Mechanitors and mechanoids

Mechanitors and the new mechanoids they control are new features added in the Biotech DLC.

The Mechanitor

A mechlink is a new implant that allows a person to form a direct mental link to mechanoids and control them via electromagnetic signals and psychic influence. Someone who has a mechlink is called a mechanitor.

Mechanoids can perform in both work and combat. Some mechanoids are workers that will politely harvest crops or haul items as long as their little power cells are charged. Some can work or fight, crushing rock and bone with equal ease. Finally, there are a wide array of pure combat mechanoids with very diverse abilities. Incendiary beam weapons, movable projectile shields, long-range charge lances, blade-covered scythers, flame-spitters and more can be deployed in many combinations to defeat any threat via interlocking tactics.

There are a few ways to become a mechanitor, and all involve looting technology from an ancient dead mechanitor. If you can dig a datacore out of an ancient ruined super-mechanoid, you can use it to call an ancient mechanitor’s ship to land at your colony and harvest the mechlink from his body. Alternatively, you might be able to learn about an ancient mechanitor’s command complex, go there, penetrate inside through the security systems and grab the mechlink from him. You can also start the game with the new mechanitor scenario, where you begin the game as a solitary mechanitor with a mechanoid buddy.

Mechanitors start out with the ability to command just a few small mechs. Over time, they can grow a grand swarm. They do this by gaining more bandwidth and control groups:

Bandwidth determines how many mechs a mechanitor can gestate and control at once. A mechanitor who loses bandwidth will temporarily disconnect from some of their mechanoids. If a mech is left disconnected for too long, it may reconnect with the wild mech hive and leave - or attack. Control groups are groups of mechs who can be controlled as a unit. A mechanitor with more control groups can send mechanoids to do more separate tasks at the same time. A more advanced mechanitor can have combat mechs patrolling a colony, labor mechs toiling in the field, and bodyguard mechs escorting them around, all at the same time.

Mechanoid infrastructure

Mechanoids require heavy infrastructure that takes up a lot of space and burns a lot of electricity. Big sections of your colony can turn into mechanoid maintenance, production, and control centers. You’ll feel your plucky wooden village transforming into a grand integrated machine of generators, chargers, control nodes, and gestators. Your base will tend to grow large with a lot of mechanoids, and have a lot of things moving and consuming.

Each mechanoid must contain a mechanoid brain known as a subcore (short for subpersona core - the psychic substrate on which a dim, sub-human-level intelligence can be hosted). There are several tiers of subcores, with more advanced mechanoids requiring more advanced subcores.

Basic-level subcores can be produced by a mechanitor with just some resources and time at the subcore encoder.

More advanced subcores require scanning the psychic pattern from human minds. A person can be placed in a subcore softscanner and scanned to produce a subcore. This causes temporary mental effects but is ultimately harmless.

The most advanced mechanoids need extremely high-fidelity psychic patterns to work, and these can only be readily produced using the subcore ripscanner, which scans the brain quickly at ultra-high energy, destroying it in the process.

Once a subcore and resources are ready, mechanoids can be produced in mech gestators. Instead of being built like normal machines, mechanoids are gestated in a mechanite-rich solution that accretes the mechanoid molecule-by-molecule in a quasi-biological process. Gestation takes time, electricity, resources, and occasional guidance by your mechanitor.

Only a mechanitor can guide the gestation process, since it requires a psychic link to the growing mechanoid. As always, everything about the mechanoids links back to the human whom they serve.

The gestator can also resurrect some types of mechanoids. This makes your mechanoids more expendable in combat, which makes using them in combat give more distinct strategies compared to using human fighters.

There are several sizes of gestators. Small gestators are used for smaller mechs, while larger gestators are needed to produce ultra-heavy war machines. Little mechs gestate quickly, while big bosses take a long time to grow.

Mechanoids consume their onboard energy supply over time and must recharge at mech rechargers. Mechanoids will automatically seek out available rechargers so they don’t run out of energy. If they do run out of energy they’ll enter a self-shutdown state and recover energy very slowly - it’s much better to have a mech recharger available to keep your mechs working hard. There are several sizes of mech rechargers appropriate to different tiers of mechanoids. They consume a lot of electricity, and produce pollution as well - the characteristic cost of mechanoids.

Band nodes are signal amplifiers that can increase a mechanitors total bandwidth. They can be quickly tuned to a specific mechanitor. However, returning a band node to a different mechanitor is a complex task and requires a long time. There is no limit to how many band nodes a mechanitor can build, so a mechanitor can have a huge swarm, though it will require heavy infrastructure to control.

Mech boosters are enhancer buildings that boost the speed and work ability of mechanoids nearby. Great for powering up mechanoid-based factories.

Mech signallers are a set of single-use structures that can be used by a mechanitor to call in fearsome super-mechanoid enemies to attack you. You need to call these enemies so you can loot their corpses for special high-tech mechanoid chips. These chips are core to the mechanitor’s progression since they are needed to advance to the next tier of mechanoid technology. This structure of “choose your enemy and be ready” is a little bit new for RimWorld, and creates a new kind of self-directed game pace for the player (as opposed to being blindsided by raids at any time).

