How to complete Scraping the Barrel in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1

If you thought the Prologue was challenging enough, you’ll definitely have your hands full in the next chapter. There are a few complex quests to achieve, including the series of tasks in Scraping the Barrel.

To help you survive through this, here’s how to complete Scraping the Barrel in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1.

Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1 Scraping the Barrel guide

The Scraping the Barrel quest requires completing four tasks tied to researching and expanding. We’ll break down each step to give you a complete overview of the Frostpunk 2 mission:

Expand an existing Housing District

Just like you did in the Prologue, you’ll need to make a Housing District for your citizens. However, you must increase its size this time using the new Expand feature. Simply select the district and press the arrows on the right.

Wait for its construction to conclude to provide access to the remaining tasks. Additionally, if you want to place new buildings inside the Housing District, you can expand it to make more room.

Build a Research Institue

Once you’ve expanded the designated area, it’s time to place a Research Institute inside the Housing District. Remember, the Research Institute can only be used on expansions, so regular-sized layouts won’t work. Select the ‘Construct Buildings’ button on your screen’s bottom right corner, and the institute should snap onto the Housing District plot.

Build the Research Institute with 400 Workforce, 100 Heatstamps, and 50 Prefabs. You should have enough materials at this point to unlock the facility’s Idea Tree.

Research an idea for new Coal Mines

Select the notification near the Research Institute to discover Frostpunk 2’s Idea Tree. You’ll need to make a major decision here that can increase or decrease your relationships with the Stalwarts, New Londoners, and Frostlanders. To meet the Scraping the Barrel quest requirements, exchange Research Ideas for the Coal Mines first.

You’ll have two primary options: Blasting Coal Mine and Dust Coal Mine. For the most cost-effective result, Dust Coal Mine proves the best, catering to 43 percent of the population with the Frostlanders. However, it may trigger more diseases and increase material demand.

Blasting Coal Mines could benefit your Trust with the Stalwarts or the New Londoners. Although the Coal Output is less than that of the Dust Coal Mine, you’ll at least get in good with a particular faction. There’s not necessarily a wrong decision, so choose the one that best suits your strategy.

Keep track of the Research Institute’s progress with its icon on the bottom-right corner. Select it or press ‘R’ to unlock more developments from the Idea Tree.

Construct the newly research building in the Extraction District

Once the Idea develops, press the Construct Buildings button again and hit Extraction. Depending on your decision, you’ll either see the Dust or Blasting Coal Mine build. Place it in your existing Extraction District to satisfy the last Scraping the Barrel quest in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1.

You’ll then uncover a new quest with the A Place to Settle Difference mission. As you may expect, more impactful decisions are on the way, so be prepared to make some sacrifices.