Skip to content
P Permafrost Pedia Survival · Cold · Biomes
Menu
Comparison

Exploration-Gated ProgressionvsBase Building

Both are system entries in the same Permafrost reference set. The table below puts them on the same axes — and the last row is the one that matters: what neither of them can tell you until the build ships.

AxisExploration-Gated ProgressionBase Building
In one lineYou do not level up. You unlock territory.A network of shelters, not one mega-base.
Key points
  • — Restoring a shelter converts it into a forward checkpoint.
  • — Repairing machinery unlocks the next depth tier.
  • — Faction-controlled territory sits at the deep end of the curve.
  • — Early game: restore ruined perimeters, do not build exterior walls.
  • — Mid game: engineered outposts with centralised thermal cores.
  • — Late game: communal hubs sized for up to four players.
UnmeasuredNumber of progression tiers · Unlock requirements per tier · Map sizeBuilding piece list · Material costs · Heat radius per structure
Reference pageExploration-Gated ProgressionBase Building

Which one you deal with first

System order is a priority decision: fix the meter that is killing you fastest, not the one that is easiest to optimise.

Both entries share the same rule on this site: no number appears unless it is published or measured. The “unmeasured” row is identical in spirit across every comparison page — it exists so you can tell the difference between a wiki that knows and a wiki that guesses.

Data version 2026.09.24 · reviewed 24 September 2026.