Impressiveness Explained: Keep Your RimWorld Colonists Happy
Understanding Room Impressiveness
Room impressiveness in RimWorld is a composite stat that measures how impressive a room is to your colonists.
It directly affects colonist mood (with positive buffs for eating, recreating, or sleeping in impressive spaces)
and ties into systems like Royalty titles and Ideology rituals. New to RimWorld? Start with our complete beginner's guide to learn the fundamentals first.
Wealth
The total market value of all items, furniture, and structures in the room. High-quality or resource-intensive furniture raises wealth.
Beauty
The average beauty rating of the room's tiles and contents. Boosted by sculptures, plants, and fine flooring.
Space
The effective space (size) of the room, measured in tiles and weighted by whether those tiles are walkable.
Cleanliness
The average cleanliness of floor tiles in the room. A clean room contributes to impressiveness.
Impressiveness Levels and Effects
Level
Score
Bedroom Mood
Dining/Rec Mood
Awful
< 20
-4
-4
Dull
20–29
-3
-3
Mediocre
30–39
-2
-2
Decent
40–49
+2
+2
Slightly Impressive
50–64
+3
+3
Somewhat Impressive
65–84
+4
+4
Very Impressive
85–119
+5
+5
Extremely Impressive
120–169
+6
+6
Unbelievably Impressive
170–239
+7
+7
Wondrously Impressive
≥ 240
+8
+8
Impressiveness is calculated using a formula that weighs all four factors (wealth, beauty, space, cleanliness),
but gives extra weight (about 51%) to the lowest stat. That means your room is only as impressive as its weakest
aspect - a filthy golden palace won't impress as much as a clean, well-balanced room. Having trouble with room impressiveness? Check our troubleshooting guide for common fixes.
Key Takeaway:
Always focus on improving the weakest aspect of your room first. A balanced approach to all four factors
will yield better results than maximizing just one or two factors.
Designing High-Impressiveness Bedrooms
A 5x5 bedroom with balanced impressiveness factors: wooden flooring, good furniture, art, and a plant.
Optimal Bedroom Design
Size and Layout
Sweet spot: 5x5 (25 tiles) internal size
A 4x5 (20 tiles) can work well if well-furnished
Rooms below 4x4 (16 tiles) struggle to reach "impressive" rating
Rooms 6x6 or larger are luxury but consume more resources
Dresser and end table (optional, but boost rest effectiveness)
At least one sculpture or plant pot (for beauty)
Materials and Flooring
Wood or carpet flooring (beauty 0/+1) at minimum
Fine stone tiles for higher beauty (+3) when affordable
Silver or gold furniture for wealth bonus when possible
Avoid bare ground or concrete (negative beauty)
Special Colonists
Greedy: Needs at least "slightly impressive" bedroom
Jealous: Needs the best bedroom in the colony
Ascetic: Wants "awful" or "dull" bedroom (-5 mood if too impressive!)
Pro Tip:
Quality over quantity! A normal quality large sculpture adds more beauty than several poor quality small sculptures,
and takes up less space. Focus on a few high-quality items rather than cluttering the room.
Barracks Strategy
Sharing a barracks typically gives colonists a mood penalty, but an impressive enough barracks can flip this to a bonus:
A "Very impressive barracks" gives +1 mood (vs. the typical penalty)
A "Wondrously impressive barracks" gives +4 mood
Be careful of "Disturbed Sleep" (-3) when colonists walk around at night
Group colonists with similar schedules to minimize disturbances
The Great Dining and Recreation Hall
Combining your dining room and recreation room into a single "Great Hall" is one of the most effective
strategies in RimWorld for maximizing mood benefits. This room serves multiple purposes and allows
colonists to receive both "impressive dining room" and "impressive rec room" buffs from the same space. For optimal traffic flow and room positioning, see our colony layout guide.
A combined dining and recreation hall with stone floors, quality furniture, sculptures, and multiple recreation options.
