One of the major new features in Frostpunk 2 is the addition of the Council. After the Captain’s death, your role as the Steward of New London involves proposing laws to govern both the city and its settlements. Every law is passed by delegates from different Countries.
You’ll need to manage and anticipate crises by setting societal rules, all while balancing the competing agendas of these Factions and negotiating with your opposition to secure votes. It’s as challenging as it sounds. But don’t worry, we’re here to explain how the Council works, helping you keep the city together and ensure its survival.
How to Unlock The Council in Frostpunk 2
In Chapter 1 of Story Mode, you’ll be guided to unlock the Council, which will teach you how to pass laws. Before that, you’ll need to build the Council Hall. Open the Buildings menu, go to the Central tab, and select the Council Hall. Place it in the Central District, and the Council will be established.
How to Pass Laws
For a law to be passed, it must receive enough votes in the Council.
Most delegates need to vote in favor of the law to pass. In certain cases, like laws in the Rule category, a two-thirds majority is required. Different Factions will support or oppose various laws based on their beliefs. The number of delegates each Faction has depends on their popularity in the city.
Proposing a Law
If you allow a Faction to propose the next law, the options for voting might already be determined. Otherwise, you’ll have the chance to propose a law from one of four categories: Survival, City, Society, and Rule.
When you hover over a law that you can modify, a pop-up will show your current policy and the potential changes in buffs and debuffs from alternative laws. After selecting a law, you can either revise your proposal or call for a vote right away.
Voting for Law
If you don’t have enough votes to achieve your goal, you’ll need to negotiate with the various Factions in the Council.
How to Negotiate With Factions
To get enough votes to pass or revoke a law, you’ll need to negotiate with different Factions to gain their support. In the Council menu, select the Negotiate option to see the available Factions you can talk to.
Each Faction will show if they are open to negotiation. If they’re not, it might be because you have not fulfilled a previous promise to them or because the law conflicts with their beliefs.
Negotiating with Factions
You can also check how many delegates each Faction has and their voting stance. If a Faction with many delegates is mostly unsure but open to negotiation, it might be wise to focus your efforts on them. Remember, you don’t need to convince everyone, just enough votes to pass or reject the law.
When you pick a Faction to negotiate with, they will present you with a term you need to agree to. You only need to choose one of these options:
- Enact a law
- Research an idea
- Build or destroy a building
- Perform an action related to a specific Community or Faction
Agreeing to one of these promises will help win over hesitant delegates in that Faction and may even convince those who oppose you to switch sides.
Law Passed
NOTE: Failing to follow through on that promise within the agreed timeframe will harm your relationship with that group.
If you want to influence a delegation without taking real action, agreeing to research new ideas is a good strategy. This approach enhances your relationship with that Faction without needing to turn those ideas into actual laws.
