RimWorld Gear Slots Decoded: Turn Your Colonists Into Walking Fortresses
The Ultimate RimWorld Gear Slots Guide
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Understanding Gear Slots in RimWorld
In RimWorld, "gear slots" refers to the different positions on a pawn's body where clothing, armor, and accessories can be equipped. The system is based on body parts and apparel layers rather than explicit slots, making it more complex than traditional RPG slot systems. Mastering this system is crucial for keeping your colonists protected, comfortable, and happy.
This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of gear slots in the base game, all DLCs, and popular mods. Whether you're min-maxing for combat efficiency or roleplaying a stylish colony, you'll find everything you need to know about optimizing pawn equipment. New to RimWorld? Start with our complete beginner's guide to learn the fundamentals before diving into advanced equipment strategies.
✨ The styling station interface - where you can customize your colonists' appearance before turning them into walking fortresses
Gear Slots and Layers in Vanilla RimWorld
RimWorld uses a layer-based clothing system rather than traditional equipment slots. Items can be worn together if they don't occupy the same layer on the same body parts.
Headgear Slot
Covers the head, and only one headgear item can typically be worn. Includes:
- Simple helmets (50-70% sharp protection)
- Advanced helmets (Marine/Cataphract, ~100% protection)
- Cowboy hats (+15% social impact, heat insulation)
- Tuques (cold weather protection)
- Special headgear (Gunlink, Eltex items)
Torso/Body Layers
Body apparel is divided into three layers that can be combined:
- Skin layer: Shirts, pants, tribalwear
- Middle layer: Flak vests, armor vests
- Outer layer: Dusters, jackets, parkas, power armor
Utility (Belt) Slot
Only one utility item can be worn at a time. Options include:
- Shield Belt (blocks ranged attacks, melee favorite)
- Smokepop Pack (auto-deploys smoke when hit)
- Jump Pack (Royalty DLC, allows jumping)
- Low-Shield Pack (Royalty DLC, temporary shield bubble)
Special Cases & Coverage Notes
- Eyes Layer: Items like blindfolds (Ideology DLC) occupy the Eyes layer, allowing them to be worn with other headgear.
- Hands & Feet: In vanilla RimWorld, there are no dedicated slots for gloves or boots - no apparel covers these body parts.
- Weapon Slot: While not apparel, each pawn can equip one weapon (ranged or melee) at a time.
- Coverage Gaps: Even full armor leaves some body parts vulnerable - no vanilla apparel covers hands or feet.
Practical Layering Example
A colonist could wear all of these simultaneously:
- Skin Button-down shirt (torso/arms)
- Skin Pants (legs)
- Middle Flak vest (torso)
- Outer Duster (torso/arms/legs)
- Headgear Simple helmet (head)
- Belt Shield belt
This combination provides excellent coverage and protection across multiple layers.
Gear Types and Stats by Slot
Armor Stats Explained
Protection Types
- Sharp: Protection against bullets, blades, and piercing attacks
- Blunt: Protection against clubs, fists, and blunt impacts
- Heat: Protection against fire and burns
How Armor Works
When a pawn is hit:
- Attack penetration value is subtracted from armor rating
- The resulting effective armor provides two chances:
- Example: 70% effective armor gives 35% chance to fully deflect and 35% chance to reduce damage by half
- Multiple layers are checked sequentially (outer first)
Headgear Comparison
| Headgear | Sharp | Blunt | Heat | Coverage | Special Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Helmet | 54% | 20% | 18% | Head, ears | None |
| Marine Helmet | 100% | 40% | 54% | Full head | None |
| Cowboy Hat | 30%* | 15%* | 20%* | Head | +15% Social Impact +10°C Heat Protection |
| Eltex Helmet | 40% | 20% | 18% | Head | +15% Psychic Sensitivity +5% Neural Heat Recovery |
| Gunlink | 0% | 0% | 0% | Head | +3 Shooting Accuracy |
* Values for normal quality cloth. Material and quality significantly affect clothing stats.
Body Apparel Highlights
Skin Layer Options
- Button-down Shirt: Covers torso/arms, decent insulation
- T-Shirt: Covers torso, less material than button-down
- Pants: Covers legs, basic protection
- Tribalwear: Single piece covering torso/arms/legs, less labor to craft
Middle Layer Options
- Flak Vest: ~100% sharp protection for torso/neck, small movement penalty
- Flak Pants: Covers legs, can be worn over regular pants
- Royal Vest: Required for nobles, modest protection with social bonus
Outer Layer Options
- Duster: Excellent coverage (torso/arms/legs), good against heat, decent cold protection
- Jacket: Covers torso/arms, less coverage than duster but easier to craft
- Parka: Best cold insulation, covers torso/arms, slows movement
- Marine/Cataphract Armor: Heavy protection, covers torso/limbs, movement penalty
Utility Items (Belt Slot)
Shield Belt
Personal energy shield that stops ranged attacks. Blocks bullets but prevents the wearer from firing ranged weapons.
