Weather controller
 | This article relates to content added by Royalty (DLC). Please note that it will not be present without the DLC enabled. |
Weather controller
An ultratech device for controlling weather. Using chemicals and exotic fields, it forces the weather into a particular configuration.
Base Stats
- Type
- Building – Mechanoid cluster
- HP
- 1500
- Flammability
- 0%
Building
- Size
- 6 × 6
- Placeable
- False
- Passability
- impassable
- Cover Effectiveness
- 75%
- Blocks Wind
- True
- Destroy yield
60 + 
1 + 
10 + 
4
Weather controllers are mechanoid cluster and quest condition causers that force a particular weather.
Summary
 | This article is a stub. You can help RimWorld Wiki by expanding it. Reason: How do weather controllers interact with each other? Are all weather options available for selection, and is there weighting on what is selected? Do fog weather controllers prevent the automatic rain during a fire?. |
Weather controllers force a specified weather within a 10 world-tile radius. It has no impact on caravans, but settling on a new tile in range will still cause it to be rainy.
Anecdotally, a weather controller inside your colony takes priority over a weather controller from the world map. [Verify]
Analysis
When outdoors, weather will reduce the accuracy of ranged weapons. In addition, all forms of rain and snow reduce movement speed and give the −3 Soaking Wet moodlet.
Since weather penalizes colonists and all ranged enemies equally, weather controllers are one of the least harmful condition causers. You can leave them indefinitely without much issue. Though, since it slows down colonists working outside, you may want to take out the weather controller eventually.
For killboxes, the accuracy penalty can make a significant difference. However, if both the shooter and the target are under a roof, then they are considered "indoors" for the purposes of weather, no matter what's between the shooter and target.
Melee colonies
Melee-focused colonies, such as for challenge runs or those relying on trained animals, mechanitor
controlled scythers, or ghouls,
can benefit significantly from weather controllers, with it up to halving the DPS of ranged enemies but having no effect on melee DPS. Fog is ideal for this purpose as it has the maximum reduction in ranged accuracy but no accompanying Move speed penalty, allowing your pawns to close the distance as fast as possible.
Power generation
Weather controllers can significantly benefit power generation. Stormy weather raises both the windspeed floor and the maximum and so increases both the reliability of power generation from wind turbines. At the new maximum, wind turbines produce 3450W - less consistent than, and not quite competitive with, geothermal generators but not limited in location or number by steam geysers. Moderately sized wind farms paired with the correct weather controller can provide sufficient power for even late game power hungry colonies, especially when outfitted with batteries and hidden conduits.
Any forced rain will automatically extinguish fires from lightning, but it is suggested you roof over major walkways and killzones to limit the negative effects.
Version history
- Royalty DLC Release - Added.