Butchering Humans: RimWorld Morale Pitfalls & Payoffs

                
Butchering Human Corpses in RimWorldThe Ultimate Guide - Updated June 2025

In RimWorld, a colony simulator known for moral dilemmas, one controversial tactic is butchering humanlike corpses for meat and leather. This comprehensive guide explores how human butchery works in vanilla RimWorld (with Ideology and Biotech DLC mechanics), the severe mood penalties and ways to mitigate them, strategic uses of cannibalism, and relevant mods. If you're new to RimWorld, start with our complete beginner's guide to learn the fundamentals.

Warning: This guide contains gameplay mechanics that some players may find disturbing. All information is presented purely for in-game knowledge purposes.
Mechanics of Human Butchery in Vanilla RimWorld
                            
                            How to Enable Human Butchering
                        By default, RimWorld disables human corpse butchering to prevent accidents. You must manually allow it in a butcher table's bill settings:
Build a Butcher Table (or place a Butcher Spot for a quick, low-yield option). For detailed setup instructions, see our butcher table guide.
Add a "Butcher creature" bill (set to Do forever or desired count).
Click "Details…" on the bill. Under "Allowed corpses," change "Humanlike corpses" from the red X to a green checkmark.
Ensure your stockpile allows human corpses (e.g. a freezer for bodies) so cooks can access them easily. Learn about proper freezer design with airlocks to prevent spoilage.

                            Butcher Table vs. Butcher Spot
                        
                                Butcher Table:
                                Requires resources to build
Returns 100% yield
Has cleanliness penalty (-15 cleanliness)
More efficient for regular use

                                Butcher Spot:
                                Free to place, no materials
Only returns 70% of meat/leather yield
No cleanliness penalty
Good for emergencies or traveling

                            Yields from Human Corpses
                        Butchering a fresh adult human yields:
~140 units of human meat
~75 units of human leather
Total market value: ~§427 in raw products
Note: Yields scale with cooking skill, corpse condition, and butchering facility. Damaged bodies yield less.

                            DLC Additions
                        
                                Ideology DLC:
                                Introduces belief-dependent effects on cannibalism
Can make human butchery acceptable or even preferred
Allows rituals involving human sacrifice or consumption

                                Biotech DLC:
                                Adds xenotypes that still yield human meat/leather
Hemogenic pawns can use raw human meat for Hemogen (+3.75 per nutrition)
Different gene traits may affect meat/leather properties (with mods)

Mood Penalties for Butchering Humans (and How to Mitigate Them)
                            
                            Vanilla Mood Penalties
                        "We butchered humanlike" (Colony-wide):−6 mood for 6 days for all colonists, prisoners, and slaves
Does not stack with multiple butchery acts, but timer refreshes
"I butchered humanlike" (Butcher's personal):−6 mood for 6 days for the pawn who performed the butchering
Stacks up to 10 times with a 0.75 multiplier per stack (roughly −30 max)
"Observed rotting corpse":−3 mood whenever a colonist sees a human corpse
Separate from butchering penalty, affects anyone who enters corpse storage

                            Trait Exceptions
                        Certain pawn traits completely negate these negative reactions:
Cannibal trait: Ignores all butchery penalties and enjoys eating human flesh
Psychopath trait: Ignores both the colony debuff and butcher's personal debuff
Bloodlust trait: Ignores all butchery mood penalties and even gets mood boost from witnessing death
For a comprehensive guide on managing colonist traits and their effects, see our complete traits guide.

                            Ideology Precepts
                        Cannibalism = "Acceptable" (default):Normal RimWorld aversion to cannibalism applies
Cannibalism = "Preferred":Negates penalties for butchering humans and for seeing corpses or eating human meat
Believers enjoy eating human meat and wearing human leather (positive moodlets)
Cannibalism = "Required (Ravenous)":Colonists must eat human meat for every meal, getting a +6 mood buff per meal
Strong debuff for "ate non-cannibal food" if they eat anything else

                            Mitigation Strategies
                        Use the right butcher pawnAssign butchering to colonists with Psychopath, Bloodlust, or Cannibal traits
Time butchery after mood boostsSchedule butchering sessions after parties, weddings, or other positive events. Learn more about managing colony mood through room impressiveness.
Concentrate the butcheringSince colony-wide debuff doesn't stack, butcher multiple corpses at once
Send away sensitive colonistsForm a temporary caravan with non-psychopath colonists during butchering
Hide the goreButcher in restricted areas and clean up blood to avoid "observed corpse" penalty
Dedicated corpse freezer for animalsLet animals eat corpses directly to avoid butchery debuffs
Ideological mitigationSet cannibalism to "acceptable" or "preferred" in your ideoligion
Effects of Human Meat on Colonists and Usage Tips
                            
                            Eating Human Meat – Mood Effects
                        Raw human meat:−20 mood ("Ate raw human meat") for non-cannibals
+20 mood for pawns with Cannibal trait
Cooked human meat (in meals):−15 mood ("Ate human meat") for non-cannibals
+15 mood for pawns with Cannibal trait

                            Cooking with Human Meat
                        Human meat can be used in recipes just like any animal meat, but you must:
Enable it in the bill's ingredient filters
Be aware that colonists will know a meal contains human meat
Set up food restrictions if you have mixed cannibal/non-cannibal colonists. For beginners, check our complete beginner's guide for food management basics.

