The Forever Winter: How the Tunnel System Works

Here's how the tunnel system works in The Forever Winter.

A major update to The Forever Winter replaced simple map selection with an actual underground tunnel network you now have to walk through region by region. The teleporter approach is gone, so getting to a destination means physically traveling there through connected zones.

How the Tunnels Connect

There are four tunnels total, labeled A through D, and they don't link directly to each other despite what the region map might suggest. Each tunnel connects to at least two overworld regions instead, so reaching Tunnel B means passing through a region accessed from Tunnel A first.

This is rather than moving straight from one tunnel to the next, which took some getting used to for returning players in The Forever Winter.

You can fast travel to any tunnel or region you've already unlocked for free, with no water or credits required. The only cost comes from Fast Travel Drones, which you'll only need if you want to skip directly to a location without walking the tunnel chain manually.

You craft these drones from materials scattered through the tunnels themselves, an oddly varied list that includes things like solid state drives and other salvaged electronics.

Extraction Choices

Every region you reach through the tunnels gives you two extraction options - one heading back to the Innards, and another pushing forward into the next tunnel in the chain. Choosing to continue rather than extract keeps your run going deeper into the tunnel network without resetting progress.

Your health and current magazine ammo regenerate automatically whenever a new map loads. This makes characters like Gunhead, who normally can't heal at all, and weapons like the Painless, viable to run continuously through the tunnel chain without needing to stop and recover between fights.

What to Expect Inside

Each tunnel tends to get more difficult than the last, both in length and in the obstacles thrown into it. Expect platforming sections, electrical hazard fields, steam vents, poisoned water, and burning hallways you'll need to carefully avoid rather than push through.

This is a noticeable shift in how hazards work in The Forever Winter compared to the original surface maps.

Combat, especially against drones, shows up frequently throughout, arguably more often underground than on the surface. Every tunnel also contains its own dedicated extract points, a treasure room stocked with a solid pile of loot, and a rest stop area.

Keep in mind throughout - enemy exosuits remain far too fast and dangerous to compete with directly, so avoiding them outright is usually the smarter call over engaging.

Multiplayer Behavior

In group play, when your host chooses an exit or extraction point, your whole party gets pulled along with them on a countdown, which helps keep your team together rather than scattered across different maps.

This host-based extraction system has noticeably improved the overall multiplayer experience in The Forever Winter compared to before the tunnels were introduced.

Reaching the End

Certain late-game destinations, like Babel, only give you a single extraction point back to the Innards rather than a forward path, similar to how Scrapyard Nexus originally worked before it was patched to include a second option.

This kind of one-way structure is new territory for The Forever Winter, and it changes how you'll need to plan a run before committing to Tunnel D.

Once you've passed through Tunnel D, there's no route back into the tunnel system from that point onward, making your journey through all four tunnels effectively a one-way trip once you start it.

Also, check out our other guides below :

• The Forever Winter: Character Guide and Which One to Pick
• The Forever Winter: How to Level Up and Farm Weapon XP Fast
• The Forever Winter: Rifle Guide and Which Ones are Worth Using