Rimworld: Tips for New Players

A Kickstarter dream made manifest, Rimworld is a top-down strategy game that tasks players with managing a colony of people in varying environments in an effort to survive the seasons, enemies, and more. This sounds simple enough at first, but the game is a true challenge for even the most neurotic micromanager. Thus, here are some tips that will majorly help out new players venturing into the game.

Rimworld Tips and Tricks for New Players

Land Smarter, Not Harder

Since it is how you start a Rimworld run, choosing a landing area is an extremely important action. It not only dictates your colony's environment, but also the threats it will face. Each landing area has its own difficulty, with most players agreeing Rimworld's forest biome is the easiest area to start in, and thus is the best areas for new players to check out.

Setting Up Defenses

Enemies invading your colony will end in certain doom if you do not have defenses prepared. Turrets, sentries, and other defenses are imperative to survival. One great strategy for new players is to herd enemies into a single, well-defended area. Affectionately designated the "kill box" by Rimworld players, the idea is to build walls all around the colony while leaving one route completely open so that enemies will believe it to be the path of least resistance. However, you know that this is false, as you have hopefully lined said path with all manner of firepower to decimate any would-be invaders.

Long-Range Defenses

While the "kill box" will be your final and most powerful line of defense against enemies, having a first line of defense is also important. This can come in the form of snipers, mortars, or a bit of each. Snipers are precision defenders capable of taking out a single target efficiently, while mortars excel at pounding groups of enemies into dust. Both defenses will trim the fat off an invading force before it makes its way into your "kill box."

Healthy Colonists, Healthy Colony

Keeping colonists physically and mentally healthy is something you'll want to monitor closely. First, keep colonists fed, as well-fed colonists will heal from minor wounds. Secondly, most heavily injured colonists require a medical bed to be treated. The best setup is to have a medical bed within its own room. Thirdly, make sure colonists have access to entertainment or art, as both are integral to keeping colonists' mental states in check.

Building a Solid Shelter

Setting up your colony's shelter correctly can be the difference between survival and destruction. Start by building a sleeping area for your colonists followed by a storage room and/or a freezer to preserve gathered food. After these are built, send out colonists to hunt and gather while also starting an area for growing crops. Lastly, build up some rudimentary defenses. You won't have enough resources to utilize the "kill box" strategy at first, but a handful of turrets should be enough to fend off early aggressors.

Related: How to Get Components in RimWorld

Choose Colonists Wisely

Good colonists are the backbone of any successful Rimworld run. To that end, having colonists with diverse skill sets is integral to this success. From the start, you'll need a shooter, grower, and doctor, as their skill sets will be imperative to early game survival. Also, you'll want to avoid early pyromaniacs at all costs, as early buildings, especially in the forest, will be made of wood, and thus be under constant threat from your fire-inclined friend.

Work From Most to Least Important

When assigning work tasks to your colonists, be sure to order the tasks from most to least important. You can assign work in numbered categories up to four, with one being the most important tasks. Once all listed tasks have been completed, the colonists will begin from step one and move back through the tasks as though they were an idle farming mobile game. Also, you can reset a colonist to have them start from the top even if they are not done with the current task. To do so, un-draft the colonist and then immediately re-draft them. Furthermore, colonists will only complete tasks that are within their assigned work areas, so pay close attention to which tasks are in what area.

Happy Colonists, Happy Colony

While colonist health is important, so too is colonist happiness. Making sure that your colonists have plenty of food, protection from the elements, and a clean living space is integral to their happiness. Also, try not to let colonists see corpses or witness another colonist's death, as this will significantly reduce a colonist's happiness. The more stressed or sad colonists are, the more their mental health suffers, so be sure to monitor happiness closely.

The Best Early Skills

Skills are augments that improve your colony's abilities in every run. While many skills are helpful, some are a cut above, especially when it comes to the early game. Skills come in two categories: Primary and Secondary. Naturally, primary skills are stronger while secondary are weaker, but both types can be extremely beneficial. Some of the best early game primary skills are mining, growing, construction, and cooking, while some of the best secondary skills are social, animals, crafting, researching, and combat.

Loss is Inevitable

One eventuality every Rimworld player will face is a loss. Rimworld is a very challenging game, especially for new players, so don't take losses to heart. Instead, learn from them so that your future runs will be more successful. Optimize your landing area, colonists, skills, defenses, and other areas and you will set yourself up for success.

Looking for ways to spice up your Rimworld playthroughs or games similar to it? Check out the Best Rimworld Mods or 12 Best Games like RimWorld from Pro Game Guides!