Survive the eternal storm and build thriving settlements with these expert strategies that will transform you from struggling viceroy to master city builder in this challenging roguelite strategy game.
Against the Storm combines the satisfaction of city building with the tension of roguelite progression, creating one of the most compelling strategy experiences in recent years. As a Viceroy tasked with rebuilding civilization in a world of eternal rain, you'll face complex resource management, hostile environments, and the constant pressure of the Queen's impatience. Whether you're struggling to survive your first settlement or looking to conquer higher prestige levels, these 10 essential tips will give you the strategic foundation needed to thrive in this unforgiving world.
Quick Navigation⚡ Beginner Level• Tip 1: Master the Reputation vs Impatience Balance
• Tip 2: Solve the Food Problem Early
• Tip 3: Use Species Specializations Wisely⚡ Intermediate Level• Tip 4: Time Your Dangerous Glade Openings
• Tip 5: Build Sustainable Resolve
• Tip 6: Manage Hostility Proactively⚡ Advanced Level• Tip 7: Perfect Your Blueprint Selection Strategy
• Tip 8: Execute the Resolve Party Endgame
• Tip 9: Optimize Resource Production Chains
• Tip 10: Master the Meta-Progression System
1. Master the Reputation vs Impatience Balance
The Problem:New players often focus on building cool structures without understanding the core win/lose conditions. Against the Storm is fundamentally a race between two bars - you win when your blue Reputation bar fills (typically 14-18 points depending on difficulty), and you lose when the red Queen's Impatience bar maxes out.The Solution:Every action should serve one purpose: fill the reputation bar or slow the impatience bar. Reputation comes from three main sources:Orders - Complete these first for easy reputation pointsHigh Resolve - Keep villagers happy for passive reputation generationGlade Events - Dangerous and Forbidden glades offer reputation rewards
Pro Tip: Gaining reputation also reduces impatience, creating a powerful positive feedback loop. Focus on completing 2-3 orders in your first year to jumpstart this cycle.
Common Mistakes: Building decorative structures too early, expanding without purpose, ignoring order requirements.
Results: You'll win settlements consistently on Settler and Pioneer difficulty, setting the foundation for higher challenges.
2. Solve the Food Problem Early
The Problem:Food becomes exponentially more demanding at Prestige 7+ due to increased consumption rates. Players who rely on raw food gathering struggle as their population grows, leading to starvation, villager loss, and cascade failures.The Solution:Transition to complex food production as quickly as possible. Each species has preferred complex foods that provide both sustenance and resolve bonuses:Humans & Foxes: Porridge (+4 resolve)Beavers: Biscuits (+5 resolve), Pickled Goods (+8 resolve)Harpies: Jerky (+4 resolve), Biscuits (+5 resolve)Lizards: Jerky (+5 resolve), Skewers (+4 resolve)
Pro Tip: Use Consumption Control to force villagers onto your complex food production. Turn off raw food consumption once you have steady complex food production to maximize efficiency.
Common Mistakes: Over-relying on small gathering camps, not checking species food preferences, waiting too long to set up production buildings.
Results: Stable food supply that doubles as a resolve booster, freeing up workers for other critical tasks.
3. Use Species Specializations Wisely
The Problem:Each species has hidden bonuses that many players ignore, leading to inefficient production and missed opportunities for optimization.The Solution:Match workers to their specializations for significant production bonuses:Beavers: Excel at woodcutting and engineering. Perfect for Woodcutters' Camps, Lumber Mills, and Crude Workstations.Harpies: Master of textiles and carrying. Use them in Weavers and as Hearth firekeepers for +5 carrying capacity to ALL villagers.Foxes: Reduce glade hostility when working as Hearth firekeepers. Essential for exploration-heavy strategies.Humans: Slow impatience growth when working as firekeepers. Your insurance against time pressure.Lizards: Provide +1 resolve to everyone when working at the Hearth, plus +5 for themselves from the Warmth specialization.
Pro Tip: Harpy firekeepers are incredibly powerful early game because the +5 carrying capacity affects your entire workforce, dramatically speeding up all resource transportation.
Common Mistakes: Random worker assignment, not utilizing Hearth firekeeper bonuses, ignoring species-specific housing bonuses.
Results: 15-25% increase in production efficiency, faster resource gathering, and better resolve management.
