How does Blightrot and Corruption work in Against the Storm

In Against the Storm, the wilderness has been ravaged by the blightstorm. While this is most visible as a ceaseless wet season in the area that eventually erupts into a cataclysmic storm, it also brings with it Blightrot and Corruption.

You don’t have to worry about Blightrot and Corruption at all on lower difficulties. Both Settler and Pioneer difficulties do not feature it whatsoever. It’s not until you set your challenge to Veteran that Blightrot and Corruption become a problem.

Blightrot and corruption happen during certain glade events and modifiers happen, meaning it can be caused at random rather than due to your actions. As such, there’s no real way to completely avoid it. You just need to be ready when it happens. However, there is one action that directly results in the spread of Blightrot and Corruption, and that is the use of Rainpunk Engines.

Rainpunk Engines

Rainpunk Engines are an immensely useful tool that expands the production of your facilities through the use of rainwater, whether you capture it from geysers or catch it in collectors. You can then select the Rainpunk tab in a production building’s information screen to connect it to the system by spending four pipes. Then, you can change how the water is used, if at all.

However, when you do it, the building will begin creating Blightrot and Corruption. This shows as Blightrot cysts on the structures. If left until the storm season, this will bloom, corrupting the Hearthfire and making your villagers miserable.

Controlling Blightrot and Corruption

In order to keep Blightrot and Corruption in check, you’ll need to build and staff Blight Posts. These buildings manufacture Purging Fire during the dryer seasons. However, during the storm seasons when Cysts become vulnerable, their workers will set out into your village to burn the Cysts and reduce the overall corruption. 

Note that Blightrot and Corruption will still grow so long as you’re using Rainpunk Engines, but the Blight Posts will at least allow you to continue using them, so long as you keep it under control. You may need to build more than one Blight Post in your town in order to have enough workers and Purging Fire to overcome the tide.

Finally, while Blightrot can cause huge setbacks light villagers fleeing your town, it’s still often worth using Rainpunk Engines. Not only can it speed up your production, but you can also increase the happiness of the workers in that building. Using Rainpunk Engines can be what you need to push the comfort of your population high enough that you begin gaining reputation. You just need to balance the risks and stay ahead of things.