Factions

Factions are the main source of NPC interactions in-game.

Human-led factions

The most common factions on rimworlds are made up of humans, with settlements all over the world (and other worlds, in the case of empires).

An example of the different factions with leaders in 1.1, including the Empire from the Royalty DLC

Human factions always have a leader, and are displayed by default in the faction tab.

Tribes

Main article: Tribes

"These people have been here a very long time. Maybe their ancestors crashed here a thousand years ago. Maybe they survived some cataclysm that destroyed a technological civilization here. In any case, the tribals are a mostly nomadic people who live off the land using primitive tools and weapons. Despite their apparent technological weakness, the tribals can be dangerous enemies and valuable friends because of their skill with low-tech warfare, their numbers, and their hardiness."

The tribes are groups of neolithic people with basic weaponry such as bows and spears. They have probably inhabited the planet for a long time. They always wear tribal clothing, which is equivalent in stats to a standard shirt. People from this faction are usually very hard to recruit (difficulty 80+), though it is possible to do so. Tribe names often have words derived from Spanish, such as 'miñoca', 'legua', etc. They may not seem very strong due to their low level of technology, but they make up for it with sheer numbers.

This faction is a formidable ally and foe alike, and may start off as either of them. They may not be as dangerous as pirates, but they are not insignificant.

Gentle tribe

"This particular tribe pursues a gentle way of life where they can. They are quite open to trade and alliances, even with strange peoples."

Gentle tribes always start off neutral. This type of faction has a natural goodwill range from -50 to 50. If goodwill is over 50, it will fall by 0.4 per day. If goodwill is under -50, it will rise by 0.2 per day.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this tribe will have a random Ideoligion.

Fierce tribe

"This particular tribe values warlike dominance; it may be difficult to turn them into an ally."

Fierce tribes always start off hostile towards your colonists, as well as to all other factions. This type of faction has a natural goodwill range from -100 to -80. If goodwill is over -80, it will fall by 0.4 per day. If goodwill is under -100, it will rise by 0.2.

In 1.0 or earlier, they used to be known as savage tribes.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this tribe will have a random Ideoligion.

Savage tribe

"This particular tribe is driven by a blood-and-honor culture; you will not be able to ally with them!"

Savage tribes always start off hostile towards your colonists and all other factions. They are permanently hostile and cannot be befriended in any ways.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this tribe will always have an Ideoligion with "Raider" as one of the Memes.

Cannibal tribe

"This particularly vicious tribe believes eating the flesh of their enemies is a great honor."

Optionally available as spawned faction at world creation, Cannibal tribes always starts off permanently hostile towards your colonist and all other factions, with no way of befriending them.

These tribe will always have an ideoligions with "Cannibal" as one of the Memes.

Nudist tribe

"This particular tribe believes that covering one's body is wrong."

Optionally available as spawned faction at world creation, Nudist tribes always start off neutral. This type of faction has a natural goodwill range from -50 to 50. If goodwill is over 50, it will fall by 0.4 per day. If goodwill is under -50, it will rise by 0.2 per day.

This tribe will always have an Ideoligion with the "Nudist" meme.

Outlanders

Main article: Outlanders

"These people have lived here for decades or centuries, and have lost most of the technology that brought them to this world. They usually work with simple machinery and defend themselves with advanced gunpowder weapons. They are concerned with the practical matters of trade, trust and survival."

Outlanders use the same equipment and technology as pirates, but do not behave the same. Outlanders may or may not be hostile. Due to their similarity to your colony they can be considered the standard faction. They often use similar equipment and tactics as normal pirates, but rarely use high level gear such as sniper rifles. Be nice to them and you will be rewarded, but anger them and you basically have another pirate group, except this one can be negotiated with.

Civil outlander union

"This particular group holds civil behavior in high regard."

Civil outlander unions always start off neutral. This type of faction has a natural goodwill range from -50 to 50. If goodwill is over 50, it will fall by 0.4 per day. If goodwill is under -50, it will rise by 0.2 per day.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this faction's Ideoligion will either have the Collectivist or Individualist meme, any other meme is disallowed for this faction.

Minor Civil Outlander Union

This union is self-generated faction that only appear during any of the quest "Outlander's Visit" and disappears after either all the pawns spawned from this faction dies from said quest, or they send the reward as thanks for letting them leave the place without getting them killed. It follows the same ideoligion as that of any Civil outlander union within the game, but any pawns that appears from this union from said quest will always follow the ideoligion of the relic they are visiting to venerate. They start off as neutral, but can become hostile if they are harmed by your faction's pawn.

Rough outlander union

"This particular group has a streak of barbarity in them."