Labor mechanoids

Labor mechs can perform a variety of work tasks (but not absolutely everything - some things still need a human touch). Some are plucky little worker bois who are best kept away from danger, while others are hulking crusher machines that tank damage with ease.

Paramedic mechs are designed to aid in emergency situations. They can rescue the wounded, fight fires and even perform surgery. The paramedic has a built-in jump launcher for quickly getting into and out of emergency situations, making it excellent for extracting downed colonists from battle. It also has a built-in firefoam popper which it can use to extinguish fires. It also has basic medical skills - it can tend the wounded and sick, and even perform surgery when a skilled human isn’t available.

Lifters are there to move things where they need to go. They’re small, weak, pretty easy to get and always useful. They will haul a corpse to a grave or rearm a turret. They lack a real weapon.

Constructoids can perform an array of construction tasks, from building roofs to repairing buildings and even hauling resources to blueprints. The constructoid is equipped with a small slug gun for light defense and built-in cutting blades, but is not a good frontline fighter.

Agrihands are small mechanoids designed to sow and harvest crops and can perform a blunt melee attack.

Cleansweepers are light mechanoids that clean filth and do blunt melee attacks.

Fabricors will craft all manner of manufactured objects at your work benches (though they can’t do the same quality of work as a skilled human). Like the constructoid, the fabricor has a small slug gun.

Tunnelers are massive, heavily-armored mechs equipped with gigantic crusher claws. The tunneler can dig tunnels and mine resources tirelessly. In combat, it is slow but its very strong armor makes it an excellent tank for absorbing enemy fire while your other fighters deal damage. The tunneler has a small built-in smokepop pack which can activate to spread smoke and shield itself from incoming fire. It also has a shield pack that recharges over time. Its weakness is that each time it takes damage, it slows for a few seconds - this means that when tunnelers attack you, even if you can’t kill them quickly, you can intelligently kite them by falling back from your position to escape the blocking smoke, maintain distance and slowly whittle the tunnelers down.

Mechanoid commanders

Biotech introduces three new commander mechanoids to fight. Defeat these super-deadly enemies and harvest special mechanoid chips from their smoking husks to advance your mechanoid technology. You can provoke super-mechs into attacking your colony by using signaller devices - but be prepared!

Each mechanoid commander drops a different mechanoid chip. The first time you acquire each type of chip, you’ll unlock a new tier of mechanoid research. Mechanoid chips are also used as resources to produce top-tier mechanoids and mechanitor upgrades. With enough chips, you can power up your humble mechanitor into an unstoppable mechlord.

You'll be able to fight mechanoid commanders at your own speed. Unlike other challenges in RimWorld that scale as your colony grows wealthier, super-mechanoid enemies scale with the number of times you call them. This allows you to tackle them early on to beef up your tech, or wait and carefully prepare your colony for the big fight.

Super-mechanoids come with escort mechs of all other types to add combat power. Commanders bring a new escort every time they are called, and require a different tactical approach for each engagement. We designed them to be as distinct from each other as possible, so each group is a new challenge. From swarming, to sniping, to scorching, super-mechs have a huge range of combat styles.

Diabolus: An ultra-heavy mechanoid with a high-energy hellsphere cannon. Made for siege-breaking, its hellsphere cannon takes time to charge up a shot, but can melt concrete and vaporize bone. The diabolus dissipates its waste power through a heat column mounted on its back, allowing it to produce massive fiery explosions as a defensive measure if surrounded at close range. While extremely powerful, the diabolus lacks maneuverability - meaning you’ll need to be fast and agile to defeat it! Keep your colonists moving to outpace its hellsphere cannon, or distract it with cannon fodder.

War queen: A terrifying mechanoid with a built-in mech gestator. The war queen can gestate small war urchin combat mechs inside its massive carapace and deploy them into combat. Given time to build up numbers, a war queen can overwhelm any opponent with dozens of war urchins. The war queen demands respect - failing to destroy it quickly could have devastating consequences as it grows its swarm and overruns your colony.

Apocriton: The mysterious apocriton is an intelligent commander mechanoid and psychic warrior that harbors endless hatred for humanity. Not much is known about it, except that its psychic powers poison the human mind with rage. Its weapon is hatred.

Combat mechanoids

Crush enemies and raiders with your own mechanoid army. Biotech lets you control hordes of killer mechs, all connected to your mechanitor overseer. Even death won’t stop them - you can resurrect your destroyed mechanoids in gestator tanks.

However, protecting your very mortal mechanitor is crucial. Drafted combat mechanoids need to stay within range of their overseer to receive commands. While mechanoids can work autonomously at any distance, they can only be ordered to move or attack targets that are within their mechanitor’s range. Mechanoids that become severed from their overseer risk defecting to hostile mech hives.

Militor: The cannon-fodder of any sizable mechanoid army. These small combat mechanoids are armed with a low-power mini-shotgun. Roughly four feet tall, militors lack the power, range, and toughness of more senior combat mechs. However, they are cheap to gestate and maintain, making them the perfect swarmer.

