RimWorld Starts Made Simple: Pick Your Colony Vibe
Instant Answer
New to RimWorld? Start with the Crashlanded scenario on a temperate forest map with Cassandra Classic storyteller. It's the most balanced, beginner-friendly scenario, giving you three survivors, decent supplies, and a fair chance to learn the ropes.
Contents
Scenario Deep Dives
Interactive Scenario Selector
Select the factors that matter most to you, and we'll recommend a scenario:
Quick Start: Setting Up for Success (Crashlanded)
Crashlanded is the default "classic RimWorld experience." This scenario gives you three colonists with a balanced mix of skills and enough supplies to get started.
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Select "Crashlanded" Scenario:
This gives you 3 colonists (balanced team), basic building tech, and enough supplies to survive the initial days.
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Choose an AI Storyteller:
For newbies, Cassandra Classic on Strive to Survive (Medium) difficulty is a solid choice. She gradually increases challenge in a predictable way.
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Pick an Easy Landing Site:
Look for a Temperate Forest biome with year-round growing. This biome has mild seasons, plenty of wood and food, and fewer deadly events.
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Review Your Starting Pawns:
Try to ensure you have:
- Combat skill – at least one decent shooter
- Construction – someone who can build without failing
- Growing – a pawn with planting skills
- Medical – at least some skill to tend wounds
For detailed guidance on selecting pawns with optimal traits and skills, check our traits guide.
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Start the Game – Pause and Plan:
As soon as you land, pause and make a plan:
- Build shelter: A simple 9x9 wood structure
- Stockpile resources: Create zones near your shelter
- Get food production going: Plant rice (quick yield)
- Set up basic defenses: Sandbags and equip your weapons
Success Tip
By following these steps, you should have a stable footing for your first RimWorld colony. From here, the story will unfold through events. Remember, even losing is fun – but with this setup, you should survive long enough to see that fun firsthand!
Default Scenarios Overview
RimWorld offers four distinct vanilla scenarios, each providing a different starting challenge. Understanding their differences is key to choosing one that fits your playstyle.
Crashlanded
Start: 3 Colonists (Industrial tech)
Equipment: Guns, packaged meals, medicine, building materials
Best for: New players learning the game
Lost Tribe
Start: 5 Tribal Colonists (Neolithic tech)
Equipment: Bows, pemmican, herbs, primitive tools
Best for: Players who enjoy the tech progression journey
Rich Explorer
Start: 1 Colonist (Industrial tech)
Equipment: Charge rifle, silver, glitterworld medicine
Best for: Players who want a solo challenge with good gear
Naked Brutality
Start: 1 Colonist, naked with no items
Equipment: None! You start with absolutely nothing
Best for: Veteran players seeking the ultimate challenge
Scenario Comparison
| Scenario | Starting Pawns | Tech Level | Key Equipment | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashlanded | 3 Colonists (New Arrivals) |
Industrial (basic electricity) |
Guns, medicine, packaged meals, steel, components | Easy/Normal Recommended for beginners |
| Lost Tribe | 5 Tribals (Tribe faction) |
Neolithic (primitive tech) |
Primitive weapons (bows), pemmican, herbal meds | Hard Slow research, low tech |
| Rich Explorer | 1 Colonist (New Arrivals) |
Industrial (same as Crashlanded) |
Charge rifle, silver, glitterworld medicine | Hard Solo start is risky |
| Naked Brutality | 1 Colonist (New Arrivals) |
Industrial (but nothing to start) |
None! (No items, no clothes) | Very Hard Not for beginners! |
Tech Level Note
"New Arrivals" are spacers/colonials, while "Tribe" is neolithic. Tech level affects research speed: tribals need 2x research points for most Industrial-era projects.
Custom Scenarios & Game Customization
Once you've got a few colonies under your belt, you might want to try something different. RimWorld's Scenario Editor lets you tweak a wide range of parameters to create your own unique starting conditions.
