RimWorld Base Limits: When Rules Become Roadblocks
RimWorld: Only One Base Per Faction?
A comprehensive guide to faction base mechanics, limitations, and how to expand beyond them
Contents
Introduction
RimWorld is known for its dynamic world map filled with multiple NPC faction bases and the option for players to establish more than one colony. Yet by default, the game starts with each faction having one player colony (and many NPC bases). Here we'll explore the limitations around faction bases and colonies in vanilla RimWorld, why you might be seeing "only one base per faction," and how to expand beyond these limits. New to RimWorld? Start with our complete beginner's guide to learn the fundamentals first.
Game Version Note
This guide covers RimWorld through version 1.4 including the Biotech expansion. Most concepts still apply to earlier versions, but some features may differ.
Managing multiple colonies requires careful planning and resource allocation
Vanilla Faction Base Limits
NPC Factions
In a normal RimWorld world generation, each non-player faction spawns multiple bases across the globe. This has been the case since Alpha 16, when the devs introduced the spherical world – "Factions can now have many bases; non-player factions generate with lots of bases." On a typical map, you'll see each faction (e.g. tribals, outlanders, pirates, Empire) with numerous settlements.
If you notice NPC factions only having one base each, that's not an intentional limitation – it's usually a bug or mod conflict. A known issue (especially around the RimWorld 1.4 update with Biotech) is a faction generation error during world-gen. As one player explains, "It's a faction generation error, usually related to faction leader generation... now apparently the game can sometimes recover and still generate the world, but the faction that errors only gets one base for whatever reason."
Troubleshooting One-Base Issue
If every faction in your world has only one base, first check your world generation settings. RimWorld's population slider affects how many settlements spawn. If the setting is normal and you still see one-base-per-faction, suspect a mod conflict. Double-check mod settings and load order. In some cases, changing the world seed has fixed the issue for players.
World map displaying various faction settlements across the globe
Player Faction (Colonies)
By design, RimWorld limits the player to one base at a time initially. Your colony is your faction's base. The game's storyteller and balance are tuned for you managing a single colony – in fact, when multiple colonies were introduced, the default was kept at one due to balance and performance concerns.
The option to have more exists, but it's hidden in settings. In Options → Gameplay, there's a slider for "Maximum number of colonies," capped at 5 in vanilla. By default it's set to 1. The first time you change this, the game even pops up a warning that it's not balanced around multi-colony play.
As developer Tynan Sylvester noted, the multi-colony feature was added because players would have demanded it, but "the game's not balanced around multiple colonies, and [it] defaults to only 1 colony." The AI storytellers don't spawn extra raids or challenges to specifically compensate for additional player bases.
Summary
NPC factions in vanilla have many bases (and if they don't, something's wrong), whereas the player faction is intended to focus on one base unless you deliberately opt into managing more.
How the Base Limit Works in Current Versions
As of RimWorld 1.3 and 1.4 (2023-2024), the earlier limitations still hold, with a couple of tweaks:
Number of Factions
RimWorld 1.4 introduced a cap of 12 selectable factions in world generation (excluding mechanoids/insectoids). This doesn't limit bases per faction, but limits how many distinct factions can exist. With expansions like Royalty and Biotech, new factions (like the Empire or xenogene factions) are added to the pool, but the total count is constrained for stability.
Player Colony Limit
The max is still 5 colonies. No official update has raised this, and it's unlikely to change given performance concerns. Five simultaneous maps running is already a heavy load on the CPU (RimWorld runs simulations on one core, so more colonies = more strain).
Performance & AI
The game treats each additional player colony as another active map to simulate. There is no dynamic multithreading that kicks in for a second colony; your PC just works harder on the single thread. The devs explicitly do not guarantee performance or support for multiple concurrent bases.
Storyteller Behavior
Each colony gets its own events, sometimes simultaneously. You will receive notifications for both (whichever map you're not currently looking at will still send alerts). For example, a raid can hit Colony A while Colony B gets a wildfire or quest at the same time.
Raid strength and threat sizing are calculated per-colony based on that colony's wealth and population. The community has confirmed that each settlement's wealth is assessed separately for raids. Technically, this means you could "exploit" the system by spreading wealth across five small bases to keep raids small at each.
Raid Mechanics
Storytellers do not stagger events for your convenience – Cassandra or Randy can definitely overlap threats on two bases, so be prepared for split-screen mental juggling!
Wealth Management
Each colony's wealth is calculated separately, allowing strategic distribution of resources to manage raid difficulty across multiple settlements.
Bypassing the Single-Base Limit (Vanilla Tweaks)
Enable Multiple Colonies (Vanilla)
To allow additional player colonies, go to Options → Gameplay → Maximum number of colonies and increase the slider. You can do this from the main menu or in an active game. The max is 5.
RimWorld will remind you that "several colonies at the same time will increase the load on your computer... and you will have to manage separate settlements". After enabling, you still have to create the new colony by sending a caravan of pawns and clicking "Settle" on a new map tile. For performance optimization tips when running multiple colonies, see our RimWorld performance guide.
