Keep the Three Meters in Balance
In Against the Storm, most run collapses come from three linked systems: Hostility (forest pressure), Resolve (each species' morale), and the Queen's Impatience (your red loss timer). If this feels confusing at first, that is completely normal. Storm season is built to pressure you, so your job is steady control, not perfect control.
Quick beginner definitions: higher Hostility lowers Resolve and triggers more negative Storm effects. Low Resolve can make villagers leave. High Resolve can generate Reputation. Max Impatience loses the settlement. The winning mindset is to manage this as a yearly cycle, not a one-time fix.
Storm-Proof Hostility Basics
- At the start of Storm, pause and remove some woodcutters. Fewer active woodcutters usually means lower Hostility pressure.
- Do not open new glades (forest clearings with resources/events) right before Storm unless you are ready for extra risk.
- Protect your hearth fuel supply. If you are in danger, use Ancient Hearth sacrifice briefly as an emergency stabilizer, then turn it off.
- Build toward multiple hearth neighborhoods over time so distant workers have a shorter walk to breaks and your settlement stays steadier.
Resolve Triage That Saves Runs
- Check species Resolve bars and identify who is closest to leaving first.
- Use Favoring on the species in immediate danger to stop the bleed.
- Prioritize easy, reliable boosts: shelter, species housing when possible, and one dependable complex food line.
- Use consumption control so scarce luxury food is not wasted by everyone at once.
How to Handle Impatience Without Panicking
Impatience rising early is expected. A little Impatience can even ease Hostility pressure, so do not treat every tick as failure. What actually kills runs is snowball damage: villagers leaving, deaths, and unresolved risky events during bad Storm windows.
Coaching line: If you feel stuck, pause before Storm, pull several woodcutters, favor the species closest to leaving, and finish one small objective for momentum. That reset is often enough to turn a spiral into a recovery year.
- Complete orders and events steadily instead of gambling on one huge swing.
- Keep one near-finished objective ready so you can cash in rewards when morale dips.
- Avoid rushing risky actions late in Storm; survive first, expand in safer seasons.