Cover can be anything that has the possibility to stop a fired bullet from hitting the intended target. Cover in RimWorld can be found in several forms. Some examples are: Rubble, Sandbags, Walls, the Saguaro cactus, and even animals.
High cover consists of any wall, constructed or otherwise, which a character can lean around to shoot enemies (if they're standing next to the wall). Any wall counts as high cover, and will stop bullets or other projectiles not just from hitting whoever is taking cover behind them, but prevent them from continuing on to hit anything else. It also blocks explosives.
Low cover consists of sandbags, rock or slag chunks, trees, bushes, animals, some types of furniture and structures, and virtually anything else that a character can shoot over. Low cover does not provide as high a chance of stopping projectiles as high cover, but it's still far better than nothing, and it allows your colonists to shoot over it whereas a wall could block your shooters' line of sight to target completely.
Natural cover is anything that can protect you on a newly generated map.
Artificial cover is anything you build; even debris that you move could potentially count as artificial cover.
Cover is multiplied by a factor of 20-100% depending which direction the attack is coming from. Cover works best against attacks coming straight at it, but doesn't work so well against incoming attacks from the sides.
Cover effectiveness on tiles at each angle
Here's a list of each angle threshold and the corresponding cover effectiveness multiplier in a list - as this doesn't look particularly great in a table:
- a < 15° = 100% effectiveness
- 15° < a < 27° = 80% effectiveness
- 27° < a < 40° = 60% effectiveness
- 40° < a < 52° = 40% effectiveness
- 52° < a < 65° = 20% effectiveness
- a > 65° = 0% effectiveness
Cover is additionally less effective at point-blank range: cover's only 33.33% as effective when the shooter is directly in front of the target's cover, and 66.666% if the shooter is 1 tile away from the cover.
Sometimes multiple sources of cover also work together to block additional projectiles. For example, shooting at a pawn behind low cover from a diagonal angle will result in 2 units of low cover providing protection at once, each at a reduced efficiency.
| Contents: |
High Cover |
Low Cover |
other/unknown
|
| Artificial Cover
|
|
|
|
| Natural Cover
|
|
|
|
Natural cover
Natural cover is anything that is generated when the map is created, and is almost everything you can find on a newly generated map.
Walls
Solid walls in general, from mountain walls to walls of ruins scattered across the map, are all capable of providing good cover.
Pawns using walls as cover will fire from behind the corner of the wall.
Walls provide up to 75% cover, but is heavily affected by direction.
Chunks
Chunks provide 50% cover.
They are littered all over the map, in the form of rock or steel slag chunks. They will be used by attackers to gain an advantage over you.
You can also use chunks for protection, but their random placement is unlikely to favor you, so it's advisable to use it only during mobile warfare or as a last resort.
Chunks, in combination with a dumping area, can provide a free alternative to sandbag and barricade emplacements in the early game when cloth or solid materials are scarce. Here is how it works:
- Create a dumping stockpile zone in the desired shape (typically 1 square wide).
- The dumping zones accept Chunks and Corpses by default, you can choose only the type of chunk you want.
- Select chunks on the map using the "Haul things" option in the "Orders" tab of the Architect menu.
- Wait for them to be hauled.
- Place Colonists behind this line for cover during a firefight.
Bushes
Bushes provide 20% cover. In general, you'll want to avoid these—especially as they can catch fire very easily.
Trees
Trees provide 25% cover.
Saguaro cactus
A saguaro cactus is a large tree-like cactus with 2 branches. They provide 35% cover.
Animals
A last resort to cover if you have nothing else can be animals. By having animals between your colonist(s) and the attackers, they can actually work as a makeshift barricade (or 'meat shield') by being hit instead of your colonists. Larger animals (e.g. Muffalo) work better for this. However, you shouldn't rely on this, as animals tend to wander off at random. They can, however, become enraged and attack your enemies (or you) if fired upon long enough, so there may be something to it after all.
Pawns
Other pawns can be used to shield your colonist from fire if they are in between them and the attacker. This is a natural shield when going up against a brawler that is backed up by a ranged attacker as their allies will accidentally hit them. Putting one colonist in front of another will also be used as a meat shield for the one behind. A downed pawn can provide cover as long as they're still alive, but once they die they lose the ability to soak up projectiles.
Artificial cover
Artificial cover is anything that you can build. (In a sense, rubble could be counted as artificial cover after you have moved it, and are using it as cover.)
Sandbags and barricades
Sandbags and barricades are the easiest and cheapest method of protection, offering substantial survivability potential while maintaining maximum angles of fire — great for shooters that need to cover a wide area of approach. U-shapes are good for one character to hide in. Zigzag patterns will allow multiple characters to cover close together, which is handy if you want to focus fire on a few attackers. They can also be combined with walls to provide additional cover from more angles.
