Summary
Against the Stormis aroguelikestrategy gamewhere you take on the role of a Viceroy who builds settlements in a hostile, rain-soaked world. These settlements are an exercise in keeping your people alive and happy against the clock as the Scorched Queen grows impatient with your efforts.
With each outpost, you get a semi-random mix of species to populate it, each with their own unique needs, specialties, and bonuses. All the species are strong in their own right, but their differences mean that some of them are simply better than others, especially since their needs define your win conditions. Which species are the most suited to help you in the Storm? Here they are, ranked.
Reveals the nearest patch of fertile soil
Lowers rate of Queen’s Impatience by 25 percent
Needs
Porridge, Biscuits, Pies, Coats, Leisure, Religion
Humans are the fussiest of the species in the game, having both a high Demanding stat and an above-average Decadence score. This means that not only are they hard to get a High Resolve with, but when that goalpost moves, it gets even harder to impress them.
Their specialties are fine but are very situational. The former is only valuable if a majority of your species enjoy Leisure and only if you have the resources to indulge it. The latter is far more valuable since farming is a reliable and functionally infinite source of resources, provided you have the Blueprints and fertile soil needed to get it going, which you won’t always have.
Their Starting Ability, while not bad, is one of the less useful ones. More often than not, you’ll stumble into fertile soil in most biomes after opening a Glade or two.
Global carrying capacity +5
Jerky, Biscuits, Pies, Coats, Education, Treatment
Harpies might be the most consistent source of Reputation in the game, at least when you unlock their Starting Ability.
Since they have a low Demanding stat and you get Coats right off the bat, most of the time, if you’re able to get your Harpies housed or give one of their Complex Foods, they hit High Resolve way before the other species. Combined with their low Decadent score, you can pretty much keep this up for a whole settlement’s lifespan, give or take a bad Storm season.
While Alchemy is a niche specialty, it’s handy to have when you need to produce Purging Fire. Cloth has a broader appeal since more than half the species in the game need Coats to thrive. Their Firekeeper Bonus is also arguably one of the better ones since it minimizes the travel needed to deliver materials, maximizing efficiency.
Reveal the location of the nearest geyser
Lowers Hostility from opening Glades by 6
Porridge, Skewers, Pickled Goods, Brawling, Luxury, Treatment
Foxes are the most interesting species, uniquely suited for an exploration playstyle. Their Firekeeper Bonus means that you incur less of a punishment from opening Glades, while their Scout specialty means they’re really good at clearing Glade Events, some of which can be devastating.
The Rainwater handling is less impressive, only being useful if you don’t want to hireautomatons at Geysersor can’t find Geysers at all. Or if Tea for Treatments is a priority.
They’re the most fragile species, susceptible to Resolve changes and, more importantly, to hunger. They can only take three Hunger stacks before they start dying off, sostable food productionis a must, lest you start losing Foxes left and right. Their low Demanding score at least means they’re easy enough to impress early on.
Jerky, Skewers, Pies, Pickled Goods, Brawling, Religion
The hardiest of all the species, Lizards are fantastic if you’re new to the game and never really fall off in value afterward. They like a wide variety of foods, so as long as you’re making at least one, they’re happy. However, they also have the highest Hunger Tolerance in the game, a whopping 12.
Their love of all foods and low Demanding stat means they’re easy to gain High Resolve early on, essentially when you have a Complex Food production going. If you get multiple Complex Foods going, you can keep them in High Resolve with surprising ease, even with a medium score in Decadence. Their specialization with both Meat and Fire feeds into this, giving them bonuses for Resolve working with the latter and production with the former.
Their Firekeeper Bonus is good in a pinch, helping with edge cases where a few points of resolve can make the difference between being in the red or when you’re close to getting High Resolve. The ten Tools they can give you are also nice, but if you want to go that route, it’s better to set up more reliable tool production yourself.
+1 Trade offers for each Neighboring Town
Increase fuel burning time by 20 percent
Biscuits, Pickled Goods, Coats, Leisure, Education, Luxury
Almost as fussy as the Humans, Beavers are head-and-shoulders above their agricultural counterparts. Why? The sheer amount of utility they bring to the table.
Their Woodworking specialty means they chop down trees and stack wood quickly, and if you have the right building, make Planks quickly as well. That alone means that they boost fuel and industry in one fell swoop.
Engineering, while not as universally needed, means that they’re quite good in the Mines, which on some maps means that you gather up Coal– a valuable fuel– quickly. They have the best Firekeeper Bonus in the game, which synergizes with the rest of their kit and ensures that with Beavers around, fuel shortages are a rarity. They even boost your trading with their Starting Ability!
