Cycle[]
The storm destroys everything except the Citadel, which is protected by the eternal fire in the city. Every cycle resets the Map, except for the Citadel, upgrades, and deeds. When the storm is about to come, i.e, the year limit of the current cycle is reached, the player is forced to start a new cycle. Note that starting a settlement just before the year limit will still allow you to play that settlement beyond the limit (you won't be kicked out during play)
Phase[]
Progress in the game are divided into phases. Each phase unlock more game mechanics.
The current phase of the cycle is shown on the top right corner of the map. Below it is a progress bar showing the progress until the next phase. Progress can be earned by completing deeds of the corresponding phase. When the progress bar reaches 100%, the game will enter the next phase upon starting a new cycle.
Deeds[]
The player can receive various rewards from completing deeds, listed in the deeds menu in the Smoldering City. Most provide 50 XP, while others offer aesthetics, cornerstones, or the rare embarkation bonus. Deeds marked with a green diamond in the upper right are also Steam achievements.
Settlement[]
The core gameplay of Against the Storm is the process of building a settlement. The further away the settlement is from the Citadel, the more difficult it is. The player has to accumulate a certain amount of reputation points to win, while reaching 14 impatience points will cause the player to lose the game. The game can be made more challenging by increasing the difficulty. This also increases final score and citadel rewards.
Orders[]
The player can accumulate reputation points from completing orders, quests given by the queen. On Normal or Hard difficulty, a total of 11 orders will be unlocked as the game progessees. While on very hard difficulty, only 10 orders will be unlocked. There are 3 difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. More difficult orders will be given when the settlement difficulty is harder.
Trading[]
Trading is unlocked by building the trading post building. Traders will now arrive regularly to buy and sell goods. Trade routes is also unlocked to trade certain goods regularly. Without upgrades, up to 2 trade routes can be maintained simultaneously.