Sandbags and barricades both provide 55% cover. Barricades differ from Sandbags in that they are made from solid materials such as stone, wood and metals, while sandbags use textiles. This allows barricades to be made slightly earlier in game as textiles can sometimes be difficult to find early on, however wood and steel are flammable and not particularly strong. Once stonecutting comes online however, stone barricades are cost effective and fireproof low cover
Walls
Walls can be used as cover as well. Characters will lean around them to shoot. Natural walls work in the same way, and will almost always have more durability than any artificial wall.
Door
A door can be used as a high cover if it stands alone so a colonist can lean around it.
Buildings
Most things that you can build can also stop bullets, although they take damage and will eventually be destroyed, catch fire or explode, if not repaired in time.
Not cover
The following things do not provide cover.
- resources and items that can be picked up (i.e. steel, wood logs, stone blocks)
- plants (except for trees, Saguaro cactus, bushes, and raspberry bushes)
- minified items
- power conduit; power switch
- graves
- dead bodies
- spots (i.e. sleeping spot, crafting spot)
Full list
The following expandable table lists all objects that provide cover, sorted by cover effectiveness, then name.
| Name |
Cover effectiveness |
Hit points
|
Ancient container 
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Animal flap
|
0.75 |
20
|
| Autodoor
|
0.75 |
160
|
Bioferrite generator 
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Bioferrite harvester
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Chemfuel powered generator
|
0.75 |
300
|
Climate adjuster 
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Collapsed rocks
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Compacted machinery
|
0.75 |
2,000
|
| Compacted plasteel
|
0.75 |
8,000
|
| Compacted steel
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Cooler
|
0.75 |
100
|
| Corrupted obelisk
|
0.75 |
3,000
|
Crashed mechanitor ship 
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Door
|
0.75 |
160
|
| EMI dynamo
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Electric crematorium
|
0.75 |
300
|
| Electric inhibitor
|
0.75 |
100
|
| Electroharvester
|
0.75 |
250
|
| Fence gate
|
0.75 |
20
|
| Fleshmass spitter
|
0.75 |
300
|
| Geothermal generator
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Gold ore
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Granite
|
0.75 |
900
|
| Infinite chemreactor
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Jade
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Limestone
|
0.75 |
700
|
| Marble
|
0.75 |
450
|
| Mech assembler
|
0.75 |
260
|
| Mech booster
|
0.75 |
150
|
| Mech capsule
|
0.75 |
180
|
| Mech high-shield
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Mech low-shield
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Mech node
|
0.75 |
50
|
| Noctolith
|
0.75 |
1,000
|
| Nutrient paste dispenser
|
0.75 |
350
|
| Ornate door
|
0.75 |
250
|
| Pod launcher
|
0.75 |
200
|
| Psychic droner
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Psychic suppressor
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Sandstone
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Security door
|
0.75 |
800
|
| Sensor cluster
|
0.75 |
100
|
| Ship computer core
|
0.75 |
150
|
| Ship engine
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Ship reactor
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Ship structural beam
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Silver ore
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Slate
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Smoke spewer
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Smoothed granite
|
0.75 |
900
|
| Smoothed limestone
|
0.75 |
700
|
| Smoothed marble
|
0.75 |
450
|
| Smoothed sandstone
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Smoothed slate
|
0.75 |
500
|
| Spacedrone
|
0.75 |
1,000
|
| Sun blocker
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Toxic spewer
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Toxifier generator
|
0.75 |
300
|
| Twisted obelisk
|
0.75 |
3,000
|
| Uranium ore
|
0.75 |
4,000
|
| Vent
|
0.75 |
100
|
| Void monolith
|
0.75
|
| Wall
|
0.75 |
300
|
| Warped obelisk
|
0.75 |
3,000
|
| Watermill generator
|
0.75 |
400
|
| Weather controller
|
0.75 |
1,500
|
| Wood-fired generator
|
0.75 |
300
|
| Ancient fence
|
0.55 |
50
|
| Barricade
|
0.55 |
300
|
| Sandbags
|
0.55 |
300
|
| Ancient ATM
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient air conditioner
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient band node
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient basic recharger
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient car
|
0.5 |
600
|
| Ancient car frame
|
0.5 |
350
|
| Ancient comms console
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient concrete barrier
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient cryptosleep casket
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient cryptosleep pod
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient display bank
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient dropship
|
0.5 |
4,000
|
| Ancient dropship engine
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient engine block
|
0.5 |
350
|
| Ancient equipment blocks
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient exostrider cannon
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient exostrider head
|
0.5 |
1,500
|
| Ancient exostrider leg
|
0.5 |
1,000
|
| Ancient exostrider midsection
|
0.5 |
3,000
|
| Ancient generator
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient giant wheel
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Ancient hydrant
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient jet engine
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient kitchen sink
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient large crate
|
0.5 |
220
|
| Ancient large mech gestator
|
0.5 |
1,000
|
| Ancient locker bank
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient long crate
