Against the Storm is a roguelike city-builder where you establish settlements in a perpetually stormy fantasy world on behalf of the Scorched Queen. Each run drops you into a new procedurally generated map with different biomes, species compositions, and available buildings. You must balance the Queen's Impatience (a loss timer) against Reputation (a win condition) while managing three to four different species with conflicting needs. Between runs, the meta-progression Citadel grows with permanent upgrades. It's the game that answered the question: what if city-builders had permadeath?
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
roguelike city building
Each settlement is a self-contained run lasting 30-90 minutes. You start with a Hearth, a few villagers, and limited blueprints. The randomly dealt building blueprints mean no two runs play the same — you might get a Brewery and Cookhouse one run, or a Smelter and Carpenter the next. Adapting your strategy to available buildings is the core skill.
reputation system
You win by earning Reputation points (filling the Reputation bar before Impatience fills). Reputation comes from completing Orders (specific tasks like producing 20 Planks), fulfilling species needs (housing, food, services), and trading. Impatience rises with time and negative events. The tension between these two bars creates urgency.
blueprint drafting
After discovering Glades (forest clearings), you choose from randomized building blueprints. Draft picks determine your production capabilities — if you're offered a Kiln, Ranch, or Brewery, your choice shapes your economy. Higher-difficulty runs reduce blueprint options, forcing more creative solutions with suboptimal buildings.
storm cycle
The Blightstorm periodically intensifies, causing villagers to lose Resolve (happiness). Low Resolve causes villagers to leave. The storm intensity increases over the course of a run, creating a time pressure to complete objectives before conditions become unbearable. Hearth upgrades and shelter buildings mitigate storm effects.
species management
Four species (Humans, Beavers, Lizards, Harpies, and Foxes in DLC) have different housing preferences, food desires, and service needs. Humans want pies and religion, Beavers want biscuits and engineering, Lizards want jerky and warmth, Harpies want crystalized dew and open spaces. Satisfying species needs provides Reputation bonuses.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humans | A | Set up cooking infrastructure early, build a Temple when available, reliable workers for any production chain. | Complex food production, religion service, housing |
| Beavers | S | Assign Beavers to production buildings for efficiency bonuses, satisfy with crafted Biscuits and engineering. | Industrial building access, Biscuit production, engineering |
| Lizards | A | Keep Lizards near the Hearth for warmth bonus, feed them Skewers from hunted/gathered meat. | Meat/insect food supply, Hearth warmth range, housing near center |
| Harpies | B | Send Harpies to explore distant Glades, produce Crystallized Dew, keep their housing area open. | Crystallized Dew production, open space management, scouting |
| Foxes | A | Assign Foxes to trade buildings, produce Pickled Goods, leverage trade for Reputation. | Trade infrastructure, Pickled Goods, trade route access |
Humans (A-Tier): Humans are the most versatile species, working efficiently in most buildings. They desire Pie, Porridge, and access to a Temple. Human housing is standard-sized and easy to place. Their Resolve bonuses come from cooked food and religion services. Humans are the safe pick for any run.
Beavers (S-Tier): Beavers have the best production bonuses — they work faster in Workshops, Lumber Mills, and engineering buildings. Their desire for Biscuits and Engineering services makes them the strongest production species. Beaver housing is larger but provides comfort bonuses.
Lizards (A-Tier): Lizards excel in harsh biomes due to their warmth preference. They desire Skewers (easy to make from meat/insects) and Warmth service from Hearths. Lizards work faster near the Hearth, making them ideal for central base operations. They're the easiest species to keep happy.
Harpies (B-Tier): Harpies have unique needs — they want Crystallized Dew (harder to produce) and dislike enclosed spaces. Their housing is elevated and requires open surroundings. Harpies excel at scouting and gathering from distant Glades. Harder to satisfy but provide unique Reputation bonuses.
Foxes (A-Tier): The DLC species, Foxes are traders and diplomats. They desire Pickled Goods and benefit from Trading Post access. Foxes provide Reputation through trade-related Orders and work faster in trade buildings. Their flexibility makes them strong in trade-heavy runs.