Rough outlander unions always start off hostile towards your colonists, as well as all other factions. This type of faction has a natural goodwill range from -100 to -80. If goodwill is over -80, it will fall by 0.4 per day. If goodwill is under -100, it will rise by 0.2.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this faction will always have the Supremacist meme.

Refugees

"A group of outlander refugees claiming to have lost their home."

A hidden outlander micro-faction create for each instance of the Refugee Hospitality quest. It contains only the pawns involved in that quest and is used to handle their relations with the player colony.

It is made up of pawns with the Outlander (95%) and Offworld (5%) backstories. They have an industrial tech level. The head of the faction is called the "Leader".

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, these refugees will have a random Ideoligion.

Pirates

Main article: Pirates

"A loose confederation of pirate gangs who've agreed to mostly fight outsiders instead of fighting each other. Pirates don't sow, they don't build, and they rarely trade. Driven by a blood-and-honor culture that values personal strength and ruthlessness, they enrich themselves by raiding and robbing their more productive neighbors. Their technology level depends mostly on who they've managed to steal from recently. Mostly they carry gunpowder weapons, though some prefer to stab victims at close range."

Pirates sport modern weapons and gear, though occasionally use advanced gear. It is pretty much impossible to negotiate with them (any attempts to do so result in vitriolic insults being thrown at you over the comms console). Pirates are the primary source of raids, usually attacking from the sides and occasionally dropping directly on your base. They kidnap incapacitated colonists if you leave them within reach, but do not kidnap your prisoners (exploit prevention vs players easing their leave).

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, this pirate gang will always have an Ideoligion with "Raider" as one of the Memes.

Cannibal Pirate Gang

"This particular gang of pirates are cannibal"

Optionally available as spawned faction at world creation and much like the original pirates, these pirates cannot be negotiated in any ways and are permanently hostile towards every other faction.

These gangs will always have an ideoligions with "Cannibal" as one of the Memes.

Empire

Main article: Empire

An ultratech refugee society from another planet, organized along feudal lines. They lived for thousands of years in a stable multi-planet empire with a strict caste system, an intricate code of warrior ethics, and enforced cultural stasis. Invaded by powerful outsiders, they fled. Despite losing almost all of their people, their fleet and technology still make them powerful. They will refuse to trade with anyone who lacks the appropriate royal title.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, the Empire will always have the Loyalist and Collectivist memes.

Leaderless factions

These factions don't have a single leader, but they still show up in the game (usually to cause trouble)

An example of hidden factions in 1.1

Mechanoids

Main article: Mechanoid

The Mechanoids are a faction of super-advanced robots, all of which are extremely formidable in combat. They come in four forms: Centipedes, Lancers, Pikemen and Scythers.

Centipedes are the Mechanoids' heavy units, equipped with a minigun, inferno cannon, or heavy charge blaster, as well as remarkably tough armor. Centipedes are capable of dealing a great amount of damage to your colony. Their primary purpose is to soak up damage from static defenses while suppressing enemy infantry's movements. They move very slowly, making hit-and-run or kiting attacks possible.

Scythers are the Mechanoids' melee units. They use special scyther blades that are attached to their bodies and cannot be removed. They are very deadly in hand-to-hand combat, and it's easy to lose limbs to a scyther. They are best engaged from a distance.

Lancers are the Mechanoids' light ranged units, equipped with a charge lance. Lancers can deal a great amount of damage per shot with their weapons, and their range means that they can attack improvised turrets without retaliation. Their primary purpose is to pick off defenders. If possible, take them out first, as their weapons can do significant and possibly lethal damage in the first shot if not stopped in time.

Pikemen are the Mechanoids' snipers, equipped with a needle gun. They deal low damage per shot but have immense range and accuracy. They do pathetic damage in melee and can be quickly dispatched with a single melee pawn.

Termites are the Mechanoid's breachers, equipped with a thump cannon. While they do not do as much damage towards a colonist compared to other mechanoids, their weapons are a giant bane towards most of the structure, particularly walls. The damage done to any structures are incredibly devastating, and they are often accompanied by nearby mechanoids which only attacks within range or for the scyther's case, proximity of any hostile. If the termites are killed, any mechanoids following it will immediately seek and kill/destroy hostile targets.

Once killed, all Mechanoids leave a corpse which can be broken down at a machining table for metal and components.

A Mechanoid attack can easily destroy an unprepared colony. They have a decent combat AI that utilizes each unit's strengths, making them a dangerous enemy to face. Mechanoids are the enemies of the "Ancient Ship Crash" event, in which they will emerge from the wreckage of their ship and attack if a colonist attacks it.