Smokepop Pack
Automatically deploys smoke when wearer is hit by bullets. One-time use for emergency concealment.
Jump Pack
Allows short burst jumps to quickly reposition. Uses chemfuel and requires Royalty DLC.
DLCs and Gear Slot Changes
Royalty DLC Additions
New Apparel
- Prestige Armor (Cataphract, Marine variants with psychic buffs)
- Eltex Gear (Shirts, Robes, Vests that boost psychic abilities)
- Royal Clothing (Required for nobles, increases social impact)
- Coronets and Royal Headgear (Required for specific noble ranks)
Understanding faction tech levels helps predict what equipment raiders will bring. See our faction tech levels guide for strategic insights.
Utility Items
- Jump Pack (Jetpack for tactical mobility)
- Low-Shield Pack (One-use deployable shield bubble)
- Locust Armor (Cataphract variant with integrated jump capability)
- Phoenix Armor (Flame-equipped suit with extreme heat protection)
Biocoding
Some quest rewards come biocoded to specific pawns. Biocoded items can only be worn by the assigned pawn unless they have the Biosculpting-Capable trait.
Pawn Roles & Gear Optimization
Combat Role Equipment
Melee Fighter Loadout
Prioritize maximum protection and melee capability:
- Head: Marine/Cataphract Helmet
- Body: Marine/Cataphract Armor
- Under Armor: Any shirt (minimal impact)
- Utility: Shield Belt
- Weapon: Highest DPS melee weapon
Ranged Fighter Loadout
Balance protection and mobility:
- Head: Marine Helmet or Gunlink (for top shooters)
- Body: Flak Vest + Devilstrand/Thrumbofur Duster
- Legs: Pants + Flak Pants
- Utility: Smokepop Pack or empty (to use grenades)
- Weapon: Matching ranged weapon for range/skill
Medic/Support Loadout
Focus on mobility and utility:
- Head: Simple Helmet
- Body: Flak Vest + Duster
- Legs: Pants
- Utility: Jump Pack (Royalty) for quick movement
- Weapon: Light weapon or empty for faster movement
Environmental Adaptations
Cold Biome Gear
Prioritize insulation without sacrificing protection:
- Use Tuques instead of combat helmets when not in combat
- Consider wool or fur Dusters instead of Parkas for fighters
- Keep separate winter/combat outfits for quick changing
- Use Parkas only for extreme cold or non-combat pawns
For detailed cold weather survival strategies and material comparisons, see our comprehensive cold survival and warm clothing guide.
Hot Biome Gear
Balance heat management and protection:
- Cowboy hats provide heat protection and social bonuses
- Dusters (especially camelhide) excel in heat protection
- Consider Phoenix Armor (Royalty) for maximum heat resistance
- Lightweight clothing made from breathable materials
Toxic/Pollution Gear
Protection from environmental hazards:
- Gas masks are crucial for toxic fallout/pollution (replaces helmet)
- Face masks offer partial protection (can wear with some helmets)
- Keep backup helmets ready for when combat starts
- Genetically modified pawns with tox resistance can skip masks
When environmental hazards cause injuries or illness, proper medical treatment is essential. Learn more in our comprehensive medical treatment guide.
Special Trait Considerations
Tough vs. Wimp
- Tough Pawns: Can survive with lighter armor, prioritize mobility
- Wimp Pawns: Need extra protection to avoid going down from minor wounds
Bionics & Modifications
- Pawns with bionic legs can wear heavier armor with less movement penalty
- Fast Walker trait offsets armor movement penalties
- Biotech gene modifications can provide natural armor or heat/cold tolerance
Ideology & Noble Restrictions
- Social/leadership pawns often need specific apparel for roles
- Consider assigning combat-mandatory roles to pawns who can wear armor
- Nobles with title requirements may need to sacrifice some protection
Gear Management Over Time
Outfit Management
Creating Custom Outfits
- Go to the Assign tab
- Click "Manage Outfits"
- Create new outfits for different roles/situations
- Set temperature ranges, quality levels, and allowed apparel
- Soldier (Combat Gear)
- Worker (Comfortable Clothing)
- Winter Gear (Cold Weather)
- Noble Attire (For titled pawns)
Tattered Apparel Management
Prevent mood penalties from worn gear:
- Set HP threshold to 51%+ in outfit settings
- Pawns will automatically replace tattered gear
- Store replacement apparel in accessible stockpiles
- Consider repair mods for valuable/legendary items
Force Wear & Switching
For manual control of gear:
- Right-click apparel item → "Force wear"
- Look for red "!!" icon on forced apparel
- Clear forced wear when situation changes
- Consider drafting pawns before major battles to manually equip optimal gear
Storage & Maintenance
Armory Setup
- Store combat gear in shelves near colony entrance
- Always keep gear under a roof to prevent deterioration
- Set up separate stockpiles for different gear types
- Consider specialized storage rooms for rare/valuable gear
Seasonal Planning
- Keep seasonal clothing in storage (e.g., parkas for winter)
- Have at least one spare outfit per colonist
- Prepare cold-weather gear for caravans
- Use outfit assignments to automatically switch with seasons
Tainted Apparel
- Strip downed enemies before death to avoid tainting
- Create separate stockpiles for tainted clothes
- Dispose of unwanted tainted gear in crematoriums
- Sell tainted apparel to bulk goods traders
- Some mods allow washing to remove taint
Gear Progression Timeline
Early Game (First Year)
- Basic clothing (whatever you can get/craft)
- Tribalwear or pants + shirts as resources allow
- Simple helmets after Complex Clothing research
- War masks or other tribal headgear if available
New players should focus on basic survival first. Our beginner's guide covers essential early-game priorities.