Great Hall Design Guidelines
Size and Layout
Minimum 6x6 or larger (aim for 8x8 to 12x12 for large colonies)
Central location for easy access from bedrooms and work areas
Wide doorways or multiple entrances to handle traffic
Space for expansion as colony grows
Essential Features
Dining tables with enough chairs for all colonists
Beautiful flooring (fine stone or carpet at minimum)
Warning:
Keep the great hall clean! High foot traffic means dirt accumulates quickly. A single pile of animal filth
or spilled food can drop impressiveness by one or two tiers because cleanliness often becomes the limiting factor.
Double-Dipping Strategy
The great hall strategy is so effective because it allows "double-dipping" on mood bonuses:
Colonists get the "impressive dining room" buff after eating
They get the "impressive rec room" buff after recreation activities
Both buffs can be active simultaneously, potentially giving +12 to +16 total mood
You only need to beautify and maintain one room instead of two
This room will also host parties and ceremonies, making them more successful
Hospitals and Research Labs
For hospitals and labs, cleanliness is the top priority - it directly affects surgery success rates, infection chances, and research speed.
However, impressiveness still plays a role in patient mood and overall environment quality. For comprehensive hospital setup and medical care strategies, see our complete medical guide.
A combined hospital and research lab with sterile tiles, hospital beds, vital monitors, and research equipment.
Note the cleanliness-beauty tradeoff with sterile tiles.
Hospital Design Priorities
Cleanliness First
Sterile Tile Flooring: +0.6 cleanliness but -1 beauty per tile
Limit traffic through hospital to reduce dirt tracking
Immediate cleanup of blood and filth after surgeries
Impressiveness Balance
Counter sterile tile's beauty penalty with art/sculptures
Use high-quality hospital beds (adds wealth and beauty)
Add a few decorative plants in corners (don't block movement)
Silver or jade sculptures for maximum beauty-to-space ratio
Functionality Benefits:
A sterile hospital provides direct gameplay benefits beyond mood:
Up to +9% surgery success chance
Significantly reduced infection rates for patients
Research speed bonus of up to +9% in a sterile lab
Combined Hospital & Lab Strategy
Many players combine hospitals and research labs since both benefit from sterile environments:
Saves on sterile flooring costs (expensive at 13 steel + 1 silver per tile)
More efficient use of space in small colonies
Researcher can quickly switch to doctor role during emergencies
Both benefit from the same sterile environment bonus
Just be careful not to overcrowd the room - leave space for doctors to work efficiently during emergencies.
Throne Rooms and Noble Requirements
(Requires Royalty DLC)
With the Royalty DLC, colonists can gain noble titles that come with specific room requirements.
Failing to meet these requirements causes mood debuffs and can prevent title promotions.
An elegant throne room with gold flooring, columns, braziers, drapes, and a harpsichord - suitable for a Baron or Baroness.
Throne, 4 columns, 2 braziers (lit), 2 drapes, harpsichord or piano, fine floor
Count/Countess
80 tiles
160
Throne, 6 columns, 4 braziers (lit), 4 drapes, grand piano, fine floor
Royal Bedroom Requirements
Title
Min. Impressiveness
Requirements
Knight/Dame
40 (Decent)
Double bed, end table, dresser
Baron/Baroness
70 (Somewhat impressive)
Royal bed, end table, dresser, drapes
Count/Countess
80 (Very impressive)
Royal bed, end table, dresser, drapes, fine floor
Wealth vs. Threat:
Remember that royal rooms significantly increase colony wealth, which can attract larger raids.
Balance luxury with defense capabilities, especially when using gold or silver tiles. For comprehensive defense strategies, see our combat defense guide.
Strategies for Royal Rooms
Use the required decorative elements to boost impressiveness (columns, drapes, and braziers all add beauty)
Prioritize fine stone flooring early (beauty +3) before upgrading to silver/gold tiles
Focus on a few high-quality sculptures rather than many decorative items
Royal beds are expensive but provide significant wealth and beauty on their own
Nobles with the Ascetic trait create an interesting dilemma:
They still require impressive rooms to hold their title (Empire's requirements)
However, they get a -5 mood penalty for having an impressive bedroom
Solution: Create the minimum required impressive throne room and bedroom, but give them a separate basic bedroom for sleeping
Workshop Tips
Unlike bedrooms or dining halls, workshops don't provide direct impressiveness mood buffs. However,
room quality still matters for worker mood, crafting inspiration chances, and specific work benefits.
