RimWorld Guide for Beginners - How to Get the Perfect Starting Map (Version 1.3 + 2021)

[@AdamVsEverything]

Let me know if you have any RimWorld video/guide requests!

[@ichifish]

How to play "no pause" without getting all sweaty.

[@robert_theWalker]

building guides. where to put building and how big.

[@tomvalk2996]

I want to know how I can feed animals

[@1..1..1..1H]

Combat extended preview please

[@soterion5687]

This video came out almost 2 years ago, but please know that it is still really helpful! As a new player, I appreciate this.

[@AdamVsEverything]

No problem! Just remember that if the river does go through the mountain and you build nearby (or build under the mountain in general) insect infestations can happen.

[@connorbranscombe6819]

@@AdamVsEverything Dude, the tip about having to actually build in a mountain before it spawns infestations is a life saver for my mountain base runs, I had resigned myself to disabling infestations when I tried mountain bases because they always killed me early on, maybe now I can actually make a go of it.

[@jeremycorbin2178]

I physically applauded you when you said "I'm just gonna choose lost tribe cause it's my favourite"

[@AdamVsEverything]

Glad I'm not the only one that loves that start!

[@manuchieamigos]

@@AdamVsEverything it is the best

[@AdamVsEverything]

@@manuchieamigos Having five people early is such a boon, for sure.

[@asholegoogle985]

Lol

[@FahimAlam-w8x]

Why I always like this scenario.

[@gruntwork8814]

As someone with almost 2400 hours in Rimworld I agree with all of these criteria. Spending that extra 20 minutes selecting the perfect starting position can be essential if you are stretching to a higher difficulty than you have been playing on previously.

[@AdamVsEverything]

As interesting as picking 'random map' can be, I definitely agree!

[@TheRealItschowda]

I was the same until I installed the "Land Carefully" mod (I think that's the name). It allows filter criteria and highlighting of a tile that you want. Adam covered just about everything I look for in a starting map regardless of scenario: mountainous, river, marble/granite, and close to at least one road. I think the only thing missed was being careful about the mountain ranges that are nearby since a faction can be close in distance, but a long travel time due to mountain/large hills that may be in the way.

[@samljer]

@@TheRealItschowda That, and impassible mountains you have to watch out for. can make a 10 square hike into a 100 hike if your not paying attention.

[@elpozomierda5106]

2 days

[@ichifish]

Great guide! As a 500+ hours player I can say this is spot on. Choosing a good tile is especially helpful when you're trying out a new playstyle/scenario or want to adjust the difficulty. Temperate (mild temp ranges with long/year-round growing seasons) are significantly easier, so I choose them when I'm upping the difficulty some other way. A couple more points: If you do a lot of trading/questing/raiding/tomb raiding spend the time to check out the roads, neighboring settlements, and terrain types in the area of your starting tile, especially for slow-starters like tribals. From watching Adam's playthroughs I'd say he's a turtler compared to me (I almost always have somebody out trading/raiding). Twice I've picked out starting tiles that SEEMED great for this playstyle but weren't. Road types affect movement speed and the terrain under the road also affects movement speed, so an asphalt road through extreme desert will still be slow (and offer no foraging or grazing along the way). Watch out for impassable mountain ranges as well, as they can turn what looks like a one-day trip into a four-day trip. Note that the location of your tile/access to roads has no effect on the number traders/raiders/visitors you'll receive. Being close to enemy settlements doesn't affect the frequency or type of raids, either. You can also cross through a tile with an enemy/ally settlement without encountering it. Also, you don't have to stay on your tile if you don't like it or infestations/toxic fallout make in uninhabitable. Just pack up and leave. The standard options allow for a single colony, so you have to abandon the original (everything disappears) before settling a new one, but you can increase the number of possible colonies in the options menu, even mid game, and move your base bit-by-bit. You can also run multiple settlements simultaneously. This is helpful if you settle in a desert/ice sheet tile but want to establish a logging outpost, a ranching tile, or a trading outpost, or if you want to raid ancient dangers. Raid strength is calculated separately for each settlement.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Those are all very true and helpful for sure. It is interesting that you mention moving your colony because I had several people come in during our most recent run and ask what to do about certain constant events they couldn't handle and I suggested moving the colony. None of them had ever considered that.

