Avoiding Faith Abuse In Frostpunk: Strategies For Success

Frostpunk is a BAFTA-nominated society survival game that lets players choose from different scenarios. The main storyline happens during A New Home, where players lead a group of Londoners to build a new city and survive challenging conditions. To do this, players must choose between the Frostpunk Order and Faith paths, which open different purpose trees and laws. While players can survive following either path, the Faith path has been deemed harder as it has poorer discontent management until the late game. To avoid abusing faith, players must not sign righteous denunciation, faith keepers public penance, or anything beyond that.

Avoid using faith keepers as a form of control or in place of law enforcement

In Frostpunk, Faith Keepers are the security arm of the Faith path, and are available after signing the Faith Keepers law. They are equivalent to Guard Stations in the Order path in their ability to counteract the negative effects of the player's decisions.

To avoid abusing faith in Frostpunk, players should avoid using Faith Keepers as a form of control or in place of law enforcement. While Faith Keepers can be used to break up protests and reduce discontent, they should only be used sparingly and as a last resort. Players should not give them too much power or allow them to act against the population. Instead, focus on the other benefits of the Faith path, such as the ability to build churches, shrines, and services like kitchens and hospitals, which can raise people's hope.

Evening prayers and ceremonies can also gather everyone together and increase hope while lowering discontent. The Houses of Healing and Field Kitchens are particularly useful for curing the ill and preventing sickness, respectively. These features of the Faith path can help keep discontent low without relying heavily on Faith Keepers.

Additionally, players should be mindful of the laws they enact. Some laws, such as "Righteous Denunciation," are considered abuse of religion and should be avoided for a "benevolent" playthrough. It is also important to note that signing "The New Faith" law, which replaces hope with devotion, can lead to a bad ending.

In summary, to avoid abusing faith in Frostpunk, rely primarily on the ceremonial and community aspects of the Faith path to manage discontent and raise hope, rather than using Faith Keepers as a form of control.

Avoid signing laws such as Righteous Denunciation, Public Penance, and Protector of Truth

To avoid abusing faith in Frostpunk, it is crucial to steer clear of certain laws within the game's Path of Faith. Signing laws such as Righteous Denunciation, Public Penance, and Protector of Truth can lead to negative consequences and be considered an abuse of faith. Here's why it's best to avoid them:

Righteous Denunciation:

This law encourages citizens to denounce wickedness and report their neighbours' misdeeds. While it may occasionally lower discontent and recover small amounts of resources, it also increases discontent overall. It creates an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust among your citizens, which can be detrimental to social cohesion.

Public Penance:

The Public Penance law introduces an ability for Faith Keepers and the Temple to reduce discontent. However, it also increases discontent initially and can cause injuries, making it a risky choice. It is important to weigh the potential benefits against the costs and explore alternative ways to manage discontent.

Protector of Truth:

This law brings in totalitarianism and completely removes the hope bar. While it may help with discontent management, the gradual decrease in population that follows can be detrimental to your city's survival. It is a drastic measure that may not be necessary if other aspects of your city are well-managed.

To avoid abusing faith, it is recommended to focus on laws that provide comfort, support, and hope to your citizens without infringing on their freedoms or creating an oppressive atmosphere. The key is to strike a balance between maintaining order and respecting the individual, finding solutions that do not rely on extreme measures.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the player's choices and actions throughout the game can impact the overall perception of their leadership. While signing a single law may not be enough to constitute faith abuse, a pattern of oppressive and controlling laws and decisions can lead to that conclusion. The game's ending and epilogue will provide an assessment of your choices, so it is important to consider the broader implications of your actions, not just the short-term benefits.

Avoid using faith to justify harsh punishments, such as excommunication or public flogging

In Frostpunk, the society-survival game by 11 bit studios, players are faced with difficult choices that test their morality. The game revolves around managing resources, including a "hope" meter and a "discontent" meter. When workers are ordered to do something they don't want to do, discontent rises, and when bad news hits (such as workers dying or disasters occurring), hope drops.

The game offers various methods to adapt to these challenges through a tech tree called "adaptation", which allows players to pass several laws affecting production, working hours, hope, discontent, and general wellbeing.

At a certain point in the game, players are forced to "choose a path" between two purpose trees: Faith or Order. Faith is characterised by its pious style, with ornate, clean towers and bells, and its main aim is spirituality and good intent. Order, on the other hand, focuses on productivity and obedience.

