How to complete Scraping the Barrel in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1

"If the Prologue was a warm-up, the next chapter is the main event. Prepare for a gauntlet of complex quests, including the demanding series of tasks in Scraping the Barrel."

Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1 Scraping the Barrel guide

The Scraping the Barrel quest is actually made up of four interconnected tasks focused on research and expansion. Let's break down each step to get a better understanding of this Frostpunk 2 quest.

Expand an existing Housing District

You're going to want to expand your Housing District for your growing population. With the exception of the Prologue, all you need to do is click the district and move the arrows to the right to expand it. Once it's built, you can unlock other tasks. Also, if you wish to expand the number of buildings inside the district, expanding it now saves you a lot of headache later on.

Build a Research Institue

Research Institute:

Once you have expanded your Housing District, look for the Research Institute within your building menu. Remember that special buildings can only be placed on expansions. Click onto the 'Build Buildings' button, drag the Research Institute onto your target plot in the Housing District.

Material Requirements:

With this, you will unlock the Research Institute's Idea Tree. It requires a total investment of 400 Workforce, 100 Heatstamps, and 50 Prefabs. You should have all of these resources in abundance by now, so it shouldn't be an issue to build it.

Research an idea for new Coal Mines

The Idea Tree Unlocked, Time for Choices:

Click the notification near the Research Institute to unlock the Idea Tree. This critical path will determine relationships with the Stalwarts, New Londoners, and Frostlanders. For the purpose of the Scraping the Barrel quest, focus on trading Research Ideas in for Coal Mines.

Coal Mine Options:

You have two main options: Blasting Coal Mine and Dust Coal Mine. The latter option is usually cheaper, providing for 43% of the Frostlander population, but can also result in heightened instances of disease and material needs.

Blasting Coal Mines is less effective in coal production, but pays off greatly in increasing your Trust levels with either the Stalwarts or the New Londoners. It really depends on your general strategy and with which faction you want to be aligned.

Tracking Progress:

Track progress via your Research Institute whose icon is in the bottom right corner. Click it or press 'R' to show more new inventions from the Idea Tree.

Build the newly researched building in the Extraction District

Completing the Scraping the Barrel Quest:

Once the Idea development is complete, return to the 'Build Structures' menu, then select 'Extraction.' Either the Dust or Blasting Coal Mine, depending on your choice earlier, will become unlocked. Place it in your Extraction District to complete the final objective of the Scraping the Barrel quest in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1.

Move On to the Next Challenge:

Completing this, you'll be introduced to the A Place to Settle Difference mission. Be prepared for much more critical choices that may include something in the form of sacrifice, as the post-apocalyptic world of Frostpunk 2 is, in no way, a fairy tale.

In this manner, completing the steps with good choices will enable someone to complete the Scraping the Barrel quest in Frostpunk 2 Chapter 1 and move further ahead in the game.