Using the Scenario Editor
The Scenario Editor allows you to create custom starting conditions by modifying items, events, stats, and more.
To access the editor, from the "Choose Scenario" screen, click "Edit Scenario". Here's what you can modify:
Starting Items
Add or remove items you start with. Want more food? Extra weapons? You can adjust these to make the game easier or harder.
Starting Pawns
Change the number of colonists or force certain traits or health conditions. You can even set everyone to have specific traits like "Psychopath."
Incidents
Disable events you don't enjoy (like Infestations or Solar Flares) or create recurring events. You can even add permanent game conditions like Toxic Fallout.
Stat Multipliers
Adjust global work speed, hunger rate, crop yield, and more. Want things to happen faster? Set work speed to 150%. Want a challenge? Reduce crop yield to 50%.
Community Scenario Ideas
"Tribal Avengers"
Five tribals with excellent combat stats and one advanced weapon. Your goal: revenge on an outlander faction. Disable peaceful win conditions.
"The Plague"
All starting colonists begin with a disease or addiction. Race against time to find medicine or manage your addiction needs.
"No Electronics"
Disallow building turrets, generators, and batteries. Survive without a power grid or automated defenses—essentially a medieval run.
"Builder's Paradise"
Disable most enemy incidents, multiply crop yields and work speed. Turn RimWorld into more of a chill city-builder with minimal threats.
Important Note
Remember that the vanilla scenario editor settings cannot be changed mid-game. Plan your scenario carefully before starting!
Difficulty, Storyteller, and Scenario
It's important to understand how scenarios interact with difficulty settings and storytellers:
Scenario
Defines your starting conditions (pawns, items, map conditions) and permanent game rules (like disabled incidents).
The scenario does not dynamically scale threats, except indirectly by affecting your initial wealth and population.
Storyteller
Governs when and what events happen over time. This is your AI Dungeon Master.
Options:
- Cassandra Classic: Steady difficulty progression
- Phoebe Chillax: Longer breaks between threats
- Randy Random: Unpredictable, chaotic events
Difficulty
Modifies how harsh events are – like a multiplier on threat strength, crop yield, mood penalties, etc.
Options:
- Peaceful/Community Builder: Minimal threats
- Adventure Story: Moderate challenges
- Strive to Survive: The standard experience
- Blood and Dust: Significant challenges
- Losing is Fun: Maximum difficulty
Balancing Tip
You can balance a challenging scenario with easier settings, or vice versa. For example:
- Naked Brutality (hard scenario) + Phoebe on Adventure Story = still challenging but forgiving
- Crashlanded (easy scenario) + Randy on Blood and Dust = comfortable start but brutal later
Remember, you can change difficulty mid-game, but not your scenario!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest scenario in RimWorld for a new player?
Is the Lost Tribe scenario harder than Crashlanded? Why?
Can I disable specific events (raids, infestations, etc.) without mods?
Does scenario affect the game difficulty or just the start?
If I find Crashlanded too easy now, how can I increase the challenge?
Patch History: Scenario System Evolution
Conclusion
Every RimWorld colony starts with a scenario – essentially the opening chapter of your story. Choosing the right one (and tailoring it if needed) can mean the difference between "thriving colony" and "everybody is eating each other by winter."
Think of scenarios in analogies:
- Crashlanded is the well-rounded RPG character with balanced stats
- Lost Tribe is the brute with a late-game growth curve
- Rich Explorer is the glass cannon
- Naked Brutality is the zero-to-hero challenge run
If Crashlanded is playing on medium in an RPG, Naked Brutality is like starting Dark Souls at soul level 1 – doable, but you better know what you're doing!
Choosing Crashlanded gives RimWorld newcomers the best chance to learn and succeed, while the other scenarios offer increasing challenge and unique twists for when you're ready to spice up your story.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to have fun and memorable stories. As the RimWorld motto goes: "The story is generated." Make it one worth telling your friends about!
Happy rimworlding, and may your colony prosper (or at least die in a hilarious way 😄).