Fans of the post-apocalyptic setting will love the attention to detail and intricate mechanics in Team17's new survival sim Sheltered 2. This 2D, dystopian, bunker-building game puts players in charge of a group of survivors as they try to eke out an existence in a hazardous wasteland full of opportunity and danger.
In order to keep their bunker alive in Sheltered 2, players will need to attend to their group's needs, from basic food and water, to hygiene and entertainment. There are many mechanics to take into consideration and often several different ways of approaching the same problem, some of which are more effective than others.
10 Don't Skip The Tutorial
With a game as complex as Sheltered 2, it is very important to understand the basics. Even veterans of the first game, and other survival sims, will want to go through the game's tutorial in order to brush up on the basics.
In the tutorial, players will learn how to expand their base, send out expeditions, attend to their group's needs, and much more. Knowing all of these basics is essential for using more complex strategies later on. Once players have fully understood the tutorial, they will be ready to start building their first bunker in the wasteland.
9 Upgrade The Workbench And Build A Freezer
The workbench is one of the most important items in any bunker. This is the main crafting station where players will build new facilities and even extensions for their base.
Any playthrough should begin with upgrading the workbench to level two. This will unlock showers and basic refrigerators both of which are extremely important for keeping a group of survivors well fed and clean. It is a good idea to allocate as many resources as possible towards upgrading the workbench. Not only will this help with progressing through the game but it will also help with overcoming random events and unforeseen disasters.
8 Avoid Recruiting For The First Few Days
As players expand their shelter, they may want to take on new survivors in order to acquire new skills or more people to send out on expeditions. However, during the initial days, it is wise to avoid recruiting new people altogether.
Obviously, if a level 10 recruit with exceptional skills shows up, players should take the opportunity to invite them into their bunker. However, less useful candidates will only provide an extra mouth to feed, which is never a good thing in any hardcore survival game. Once players have set up constant supplies of food and water, they will be able to increase the population of their underground settlement.
7 Build A Room Just For Collecting Water
Keeping survivors happy requires carefully attending to all of their needs including food, water, and cleanliness. While expeditions are greats ways of staying fit during the post-apocalypse, there are other more efficient means of gathering resources in Sheltered 2.
One of the first rooms the player builds should be dedicated to water collection. Building multiple rain collectors will ensure that players can accumulate free water whenever it rains, often with enough spare to last the days where there is no rainfall. As well as quenching the thirst of survivors, rainwater can also be used to power showers maintaining good hygiene, and preventing diseases.
6 Avoid Killing People
Sheltered 2 is mechanically very similar to This War Of Mine, another 2D survival game focused on a group of isolated people caught in the midst of a brutal war. One of the most important similarities to note is the mood system, where survivors will react to the events and choices they are forced to make.
Killing other humans will often cause members of the player's group to become traumatized. This effect will reduce their productivity and as such should be avoided in the early game. If players find a recruit with the violent and courageous perk, they will be able to use this character to subdue any enemies they encounter thus dealing with the threat in a non-lethal way.
5 Choose Loot Items Very Carefully
The world outside the player's bunker is full of dangers and hazards. However, it will often be necessary to send out survivors to recover resources and complete other important expeditions. Combat is turn-based, and if players do encounter enemies on expeditions they will need to have characters with good fighting stats in order to survive.
There are only a limited number of slots for loot items earned from quests, meaning players will rarely be able to take home all of the items they find. It is often wise to choose food over water, as the other can be easily acquire using rain collectors. Furthermore, any medical supplies the player discovers will be very useful to stockpile in case of disease.
4 Build A Radio
As well as the workbench, radios are essential pieces of kit for any shelter. Not only is a radio essential for sending survivors out on expeditions but it also serves many other useful functions as well.
The radio can be used to contact traders, accept sidequests, and hire significantly better recruits than those found in the wasteland. The most important thing to know about the radio is its ability to call characters back from looting missions. This prevents players from wasting time collecting more resources than their scavenger can possibly carry home as well as getting them out of dangerous situations.
3 Trade Items For Duplicates Of Themselves
As is the case with any game that has base building mechanics, resource management is essential. Traders can be a great way of getting vital materials that are in short supply, but getting the best deals requires a survivor with strong charisma.
Thankfully there is a very easy loophole that can be exploited to boost the charisma of a given character. It is possible to trade an item for the exact same item, a bargain that has no value but will still level up Charisma. Using this trick makes traders far more useful as the player will get much better deals.
2 Set Traps For Meat
Once players have a room dedicated to collecting rainwater, they will want to figure out how they are going to feed their group. Food will eventually go off without a refrigerator and can be gathered during looting missions.
An easier and more consistent way of feeding the shelter is to set traps. Traps can be used outside to catch birds and other wild animals or placed inside the base to catch rats. With enough traps set up, the player will have a steady supply of food that can be supplemented as needed from the spoils of their looting.
1 Or Get A Cat
Pets are useful for more than just moral support in Sheltered 2. The horse can be very helpful during looting missions, as the saddle upgrade will allow it to carry up to 12 additional items.
Another useful pet is the cat, this helpful feline friend can help reduce a substantial amount of micromanaging in the early game.
If players are willing to keep their base a bit dirty, they can attract rats which are usually a disease-ridden nuisance. However, provided players keep the cat well fed, it will prowl the base catching any rats it encounters, easily providing enough food for 5-6 people. Remember the cat will not prowl for rats unless it has been fed, so always put spare food aside to keep the pet happy and hunting.
Sheltered 2 was released on September 21, 2021, and is available on PC only.