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Against the Storm builds guide.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Post | The Trading Post allows you to buy and sell goods with visiting traders. | Foxes provide trade bonuses, but all species benefit from trade infrastructure |
| Cookhouse | One of the most versatile food buildings, the Cookhouse produces multiple recipe types including Skewers, Biscuits, and Porridge depending on available ingredients. | All species — produces food varieties that satisfy multiple species desires |
| Brewery | Produces Ale from grain or berries, satisfying the Leisure need for multiple species. | Humans and Beavers both benefit from Ale as a Leisure service |
| Workshop | Produces Planks, Fabric, and other processed goods from raw materials. | Beavers for production efficiency, essential for any settlement's industry |
| Rain Collector | Collects rainwater during storms, providing a free water source that can be used for cooking, brewing, and farming. | All builds — free water input for cooking and brewing production chains |
Trading Post: The Trading Post allows you to buy and sell goods with visiting traders. Selling excess resources provides Reputation and income, while buying scarce materials solves production gaps. Traders visit periodically with different inventories. A well-stocked Trading Post can compensate for missing production buildings.
Cookhouse: One of the most versatile food buildings, the Cookhouse produces multiple recipe types including Skewers, Biscuits, and Porridge depending on available ingredients. Having a Cookhouse early solves food needs for multiple species simultaneously. It's often the highest-priority blueprint pick.
Brewery: Produces Ale from grain or berries, satisfying the Leisure need for multiple species. Ale provides strong Resolve bonuses, keeping villagers happy during storm intensification. The Brewery is a Reputation engine when combined with species that desire Ale.
Workshop: Produces Planks, Fabric, and other processed goods from raw materials. Planks are needed for most advanced buildings, making the Workshop a critical production building. Beavers work 20% faster in Workshops, making them the ideal workforce here.
Rain Collector: Collects rainwater during storms, providing a free water source that can be used for cooking, brewing, and farming. Since rain is abundant in Against the Storm's world, Rain Collectors are nearly free resources. Place them near production buildings that use water.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Woodlands | Difficulty 1-3 (beginner) | Abundant wood, standard resource distribution, balanced species composition |
| Coral Forest | Difficulty 3-5 (intermediate) | Enhanced rain collection, coral trade goods, faster crop growth |
| Marshlands | Difficulty 4-7 (intermediate-advanced) | Unique marsh resources, rare herbs for medicine, challenging terrain management |
| Scarlet Orchard | Difficulty 5-8 (advanced) | Ruin salvage (advanced materials), dangerous but rewarding Glade events |
| Sealed Forest | Difficulty 7-10 (expert) | Maximum Citadel meta-currency, unique challenges, prestige rewards |
Royal Woodlands: The starter biome with balanced resources, moderate weather, and standard Glade difficulty. Dense forest provides abundant wood, and wildlife is manageable. The Royal Woodlands teach core mechanics without extreme challenges. Most new player runs should start here.
Coral Forest: A wetter biome with more rain (better Rain Collector output) but also more flooding risk. Coral formations provide unique trade goods. The damp environment means crops grow faster but wood rots if stored improperly. Moderate difficulty with unique resource opportunities.
Marshlands: A swampy biome with limited dry building space and poisonous miasma from certain Glades. Resources are spread across more Glades, forcing aggressive exploration. The Marshlands test your ability to manage disease and limited building area. Bring species with disease resistance.
Scarlet Orchard: A biome with aggressive wildlife and burned-out ruins containing valuable salvage. The Scarlet Orchard has the best potential loot from ruins but the most dangerous Glade events. Opening Glades can spawn enemies or environmental hazards. High risk, high reward.
Sealed Forest: The hardest standard biome with extreme storm intensity, limited resources, and the most dangerous Glade events. Sealed Glades can contain curses that affect the entire settlement. Only experienced players with strong meta-upgrades should attempt Sealed Forest on high difficulty.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Pick blueprints that match your species composition — if you have Lizards, prioritize buildings that produce Skewers or provide warmth. Mismatched blueprints waste production capacity.