While Faith has advantages such as Houses of Healing and Field Kitchens, which can be lifesavers in certain situations, it also has disadvantages when it comes to discontent management. Players must be cautious not to abuse Faith to justify harsh punishments. Here are some ways to avoid this:

• Avoid signing certain laws: Some laws in the Faith path can lead to harsh punishments and are considered abusive. These include "Righteous Denunciation", which encourages the faithful to denounce wickedness and can lead to public penance or even executions.
• Manage discontent through other means: Faith has limited options for discontent reduction, such as the Captain's Words and Public Penance, which are weaker than Order's abilities. Instead of relying solely on these, explore other methods to manage discontent, such as improving working conditions or addressing the underlying issues causing discontent.
• Focus on hope restoration: Faith is centred around restoring hope. Utilise abilities like Sermon, Evening Prayers, and Ceremonial Service to raise hope and lower discontent. These abilities are powerful tools that can help avoid the need for harsh punishments.
• Be mindful of the impact of your choices: Remember that your choices have consequences in the game. While it might be tempting to choose laws that offer quick fixes to complex problems, consider the potential negative impact on your society. Always evaluate the potential benefits against the risk of abusing Faith.
• Avoid radicalisation: Radicalisation can lead to public penance and excessive power given to Faith Keepers, which can be considered an abuse of Faith. Strive for moderation and balance in your choices to avoid crossing the line into radical territory.

By following these guidelines, players can avoid abusing Faith to justify harsh punishments and instead use it as a force for good in their society within the game.

Focus on hope restoration and discontent management through sermons and evening prayers

In Frostpunk, Hope represents your group's confidence in surviving. The smallest choices can change how much hope you have, so it's important to monitor this game mechanic constantly.

If you're following the Faith path, you can focus on hope restoration and discontent management through sermons and evening prayers. Here's how:

Sermons

Sermons are the first ability you gain for restoring hope. They are free and can be used frequently to periodically restore hope. You can perform sermons in the House of Prayer, a must-have building that also provides a hope boost to nearby residents.

Evening Prayers

Evening prayers cost 20 food rations and raise hope while slightly lowering discontent. This ability can be performed in the House of Prayer and the Temple.

Temple

The Temple is another faith-related building that can be used to raise hope. You can only have one in your city, but it provides access to powerful abilities:

• Ceremonial Service: This costs 20 food rations and provides a large boost to hope while lowering discontent.
• Evening Prayers: As mentioned above, this ability will make hope rise and discontent fall slightly.

Other Tips for Managing Hope and Discontent

While sermons and evening prayers are powerful tools, there are other ways to manage hope and discontent:

• Fulfill your promises: Address the concerns of your people. If you promise to fix an issue, make sure to follow through, or hope will decrease.
• Use the Book of Laws: Pay close attention to the laws you pass, as each one will affect hope and discontent.
• Build Watchtowers or Guard Stations: These buildings provide a passive hope boost to nearby residents, as people feel more secure with their neighbours watching over them.
• Allow Morning Gatherings: If you're following the Order path, pass the morning gathering law. This will gather people each morning to discuss their goals, providing a small hope boost.
• Propaganda Centre: Build a propaganda centre to deliver news via propaganda bulletins, increasing hope.
• Build Shrines: If following the Faith path, build small shrines on the streets so people can pray as they pass, providing a permanent hope bonus.
• Child Shelters: After signing the child shelters law, build these shelters to keep children safe while their parents work. If all children in your city have space in a shelter, you'll get a permanent increase in hope.

By utilising these strategies, you can effectively manage hope and discontent through sermons and evening prayers, while also employing other tools to maintain stability and avoid abusing faith in Frostpunk.

Use faith to promote spirituality and good intent, rather than as a tool for authoritarianism

Faith in Frostpunk is characterised by its pious style, with ornate, clean towers and bells. Its main aim is to promote spirituality and good intent, as opposed to the Order path's focus on productivity and obedience.

To avoid abusing faith in Frostpunk, players must be mindful of how they use the faith mechanics in the game. Here are some ways to use faith to promote spirituality and good intent, rather than as a tool for authoritarianism:

• Avoid signing certain laws that are considered abusive. For example, Righteous Denunciation is considered abusive because it encourages the faithful to denounce wickedness and bring the "wicked" to light, which can lead to negative consequences such as public shaming or punishment.
• Be cautious when using Faith Keepers. While they can be useful for maintaining order, overusing them or giving them too much power can be considered abusive.
• Focus on hope restoration rather than discontent nullification. Faith has several abilities that restore hope, such as Sermon, Evening Prayers, and Ceremonial Service. These abilities are more effective than the Order path's Propaganda Centre and do not require engineers to operate.
• Build Houses of Healing and Field Kitchens. Houses of Healing allow workers to cure people and the gravely ill, which is especially useful if your city is low on engineers. Field Kitchens provide hot meals during the workday, helping to keep people warm.
• Avoid signing the "New Faith" law, which replaces hope with devotion and leads to the construction of an Execution Platform for punishing "public enemies". This can result in limitless cruelty and a bad ending.
• Avoid using faith as a tool for control or coercion. Instead, use it to provide comfort and guidance to your citizens.

By following these guidelines, players can use faith in Frostpunk to promote spirituality and good intent, creating a more positive and compassionate society within the game.

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