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Ancient machine
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Ancient macro-engine block
|
0.5 |
600
|
| Ancient mech gestator
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient microwave
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient oven
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient pipeline section
|
0.5 |
400
|
| Ancient pipes
|
0.5 |
50
|
| Ancient pod car
|
0.5 |
600
|
| Ancient postbox
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient refrigerator
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient ruined APC
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient ruined tank
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient security turret
|
0.5 |
100
|
| Ancient shopping cart
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Ancient small crate
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Ancient standard recharger
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient storage cylinder
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient stove
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient tank trap
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Ancient toilet
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient toxifier generator
|
0.5 |
450
|
| Ancient troop carrier
|
0.5 |
1,800
|
| Ancient truck
|
0.5 |
600
|
| Ancient vending machine
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Ancient warspider remains
|
0.5 |
4,000
|
| Ancient warsprinter remains
|
0.5 |
1,800
|
| Ancient warwalker claw
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient warwalker foot
|
0.5 |
600
|
| Ancient warwalker leg
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient warwalker shell
|
0.5 |
2,000
|
| Ancient warwalker torso
|
0.5 |
4,000
|
| Ancient washing machine
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Ancient wheel
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Art bench
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Auto charge turret
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Auto inferno turret
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Autocannon turret
|
0.5 |
380
|
| Bioferrite shaper
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Biofuel refinery
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Biosculpter pod
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Brewery
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Butcher table
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Comms console
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Cryptosleep casket
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Deep drill
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Defoliator
|
0.5 |
400
|
| Drug lab
|
0.5 |
120
|
| Dryad cocoon
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Electric smelter
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Electric smithy
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Electric stove
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Electric tailor bench
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Fabrication bench
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Fueled smithy
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Fueled stove
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Gaumaker pod
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Gibbet cage
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Grand altar
|
0.5 |
350
|
| Grand sculpture
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Grand stele
|
0.5 |
400
|
| Growth vat
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Hand tailor bench
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Hi-tech research bench
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Hive
|
0.5 |
130
|
| Hopper
|
0.5 |
100
|
| Large altar
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Large mech gestator
|
0.5 |
350
|
| Large sculpture
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Large stele
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Machining table
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Mech gestator
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Mechanoid slag chunk
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Medium altar
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Megascarab cocoon
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Megaspider cocoon
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Multi-analyzer
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Sarcophagus
|
0.5 |
250
|
| School desk
|
0.5 |
75
|
| Security crate
|
0.5 |
400
|
| Serum lab
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Shard inhibitor
|
0.5 |
100
|
| Ship chunk
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Ship cryptosleep casket
|
0.5 |
200
|
| Simple research bench
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Skullspike
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Small altar
|
0.5 |
50
|
| Solar generator
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Spelopede cocoon
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Stasis Cocoon
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Steel slag chunk
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Stone chunk
|
0.5 |
300
|
| Stonecutter's table
|
0.5 |
180
|
| Styling station
|
0.5 |
120
|
| Terror sculpture
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Tool cabinet
|
0.5 |
100
|
| Transport pod
|
0.5 |
250
|
| Uranium slug turret
|
0.5 |
380
|
| Wastepack atomizer
|
0.5 |
500
|
| Wind turbine
|
0.5 |
150
|
| Fermenting barrel
|
0.45 |
100
|
| Ancient bed
|
0.4 |
140
|
| Ancient system rack
|
0.4 |
250
|
| Armchair
|
0.4 |
120
|
| Auto mortar
|
0.4 |
260
|
| Band node
|
0.4 |
150
|
| Battery
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Bed
|
0.4 |
140
|
| Billiards table
|
0.4 |
250
|
| Bookcase
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Chess table
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Couch
|
0.4 |
160
|
| Deathrest accelerator
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Deathrest casket
