The Colonists just launched on consoles, so that means there are fresh new achievements up for grabs. Getting a gold medal in mission two doesn’t actually get you anything other than a sense of pride, but isn’t that enough reason to do it? The game is meant to be calm and relaxing, but there are time limits for these medals, so don’t dally too much.
Mission two is the first one after the tutorial, so it isn’t too challenging, but if this is your first city builder or you’re just new to the game, then the main objective could take you a while. To get a gold medal you have to build a Small Monument in nine months - not undoable, but a little help can’t hurt.
Getting Started: Setting Up Your Colony
To build a Small Monument you need Iron, Planks, and Stone. So, to get the gold medal in mission two, you need to focus on getting these resources as quickly as possible.
You should start out by building a Sheep Farm and a Well. These will keep up to four Residences fed, meaning you’ll have plenty of energy for your colony.
Build two Residences for now, then build a Lumber Hut by the trees and a Surface Mine by the rocks. These will provide you with the raw materials you need to grow your colony. Build two more residences so that you have a constant supply of energy.
Once you’ve built all that, it’s time to start thinking ahead. You’re going to need a lot of Logs to keep building, so build a Forestry and have it set to plant Cypress trees as these grow the fastest. This will ensure your Lumber bot doesn’t completely deforest the area. Next, build two Workshops so you can do research.
You’ll need to advance the tech tree a bit to make a Small Monument, and research costs time and resources, so it’s best to start early.
So, to summarize: start small, build one thing at a time so your resources aren’t spread too thin, and then construct the following:
- One Sheep Farm and Well Two Residences A Lumber Hut and Surface Mine Two More Residences A Forestry (Growing Cypress Trees) and Two Workshops
The Mid-Game: Expansion And Research
Now that you’ve got your colony set up you need to research Construction I as soon as possible. This unlocks all the buildings you’ll need to actually start producing Iron. You’ve got a lot of research ahead of you so first get Science I to speed up all future research endeavors.
For future research, you’ll need Planks. To get these you need a Sawmill, so build one close to your Lumber Hut so there are no delays shipping Logs to it and you’ll be getting Planks in no time.
Next, research Scaffolding I and Stonemasonry - they cost 10 Planks and 10 Stone respectively. Then research Construction I - it costs 15 Planks and 15 Stone, so this may take a while. You’re going to be needing a lot of Logs, and you should be producing all your own Energy, so task your rocket with making Logs to help with construction and research.
Once you’ve got Construction I, you unlock the Orchard and Apple Press. It may seem odd making Apple Juice when you want to build a Monument, but you need it to generate Level 2 Energy, which is needed for powering the mines that will allow you to get Coal and Iron.
Expand south through the little gap between the mountains and the water. This will allow you to find the Coal and Iron deposits you’ll need later, as well as giving you space for the Orchard and Apple Press. Build them next to each other, and once you start producing Apple Juice, upgrade two of your Residences.
While you’re expanding and building you should research Mining I - it costs 20 Planks. In theory, that’s all the research you need to build the Small Monument. Some extra tech can help you though. We recommend Construction Speed I, Mining Speed I, and Coppicing I. These all speed up construction, mining, and sapling growth, so you should be flush with resources and able to build nice and quickly.
The checklist for the mid-game is as follows:
- Research: Science I, Scaffolding I, Stonemasonry, Construction I, Mining I Build A Sawmill, Orchard, and Apple Press Make Apple Juice Expand South Upgrade Two Residences Do extra research if you have spare resources
The Late-Game: Making Iron In The Industrial Age
Now that all the groundwork has been laid you should be on the path to a shiny gold medal. Build a Shaft Mine on the Iron deposit, a Level 2 Surface Mine on the Coal, and get mining.
Next, build a blast furnace - preferably down south where your Coal and Iron mines are - so that you can begin producing actual Iron bars. This is the final step in terms of pure resources, so you’re good to start building the Small Monument now.
It may be worth upgrading your Lumber Hut and Stone Surface Mine to level two so that they start producing more Logs and Stone.
- The Small Monument requires 20 Iron, 10 Planks, 20 Stone, and takes 16 days to build, so it’s no easy feat.
All you need to focus on is getting those resources for the Monument, so build more Lumber Huts, Residences, Farms, and Mines as needed. You should still have all the resources well before the nine-month mark, but if you’re lagging behind a bit, a boost to your industry couldn’t hurt.
The final checklist is as follows:
- Set up A Shaft Mine and Surface Mine Build a Blast Furnace Tweak industry to meet demands Upgrade buildings as necessary Construct Small Monument Get gold medal
This process got the mission done within six months, but feel free to adjust it slightly to suit how you like to play.
