Permafrost survival runs on six meters: five stats plus the Effects list that tells you what is currently acting on you. This permafrost survival and permafrost warmth guide walks through each meter, what happens when it reaches zero, the three warmth sources that matter early, and why sleep depends on heat.
The six meters
Five key stats sit alongside Effects, which collects the buffs and debuffs currently applied to you.
| Meter | What it tracks | At zero |
|---|---|---|
| Body Warmth | Your resistance to cold. It drains when the temperature is below what your clothing resists. | You take health damage until you warm up or die. |
| Health | Your life. | You die. |
| Hunger | Food. | You suffer negative effects. |
| Energy | Your need for sleep. | Too low, and it affects your ability to survive, so sleep daily if you can. |
| Stamina | Short-term energy, spent by sprinting and similar actions. | Those actions are unavailable until it recharges. |
| Effects | Not a meter: the buffs and debuffs listed in the top left of the Inventory screen. | Hovering over a debuff tells you what removes it. |
Exact temperatures, drain rates and clothing resistance values are Unconfirmed (verify in-game).
Body Warmth and the three warmth sources
Body Warmth is your resistance to cold, and it is the meter that decides whether you survive a night. Three sources carry the early game:
- Campfires and wall torches. In this game a wall torch genuinely provides heat, so a torch mounted on a wall is a real warmth source and not decoration.
- Settlements. Some settlements are warm enough that Body Warmth stops draining while you are inside them.
- Clothing quality. In the wilderness, away from fire and shelter, the quality of what you wear is what keeps the meter from dropping.
Sleep depends on warmth
You cannot sleep unless you are adequately warm, so a lit fire near the spot where you sleep is a requirement at night. The standard preparation is a wood reserve at your base, gathered before dark rather than during the night.
What the cold system does
The developers describe the cold as your true enemy, and it shows up in three ways: frostbite, storms and creeping chill. Storms drive the temperature down and cut what you can safely do outdoors, creeping chill bleeds your Body Warmth away when your protection falls short of the conditions, and frostbite is what happens when you stay out too long. Because Body Warmth drains before it damages you, the meter is your early warning: when it starts falling, your clothing is not enough for where you are standing.
A practical day plan
- Morning. Eat, check Effects for any active debuff and clear what you can, then plan where you are going.
- Midday. Push out to scavenge, hunt and explore while the weather is at its best.
- Evening. Return with wood before dark and light the fire where you intend to sleep.
- Night. Sleep warm, and let a lit fire carry you through it.
Repeat that loop and the meters stay where you want them. Drop the evening wood run and the whole night collapses.
What remains unconfirmed
Exact temperatures, drain rates and clothing resistance values are Unconfirmed (verify in-game). This site also does not publish item names, map region names, quest names or recipe tables, because that data is not in the sources it is built from.
What to read next
- Getting Started: the first session, price and platforms.
- Crafting Guide: blueprints, recipes and what to build first.
- Map & Locations: where to explore next.
- Tips: small habits that keep the meters full.
Sources
- Permafrost on Steam: store facts, features and system requirements.
- Permafrost beginner guide (TechRaptor): the stats, Effects, warmth sources and the sleep rule.
- Permafrost game page (Toplitz Productions): the setting and the loop.
- Permafrost deep dive (Toplitz Productions): the cold as the true enemy.