How to Stay Warm in Permafrost: Insulation, Body Warmth & Cold Statuses

Cold is Permafrost's real antagonist. Every piece of clothing carries a thermal insulation value, every heat source applies a Warmed or Heated status, and a handful of foods push Body Warmth back up. This guide ranks all of it with the game's own numbers so you can plan a loadout that survives White Hell rather than guessing which jacket looks thickest.

How warmth works

Your character has a Body Warmth attribute with separate base, gain and loss rates. Clothing raises Thermal Insulation, which slows the loss; heat sources and warming food raise Body Warmth directly. Clothing also wears out while worn — every tracked piece loses 2 durability per tick — so a 300-durability jacket has a finite life before it needs a repair at the Repair Bench (10 Wood + 10 Flint). The exact temperature thresholds are not exposed in the game data, so this guide sticks to the values that are.

The warmest piece for every slot

Below those two sets the ladder is tidy: Military pieces give 45 insulation with 44 light armor (16 Cloth + 3 Quality Metal for the jacket), Technocrats pieces 41 (14 Cloth + 7 Scrap), Utility 38 (13 Cloth + 5 Iron Ingot), Scavenger and Renegade's 35 (20 Cloth + 4 Copper Ingot), Hybrid 32 (11 Cloth + 5 Treated Hide), and the animal hats — Bear Head Hat, Fox Head Hat, Wolf Head Hat — 35 each for 4 Cloth plus pelts. Use the Warmth Planner to total a full outfit.

Heat sources: fires, braziers and heaters

Worn heaters occupy the tactical-rig slot and apply the Heated status while active: the Makeshift Heater (2 Cloth + 2 Processed Plastic, a quest blueprint, 40 Bucks from Anna or Skinwalker), the Chemical Heater (2 Cloth + 2 Chemicals) and the Electric Heater (2 Cloth + 2 Batteries, 2 blueprint points, rewarded by the quest New Message). The main quest Going Further is explicitly about finding an upgraded heater blueprint before crossing the cold zone toward House Camp and the Solar Fields. See every heater on the items page.

Food and drink that restore Body Warmth

The cold status ladder

1. Stage 1
   Low Temperature

   'You are in a very cold place, your Body Warmth starts to drop.' No remedy listed — move toward heat before the next stage.

2. Stage 2
   Bone-Chilling Cold

   'Extreme cold drains body warmth. Find shelter as soon as possible.' Remedy: leave the Cold Zone.

3. Stage 3
   Deadly Cold Zone

   'Freezing temperature rapidly saps warmth. Leave immediately or death will follow.' Shown on the HUD. Remedy: leave the Cold Zone.

4. Collapse
   Hypothermia

   'You become drowsy, disoriented, and apathetic.' Deals damage based on the temperature difference. Remedy: regenerate Body Warmth — fire, heater, warm drink.

The Toughness skill (cap 25) is the only skill that scales damage reduction, and the quest Dressed for White Hell exists because the game expects you to wear the Permafrost set before the final region. Cold zones also hold a Deep Snow status that heavily restricts movement — plan routes, not sprints. Every status and its remedy is on the status effects page.