Prologue: The Wanderers Walkthrough

The prologue Frostpunk 2 campaign chapter titled The Wanderers introduces you to New London as a mobile city crawling across the Frostland on massive treads. Unlike later chapters where the generator anchors your city, the prologue focuses on district expansion, food economics, and Frostland expeditions while a countdown ticks toward a devastating whiteout at week 88. Your single mandatory objective is to stockpile 40,000 food before that deadline.

This chapter is deceptive in its pacing. Eighty-eight weeks sounds generous, but district construction, research, and expedition travel consume time rapidly. Players who delay food production until mid-prologue frequently discover they cannot reach 40,000 in time. Start building Food Districts within the first ten weeks and never stop expanding food capacity until the stockpile target is met.

Early Weeks: Foundation Setup

Your first frostbreaking operations should prioritize tiles adjacent to existing districts for heat bonuses. Consult the district adjacency guide before placing your initial Housing and Food districts. Housing provides workforce for all other operations, while Food Districts are the engine of your 40,000 food objective.

Open the Idea Tree early with R and research food-related nodes before cosmetic or industrial upgrades. The Idea Tree overview explains how research institutes unlock new building options. Assign at least one Research Institute in a Housing District within your first 15 weeks. Delaying research pushes back advanced food buildings that dramatically accelerate stockpiling in the mid-prologue phase.

Frostland Expeditions and Outposts

Press V to open the Frostland map and begin sending expeditions immediately. Each expedition costs workforce temporarily but returns food, prefabs, cores, and story information. Prioritize sites marked with food icons and establish outposts wherever the game allows. Outposts generate passive resources every week without additional workforce cost.

Do not hoard workforce in New London. Idle workers are wasted during a countdown chapter. Balance expedition frequency with district construction so you always have workers assigned to food production buildings. The outposts guide lists which Frostland sites offer the best return on investment during the wandering phase.

Council and Laws in the Prologue

The Council Hall introduces faction politics even during the prologue. Factions propose laws that can boost food production, increase workforce efficiency, or raise tension if rejected. Visit our Council and laws guide for negotiation strategies. Generally, accept laws that increase food output or reduce district heat costs during this chapter.

Breaking promises to factions accumulates trust penalties that carry into Chapter 1. You do not need to satisfy every faction demand, but avoid repeatedly promising and then voting against the same faction. The factions list describes each group's priorities so you can predict which laws they will propose.

Mid-Prologue Resource Management

Between weeks 30 and 60, shift focus from expansion to optimization. Review your food production rate using the economy overlay (key 6) and calculate whether your current output reaches 40,000 before week 88. If you are behind schedule, pause non-essential construction and reassign workforce entirely to food buildings and expeditions.

Industrial Districts become relevant mid-prologue for prefab production needed to expand Food Districts. Keep industrial zones away from housing to avoid squalor penalties described in the district types guide. Materials matter, but food remains the priority metric until your stockpile exceeds 35,000 with at least 15 weeks remaining.

Whiteout Preparation at Week 88

The whiteout at week 88 is your first major crisis. Temperature drops sharply, heat demand spikes, and Frostland travel may become restricted. Read the whiteout preparation guide for general crisis management. In the prologue specifically, ensure your 40,000 food stockpile is complete at least two weeks before the whiteout so you can focus on heat management during the event itself.

After surviving the whiteout, the prologue concludes and transitions directly into Chapter 1: Scraping the Barrel. Your food stockpile and surviving districts carry forward, but the mobile city settles permanently and the generator becomes the center of survival. Finish the prologue with strong food reserves and a healthy workforce to ease the Chapter 1 learning curve.