4. Time Your Dangerous Glade Openings
The Problem:Opening Dangerous Glades at the wrong time leads to failed events, devastating penalties, or lost villagers. Most Dangerous Glade Events have 13-minute timers but require 5-7.5 minutes to solve, leaving little room for error.The Solution:Follow the optimal timing formula: Open Dangerous Glades during Year 1 Storm season, giving yourself maximum time to prepare solutions. Here's the strategic breakdown:Year 1 Storm (1 minute in): Open your first Dangerous GladeYear 1 Storm (remainder): Analyze the event, gather/craft required materialsYear 2 Drizzle: Build Small Warehouse near event site, begin solution workYear 2 Clearance: Complete the event before Storm arrives
Pro Tip: Always read the ENTIRE event description immediately after opening. Some events like Ancient Shrine have much shorter timers (<8 minutes) and require immediate action.
Common Mistakes: Opening glades too late in the cycle, not preparing materials in advance, ignoring event working penalties.
Results: 95% success rate on Dangerous Glade Events, access to powerful rewards and resources without devastating failures.
5. Build Sustainable Resolve
The Problem:Many players focus on temporary resolve boosts without building sustainable happiness systems, leading to resolve crashes during storms and villager losses when stockpiles run out.The Solution:Create a foundation of sustainable resolve sources that work automatically:Foundation Layer (+6-8 resolve):Basic Shelter (+3) + Species Housing (+6 if available)Hearth upgrades through decorations (Comfort, Aesthetics, Harmony)Food Layer (+4-8 resolve):One preferred complex food per species in steady productionGlobal Bonuses (varies):Cornerstone bonuses, Glade Event rewards, service building bonuses
Pro Tip: Global resolve bonuses are incredibly powerful because they affect every villager. A +1 global resolve boost is worth +20 resolve if you have 20 villagers.
Common Mistakes: Over-relying on services, not upgrading Hearths, ignoring species housing, using temporary resolve as primary strategy.
Results: Villagers consistently generate reputation through high resolve, better storm survival, reduced need for expensive temporary boosts.
6. Manage Hostility Proactively
The Problem:Hostility scales throughout the game (years passed + opened glades + villager count) but reduction methods don't scale equally. By Year 6-8, hostility becomes an existential threat that can instantly lose settlements through devastating Storm season penalties.The Solution:Use the "Three Rs" approach to hostility management:1. Resolve (Tank It): Build resolve so high that hostility penalties don't matter2. Reduce (Lower It): Take any cornerstone, perk, or glade event that reduces hostility3. Race (Outpace It): Win before hostility becomes unmanageableImmediate tactics: Remove woodcutters during Storm seasons, build additional Hearths, use Fox firekeepers to reduce glade hostility.
Pro Tip: Always take hostility reduction when offered. Effects like "-50 hostility" or "hostility not affected by glades" are game-changing at higher difficulties.
Common Mistakes: Ignoring hostility until too late, keeping woodcutters active during storms, not building enough Hearths.
Results: Ability to survive Year 6+ settlements, successful high-prestige runs, prevention of hostility-driven cascade failures.
7. Perfect Your Blueprint Selection Strategy
The Problem:Blueprint choices determine your entire settlement's capability, but the random selection system means you can't plan builds in advance. Poor blueprint strategy leads to resource bottlenecks and missing critical production chains.The Solution:Use phase-based blueprint selection that adapts to your settlement's lifecycle:Year 1 Priority: Building MaterialsLumber Mill (planks), Brick Oven (bricks), Weaver (fabric)Goal: Infrastructure to build everything elseYear 2-3 Priority: Food ProductionBuildings that make complex foods your species preferCookhouse, Beanery, Smokehouse based on species needsYear 4+ Priority: Win ConditionsService buildings, Tools production, Advanced fuel sourcesFocus on reputation generation methods
Pro Tip: Always check blueprint secondary outputs. A building might produce your needed complex food as a secondary output even if it's not the primary function.
Common Mistakes: Taking appealing but non-essential blueprints early, ignoring building material bottlenecks, not planning around species needs.
Results: Smooth resource flow throughout the game, ability to build optimal strategies regardless of RNG blueprint selection.
8. Execute the Resolve Party Endgame
The Problem:Many players struggle to close out games efficiently, either winning too slowly (risking hostility death) or burning through resources without achieving victory. The endgame requires a coordinated burst strategy.The Solution:The "Resolve Party" is Against the Storm's premier closing strategy. It combines sustainable and temporary resolve sources for a massive reputation burst:Preparation Phase (Year before victory):Stockpile complex foods, clothing, and service goodsUse Consumption Control to prevent consumptionBuild service buildings but leave them unstaffedExecution Phase (Final drizzle season):Enable all consumption, staff all service buildingsMaximize Rain Engine comfort settingsTrade for additional luxury goodsWatch resolve skyrocket and reputation flood in
Pro Tip: Calculate your party capacity before starting. You need roughly 4-5 break cycles worth of goods for all villagers at increased consumption rates (P7+).
