How to Use Map Reroll in RimWorld 1.6 (And the Better Alternatives)
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You've spent twenty minutes carefully selecting your starting colonists, balancing their traits and skills. You pick a tile on the world map that looks promising—maybe a nice temperate forest with some mountains. The game loads, and... it's a disaster. A massive unbuildable marsh in the center, scattered ruins exactly where you wanted your base, and no choke points in sight. Time to start the whole process over again.
If you've played RimWorld for any length of time, you know this painful cycle. Searching for the "perfect map" is practically a mini-game itself. Fortunately, the RimWorld modding community has completely solved this problem. In this guide, we'll cover exactly how to stop wasting fresh starts.
The Quick Answer: Don't "Reroll," Preview Instead!
If you are playing on RimWorld 1.4 or 1.5+, the legacy "Map Reroll" mod is largely obsolete. The modern, vastly superior method is to use Map Preview combined with Prepare Landing.
Instead of generating the map, realizing it's bad, and clicking a reroll button, Map Preview lets you see exactly what the map looks like from the world generation screen before you ever hit "Settle."
Why is this better?
- No wasted load screens: You don't have to wait for the map to fully generate just to see if you like it.
- It's a vanilla-friendly decision: You are simply choosing a tile, rather than using a mod to alter the terrain generation after the fact.
- Zero resource cost: The old Map Reroll mod often extracted a "cost" (like losing starting resources) for rerolling to balance it. Map Preview doesn't have this issue.
Can you reroll maps in vanilla RimWorld?
No. There is no built-in "reroll map" button in the base game. If you land on a map and hate it, your only vanilla option is to pack up your colonists into a caravan, move to an adjacent tile, and settle there instead (which requires enabling multiple colonies in the settings or abandoning the first one).
The Modern Map Creation Stack (1.4/1.5/1.6)
If you want the ultimate control over your starting location, install these three mods in this order:
1. Prepare Landing (continued)
What it does: This is a powerful filtering tool for the world map. Want a tile in a Temperate Forest, with Granite and Marble, a road, a river, year-round growing, and flat terrain? Prepare Landing will highlight exactly which tiles on the globe match your criteria.
How to use it: Click the new button at the bottom of the world screen, input your filters, and hit "Filter." It's perfect for narrowing down a 100% generated globe instantly.
2. Map Preview
What it does: Once Prepare Landing highlights a good tile, click on it. Map Preview generates a fast, accurate thumbnail of what the actual play area will look like.
How to use it: A new window appears when selecting a tile. You can zoom in, pan around, and even see where ruins, steam geysers, and ancient dangers (if you choose to reveal them in the settings) are located.
3. Map Designer
What it does: If you don't even want to search for a tile, Map Designer lets you dictate the terrain generation rules. Want a perfectly circular mountain bowl with water in the middle? You can configure it.
How to use it: Configure the settings in the mod menu *before* you generate a tile. It works seamlessly with Map Preview, allowing you to tweak the sliders and watch the preview update instantly.
For Those Still Using Legacy Map Reroll
If you prefer the old-school method or are playing an older local modpack, the classic Map Reroll mod (often updated by community members like Hatti or others under "Map Reroll (1.4/1.5/1.6)") is still functional.
How to use it:
- Select your landing site on the world map and start the game.
- Once your pawns drop in, do not move them or unpause yet. Look for the small "Map Reroll" icon (usually a dice icon) in the top right of your screen.
- Clicking it gives you two main options: Reroll Map and Reroll Geysers.
Rerolling the Map
This generates a completely new layout based on the same world tile (same biome, same stone types, same elevation). You'll be presented with several pages of thumbnail previews. Pick the one you like, and the game will reload.
Rerolling Geysers
Have the perfect map, but a steam geyser is blocking your planned dining room? Click this to randomize just the geyser placements without changing the terrain.
Warning regarding costs: By default, Map Reroll imposes a penalty (costing a percentage of your starting resources) after the first reroll. You can turn this off in the Mod Options menu by checking "Free Rerolls" before you start your game!
Biome Defs and Reroll Constraints
Whether you're using Map Preview or Map Reroll, the layout generated is strictly bound by RimWorld's core BiomeDefs and TerrainPatchMakers. No amount of rerolling will give you features a biome naturally lacks. Here is the data-driven reality of what you're actually looking at when flipping through maps:
A note on "Mountainous" terrain: If you are looking for that perfect enclosed "crater" or "valley," you MUST select a tile defined as Mountainous. "Large Hills" will occasionally generate a small bowl, but it is much rarer. Rerolling a Flat tile will never give you a mountain base.
DLC Map Factors (Biotech & Odyssey)
Expansions drastically alter what you should be looking for when you preview or reroll a map. Make sure your "perfect map" accounts for these DLC mechanics.
Biotech Considerations
- Pollution levels: If you settle in a polluted tile, rerolling changes where the pollution is, not how much of it there is. Use Map Preview to ensure the unpolluted patches are large enough for your base and farms.
- Exostrider Remains: Highly valuable for early mechanoid setups. Look for maps where these are tucked safely away from edge-spawning raiders.
Odyssey DLC Factors
- Coastal & Fishing Setup: Odyssey introduces extensive aquatic mechanics (e.g.,
Fish_Salmon,RareFishingCatches). If you settle on a coast or river, ensure your map has accessible, defensible shoreline. - Water Depth: Shallow water can be waded through; deep water cannot. Use the terrain preview to ensure you have actual deep patches for optimal aquaculture.
The Map Evaluation Checklist
Before you commit to a map (or decide to keep a reroll), run it quickly through these questions to ensure you aren't setting yourself up for long-term failure.
Defense & Geography
- Are there natural choke points for easy defense?
- Is there a solid mountain back-wall to prevent rear attacks (if mountain basing)?
- Are the map edges clear enough to spot approaching raids or caravans early?
- Where is the Ancient Danger? Is it blocking a prime building spot or so close you might accidentally breach it?
Resources & Infrastructure
- Are there patches of Rich Soil located in defensible areas?
- Where are the steam geysers? Are they close enough to tap for power without massive conduit runs?
- Is there enough exposed compacted machinery and steel for the early game?
- If it's a coastal or river tile, does the water placement aid your defense or hinder your expansion?
Final Verdict: Don't spend more time looking for the perfect map than you spend playing the game. No map is 100% flawless. Pick one that meets your critical requirements (e.g., a good choke point and one nearby geyser) and adapt to the rest. That's the core of RimWorld!