New London Expedition
A desperate march through the ice to build a new home—the city of New London itself.
The New London Expedition is the central narrative journey of Frostpunk's main campaign, 'A New Home'. In an alternate 1886, a worldwide volcanic winter has triggered mass migration from the south. The player leads a group of refugees from London who settle around a massive coal-fired generator in the frozen north, building and maintaining a city that becomes known as 'New London'. The expedition is not a search for a pre-existing haven—it is the act of constructing the city itself, the very goal of the journey from the start. The settlers must face a 'Great Storm' while contending with the fall of the nearby city of Winterhome, making sacrifices and morally grey ethical decisions along the way.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Core Narrative Scenario
- First appears
- Frostpunk Base Game 'New Home' Scenario
- Setting
- Frozen Wasteland
Lore & Background
The New London Expedition is the mandatory premise of the 'A New Home' scenario from the very beginning. The game starts with a small group of survivors and several small caches of supplies with which to build a city. These supplies will quickly run out, and players must construct new facilities such as sawmills, hunting huts, mines, and factories to harvest raw materials (coal, wood, steel, and food) in order to keep their society warm and healthy in the midst of fluctuating cold temperatures.
The city is centred around a massive coal-fired generator that produces heat in a circular radius, which can be extended and upgraded throughout the game to increase its area of coverage and heating. All buildings are placed on a circular grid surrounding the generator. The main campaign adopts a three-act structure, requiring players to grapple with internal conflict and societal turmoil in a divided city and survive a great storm that threatens to overwhelm the city.
The expedition is not a desperate choice born of dwindling resources or a failing Generator—survivors do not debate whether to stay or leave; they are already on the move, tasked with constructing New London around the Generator. The city is built as the result of the expedition, not sacrificed for it.
Reader's Guide
The narrative arc begins when the City faces an existential crisis or achieves stability enough to consider migration. Leaders must weigh the risks of abandoning the Generator against the promise of New London. This decision splits the community into those who stay and those who go. Those departing face extreme travel conditions, requiring careful resource management and morale maintenance during the trek through the wasteland. Upon arrival, survivors discover that New London is not a paradise but a complex reality, forcing them to rebuild once more without their original shelter.
Did You Know?
- The expedition must contend with the fall of the nearby city of Winterhome, which is explored in a free DLC scenario titled 'The Fall of Winterhome'.
- Players can scout the surrounding frozen wasteland for additional survivors and resources using a beacon constructed through research.
- The game sold over 5 million copies within six years of its release.
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