Unlocking and Placing Signature Buildings in Cities: Skylines 2
Unlock and place unique signature buildings in Cities: Skylines 2 to earn valuable bonuses Discover how to unlock and build residential, mixed housing, commercial, industrial, and office signature buildings
In Cities: Skylines 2, the sequel to the first game, there is a shift from unique buildings as attractions to signature buildings. Unlike the previous game where unlocking these buildings required reaching milestones or spending development points, in Cities: Skylines 2, signature buildings are only unlocked once certain requirements are met by the city.
While most of these requirements are based on the number of zone buildings, a few have specific additional needs. Once unlocked, signature buildings can be freely placed and serve the same function as the corresponding zone type, with the added benefit of unique features. The challenge lies in figuring out how to construct a city that fulfills these requirements.
How to Place Signature Buildings
Signature buildings in Cities: Skylines 2 can be unlocked once the Tiny Village milestone is reached. The ability to place them becomes available when the city has 1,000 active cells of medium-density row housing, specifically either North American or European housing, not a mix of both. Each tile adjacent to a street counts as one cell, so a full-size row house occupies six cells.
Meeting this requirement will unlock the first signature building, which is either Vertigo Square with EU housing or Baltar Pines with NA housing. These buildings function as row houses, accommodating residents and requiring similar conditions as other residential buildings. Additionally, players can acquire signature commercial, office, and industrial buildings that perform optimally within their respective zones. Businesses have the option to rent these buildings, attracting customers and fulfilling tax obligations.
While functioning similarly to zone buildings, players are required to manually position each signature building, which can be relocated like any regular civic structure. The notable perk of signature buildings lies in their no-cost placement and additional bonuses they offer in addition to functioning as ordinary zone buildings.
How to Unlock Each Signature Building
Players have the option to choose between NA and EU variants for many zone types when creating new areas. Similarly, signature buildings also offer both NA and EU versions. The interesting part is that players can mix and match these zone types within a single city, allowing them to obtain and place every variant available. Furthermore, it is possible for players to swap an existing zone with either NA or EU variant, enabling them to quickly acquire the other variant without affecting the city's population makeup. However, it is important to note that when using this approach, the replacement buildings will start at level one.
Residential Signature Buildings
To clarify the definitions, Well-Being pertains to the enhancement of citizen happiness within a specific locale, Attractiveness refers to the ability of a building (or city) to attract a greater number of tourists, and Efficiency denotes the capacity of a building type to consume fewer resources (thus minimizing the reliance on road vehicles) for its operation. It is worth noting that zone cells do not contribute to the count of signature buildings unless a building is situated upon them.
Name (NA/EU) | Requirements | Special Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Rock Musician Mansion/Pop Musician Manor | Milestone 1 2,500 cells of Low Density Housing | +2 Well-Being in 547 yds |
Film Actor Mansion/Theater Actor Mansion | Milestone 1 10,000 cells of Low Density Housing 10,000 media goods produced | +4 Well-Being in 1,094 yds |
Painter Mansion/Sculptor Mansion | Milestone 1 25,000 cells of Low Density Housing Citizen Happiness: 60% | +6 Well-Being in 1,640 yds |
Polaris Suites/Corundum Condos | Milestone 2 500 cells of Medium Density Housing | +4 Well-Being in 1,094 yds |
Rubique Apartments/Old Factory Condos | Milestone 2 2,500 cells of Medium Density Housing | +8 Well-Being in 1.2 miles |
Gatehouse Residences/Deuclidia Apartments | Milestone 2 5,000 cells of Medium Density Housing | +10 Well-Being in 1.6 miles |
Baltar Pines/Vertigo Square | Milestone 1 1,000 cells of Row Housing | +3 Well-Being in 820 yds |
Vista Building/Constellation Apartments | Milestone 1 5,000 cells of Row Housing | +5 Well-Being in 1,367 yds |
CO10 Condos/Mollari Palace | Milestone 1 10,000 cells of Row Housing | +7 Well-Being in 1.2 miles |
Watanabe Tower/Waveform Tower | Milestone 8 50 level 5 High Density Housing Buildings | +6 Well-Being in 1,640 yds |
Century Castle/Halo Heights | Milestone 8 100 level 5 High Density Housing Buildings | +10 Well-Being in 1.6 miles |
Colossal Tower/The Grass Crown | 200 level 5 High Density Housing Buildings | +12 Well-Being in 1.9 miles |
Mixed Housing Signature Buildings
Name (NA/EU) | Requirements | Special Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Ironpress Building/Epicurian Garden | Milestone 5 500 cells of Mixed Housing | +1% City Attractiveness +4 Well-Being in 820 yds 5 Attractiveness |
