Frostpunk isn’t just about managing a community and making sure your society grows. You have to deal with politics and your people going against you. The Book of Laws allows you to control how your people feel and how they live, but no matter which option you choose, someone will be unhappy about it.

It’s important to understand how The Book of Laws works so that you don’t end up making your entire community displeased, causing your Discontent level to grow. The higher the Discontent, the more your people will revolt against you and the more they’ll die from neglect. The higher the hope, the more your people will stay alive and content just a little while longer. The Book of Laws helps control these things.

Your People Will Demand Fixes, Or Else

You can manage your community fairly well without signing any laws. Everyone will be happy and fed until someone speaks up. Whether you do something or not, your people will step forward and ask either nicely or aggressively to fix a problem they have. This means keeping a promise to provide for them or by signing a law to subdue their worries.

Signing a law isn’t the only option. You can ignore their needs and find a fix another way, like building more Medical Posts instead of passing a law to amputate. But signing laws will provide a longer fix instead of a temporary one. You want your community to survive until the winter storm, otherwise known as the end of the game. Creating long-lasting solutions will help you beat the game.

Each Law Negatively And Positively Affects The Community

No matter what, someone will have a strong opinion about a law you pass. It’s important to look at the negative and positive effects each law has before actually signing them. Red bullet points are the negative side effects, which could mean a rise in Discontent or having to spend precious materials and time building something that could be better spent elsewhere.

Blue bullet points are positive outcomes that will raise the Hope bar and allow your community to prosper more easily. If you sign something that has too many negatives, but you need it desperately, you have to have a plan for how to counteract the Discontent after the fact. Make sure everyone’s needs are met in general. This means checking how many people are sick, hungry, cold, and without a home. If you pass a law that raises Discontent, work on making sure no one is sick and hungry or that no one becomes sick and hungry.

You Have To Choose A Side Every Time

Being a dictator and controlling the destiny of the masses is never an easy task. There will be a skill tree of laws in The Book Of Laws, and some of the branches will, well, branch out even more, depending on your choice.

For instance, in regards to community health and medical help, you have the option to either sign the law for Radical Treatment or Sustain Life.

  • Radical Treatment will let doctors amputate the gravely ill so that they can return to their duties and continue on without being a burden. Sustain Life allows the gravely ill to instead rest in a home for the rest of their lives, where they will take up space and resources instead of dying or getting amputated. If you do neither, bodies will pile up on the street, creating another problem.

You have to decide for yourself what problem you want to deal with first. Whatever you’re struggling with should determine what you want to fix first. Maybe you have enough resources to spare for Sustain Life and need that Hope boost it gives. Maybe you’re running low on healthy workers and need amputations quickly so that more coal can be mined. You must solve your community’s current and future concerns.

You Must Wait 24 Hours To Pass A New Law

Once you sign a law, you cannot sign another until a period of time has passed. Usually, this may not be an issue, since signing a law means you’ve solved a problem and you can focus on other things like scouting or building. But if your community is having a lot of problems at once, it can get hectic.

One problem may be solved, but another will arise. Keep track of the white circle around The Book Of Laws icon. When it disappears, you can sign another law.

You can sign laws before someone even asks for one. This way you’re ahead of the game and have already created long-lasting solutions for problems that will soon come and your Hope will remain stable.

Religion Or Order Will Determine How Your Village Survives

Nearing the end of the game, before the coming storm, you’ll be asked to pick a side. This is another major choice in The Book Of Laws and is entirely up to you. You must decide to either lead your community with Order and Discipline or lead them with Faith and Spiritual Strength. Each side has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s possible to win with either.

Choosing Faith will allow you to build churches, give spiritual guidance to people, and hold prayer ceremonies. Faith laws revolve around raising Hope. Choosing Order will allow you to build prisons, send out patrol officers, and conduct executions. Order laws revolve around lowering the Discontent bar, and your Hope bar will turn into Obedience instead of Hope.

Both sides are solutions for different problems. Your specific playstyle will bring about challenges specific to you, so each law will solve a problem you have that another player may not have. If your Discontent is way too high toward this part of the game, you’ll want to choose Order. If your Hope has been way too low, you’ll want Faith.