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P Permafrost Pedia Survival · Cold · Biomes
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Biomes

Frozen tundra, glacier, ice forest, frozen city — what each one costs you.
Gear

Clothing, tools, weapons — described by mechanic, not made-up stats.
Systems

Cold, warmth, hunger, progression, co-op — each with an explicit "unmeasured" list.
Guides

Original long-form guides, every number traced to a source.
Tools

Four calculators that turn a decision into a number.
Compare

Permafrost against other games, and biomes against each other.
Release

9 October 2026, Early Access.
News

Official timeline only — no rumour recycling.
Sources

Where every number comes from, and what is still unmeasured.
Comparison

Exploration-Gated ProgressionvsFactions & Territory

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 ProgressionFactions & Territory
In one lineYou do not level up. You unlock territory.Other survivors are the second antagonist — territory is claimed, and the deep districts are not neutral ground.
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.
  • — Risk scales with depth: shallow ruins are scavenging, deep districts are faction-controlled and cost more to enter.
  • — Territory interacts with the cold — the richest salvage sits where the exposure bill is highest, so faction risk and cold risk stack.
  • — In co-op the calculus changes: four players can hold ground that one cannot, but holding ground is still a fuel and food expense.
UnmeasuredNumber of progression tiers · Unlock requirements per tier · Map sizeNumber and identity of factions · Reputation or hostility mechanics · Whether territory can be contested or taken · Stealth versus combat viability
Reference pageExploration-Gated ProgressionFactions & Territory

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.
Related comparisons

Data version 2026.09.24 · reviewed 24 September 2026.