Insectoids

Main article:Insectoids

These insectoids appear after the event "Infestation" or "Too Deep: Infestation" in tiles with overhead mountain as the roof. This can be viewed using the roof view tool at the bottom right of the screen. They include the spelopede, the megaspider, and the megascarab. Unlike Mechanoids, the Insectoids build bigger bases than a poison/psychic ship(similar to mechanoid clusters) and the hives act like the Mechanoid assembler. While the mechanoid assembler produces nothing but mechanoids, the hives produce insect jelly. Insectoids will have to dig areas under mountains to expand. These infestations act like sieges.

Ancients

Main article: Ancients

Ancients are another unlisted faction, comprised of ancient soldiers that are found within cryptosleep caskets that may be found inside ancient shrines. No one knows what scenario forced them into their prolonged sleep, but those daring enough to awaken them should be prepared to defend themselves from an attack, as the ancient soldiers are frequently hostile. Ancient soldiers often wield high-tech weaponry and powerful armor, making them very dangerous. However, since they typically have low recruitment difficulty, managing to subdue them can quickly yield skilled colonists. Ancient soldiers formerly fell under the Spacer faction, and were known as Space soldiers.

If Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, the Ancients will always follow the last Ideoligion in the list, which is white in colour and has the Loyalist, Transhumanist and Human primacy memes by default.

Minor "Gentle" Tribe

These tribes are self-generated faction that only appears during any of the subquest "The Villager's" for "The <RELIC> of <IDEOLOGION>" and disappears completely after the sub-quest is concluded. They start off as neutral, but should any of the following action be taken:

Attacking any of the tribe members, even if indirect
Attempting to hack the terminal
Wait for more than 10 hours in their map

They will immediately become hostile and start attacking.

A giant wave of them will also arrive from the edges within 2 hours should you take too long to send your colonist away after hacking the terminal.

Factionless humans

There are two types of humans who don't have a faction:

Space refugees land in crashed transport pods. They will be injured on landing and can be rescued or imprisoned.
Wild men / women wander in from time to time. They can be recruited by assigning a colonist to tame them.

In both case, if Ideology DLC is enabled in the game, these will always appear with randomized Ideoligions and have no set ideoligions as a whole.

Faction naming

Each on-world faction has a randomly generated name for it.

Outlanders have more peaceful and political names such as 'pan-global covenant', 'confederation', or simply a randomly put-together name.
Tribals tend to use their natural environment, including words like 'mountain' in their names. They may also use Spanish words.
Pirates generate more 'badass' and violent names. They also tend to use predatory animal or weapon names.

Since Alpha 16 the faction name generator has been changed to generate more varied and interesting names, and is now separate from name generation of settlements.

Faction bases

Main article: Faction base

Factions have many bases generated when the world is created, which can be traveled to by forming a caravan or launching transport pods. Going to neutral or friendly factions will initiate a trade. Sending them to a hostile faction will start an assault on that base, which can be destroyed once the enemy flees. Then you have 24 hours to collect all the items you want before a caravan is automatically created to leave.

Destroying all bases of a Faction effectively eradicates them.^[1] A defeated faction cannot send raids or appear in quests.

Faction Relationships

In RimWorld, one of the key gameplay features is the raids by enemy factions. When a new world is generated, various factions within the world are also added. These factions have varying relationships with your colony, and all of them may be your enemy from the start. As time progresses and your colony accumulates more wealth and grows larger, it may be a good idea to attempt to improve these relationships to even eventually have an ally to call upon in the worst of times.

Relationship status

There are three kinds of relations that you can be with others; hostile, neutral and ally.

Hostile factions send raids towards your base.
Neutral factions can be traded with.
Allied factions, in addition to trading, may send military assistance to bolster your defenses, as well as leave gifts in return.

To turn a hostile faction neutral, you must increase goodwill above 0. To ally with them, you must increase it above 75, in which they will remain allies until it reaches 0.

Improving Relations

There are multiple ways to boost relations with factions. Note that none of these work on pirates or savage tribes.

Take one of their fallen faction members in as a guest and treat them. Returning a faction member in “good health” to the edge of the map and effectively to the faction members will improve the goodwill by +16. This means the member must be fully treated at that time, but it does not matter if he has not fully healed, has permanent health damage such as scars or removed organs, or is sick.
Destroying raider outposts bothering them improves relations by 8 and comes with a material reward, for each outpost destroyed.
Destroying faction bases of mutual enemies gives +20 goodwill.
Trading will also boost relationships, at a rate of +1 per 500 silver traded.
Fulfilling trade requests, at a rate of +12 per request.
Sending them gifts can help improve relations.
- In Beta 18 or earlier, you can contact them on the comms console and give them 300 silver for +13 base goodwill boost (greatly depends on social skill and talking ability) if you have at least -70 rep.
- In 0.19/1.0, you can give gifts by giving them to incoming trader caravans, send caravans to offer them, or send them via transport pod to their faction bases. The goodwill boost is proportional to the market value of the gifts given, with 160 worth of items or silver providing +1 rep boost.

