Welcome to this beginner’s guide to RimWorld! Whether you’re starting fresh or sharpening your survival instincts, this walkthrough will help you master your first day on the rim. This guide assumes you’re playing the base game—no mods or DLC. Let’s get started!

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Setting Up Your Game

1. Start a New Colony
   • Choose the Crash Landed scenario. It’s ideal for beginners, giving you three colonists and a balanced set of starting supplies.
2. Choose Your Storyteller
   • Cassandra Classic: Balanced difficulty that ramps up over time.
   • Phoebe Chillax: Slower, more relaxed pace—great for beginners.
   • Randy Random: Unpredictable events and chaos. For this guide, we’ll use Randy Random to keep things interesting.
3. Set the Difficulty
   • Select Adventure Story for a balanced challenge.
   • Enable Reload Anytime Mode to allow saving and reloading.
4. Generate Your World
   • Use the seed "beginner's guide" to follow along.
   • Leave most world settings at default for simplicity.
5. Select Your Starting Tile
   • Look for a temperate forest with mountainous terrain and a year-round growing period.
   • Prefer tiles with granite and marble stone types for stronger structures.

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Preparing Your Colonists

1. Choose the Right Colonists
   • Prioritize pawns with high passion for Construction, Plants, and Medicine.
   • Ensure at least one colonist has a Construction skill of 5 or more.
   • Avoid traits like Incapable of Dumb Labor or Incapable of Violence.
   • Steer clear of colonists with major health issues or debilitating traits.
2. Confirm Your Team
   • Once you’re satisfied with your team, click Next to begin.

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First Steps on the Rim

1. Pause Immediately
   • Survey your map:
     • Geysers for future power generation.
     • Fertile soil for crop planting.
     • Mountain walls for defense and shelter.
2. Equip Weapons
   • Assign starting weapons based on combat skills. Prioritize accuracy and melee if needed.
3. Set Up Shelter
   • Build a shared barracks near the mountain wall.
   • Use the Architect > Structure menu to place walls.
   • Colonists will automatically clear trees and build a roof.
4. Create a Stockpile Zone
   • Use the Zone tool to make a stockpile near your base. Colonists will haul supplies here.
5. Add Beds
   • Build one bed per colonist in the barracks to avoid mood debuffs.
6. Create a Dining Area
   • Place a table and a few chairs to prevent colonists from eating on the floor.
7. Provide Light
   • Build a torch lamp for better mood and work speed.
8. Add Recreation
   • Build a horseshoes pin or chess table to maintain morale.

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Establishing a Food Supply

1. Plant Crops
   • Use Growing Zones to set up fields:
     • Zone 1: Plant Rice (fast growth).
     • Zone 2: Plant Corn (slow but high yield).
2. Build a Fridge
   • Construct a room near your fields.
   • Use shelves to improve storage.
   • Set shelves to accept “Food Only” via the Storage tab.
3. Cook Simple Meals
   • Place a Fueled Stove in a clean, enclosed area.
   • Set a bill to cook Simple Meals until you have 12 stored.

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Generating Power

1. Build a Wind Turbine
   • Place it in a clear area, free from obstructions.
   • Connect it to your base with power conduits.
2. Upgrade Lighting
   • Replace torches with standing lamps once electricity is available.
3. Cool the Fridge
   • Install a cooler, set to -9°C to keep food frozen.

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Start Researching

1. Build a Research Room
   • Dig into a mountain for safety and insulation.
   • Keep the room clean to increase research efficiency.
2. Research Batteries
   • This will allow you to store excess wind power for nighttime or outages.

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Crafting Essentials

1. Place a Crafting Spot
   • Find it under Architect > Production.
2. Craft Basic Weapons
   • Add a bill to craft a club—a useful early melee weapon.
   • Assign it to a colonist with decent Crafting skill.

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Wrapping Up

You’ve now completed the essential first-day tasks in RimWorld, including:

• Shelter and stockpile setup.
• Food production and power generation.
• Crafting and research foundations.

The rim is harsh, but you’re off to a solid start. As your colony grows, you’ll face raids, illness, trade opportunities, and more. Be sure to check out our upcoming guides on advanced survival tactics, base design, and long-term planning.

Thanks for reading, and happy surviving out there on the rim!

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