                            Nutrient paste made from human meat still triggers the "Ate human meat" thought (−15), but is slightly better than eating it raw.

                            For Animals
                        Feeding human meat to animals carries no penalty whatsoever:
Animals can eat raw human meat with no issues
Kibble made with human meat has no special mood effect. Learn more about kibble production and animal feeding.
Great for feeding carnivorous pets in meat-scarce biomes

                            Many players use pigs, wargs, or dogs to dispose of corpses directly, avoiding butchery altogether.

                            Reducing the Eating Penalty
                        If you must feed human meat to non-cannibals:
Cook it into the highest quality meal possible to offset penalties
Lavish Meal: −15 (cannibalism) + +12 (lavish) = −3 net mood
Fine Meal: −15 (cannibalism) + +5 (fine) = −10 net mood
Use Nutrient Paste Dispenser for −15 (cannibalism) + −4 (awful meal) = −19 total
Biotech Note: Hemogen and Blood-feedersSanguophages can get +3.75 Hemogen per nutrition from raw human meat, making it valuable for vampiric colonists.
Using Human Leather: Production, Morale, and Money
                            
                            Human Leather Output
                        Each human yields around 75 units of human leather under ideal conditions.
Market Value:§4.20 per unit (higher than most common leathers)

                                Properties:
                                Sharp armor: 0.64
Blunt armor: 0.24
Heat armor: 1.5
Insulation: +12°C cold/heat

                            Mood Effects – Wearing Human Leather
                        Normal Colonists:−2 mood per item worn (stacks up to −8 with 4+ items)
Cannibal/Bloodlust Traits:+2 mood per item worn (they enjoy wearing human leather)
Psychopath Trait:No mood effect (neither positive nor negative)

                            Best Uses of Human Leather
                        
                                For Trade:
                                High market value makes human leather apparel very profitable
A normal human leather duster sells for §200+
No trade penalties for selling human products

                                For Clothing:
                                Only equip on cannibal/bloodlust/psychopath pawns
Good for outfitting bloodlust melee fighters (thematic)
Decent insulation for extreme biomes when resources are limited

                            Human leather armchairs require 110 leather but sell for high prices. Two humans' worth of leather makes one luxurious chair.

                            Social Repercussions
                        Beyond mood effects, human leather impacts social dynamics:
Colonists who butcher humans gain the hidden "Butchered humanlike" social trait
Other colonists develop a permanent negative opinion of that butcher
This can cause social fights and relationship problems
Two pawns who have both butchered humans don't hold it against each other

                            Colony Cohesion Strategies:
                            Have only an outcast butcher (accept they'll be disliked)
Have everyone participate in butchery once (shared culpability)
Use the "initiation ritual" approach - new recruits must butcher once

Strategic Uses of Cannibalism
                            
                            Tribal Start, Low Tech
                        In the Lost Tribe scenario, cannibalism provides several advantages:
Early food source before stable farming is established
Human leather for early tribal clothing (tribalwear/parkas). For cold weather survival tips, see our cold survival guide.
Natural fit for tribal ideology with cannibalism meme
Can preserve human meat as pemmican for storage

                                Using the scenario editor, you can force all starting tribals to have the Cannibal trait for a true cannibal tribe experience.

                            Naked Brutality / Solo Start
                        A single pawn scenario benefits immensely from cannibalism:
In extreme biomes (Ice Sheet, Sea Ice), human meat may be the only food source. Learn more about surviving challenging scenarios.
A cannibal-trait pawn can thrive by eating raiders with positive mood
Human leather provides emergency clothing/bedroll material
Survival until hydroponics can be established
"Being alive and sad is better than dead." - RimWorld Wiki's Naked Brutality guide

                            Crashlanded Colony in Crisis
                        Even standard colonies may need to rely on human meat during emergencies:
Toxic FalloutWhen wildlife and crops die, raider corpses may be your only food source
Volcanic WinterExtended periods without farming might necessitate emergency cannibalism
SiegeRaiders may prevent hunting/harvesting, forcing use of captured enemies
Food Chain AlternativeFeed human meat to animals, then butcher animals for "clean" meat. Learn more about animal feeding strategies.

                            Prisoner Overflow / Organ Farms
                        For mid-late game resource maximization (extremely dark approach):
Harvest organs from unwanted prisoners (each yields high-value organs)
Butcher the bodies afterward for meat and leather
Process human meat into chemfuel (35 meat → 70 chemfuel)
Craft valuable human leather apparel for trade
Warning: This approach causes severe mood penalties unless your colonists are psychopaths or your ideoligion permits organ harvesting and cannibalism.
Notable Community Discussions and Tips
                            
                            Social Impact Management
                        
"Welcome to the colony. The initiation ritual is we cut up a corpse. Think of it as an initiation – then no one can judge you."
— Steam Forum User, 2023
Many players have each colonist butcher at least one human corpse to avoid the social penalty among colonists. Since colonists who have both butchered humans don't judge each other, this creates a shared guilt that preserves colony harmony.