Common Mistakes: Starting party too early, insufficient stockpiles, not timing with trader visits, forgetting about increased consumption.
Results: Consistent victories on Prestige 15+ difficulty, efficient wins that avoid late-game hostility spirals.
9. Optimize Resource Production Chains
The Problem:Inefficient resource chains lead to worker shortages, wasted materials, and inability to scale production. Many players don't understand the mathematics behind farms vs camps or how to optimize for their specific situation.The Solution:Master the production hierarchy and optimize based on your citadel upgrades and bonuses:Production Efficiency Ranking (Best to Worst):Large camps on large nodes with +1 production bonusSmall camps with +1 production bonusFarms with 2-star recipes (tied with large camps, no bonus)Large camps on small nodes (no bonus)Small camps on small nodes (no bonus)Farms with 1-star recipes (avoid unless desperate)Key Optimization Factors:Farms scale with Rain Engines but camps scale with global production bonusesCamps require expensive Parts (5+ at high prestige) while farms use cheap PlanksSmall warehouses work better with farms (permanent locations)
Pro Tip: Production bonuses are multiplicative on camps. A +1 Berry production bonus nearly doubles output from Herbalist's Camps, making them incredibly powerful with the right bonuses.
Common Mistakes: Using 1-star farm recipes, not utilizing production bonuses, poor warehouse placement, ignoring Parts costs at high prestige.
Results: 30-50% increase in resource efficiency, reduced worker requirements, better scaling into late game.
The Problem:Many players focus only on individual settlements without understanding how the Citadel upgrades and world map progression create exponential improvement. This leads to hitting difficulty walls unnecessarily.The Solution:Understand and optimize the three-layer progression system:Layer 1: Citadel Upgrades (Permanent)Early priorities: Consumption Control, Hauling Cart, Advanced Rain CollectorMid priorities: Trade Route bonuses, Resource extraction improvementsLate priorities: Prestige bonuses, specialized building upgradesLayer 2: World Map Seals (Cycle Rewards)Each seal completion provides massive rewards and unlocks new contentBronze → Silver → Gold → Adamantine progressionLayer 3: Individual Settlement OptimizationApply these 9 tips for consistent winsFocus on completing Deeds (achievements) for massive XP bonuses
Pro Tip: Deeds provide more XP than settlement completion on lower difficulties. A single deed completion gives 50 XP vs 30 XP for winning on Settler difficulty.
Common Mistakes: Ignoring Citadel upgrades, pushing difficulty too fast, not completing optional objectives, poor upgrade prioritization.
Results: Smooth difficulty progression, access to advanced content, ability to tackle Prestige 20+ settlements and Queen's Hand trials.
Quick Reference CardEssential Hotkeys:Spacebar - Pause/Unpause1-4 Keys - Speed control (Pause, 1x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x)Tab - Toggle UI panelsFirst Year Checklist:✓ 2 Woodcutter's Camps → Wood stockpile✓ Crude Workstation → Building materials✓ Basic Shelters + Decorations → Hearth Level 1✓ Trading Post → First trader relationship✓ Cut to first Dangerous Glade edge (don't open)✓ Open and plan first 3 OrdersCrisis Warning Signs:⚠️ Food dropping to zero during Storm season⚠️ Hostility Level 3+ without high resolve defenses⚠️ Multiple villagers with negative resolve⚠️ Dangerous Glade Event with <3 minutes on timer
Conclusion
Against the Storm rewards strategic thinking, careful resource management, and adaptability above all else. These 10 tips provide the foundation for success, but mastery comes from understanding how they interconnect. The player who can seamlessly blend early-game setup, mid-game exploration, and late-game optimization while managing the constant pressure of hostility and impatience will find themselves conquering even the most challenging Prestige levels.
Remember that every settlement is a learning opportunity. Failed settlements teach you as much as successful ones - analyze what went wrong, upgrade your Citadel, and apply these strategies with the confidence that comes from understanding the game's deeper systems. The eternal storm may rage on, but with these tools, you'll weather any challenge it throws your way.
Have a favorite tip from this guide, or a strategy that's worked particularly well for you? Share your experiences in the comments below - the Against the Storm community thrives on shared knowledge and strategic discussion.