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Double bed
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Drape
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Dresser
|
0.4 |
120
|
| End table
|
0.4 |
75
|
| Foam turret
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Glucosoid pump
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Grand meditation throne
|
0.4 |
350
|
| Ground-penetrating scanner
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Heater
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Hemogen amplifier
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Hemopump
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Hermetic crate
|
0.4 |
250
|
| Holding platform
|
0.4 |
500
|
| Hospital bed
|
0.4 |
150
|
| Long-range mineral scanner
|
0.4 |
250
|
| Meditation throne
|
0.4 |
150
|
| Mini-slugger turret
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Mini-turret
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Mortar
|
0.4 |
180
|
| Passive cooler
|
0.4 |
80
|
| Poker table
|
0.4 |
250
|
| Psychofluid pump
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Reliquary
|
0.4 |
350
|
| Rocketswarm launcher
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Royal bed
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Shelf
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Sleep suppressor
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Small bookcase
|
0.4 |
50
|
| Small shelf
|
0.4 |
50
|
| Table (1x2)
|
0.4 |
75
|
| Table (2x2)
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Table (2x4)
|
0.4 |
150
|
| Table (3x3)
|
0.4 |
175
|
| Tactical turret
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Timbershroom
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Tube television
|
0.4 |
100
|
| Urn
|
0.4 |
40
|
| Vanometric power cell
|
0.4 |
200
|
| Ancient mega-cannon platform
|
0.35 |
1,200
|
| Dining chair
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Drum
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Flatscreen television
|
0.35 |
80
|
| Lectern
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Lightball
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Loudspeaker
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Megascreen television
|
0.35 |
85
|
| Pew
|
0.35 |
100
|
| Saguaro cactus
|
0.35 |
130
|
| Small sculpture
|
0.35 |
90
|
| Snowman
|
0.35 |
50
|
| Unstable power cell
|
0.35 |
200
|
| Void sculpture
|
0.35 |
90
|
| Ancient barrel
|
0.3 |
100
|
| Ancient crate
|
0.3 |
100
|
| Ancient nav beacon
|
0.3 |
50
|
| Ancient operating table
|
0.3 |
140
|
| Ancient unstable fuel node
|
0.3 |
50
|
| Egg box
|
0.3 |
50
|
| Firefoam popper
|
0.3 |
50
|
| Fleshbulb
|
0.3 |
35
|
| Hydroponics basin
|
0.3 |
180
|
| Mechband antenna
|
0.3 |
80
|
| Mechband dish
|
0.3 |
150
|
| Slab bed
|
0.3 |
140
|
| Slab double bed
|
0.3 |
200
|
| Subcore encoder
|
0.3 |
200
|
| Subcore ripscanner
|
0.3 |
250
|
| Subcore softscanner
|
0.3 |
250
|
| Toy box
|
0.3 |
50
|
| Ancient lamppost
|
0.25 |
300
|
| Ancient mechanoid shell
|
0.25 |
150
|
| Anima tree
|
0.25 |
400
|
| Bamboo tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Birch tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Cecropia tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Cocoa tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Column
|
0.25 |
160
|
| Count-down activator
|
0.25 |
100
|
| Cypress tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Drago tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Fence
|
0.25 |
40
|
| Gauranlen tree
|
0.25 |
300
|
| Harbinger tree
|
0.25 |
230
|
| Maple tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Mech drop beacon
|
0.25 |
100
|
| Neural supercharger
|
0.25 |
100
|
| Oak tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Palm tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Pebble cactus
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Pine tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Poplar tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Proximity activator
|
0.25 |
100
|
| Proximity detector
|
0.25 |
100
|
| Teak tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Willow tree
|
0.25 |
200
|
| Agave
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Alocasia
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Ancient enemy terminal
|
0.2 |
200
|
| Ancient lamp
|
0.2 |
50
|
| Ancient terminal
|
0.2 |
200
|
| Autobong
|
0.2 |
80
|
| Berry bush
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Bonsai pot
|
0.2 |
80
|
| Burned stump
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Bush
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Campfire
|
0.2 |
80
|
| Chopped stump
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Clivia
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Flood light
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Game-of-Ur board
|
0.2 |
90
|
| Giant rafflesia
|
0.2 |
120
|
| Glow pod
|
0.2 |
50
|
| Plant pot
|
0.2 |
75
|
| Psychic emanator
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Sleep accelerator
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Smashed stump
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Standing lamp
|
0.2 |
50
|
| Stool
|
0.2 |
75
|
| Sun lamp
|
0.2 |
50
|
| Vitals monitor
|
0.2 |
100
|
| Wall lamp
|
0.2 |
35
|
| Ancient mech drop beacon
|
0.15 |
50
|
| Ancient mega-cannon barrel
|
0.15 |
900
|
| Animal bed
|
0.15 |
140
|
| Animal sleeping box
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Blood torch
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Brazier
|
0.15 |
80
|
| Darklight brazier
|
0.15 |
80
|
| Darktorch
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Fungus darktorch
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Moisture pump
|
0.15 |
50
|
| Orbital trade beacon
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Pen marker
|
0.15 |
100
|
| Shard beacon
|
0.15 |
100
|
| Ship landing beacon
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Telescope
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Torch lamp
|
0.15 |
75
|
| Wall torch lamp
|
0.15 |
50
|
| Ancient razor wire
|
0.1 |
30
|
| Kneel pillow
|
0.05 |
20
|
| Kneel sheet
|
0.05 |
40
|
| Bonsai tree
|
0.01 |
85
|