Kitchen Design
Cleanliness First: Keep kitchens clean to avoid food poisoning
Sterile Tiles: Consider sterile flooring for high-end cooking
Layout Tips: Separate butcher tables from cooking stations (butchering creates filth)
Beauty: Add at least one sculpture to avoid "ugly environment" debuff
Warning:
Never put a butcher table in the same room as cooking stations!
Butcher tables have an inherent -15 cleanliness penalty, drastically increasing food poisoning risk.
Crafting Workshop Design
Room Beauty: Add art to keep crafters happy while working long hours
Organization: Group similar workbenches (smithing, tailoring, etc.) together
Efficiency: Place storage of relevant materials nearby to reduce walking
Lighting: Ensure workstations have proper lighting for work speed
Pro Tip:
Happy crafters get inspirations more often. A beautiful workshop keeps mood high during long crafting sessions,
potentially leading to masterwork or legendary items!
Laboratory Optimization
Sterile Environment: Research speed improves by up to 9% in a sterile room
Clean-Beauty Balance: Use sterile tiles for cleanliness, offset beauty penalty with art
Multi-purpose Space: Consider combining lab and hospital for efficiency
Traffic Control: Limit movement through the lab to maintain cleanliness
Indirect Benefits of Workshop Impressiveness
While workshops don't give direct impressiveness mood buffs, they still benefit from quality design:
Beautiful surroundings provide continuous mood boost while working
Higher colonist mood leads to more frequent inspirations
More comfortable, impressive spaces reduce mental break chances during work
In kitchens and drug labs, cleanliness directly affects product quality and safety
Room Impressiveness Calculator
Use this simplified calculator to estimate a room's impressiveness based on its stats.
Adjust the sliders to match your room's attributes and see the resulting impressiveness rating.
Average
Average
25-36 tiles
Clean (0)
Estimated Impressiveness:
85
Very Impressive
Mood Bonus: +5
Improving This Room:
This room is well-balanced. Consider adding more sculptures to increase beauty and wealth.
Note:
This calculator provides an estimate based on simplified values. In-game impressiveness is calculated using
a complex formula with logarithmic scaling. For exact values, check the room stats in-game by toggling the
room stats view (bottom right icon).
Impressiveness Mods & Tools
The RimWorld community has created several mods to adjust or enhance the room impressiveness system.
Here are some popular options:
Realistic Rooms Rewritten
Adjusts impressiveness thresholds to more realistic values, allowing smaller rooms to reach higher
impressiveness ratings. Perfect for players who find vanilla room size requirements excessive.
Compatible with 1.4 & 1.5
Configurable Room Stats
Allows full customization of the room stats formula. Adjust how wealth, beauty, space, and cleanliness
are weighted in the impressiveness calculation to match your preferred playstyle.
Maintained by Mlie — Compatible with 1.4
Room Sense
Provides a visual overlay that shows room stats at a glance. Different colors indicate beauty, cleanliness,
and impressiveness levels without having to open the room stats panel.
Compatible with 1.4 & 1.5
Buffed Bedrooms
Increases the mood bonus from impressive bedrooms, making investment in luxurious sleeping quarters
more rewarding. Great for players who enjoy interior decorating.
Compatible with 1.4
No Barrack Penalty
Removes or reduces the mood penalty for sharing a barracks, making communal living more viable.
Particularly useful for tribal playthroughs or large colonies.
Compatible with 1.4 & 1.5
Recent Update Changes
Notable changes to room impressiveness mechanics in recent updates:
Version 1.4: Sterile tile beauty reduced from 0 to -1, making hospitals harder to beautify
Version 1.5: Added improved Room Stats Overlay to the base game interface
Ideology DLC: Room impressiveness now affects ritual outcomes and role abilities
Biotech DLC: Added new room types like nurseries and gene labs where cleanliness matters