Ember Suites/Figura Building | Milestone 5 2,500 cells of Mixed Housing | +1% City Attractiveness +8 Well-Being in 1,367 yds 10 Attractiveness |
Cane Residences/Ludo Square | Milestone 5 5,000 cells of Mixed Housing | +1% City Attractiveness +10 Well-Being in 1.2 miles 15 Attractiveness |
Commercial Signature Buildings
Name (NA/EU) | Requirements | Special Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Streamline Diner/Villa City | Milestone 1 4,000 cells of Low Density Business | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +3 Well-Being in 547 yds 5 Attractiveness |
Food Station/Auto Center | Milestone 1 7,000 cells of Low Density Business | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +3 Well-Being in 1,094 yds 10 Attractiveness |
One Stop Station/Marketplace | Milestone 1 15,000 cells of Low Density Business | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +3 Well-Being in 1,640 yds 15 Attractiveness |
Square Center/Fashion Square | Milestone 9 60 level 5 High Density Business Buildings | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +5 Well-Being in 1,094 yds 10 Attractiveness |
The Marvelous Marble/Activity Plaza | Milestone 9 120 level 5 High Density Business Buildings | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +5 Well-Being in 1,640 yds 20 Attractiveness |
The Capacitor Building/The Emerald Building | Milestone 9 240 level 5 High Density Business Buildings | -1% Import Costs +1% City Attractiveness +5 Well-Being in 1.2 miles 30 Attractiveness |
Industrial Signature Buildings
Name | Requirements | Special Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Vehicle Factory | Milestone 3 10 Oil Drilling Hub Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +10% resources in all Oil Deposits |
Ground Earth | Milestone 3 10 Mining Hub Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +10% resources in all Ore Deposits |
Dairy House | Milestone 3 10 Agriculture Hub Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +2% City Export Profits |
Paper Factory | Milestone 3 10 Forestry Hub Buildings | +5% City Industrial Efficiency |
Chemical Plant | Milestone 1 8,000 cells of Industrial Buildings | +1% City Industrial Efficiency |
Fuel Plant | Milestone 1 50 level 5 Industrial Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency -5% Industrial Ground Pollution -5% Industrial Air Pollution |
Switchon | Milestone 1 1 College 100 level 5 Industrial Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +1% College Graduation Rate |
Pharma | Milestone 1 1 Medical University 10,000 Population | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education |
Oil Refinery | Milestone 1 1 Technical University 10,000 cells of Industrial Buildings | +2% City Industrial Efficiency +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education |
Office Signature Buildings
Name | Requirements | Special Bonus |
|---|---|---|
Principiis | Milestone 4 2,000 cells of Low Density Office | -2% Crime Rate in 547 yds +5 Well-Being in 547 yds +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +1% Office Efficiency 5 Attractiveness |
Coder Park | Milestone 4 5,000 cells of Low Density Office | +5 Well-Being in 1,094 yds +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +1% Office Efficiency 10 Attractiveness |
Incaserium | Milestone 4 10,000 cells of Low Density Office | +5 Well-Being in 1,640 yds +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +1% Office Efficiency 15 Attractiveness |
Multistory Multimedia | Milestone 10 5 Radio Masts 3,000 cells of High Density Office | +5 Well-Being in 1,094 yds +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +2% Office Efficiency 10 Attractiveness |
Waterfall Array | Milestone 10 1 Server Farm 6,000 cells of High Density Office | +5 Well-Being in 1,640 yds +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +2% Office Efficiency 20 Attractiveness |
Stylus Tower | Milestone 10 12,000 cells of High Density Office | +5 Well-Being in 1.2 miles +1% University Graduation Rate +5% Interest in University Education +2% Office Efficiency 30 Attractiveness |
Cities: Skylines 2 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Cities: Skylines 2
Platform(s) PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series SReleased October 24, 2023Developer(s) Colossal OrderPublisher(s) Paradox InteractiveGenre(s) City Builder
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z fan of city-building games, I am excited about the new Cities: Skylines 2. The ability to unlock and place signature buildings adds a new level of depth and strategy to the game. I appreciate that the requirements for unlocking these buildings are based on the number of zone buildings, as this encourages players to develop their cities in a balanced way. The fact that signature buildings can be freely placed and serve the same function as the corresponding zone type is also a great feature, as it allows players to customize their cities to their liking.
Overall, I think that the addition of signature buildings in Cities: Skylines 2 is a great way to add more variety and challenge to the game. I can't wait to see what other new features the game has to offer.
