1. Manage Food and Fuel Efficiently Food and fuel are the lifelines of your colony. Fuel sources like wood, coal, and oil keep the hearth fire burning—without it, people will abandon your settlement. Food is just as critical; while running out won’t have an immediate impact, prolonged shortages will lead to colonist losses. Always prioritize gathering food and fuel and monitor production chains to prevent shortages.

2. Prioritize Housing Shelters house three people each and provide a simple but effective resolve bonus. Keeping colonists sheltered is essential, especially during storms, which apply debuffs to homeless settlers. Since shelters are cheap to build, there’s no excuse not to have one for every citizen.

3. Optimize Woodcutting Woodcutters are crucial for gathering fuel and clearing paths, but they also increase hostility—a factor that makes settlers unhappy. Two to three woodcutters should be enough; any more than necessary will raise hostility too much. If hostility is becoming an issue, consider unassigning woodcutters temporarily.

4. Take Advantage of Trade The Trading Post is an incredibly valuable structure that allows you to sell surplus goods and acquire critical resources. Since every colony produces excess items, leveraging trade effectively can be the difference between survival and failure. It costs just 10 wood to build, making it an easy early-game priority.

5. Learn from Defeats Losing is not the end—it’s an opportunity. Against the Storm has meta-progression currenciesthat unlock new upgrades after each failed attempt, making subsequent runs easier. Don’t be discouraged by failure—you will always come back stronger.

6. Understand Storm Mechanics During the storm season, hostility converts into resolve debuffs. Different storm effects appear in every run, so check their effects beforehand. If hostility becomes overwhelming, unassign woodcuttersto lower it or sacrifice fuel (wood or coal) for temporary relief. These strategies can save your colony in critical moments.

7. Expand Smartly Expansion is necessary as resources deplete over time, but you need to be strategic about it.

• Small Glades contain minor rewards but increase hostility.
• Dangerous Glades provide significant benefits but require workers and materials to resolve their challenges.
• Forbidden Glades are high-risk, high-reward and should only be tackled once you are well-prepared.

8. Use Movable Buildings Wisely Many buildings can be relocated for free, including camps and houses. However, some buildings cost resources to move. Check tooltips before relocating structures to avoid unnecessary expenses. Moving gathering camps closer to fresh resource patches can boost efficiency without extra construction costs.

9. Leverage Racial Specialization Each species excels in different jobs.

• Beavers are exceptional woodworkers and engineers.
• Humans are skilled in farming.
• Harpies excel in alchemy.

Utilizing these bonuses is crucial for maximizing productivity. Additionally, assigning species to jobs they enjoygrants them a resolve boost, increasing overall morale.

10. Make Smart Drafting Choices When drafting new buildings:

• Prioritize food production buildings (both raw food sources and complex food refiners like jerky or skewers).
• Ensure you have access to materials like planks, fabric, and bricks—but don’t stress too much over specialized buildings, as the Crude Workstation can fill in gaps.
• Focus on buildings that refine resources you already have, rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Final Thoughts

These 10 tips will help you establish a strong foundation in Against the Storm. As you continue playing, you’ll discover additional layers of depth and strategy. Remember, failure is part of the game, and each attempt will make you a more capable leader.