Mid Game (1-2 Years)
- Flak vests and helmets (first armor priority)
- Devilstrand clothing when available (better protection)
- Dusters for most colonists (excellent coverage)
- Shield belts for melee fighters
- Specialized seasonal wear (parkas/cowboy hats)
Late Game (3+ Years)
- Marine/Cataphract armor for key fighters
- Prestige variants for psycasters (Royalty)
- Thrumbofur/Hyperweave apparel for top protection
- Specialized DLC gear (jump packs, mechanitor headsets)
- Masterwork/legendary quality gear prioritized
Popular Mods Expanding Gear Slots
Packs Are Not Belts
PopularMoves Royalty jump packs and low-shield packs from utility slot to the torso (Outer) slot, allowing a pawn to wear a shield belt and a jump pack simultaneously.
Simple Sidearms
PopularAllows pawns to carry multiple weapons and switch between them as needed. Not technically a new slot, but enhances gear flexibility significantly.
Vanilla Apparel Expanded
PopularIntroduces gloves and boots as new apparel items, filling the vanilla game's "empty" hand and feet slots. Also adds backpacks and other accessories.
Combat Extended
OverhaulMajor overhaul that changes how armor works. Adds load-bearing equipment, backpacks, and ammunition management. Completely rebalances all armor systems.
Dual Wield
PopularAllows pawns to equip a weapon in their off-hand, effectively introducing a second weapon slot with limitations based on weight.
Gear Up and Go
QoLNot a slot mod, but allows quick switching between defined outfit presets. Pawns can change from civilian to combat gear with a single click.
Mod Compatibility Notes
When using multiple gear mods together, be aware of potential conflicts:
- Combat Extended is incompatible with many other gear mods unless patches exist
- Some slot-adding mods may conflict if they modify the same slots
- Load order matters - place more fundamental slot changes earlier in your mod list
- Always check mod pages for known compatibility issues before combining
Quick-Start Guide to Gear (Fast Tips)
Know Your Slots
Each pawn can wear at most 1 headgear, 1 (or combo of) body outfit covering skin/middle/outer layers, and 1 utility belt at a time.
Layer for Protection
Combine layers for best effect – wear a duster over a flak vest for broad coverage and solid protection in early-mid game.
Dress for Weather
Use parkas in winter and dusters in summer. Keep spare seasonal outfits ready for changing conditions.
Shield Users vs Shooters
Give shield belts to melee fighters only. Ranged units should use smokepop packs or leave utility slot empty to use grenades.
Helmets Save Lives
Even a simple helmet prevents instant-kill headshots. Prioritize crafting helmets before other armor.
Avoid Tattered Gear
Set outfits to drop gear below 50% HP to avoid mood penalties. Replace worn-out clothing regularly.
Use Quality Materials
Devilstrand clothing and steel/plasteel armor are significantly better than basic materials. Prioritize quality resources.
Storage Matters
Keep your armory under a roof. Build shelves for critical gear near entrances for quick access during raids.
Balance Combat & Comfort
Combat armor slows work. Have colonists wear light clothes during peace and only suit up when danger approaches.
Conclusion
Mastering RimWorld's gear system is about finding the right balance between protection, mobility, temperature management, and role requirements. With the knowledge from this guide, you can:
- Effectively layer apparel for maximum protection
- Adapt to different biomes and environmental challenges
- Optimize gear for specific combat roles
- Manage your colony's apparel economy efficiently
- Enhance your gear options with carefully selected mods
Remember that even the best gear can't protect against every threat in the Rim. Strategic positioning, good cover usage, and intelligent tactics will always complement your gear choices. For comprehensive defensive strategies, check our combat and defense guide. A well-dressed (and well-armored) colony can drastically improve survival chances and even add to the story of your RimWorld adventure.