and faction politics, while heatstamps fuel the economic layer that connects production to expansion.

This hub page links to detailed guides on research branches, Council negotiation, law selection, and the heatstamps economy. Together these systems define how your city evolves from a frostbroken refugee camp into a thriving metropolis or a desperate survival settlement.

Research Institutes and the Idea Tree

Press R to open the Idea Tree once you have built at least one Research Institute. Research points accumulate over time based on workforce allocated to your Research Institutes. Each technology in the tree costs a set number of research points and may require prerequisite technologies from the same or different branches.

The six branches cover every aspect of city management. Heating research improves generator efficiency and fuel options. Resources research unlocks advanced extraction and processing buildings. Frostland research enables expeditions, trails, and colony support. City research expands housing and infrastructure. Society research addresses faction relations and population policies. Hubs research unlocks stockpile and distribution buildings. See the full research branch guide for technology priorities by chapter.

The Council and Lawmaking

The Council Hall building unlocks the Council interface accessed with the C key. Here you propose laws from four categories, negotiate with faction delegates for support, and vote on policies that reshape your city. Faction trust levels determine how delegates vote and what negotiation options are available during each session.

Laws and research interact constantly. Some buildings require both a research unlock and a specific law to become available. Others modify the effects of researched technologies, amplifying or restricting their benefits. Understanding this interplay is essential for campaign progression. Our Council and negotiation guide covers trust building, and the laws guide ranks the best proposals by tab category.

Heatstamps and the City Economy

Heatstamps function as New London's currency, earned through city production and trade and spent on frostbreaking, expeditions, building upgrades, and diplomatic actions. Unlike raw resources that flow through district production chains, heatstamps represent abstract economic value that connects your city's output to expansion and political options.

Frostbreaking alone costs 30 heatstamps per eight-tile operation, making heatstamp income a gate on city growth. Expedition costs, trade agreements, and certain Council actions also consume heatstamps. Monitor your balance through the economy panel and plan spending around whiteout preparation when resource stockpiling takes priority over expansion. The dedicated heatstamps guide explains income sources and spending priorities.

Progression Strategy by Game Phase

Early game research should prioritize Heating and Resources branches to stabilize generator output and material flow. The prologue specifically rewards Food and Hubs research to meet the 40,000 calorie stockpile target. Mid-game chapters introduce Frostland research for expedition and colony management, plus Society research for faction stability.

Late game and Utopia Builder scenarios demand balanced investment across all six branches, with City and Hubs research supporting large-scale district expansion. Avoid over-investing in a single branch at the expense of critical survival technologies in others. Cross-reference our campaign walkthrough for chapter-specific research recommendations and the beginner gameplay guide for system integration overview.

Connecting Research to District Planning

Every research unlock translates into a district-level decision. Heating research enables new generator modes that change fuel consumption across all districts. Resources research unlocks extraction buildings that determine which tiles you frostbreak next. Hubs research provides the stockpile infrastructure covered in our hub buildings guide.

Plan research ahead of construction by reviewing the Idea Tree before frostbreaking new tile clusters. If your next research unlock is an advanced Coal Mine, frostbreak coal seam tiles. If Heating Hub research is two technologies away, reserve central tile clusters for future hub placement. Use the districts overview and Heat Calculator alongside Idea Tree planning for optimal city development.