Forming a caravan to establish a new settlement on the world map
Vanilla World Gen Settings
If you want fewer NPC bases, you can lower the "Population" setting during world creation. Conversely, if the map feels empty with only one base per faction, make sure Population is set higher (e.g. normal or high).
Fixing One-Base-Per-Faction Bug
As discussed, the fix is usually mod-related. Ensure all your mods are updated to the RimWorld version you're on. Check mod forums for reports of faction generation issues. Using the dev mode log or the Hugslib mod's "Share log" function can help identify errors at world gen.
Troubleshooting Steps
- Update all mods to current game version
- Check mod compatibility issues
- Try disabling mods that add traits, genes, or factions
- Generate a new world with a different seed
- Use binary search (disable half your mods) to identify the problematic mod
Beyond 5 Colonies
Officially, 5 is hard limit. Unofficially, some players have edited game files to raise it, but running more than 5 simultaneously is not recommended – even if the game would allow it, the storyteller UI starts to break and performance will tank.
Mods for Multi-Base Play
If vanilla options aren't enough, the modding community has you covered. Here are notable mods to bypass or extend these limits:
Mod configuration interface for advanced colony and faction management
Faction Control (KV)
This mod by Kiame allows you to customize world gen in detail. You can disable the 11-faction limit (allowing countless modded factions to all spawn), and you can tweak faction base count and density. It even lets you clump faction bases closer together or spread them out.
Multiplayer (Zetrith's / RimWorld Together)
The Multiplayer mod doesn't directly alter base limits for a single player, but it introduces new ways to play with factions. In standard co-op, you and friends share a single faction. As of October 2023, the mod's 0.9 "Multifaction" update finally enabled separate player factions in the same game. This means each player can start their own faction with their own base, effectively acting like different factions on the world map.
Empire (and RimWar)
The Empire mod (by Saakra) turns RimWorld into a lite strategy game on the world map. It allows you to found multiple settlements that are managed via a special interface. You don't physically play on each map (unless you choose to visit them); instead, you assign NPC settlers, and those settlements produce resources and pay taxes over time.
Faction Manager ("The Colony is Over" fork)
This mod provides a UI to unload (temporarily disable) a colony you're not currently playing, and load it back later. When a colony is unloaded, time effectively freezes there (it won't get raids or grow crops), letting you focus on your main base without abandoning the others.
Other Useful Mods
- Vanilla Outposts Expanded - Allows establishing small outpost sites that generate specific resources over time without counting as full colonies.
- Hospitality - Enhances interactions with visiting NPC factions.
- Large Faction Bases and RimCities - Makes NPC bases larger or turns some into cityscapes.
- More Faction Interaction - Gives additional event options with factions.
Community Tips for Multi-Base Play
Managing more than one colony or dealing with a world of many faction bases can be overwhelming. The RimWorld community has shared a lot of tips and anecdotes about this:
Stagger Your Development
It's wise to have your first colony in a stable state (self-sufficient food, decent defenses, etc.) before starting a second base. Juggling two fragile newborn colonies is a recipe for disaster. Learn effective colony design principles in our optimal colony layout guide.
Use Caravans and Pods
Multiple colonies really shine if you use the transport mechanics. Send resources from one to another regularly so both prosper. Drop pod launchers are even more effective: you can fire supplies (or reinforcements) to a beleaguered base within seconds.
Divide Wealth to Manage Raids
Each colony's wealth drives raid strength. Some players keep one colony very low-wealth to serve as a "safehouse" or backup. That colony will only face small raids that a couple turrets or even avoiding combat can handle.
Beware Simultaneous Threats
Be prepared to handle two crises at once. Players advise pausing frequently to issue orders on one map, then switching to the other. Remember that RimWorld's time keeps flowing in both colonies when unpaused. For combat and defense strategies, check our combat and defense guide.
Exploit Awareness
A few things to note – time does not pause on other maps when you are trading or in a menu on one map. Losing one colony is not game over unless all your colonists are gone – so having a second colony can be a form of insurance in a permadeath run.
Community Consensus
The general community consensus: one colony is optimal, two is doable for experienced players, three or more becomes a micromanagement hell without mods to assist. Enjoyment varies person to person – some love the added strategic layer, others find it detracts from the focus that makes RimWorld stories compelling.
Conclusion
RimWorld's default setup gives each faction many bases – except yours, which starts with one. "Only one base per faction" is not the norm for NPCs and usually signals a mod glitch if you see it. Players can lift the one-colony limit in options (up to 5), but the game explicitly warns that it's an unsupported adventure.
Whether you dream of ruling a sprawling empire, competing against friends on the same planet, or just establishing a peaceful mining town to fund your main colony, the community has found a way to do it. Just remember: Randy can and will raid both of your colonies at the same time. Good luck, and have fun on the Rim!