The last chapter of Frostpunk 2 converge at a point where political chaos has engulfed the city and one of the two factions is completely radicalized. The radicalized faction expresses its discontent by staging protests, taking hostages and starting riots. Prolonged protests and riots will result in a sharp decline in your ability as a trustee to lead the city.
At this stage, you will be presented with the option of banishing the radicalized faction, seeking reconciliation between the two opposing factions, or enforcing order and dismissing political negotiations with either faction. If you are unsure of the consequences of choosing any of these three options and how they affect the game's story, the following guide will help clarify the effects of these decisions.
Exiling the radicalized faction in Frostpunk 2
If you choose to banish the radicalized faction, you must first reduce tension in the city from catastrophic to serious. Once the tension is dealt with, you must contain it and prevent potential backlash from the faction, such as repeated protests and riots.
Exiling a faction will require exploring the Frostlands for a potential colony for them to settle. Once the location is found, you need to secure essentials such as fuel, shelter, food and materials for their survival.
You should consider choosing the option to banish the radicalized faction if their motives don't align with your ambitions for the city, or if you simply don't like them.
Seeking reconciliation between opposing factions in Frostpunk 2
Choosing to seek reconciliation between the opposing factions requires the most work and leads to best ending in the game. You start by bringing down the tension in the city from catastrophic to difficult, and then negotiate with each faction to increase their trust in your leadership. The negotiations may involve examining ideas proposed by the faction, building or tearing down certain structures, or passing or repealing certain laws.
Seeking reconciliation is the most challenging decision among the three choices available, and factions may not be willing to negotiate if certain extreme laws, such as sterilization or human experimentation, are in effect. You have to repeal these laws before the peace agreement can be negotiated. You also have to end protests in different districts, which requires the mobilization of approximately 40–60 guards.
You must also prevent your trust from falling below the tolerated stage to avoid being overthrown as the leader of the city. Once you have met the negotiation requirements of both factions, you must approve the peace agreements in the council to stop protests and broker peace.
You should consider seeking reconciliation if you want to skillfully navigate negotiation challenges and convince the opposing factions to cease hostilities and walk the path of peace.
Seeking reconciliation is somewhat easier if your trust level is above the respected stage.
Enforcement of order in Frostpunk 2
Finally, you can take a dictatorial approach to put the squabbling factions in their place by deploying your militia. To enforce order, you must approve the Act of Captaincy in Council. This law can only be passed when choosing the enforce order route. Keep in mind that, unlike other laws, Passing a law that centralizes power in your hands requires a two-thirds majority (67 or more votes) in the Council. But the council is most likely to vote to pass such laws when the city is on the brink of collapse.
However, Captain's Authority is not readily available, and you must first pass the following laws under the Rule category to eventually gain access to it:
- Duty maintainer
- Steward's Militia
- Court martial
Or:
- Guided voting
- Propaganda Bureau
- Secret police
Once you assume the Captain's Authority, all protests and riots in the city will stop, and factions will no longer glow. Confidence no longer affects how your leadership is judged, and The council votes as you wish. Nevertheless, you will still be tasked with having some objectives to deal with the radicalized factions.
After passing the Captain's Authority Act, you must have at least 45 extra guards to enforce your rule. You will then need to build two separate districts to contain the opposing factions and build watchtowers to ensure their isolation.
Alternatively, you can stage a coup to wrest power from the council and declare yourself captain after building an army of 200 guards. This option bypasses the need to pass the Captain's Authority Act, but gathering 200 guards is no easy feat.
Choosing to execute orders leads to worst ending in the gameso only consider this choice if you want to follow in the old captain's footsteps – or bring the squabbling factions to their knees!