Summary
It’s thanks toService Buildingsthat a city inCities: Skylines 2can provide much-needed Services to its population. Regardless of a city’s size or population, the city-sim requires a certain number and specific types of Service Buildings in order to fulfill certain obligations, most of which are critical to achieving not just the city’s basic functions but also to fulfill the needs of citizens residing there.
However, a player who’s still on the verge of expanding their city might be wondering exactly what kind of Service Buildings they need to get in theirCities: Skylines 2playthrough. While first-tier Services such as Water Pumping Stations, Police Stations, Fire Houses, and Medical Clinics are introduced as any city’s must-haves, what are other Service Buildings that players should slowly invest in that are worthwhile in the long run?
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Max. Needed Education
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Regardless of the player’schosen map inCities: Skylines 2, disasters are an inevitable challenge that cities must endure throughout their lifetime. While rescue services via Fire Houses and Hospitals are available, Emergency Shelters also exist to secure the populace’s survival in these crucial times. However, players with a dedicated budget towards disaster preparedness could get more out of anEarly Disaster Warning Systemdespite its hefty 2.4M cost.
At first glance, it seems practical to simply allocate the same cost towards Large Emergency Shelters (315.0K each) or Small Emergency Shelters (35.0K each) with their reduced prices. However, the EDWS does come with buffs that lessen Disaster Damage and boost Disaster Alert Time, potentially securing the safety of integral infrastructure to maintain the city’s stability in times of danger. Creating a few Small Emergency Shelters and then allotting the rest of the funds towards an EDWS can maximize the former’s performance.
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While Medical Clinics are often enough tosustain the populace’s survivalinCities: Skylines 2, players building their cities may be saving enough to secure their firstHospital. After all, it has quite the fleet of 30 Ambulances and 500 Patient Capacity, allowing the city to cover more ground in assisting those with health concerns.
Despite tempting upgrades such as the Health Research Institute and the Disease Control Center, the sheer impact of a Hospital in terms of area coverage makes it a worthwhile upgrade to support a large portion of the city. Should players have enough funds to cover another major expense, the -25% Disease Infection Risk and -25% Health Effects from Pollution that the Disease Control Center confers throughout the whole city make it worth the acquisition.
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Well Educated
Setting up the right network infrastructure is essential inupgrading entertainment inCities: Skylines 2, with options ranging from the Radio Mast, theServer Farm, and Telecom Tower when it comes to upgrade choices. However, for players managing a smaller-scale city, a Server Farm might be the more worthwhile purchase due to its purpose as somewhat of a middle-ground between the smaller-scale Radio Mast and the large area of the Telecom Tower.
At its core, while the Telecom Tower has a wider range of 5km, its weaker bandwidth provision combined with its hefty cost (1000.0K for 15000 GBit/s) makes the Server Farm a cheaper purchase. While the Server Farm only has half the range at 2.5km, it provides a more stable 20000 GBit/s, making it suitable for growing small-scale cities about to have a higher population density.
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Educated
Players who need a bit of a boost when it comes to their city upgrading might need totake out a loan inCities: Skylines 2, with the City Hall being the Service Building needed to reduce its costs. However, when it comes to must-have structures, theWelfare Officemay have a more impactful take on the player’s first few hours of gameplay with their new city. When constructed, the Welfare Office can significantly boost the Well-Being of Zones within its immediate vicinity.
Securing the citizens' Well-Being is essential for overall growth, especially since the provision of fundamental needs and basic services can reduce not just sickness but also crime. Before boosting City Hall with a City Hall Court that lowers Crime and a City Hall Planning Office that lowers Building Leveling Cost, placing Welfare Offices in efficient positions can guarantee a more smooth-sailing first few hours for players.
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Stopping crimes inCities: Skylines 2andmaintaining citizen happinesscould still fall into the hands of police officers in Police Stations, as the hefty cost ofPolice Headquarters(2.1M cost, 310.0K upkeep) may be worth the while should players acquire the budget for it. Due to the limited service capacity of Police Stations, a Police Headquarters may be enough to help curb crime in a small-to-mid-sized city.
However, players should still maintain a cluster of Police Stations within the effective range of the Police Headquarters. That way, police stationed there could respond to requests more efficiently, especially since traffic is an important factor in the speed of service delivery. Eventually, players should also invest in a Prison for the -5 Crime Rate.
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When it comes to securing the safety of any city inCities: Skylines 2, it’s important toprovide services with adequate routesto ensure they get to locations as soon as possible. However, it’s just as important to ensure a service is qualified to reach specific areas so there are as many areas of the city covered as possible. In this regard, when it comes to Fire & Rescue, upgrading into aFire Stationmay be more optimal than keeping a lot of Fire Houses in a growing town.
Despite its hefty cost, investing in a Fire Station should give players a sizable area to work with in terms of securing safety against fires and other hazards. As a large-scale service, positioning a Fire Station along the city center should maximize the radius of coverage within likely populated areas, with Fire Houses only stationed in outskirts.
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Garbage disposal is an essential part of anyCities: Skylines 2playthrough, especially for players who want to boostthe overall popularity of their city. While having Landfills is standard protocol for any growing city, players may want to start investing in aRecycling Centerto better optimize their waste management systems.
While arguably more costly than the Incineration Plant, the Recycling Center is not as expensive as an Industrial Waste Processing Site (at 6.36M) and can reap more benefits than just waste elimination. With the Recycling Center, a player’s city can now reuse garbage collected as new raw materials, providing some income that the city could use towards better investments.
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While the Bus remains the first major mode of public transportation available inCities: Skylines 2, players shouldn’t stick solely to this strategywhen optimizing their city’s traffic components. By the time the player’s city expands, they’ve likely decided to expand their location’s public transportation methods into more Buses with the inclusion of Trains, Subways, and even Harbors and Airports. However, before players even venture into more advanced transportation methods, they should first secure theTaxi Depot.
Not only is the Taxi Depot going to act as both the repair station and garage of city-wide taxis, but the inclusion of the Dispatch Center allows anyone to call for taxis and not just while inside taxi stands. Additionally, securing the Taxi Depot gives players the immediate option to expand their transportation networks with Taxi Stops, diversifying traffic with more efficient taxi travel.
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As a reflection of today’s digital age, Electricity remainsa crucial element in managing a city inCities: Skylines 2. Should players start earning enough for their city to stop depending on importing electricity, they have a wide variety of power sources to pour into the city. While it makes sense to upgrade the Gas Power Plant into a more productive Coal Power Plant, opting for aGeothermal Power Plantinvestment could help with more efficient city management in the long term.
While going for a Geothermal Power Plant seems like a downgrade to the Coal Power Plant, the former’s Pollution count, and 0 Water Consumption are a far cry compared to the 100K pollutants per Pollution Type generated by the Coal variant. Importing Electricity while constructing a few Geothermal Power Plants or even a pair of Solar Power Plants could lead to less Pollution and consumption troubles in the long run.
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When players create their firstCities: Skylines 2city, perhaps the most important course of action is tosecure the area’s Water and Sewage Systems. Ordinarily, just the right pairs of Water Pumping Stations and Sewage Outlets should secure reasonable rotational water supply in a specific area. However, players who want to expand their cities quickly should work their way towards the more flexibleWater Toweras soon as possible.
While creating a Water Tower instantly comes with the cost of thrice the monthly upkeep versus the Water Pumping Station, its flexibility of being placed anywhere can accommodate most city formats. Players who want to diversify their city construction options can count on a Water Tower to supply Zones further away from their starting Water Pumping Stations, guaranteeing the survival of townsfolk.