- Complete easy Orders first for quick Reputation — Orders like 'Produce 10 Planks' or 'Have 20 Villagers' give Reputation that counters rising Impatience. Ignore expensive Orders until you have infrastructure.
- Impatience rises with time, so don't dawdle — every minute spent optimizing your base is a minute closer to losing. Get production running, complete Orders, and move on. Perfect is the enemy of good in this game.
- Trade excess goods at the Trading Post for both money and Reputation. Selling 40+ of a resource you don't need converts dead stockpiles into win-condition progress.
- Glade events can be dangerous but give powerful rewards. Read the event description carefully — some require specific resources to resolve, while others spawn enemies. Prepare before interacting.
- The Hearth is your colony's heart — upgrading it increases warmth range, Resolve bonuses, and villager capacity. Prioritize Hearth upgrades over building new production buildings.
- Rainwater is free. Build Rain Collectors near every production building that uses water (Cookhouse, Brewery, Farm). This eliminates the need for well-digging infrastructure.
- Species Resolve determines if villagers stay or leave. Keep all species above the leaving threshold by providing at least one desired food and one service. Even one happy species earning Reputation carries a run.
- Meta-progression in the Citadel carries between runs — spend Citadel resources on permanent upgrades that help all future settlements. Prioritize extra blueprint choices and starting resources.
- On higher difficulties, focus on one or two production chains rather than trying to build everything. A settlement with excellent Plank and Ale production wins faster than one trying to produce every good.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ignoring Impatience until it's too late — the red Impatience bar fills with time and negative events. Once it fills, you lose the run. Always monitor Impatience and prioritize Reputation-earning actions.
- Opening too many Glades at once — each opened Glade can spawn events that consume resources or time. Open Glades one at a time and resolve their events before exploring further.
- Neglecting species-specific needs — unhappy species lose Resolve and leave. Even if you don't like managing multiple species, providing basic food and housing for each prevents population collapse.
- Hoarding resources instead of trading — stockpiles of 100+ Planks or Fabric sitting in storage earn nothing. Trade excess resources for Reputation and money at the Trading Post.
- Choosing blueprint buildings you don't have ingredients for — a Bakery is useless without flour, which requires wheat, which requires a Farm. Check production chains before drafting blueprints.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Against the Storm a roguelike or a city builder?
Both. Each settlement is a roguelike run (30-90 minutes) with random maps, species, and building choices. Between runs, you upgrade a persistent Citadel with meta-currency. If you lose a run, you keep Citadel progress. It combines the strategic depth of city-builders with roguelike replayability.
How long is a typical run in Against the Storm?
A successful run takes 30-60 minutes on normal difficulty, or up to 90 minutes on higher difficulties. Failed runs end sooner when Impatience fills the bar. The short run length makes it easy to play 'one more settlement' — the classic roguelike hook.
Which species is the best in Against the Storm?
Beavers are generally considered the strongest due to their production speed bonuses in Workshops and engineering buildings. However, the best species depends on your available blueprints and biome — Lizards are great in cold biomes, Humans are versatile, and Foxes excel in trade-heavy runs.
How does the Citadel meta-progression work?
After each run (win or lose), you earn Citadel Resources based on difficulty and performance. Spend these at the Citadel to unlock permanent upgrades: more blueprint choices per draft, better starting resources, new building options, and difficulty modifiers. The Citadel grows between runs, making future settlements stronger.
Can you lose in Against the Storm?
Yes. If the Queen's Impatience bar fills before your Reputation bar, the settlement is abandoned and you return to the Citadel. You keep meta-currency earned during the run but lose the settlement. Higher difficulty increases Impatience gain speed and reduces Reputation opportunities.
What to Read Next
- Best Against the Storm Builds — Detailed breakdowns with gear, stats, and playstyle guides
- Against the Storm Tier List — Current meta rankings
- Against the Storm Walkthrough — Step-by-step progression from start to endgame
- Against the Storm Beginner's Guide — First session essentials
- Against the Storm Tips & Tricks — Advanced strategies and hidden mechanics