Damaging Relations

There are several ways to make an enemy out of a faction, most being unintentional.

When you call for reinforcements from an ally, this damages relations. However, this alone is unable to make a faction hostile to you as below a certain goodwill threshold, allied factions will not accept requests for military aid.
Arresting a visiting faction member will set relations to -75 (Hostile), instantly making enemies out of any remaining faction members on the map. If they were already leaving, however, they will continue to do that instead of attacking you.
Removing organs or limbs without a valid reason (such as infection) also lowers reputation by 20.
If visiting allies and animals are injured or killed from non-hostile faction sources such as animals or traps, this will damage relations by -5 for each dead member. While it may not seem fair that relations are damaged when friendlies are harmed by something beyond the player's direct control, the game is behaving correctly.^[2] Hostile factions are not affected, and attacks from pirates won't greatly damage relations.
Settling near a faction base (4 or fewer tiles away) will continuously damage relations every quadrum- the closer you are the more reputation damage every quadrum.
Stripping a downed pawn will damage relations with their faction by 40 points. Dropped weapons and other items can be collected without penalty. Corpses can also be stripped without penalty.
Casting hostile or neutral psycasts on the members of a neutral or allied faction will damage your relation with them. The relation will be damaged even if the pawn was temporarily under your control for the purpose of a quest. In some case, this may seam very unfair. For example, casting Skip on a downed ally to rescue them without exposing your own colonist to enemy fire will damage your relation with their faction.

Prior to 1.0 hitting faction members by accident also caused relation damage.

Events

Main article: Events

For strategies for defense against raids, see Defense tactics.

For strategies for attacks against hostile factions, see Offense tactics.

A faction's relationship with you in the game will determine how they interact with your colony, be it anything from just passing by to a full-scale attack.

Raids

Of course, one of the things that an enemy will do is attempt to raid your colony. The more they do it, and the richer you are, the stronger the attacks become as time progresses. For a detailed explanation as to what can happen, visit the page Raiders.

Leader Assault

Occasionally the faction leader will direct the assault on your base in person. Killing them will grant a mood boost to the whole colony and will trigger a 'Leader replaced' event. If you capture and successfully recruit them, they will also be replaced.

Faction Assistance

Normally, this event will only occur if the player triggers it by asking for help in the comms console. Your allies will then spawn in a varying amount of troops near the edge of the map, making their way toward your base. The moment one of their enemies is spotted, they will begin to enter defensive positions and attack them. If they survive, they will then leave the map after a period of time. Allies might also send help on their own. If enemies appear on your map, allied Factions can occasionally send military aid to help you out without losing any relation points or silver. Note that rescuing any downed allies is a good way to keep relations high with them.

Travelers

This is when a friendly or neutral faction's members pass by the colony on their way from one end of the map to the other. The only time they spend on the map is walking from one end of it to another to then leave the map. Nothing special about that.

They will fight if they happen to encounter any hostiles while passing by.

Visitors

This is when a group of people or a single person makes their way from the edge of the map where they spawned to your colony to just mill around there for a while and then leave the way they came. Sometimes they may have a few items to trade.

This has no impact on relations with the faction, but can be nice if a common enemy attempts to raid you while they are there.

Trade Caravan

This is when a group of people come to trade with your colony. They often come with pack animals, and more goods and money to trade with than regular visitors.

They can come on their own, or be called to visit through the use of a comms console. Doing so will cost 15 goodwill (or 700/1100 silver prior to 1.0). They take two days to arrive, and you can call one per faction every four days.

Quests

Main article: Quests

New events implemented in Alpha 17. They usually require you go somewhere in order to claim a reward.

After finishing a quest, there are 60 hours for you to reform your caravan before enemy reinforcements arrive.

Version History

0.3.410 - Raiders now come from specific factions. Pawns of warring factions now fight. Pawns now spawn with backstories from appropriate spawn category for their faction. Tribals now have tribal specific names. Faction relations change over time. Faction relations now measured on a -100 to 100 scale instead of 0-100. Roughed in a way to call allies for combat aid. If they like you enough, they’ll send a group of friendly fighters to help you. Friendly factions will not help you fight their own friends. Groups from non-hostile factions visit the colony
0.13.1135 - trade caravan from other factions added.

Factions