Colossal Order's 2023 sequel simulates every citizen as an agent with a household, a job, an education level and a daily route between them. Twenty milestones gate progress from Tiny Village to Megalopolis, handing out 432 expansion permits and 232 development points along the way. The Economy 2.0 patch reworked rent, production and taxation after launch, so a lot of the advice written in the first months no longer matches the game.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Power Plant | S | Bridging the gap before renewables or nuclear, sited far downwind of any housing. | Cheap, reliable output that pollutes the air heavily and needs a coal supply. |
| Water Pumping Station | A | Any city on a river map, placed upstream of every sewage outlet you own. | Draws fresh water from a river or lake and pushes it into the pipe network. |
| Wastewater Treatment Plant | A | Any city past a few thousand citizens, and mandatory on maps where you pump from the same river you drain into. | Cleans sewage before it returns to the water body instead of dumping it raw like a sewage outlet does. |
| Landfill | B | A short term dump on a fresh city, placed on cheap land you will never zone. | Stores garbage rather than destroying it, and fills up permanently unless you empty it into an incineration plant or recycling centre. |
| Elementary School | B | Every residential district from the first few hundred citizens onward. | The first education building and the base of the whole education chain. |
S-Tier: Coal Power Plant
Cheap, reliable output that pollutes the air heavily and needs a coal supply. It is the standard early generator when wind alone cannot cover a winter demand spike.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Bridging the gap before renewables or nuclear, sited far downwind of any housing. |
| Key Mechanic | Agent based citizen simulation |
| Recommended Build | Forestry town |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Coal Power Plant: Pairs naturally with Forestry town thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Water Pumping Station
Draws fresh water from a river or lake and pushes it into the pipe network. Intake quality matters, because contaminated water reaching taps produces a sickness wave that reads like a healthcare failure.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Any city on a river map, placed upstream of every sewage outlet you own. |
| Key Mechanic | Milestones and expansion permits |
| Recommended Build | Farming region |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Water Pumping Station: Pairs naturally with Farming region thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Wastewater Treatment Plant
Cleans sewage before it returns to the water body instead of dumping it raw like a sewage outlet does. It costs more upkeep and is the fix for a river that has turned brown.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Any city past a few thousand citizens, and mandatory on maps where you pump from the same river you drain into. |
| Key Mechanic | Development tree upgrades |
| Recommended Build | Ore mining city |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Wastewater Treatment Plant: Pairs naturally with Ore mining city thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Landfill
Stores garbage rather than destroying it, and fills up permanently unless you empty it into an incineration plant or recycling centre. Ground pollution spreads from it for as long as it sits there.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | A short term dump on a fresh city, placed on cheap land you will never zone. |
| Key Mechanic | Production chains and outside trade |
| Recommended Build | Oil industry city |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Landfill: Pairs naturally with Oil industry city thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Elementary School
The first education building and the base of the whole education chain. Without it, citizens stay uneducated and can only fill basic industry jobs, which caps your tax income permanently.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Every residential district from the first few hundred citizens onward. |
| Key Mechanic | Land value and pollution |
| Recommended Build | Office and services hub |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Elementary School: Pairs naturally with Office and services hub thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Lakeland
- Water Pumping Station → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Wastewater Treatment Plant → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Coal Power Plant → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Start with one two lane road off the highway connection and zone shallow along it. Deep zoned blocks create buildings that back onto nothing, and citizens who cannot reach a bus stop will drive instead, which is where early traffic problems begin.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Cities: Skylines II Guides
- Cities: Skylines II Cities: Skylines II Overview
- Cities: Skylines II Best Builds
- Cities: Skylines II Tier List
- Cities: Skylines II Walkthrough
- Cities: Skylines II Beginner's Guide
- Cities: Skylines II Tips & Tricks
- Cities: Skylines II Combat Guide
- Cities: Skylines II Boss Guide
- Cities: Skylines II Maps & Locations
- Cities: Skylines II Crafting Guide
- Cities: Skylines II Classes & Characters
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