Do you think you can survive a natural disaster? Well, Cities: Skylines 2 is prepared to put your skills to the test. But it’s not your life on the line here. It’s the lives and livelihood of your entire city. No longer are natural disaster scenarios part of optional DLC since Cities: Skylines 2 places them directly into the game. There’s realism at every turn, so if you don’t want your populace wiped off the map, it’s time to prepare for each disaster scenario.
The base game of Cities: Skylines 2 currently offers three natural disasters:
- Forest Fire
- Hail Storm
- Tornado
Such a minimal number of disasters is somewhat disappointing, considering the Natural Disasters DLC from the first game offered numerous scenarios. But it does pave the way for potential DLC in the future. On the other hand, the disasters in Cities: Skylines 2 are not player-selectable, so they’ll occur randomly. You can disable them, though. If you want to play with them enabled, you should prepare your city as best as possible.
Forest Fire Natural Disaster in Cities: Skylines 2
The Forest Fire disaster scenario in Cities: Skylines 2 can impact any town built near heavily wooded regions. It can occur at random during the summer season if the air is dry and the temperatures are high. Like in real life, fire spreads. So, if you don’t handle it, that fire and blanket of smoke can drift from the forest and into your city.
Below are some preparation tips that can increase your chances of your town getting by with minimal to zero damage:
- Build Firewatch Towers nearby to keep watch on potential fires.
- Be sure to build roads that lead into the forest. Otherwise, firefighters are unable to get to it to stop the fires before they spread.
- Upgrade the Fire Department with helicopters to dispatch extra help to take out fires quicker.
Hail Storm Natural Disaster in Cities: Skylines 2
You can stop a fire, but it’s tough to control the weather. That’s why the Hail Storm natural disaster in Cities: Skylines 2 can cause detrimental damage to your town. Occurring during colder temperatures, the only way you can manage the storm is to prep your city for future repairs.
Follow the steps below to improve your city’s response to Mother Nature’s attack:
- Have the necessary buildings to help with the aftermath (e.g. Road Maintenance Depot and Fire Station).
- Build Emergency Shelters to prepare your citizens for the worst.
- Try to keep your income high to cover the costs of repairs.
Tornado Natural Disaster in Cities: Skylines 2
A Tornado is, without a doubt, the deadliest and costliest natural disaster scenario you can face in Cities: Skylines 2. There’s no stopping it, so just like with the Hail Storm, you must prepare for the consequences in advance.
Here are a few ways you can keep your population safe and work on repairs as soon as possible:
- Build the Early Disaster Warning System.
- Create and upgrade buildings such as the Fire Station, Road Maintenance Depot, and the Hospital.
- Create enough Emergency Shelters with quick and easy access for citizens across the city.
To recap, Cities: Skylines 2 only contains three natural disasters:
- Tornado
- Forest Fire
- Hail Storm
The Forest Fire is the only one you can stop, while the other two end naturally. So, if you want some extra realism with the disaster setting enabled, you must have buildings and the income set aside to handle the preparation and the clean-up. That is unless you’re one of the players itching to watch the world burn, even one you created. If so, let the disasters run wild and see what’s left behind.