                            Strategic Timing
                        
"Hold onto corpses and then butcher them right after a party or wedding to take advantage of the mood buff if the −6 would be too much."
— Reddit User, May 2024
Since weddings (+20 mood) and parties (+8 mood) provide significant mood buffs, many players time their human butchery sessions to coincide with these events to offset the −6 mood penalty.

                            Caravan Tricks
                        From a 2020 Steam forum post, players discovered:
Form a temporary caravan with all colonists who would be upset
Send them off map (even just camp outside)
Let your psychopath butcher everything alone
Bring everyone back once butchering is complete
Colonists who are off the map when the butchering occurs never receive the "We butchered humanlike" thought. When they return, they'll see the meat and leather but have no mood penalty!

                            Animal Disposal System
                        
"Pigs are corpse eating machines."
— Steam Community User, Jan 2024
Many players build a freezer accessible only to animals where they store human corpses. Dogs, wargs, or pigs will eat the corpses directly, avoiding butchery penalties entirely. This effectively "launders" human meat through animals that can later be slaughtered for clean meat.
Mods for the Aspiring Cannibal (2023–2025)
                                
                            Mod Compatibility Notice: Always check that mods are compatible with your version of RimWorld. The mods listed here were active or updated in the last 18 months.

                            Happy Butcher
                            Updated Aug 2024
                        
A lightweight mod that simply removes the negative mood from butchering humanlikes. With this mod, butchering people is no more upsetting than butchering a deer.
Key Features:Eliminates mood penalties for butchering humans
Works with RimWorld 1.5
Compatible with most mod packs
Has a version that affects ideoligions
"Great if you need human meat for crafting (some mods require it) but don't want to deal with mood micromanagement."

                            Cannibal Party+
                            Updated Apr 2024
                        
This mod (original by Jeebus, updated by Shootex) removes all cannibalism and human-butcher related penalties.
Key Features:Eliminates "ate human meat" debuffs
Removes "butchered human" mood penalty
Removes social opinion penalty
Keeps positive buffs for cannibals eating human meat
Also nullifies "observed corpse" penalty in the Plus version
"If you want to play a true horror colony without making a custom ideology, this mod will let everyone behave as psychopaths/cannibals with zero qualms."

                            Mystery Meat
                            Updated Mar 2024
                        
Instead of removing penalties, this mod hides the identity of human meat in meals. Colonists no longer magically know that the stew had human flesh in it.
Key Features:Replaces "Cooked cannibalism -25" with mild "Mystery meat -4"
Only the cook knows the true ingredients
Changes "we butchered human" to "Suspicious: 'Hey, where are they taking that corpse?' -1"
Compatible up to RimWorld 1.5
"Excellent for a 'Soylent Green' style playthrough or roleplaying a colony that unknowingly turns to cannibalism."

                            Human Butchery 2.0
                            Updated Jan 2023
                        
A content mod by DoctorStupid that expands the products from human butchery, especially with Biotech's diverse xenotypes.
Key Features:Human leather takes the color of the person's skin (variety of leather colors)
Furskin gene yields "human fur" instead of leather
Impid fire-resistant gene yields special fireproof human leather
Pigskins have a "Meaty" gene that makes them give 135% meat on butchery
"This mod leans into the biopunk aspect of RimWorld and makes xenotypes interesting resources – breed Pigskin people for extra meat or use Highmates' purple skin for fancy purple human leather dusters."

                            [ARY] Butchering Drops Skeleton
                            Updated Aug 2024
                        
This mod by Arylice addresses a simple question: "Why do butchery completely consume a body, bones and all?"
Key Features:Butchering a corpse leaves behind a skeleton item
If Ideology DLC is present, you automatically get a skull (for skull spikes)
Craft a Skull Mask from skulls at a crafting spot
Reduces the corpse ugliness (skeletons are less ugly than rotting corpses)
Configurable skeleton ugliness settings
"For storytelling, this mod adds a lot of flavor to cannibal colonies – quite literally leaving piles of bones behind and providing materials for skull-based decoration."
ConclusionButchering human corpses in RimWorld is a path laden with psychological strain for your pawns – but it opens up new avenues of survival, efficiency, and storytelling. In vanilla gameplay, it requires managing moods carefully: isolating the act to resilient colonists or ideologies, and buffering your colony's happiness through other means.
With the Ideology DLC, you can redefine cannibalism from a heinous act to a revered one, thereby nullifying its drawbacks and even turning raiders into a source of joy. Biotech doesn't penalize cannibalism per se but adds nuance (e.g. hemogen for blood-drinkers), and even presents new "livestock" in the form of humanlike gene-tailored yields if you go down that dark road.
"The RimWorld community has embraced the motto 'losing is fun,' and sometimes that means doing unthinkable things to avoid losing. Cannibalism in RimWorld can turn tragic stories into tales of ingenious if grim solutions."