Scorcher: A close-approach war mechanoid that specializes in incendiary attacks. Its flame burst attack has little reach, but once it closes on defenders, it can ignite and disrupt them with blasts of searing flame. Scorchers quickly turn firefights into “fire” fights. These mechanoids start wildfires with ease and are especially effective against large groups of attackers or those taking shelter in flammable defenses.

Legionary: A combat support mechanoid with a wide-range bullet shield and long-range needle gun. Legionaries are excellent for defending long-range allies. Its shield absorbs incoming projectiles, while allowing colonists and mechanoids to shoot out freely. However, legionaries are weak to melee attackers, and their shield can be quickly broken with an EMP.

Tesseron: A medium-range combat mechanoid with a powerful, sweeping beam graser attack. Their gamma ray laser is powerful enough to ignite its targets and can even pass through shields. This lets tesserons strike multiple foes from a safe distance, and breach shielded enemies. However, tesserons are unable to focus their laser at close range, making them susceptible to fast-moving melee opponents.

Centurion: A nearly unstoppable ultra-heavy mech with a built-in shield bubble generator and point-defense bulb turret capable of firing even while the mechanoid is moving. The centurion acts as a mobile defense platform. Its massive shield is one of the strongest among mechanoids, providing large numbers of allies with strong defense while allowing them to shoot outwards.

In addition to the new mechanoids, you’ll be able to control the classic mechanoid types - pikemen, scythers, centipedes, and lancers. With the right technology, you can even create your own super-mechanoids like the diabolus and war queen!

Mechanoid colors and names

Style your mechanoids with dozens of different colors to give them a personalized look, and distinguish them from enemy units. And yes - you can rename your mechanoids.

Mechanitor upgrades

By unlocking more powerful mechanoid technology, you’ll gain access to a wide variety of mechanitor upgrades, from neural implants to special mechanitor armor.

Here’s an overview of the mechanitor implants you’ll have access to in Biotech:

Control sublink: These neural implants expand a mechanitor’s processing power, giving them additional control groups and increasing the work speed of labor mechs.
Remote repairer: A mechlink upgrade that allows a mechanitor to repair mechanoids at a distance. The user links with the mechanoid and psychically guides the self-repair mechanites. It’s great for long-distance mid-combat repairs.
Remote shielder: An implant that allows a mechanitor to project a shield onto a friendly mechanoid. Use this during critical moments to save your mechanoid!
Mech gestation processor: This implant connects the mechanitor directly to their gestator tanks and increases the speed of mechanoid production or resurrection.
Repair probe: The more mechanoids, the more repairs! Repair probe implants substantially increase the repair speed of a mechanitor.

Most mechanitor implants can be installed multiple times. There’s a ton of room for progression to make an extremely powerful mechanitor. However, all power comes at a cost. High-level mechanitor upgrades can only be made using high-tech chips obtained from defeating super-mechanoids.

Mechanitor headsets: These head-mounted comms computers increase the number of mechanoids that your mechanitor can control.
Mechanitor packs: Control packs and bandwidth packs allow mechanitors additional flexibility, granting more control groups, or more bandwidth.
Mechcommander and mechlord armor: The ultimate in mechanitor gear! This power-assisted armor dramatically amplifies a mechanitor’s bandwidth.

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Biotech (DLC)

Families

Relationships (Reproduction • Children)
Life stages (Babies • Children • Adults)
Furniture (Crib • Baby sleeping spot • Growth vat • Toy box • Baby decoration • School desk • Blackboard)

Mechanoids

Laborers (Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler)
Combatants (Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron)
Commanders (Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen • War urchin)

Mechanitors

Control (Mechlink • Band node • Mech boosters • Mech signallers • Control pack • Airwire headset)
Mechanoid creation (Basic subcore • Standard subcore • High subcore • Subcore encoder • Subcore softscanner • Subcore ripscanner • Mech gestator)
Maintenance (Mech recharger)

Genetics

Xenohumans (Dirtmoles • Genies • Highmates • Hussars • Impids • Neanderthals • Pigskins • Sanguophages • Wasters • Yttakin)
Genes Germline • Xenogene • Metabolic efficiency
Genetic Modification Genepack • Gene extractor • Gene bank • Gene assembler • Gene processor • Xenogerm • Archite capsules
Deathrest (Deathrest accelerator • Deathrest capacity serum • Deathrest casket • Glucosoid pump • Hemogen amplifier • Hemopump • Psychofluid pump)

Pollution

Nature (Toxalope • Toxipotato plant • Waste rat • Gray pine tree • Pebble cactus • Rat palm tree • Witchwood tree • Stasis cocoon)
Mitigation (Wastepacks • Atomizers • Pollution pumps • Polux trees)
Adaptation Face mask • Gas mask • Tox grenades • Tox pack • Tox shell • Toxic needle gun • Toxbomb launcher • Detoxifier kidney • Detoxifier lung
Nonchalance Toxifier generator