How to Use Transport Pods in RimWorld (1.6) | Fuel, Range, and Launch Tool
RimWorld 1.6.4633 local data check
How to Use Transport Pods in RimWorld
The fast answer: finish Microelectronics, clear the hidden Biofuel Refining and Machining prerequisites, research Transport Pod at a hi-tech research bench, then build an unroofed pod plus launcher pair, fuel each launcher at 2.25 chemfuel per tile, load your pawns or cargo, and choose Drop at edge or Drop in center based on risk. Need the shortest path first? Jump to Quick Solution.
Pod Launcher
50 steel, 1 component, 150-fuel tank, adjacent launch groups.
Transport Pod
60 steel, 1 component, 150 kg default mass capacity.
Chemfuel
Launcher fuel. One batch is 35 from 70 wood or 3.5 organics.
Shuttle Check
Shuttles carry more, but solar flare defs can block shuttle launch.
PlaceWorker_NotUnderRoof.
Unlock the chain
Research Microelectronics, then finish hidden prereqs Biofuel Refining and Machining, then buy Transport Pod.
Build unroofed
Place one pod launcher and one transport pod in the open. The pod must sit beside the launcher's fueling port.
Fuel for distance
Pods use 2.25 chemfuel per tile. A full 150-fuel launcher reaches about 66 tiles.
Load the group
Assign pawns, items, or animals with Load. Fix reachability, forbid status, and mass issues before you launch.
Pick the landing
Use Drop at edge for safer arrivals, Drop in center for immediate combat pressure, then plan the return.
1. Research Gate
Transport Pod costs 1000 research, needs MicroelectronicsBasics, and only appears after hidden prereqs BiofuelRefining and Machining. It also requires the HiTechResearchBench.
2. Fuel Supply
Biofuel refining is not optional in practice. Local recipe defs show 70 wood → 35 chemfuel and 3.5 organics → 35 chemfuel, so one launcher tank equals about 300 wood.
3. Launch Pair
A Pod Launcher costs 50 steel + 1 component and holds 150 fuel. A Transport Pod costs 60 steel + 1 component. Both pieces require an unroofed build spot.
Research XML
TransportPod baseCost = 1000 prerequisites = MicroelectronicsBasics hiddenPrerequisites = BiofuelRefining, Machining requiredResearchBuilding = HiTechResearchBench
Build Rules
PodLauncher fuelCapacity = 150 consumeFuelOnlyWhenUsed = true placeWorkers = FuelingPort, NotUnderRoof TransportPod placeWorkers = NeedsFuelingPort, NotUnderRoof canChangeAssignedThingsAfterStarting = true
Planner Inputs
fuelPerTile = 2.25 and massCapacity = 150. The calculator below treats the return leg as another launch only when you pick build destination launcher and relaunch.
Live Results
One full launcher reaches roughly 66 tiles. At the current settings this run fits inside a full tank.
Quick Lookup Table
| Tiles | Fuel / launcher | Safe fuel (+10%) |
|---|
Return Planning
- Caravan home: the cheapest exit. Great after raids, rescues, and one-way supply drops.
- Build a destination launcher: only choice if you want a true pod return. Bring steel, components, and fuel or refinery inputs.
- Farskip: skips the fuel bill entirely if your psycast route is online.
- Ocean problem: plan a shoreline hop. Pods are for valid land targets, not pure ocean tiles.
DropAtEdge and DropInCenter, and the keyed strings also include the trade-request warning for gifts sent by pod.
Mission Playbook
- Land in the enemy yard, not inside a cramped roofed room.
- Blow power or turret angles first, then loot fast and reform.
- Pods are best when walking the same distance would cost too much time.
Pods vs Shuttle
| Metric | Transport pods | Imperial shuttle |
|---|---|---|
| Mass capacity | 150 kg per pod from CompProperties_Transporter. |
2000 kg in local shuttle defs. |
| Fuel / range model | 2.25 chemfuel / tile, one launcher per pod, 150-fuel cap. | Pilot-bound transit craft, not the same chemfuel-per-tile launcher model. |
| Roof rule | Both pod and launcher use PlaceWorker_NotUnderRoof. |
Has its own under-roof send failure strings. |
| Solar flare check | Pods still matter; no pod-specific solar flare block was found in local transport defs. | GameConditions_Misc.xml sets preventShuttleLaunch = true on SolarFlare. |
| Best use | Fast one-way raids, rescues, gifts, staging hops. | Heavy payload quest transit when the weather and quest rules allow it. |
Pods win on simplicity and availability. Shuttles win on mass, but their ruleset is different and weather can shut them down.
Troubleshooting Matrix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fast fix |
|---|---|---|
| Accept is greyed out | Something assigned is unreachable, forbidden, reserved, missing, or over mass. | Unforbid cargo, cancel reservations, bring items into path range, or cut mass until the dialog clears. |
| Cannot place the pod | The pod is not next to a fueling port or the build tile is roofed. | Rebuild beside the launcher and clear roof coverage first. |
| No launch button | Loading is still in progress or a launcher in the group has no fuel. | Wait for haulers, confirm adjacency, and top off every launcher in the group. |
| Destination is too far | The selected tile needs more than 150 fuel or no valid land path exists. | Add chemfuel, pick a nearer tile, or use a staging launcher. |
| Trade request did not complete | You sent a gift by pod instead of approaching with a pawn. | Land with a pawn or caravan to the settlement for quest credit. |
MessageTransportersNotAdjacent, CommandLaunchGroupFailNoFuel, and the transport-pod trade-request warning, which matches the common player failure cases above.
Game-Code Receipts
- ResearchProjects_3_Microelectronics.xml:
TransportPodresearch requiresMicroelectronicsBasics, has hidden prereqsBiofuelRefiningandMachining, and needsHiTechResearchBench. - Buildings_Misc.xml:
PodLauncherhasfuelCapacity 150;TransportPodusesPlaceWorker_NeedsFuelingPortandPlaceWorker_NotUnderRoof. - Assembly-CSharp.dll via reflection:
CompProperties_Launchable.fuelPerTile = 2.25,CompProperties_Transporter.massCapacity = 150, andCompProperties_Launchable_TransportPod.requiresFuelingPort = true. - FloatMenu.xml: the launch options are literally
DropAtEdgeandDropInCenter. - Misc_Gameplay.xml: the game warns that transport pods sent to a trade request become gifts, not quest turn-ins.
Assembly Defaults
CompProperties_Launchable fuelPerTile = 2.25 CompProperties_Transporter massCapacity = 150 CompProperties_Launchable_TransportPod requiresFuelingPort = true
Keyed Strings
DropAtEdge DropInCenter Warning: You cannot complete trade requests by using transport pods. If you send the goods, the settlement will accept them as gifts...
Useful Internal Links
Action recap: unlock the hidden research chain, build pods and launchers in the open, fuel at 2.25 per tile, group adjacent launchers, pick edge or center intentionally, and never treat pod gifts as trade-request completions.