[@Aquickrollup]

Just found your stuff and I love it. Simple to the point no gimmicks no BS. You are a treasure.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Thanks for watching!

[@t_gabiuel6058]

3 years later and it still helps me lol.

[@Skellitor301_VA]

I'd also add if you have the Replace Stuff mod to include Sandstone in your map tile stone type list along side Marble and Granite. Reason being is Sandstone is the fastest stone type to work with so you can quickly set up walls with sandstone. Then work on marble and granite where needed using the Replace Stuff mod to easily switch out the stone type, then selling off the Sandstone blocks later as Sandstone has the best market value per unit of work, so selling sandstone in bulk early-midgame is viable. It basically makes base building faster at first and supplements your silver later.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Thanks for the addition! The building speed of sandstone is definitely a factor. It is even more noticeable when making higher work-time items too like doors, traps, and altars.

[@Vapir87]

Just starting out, thanks for the tips!

[@AdamVsEverything]

No problem! Let me know if you have any questions at all, and good luck!

[@esaedromicroflora1247]

I came to the same conclusion by experience, totally good content

[@lalaz.2342]

Super helpful! Just started playing RW a few days ago, but excited to spend more time playing! Subscribed to your channel too. Thanks!

[@AdamVsEverything]

Awesome! Let me know if you have any RW questions.

[@ImpocZsK]

Man ur best, you really helped me to get out of starter/ begginer state, thanks.

[@AdamVsEverything]

My pleasure!

[@adamf7126]

Good stuff Adam, keep them coming. maybe ones about hunger checks or torch levels :)

[@AdamVsEverything]

I am surprised I've never seen a Darkest Dungeon mod for the game!

[@amaryllis1826]

Late to the party but I have to add I know this is mainly about beginners and temperate forests are great for that, but if youre perhaps a mid level player, want to really maximize defense, and can handle yourself if food gets tight may I suggest a mountainous boreal forest? Sure the marshes can be really annoying, with the need to build bridges over them. But if you're able to make a choke point that forces the ai to move through a marsh to get into your base it's really helpful when it comes to slowing them down. Especially if your river generation wasn't quite favorable. Boreal forests are probably my favorite for this reason. Especially with the fact that it's really satifying to get through that first winter

[@AdamVsEverything]

I love boreal forest as well. I just wish they would make heavy bridges in the base game. Hate that we can only do wooden walls on wooden bridges.

[@onatkrac788]

Super helpful dude. Thanks!

[@AdamVsEverything]

Glad it helped!

[@JMEssex]

@adam This was amazing! Can your next guide be about developing proper killboxes in 1.1 / 2020 as there are no current videos. Some Ideas to talk about are maybe what a good killbox is at the beginning of the game / mid game / end game for the different types of raids. What materials / security items you should build for success such as barricade / wall / turret placement. Maybe a good killbox for a 4 pawn colony, 6 pawn and a 8 pawn colony? Essentially if you build "This type of killbox" you can survive these stages pretty easily and will defend vs 90% of most raids. 😅

[@AdamVsEverything]

Hey JM, thank you for the reply! I had a video guide for killboxes planned, in fact I had planned for 3 RimWorld guides per week, but switching my daughter over to homeschool during all this craziness has delayed it a ton! I'm going to try to work more on the guides this coming week and will definitely take some of your suggestions for the killbox video into consideration, especially the 'Killboxes for different stages of the game' part which I hadn't yet thought a ton on. - Thanks again!

[@alperburakpusar]

That cave info helped thanks :)

[@AdamVsEverything]

No problem! Good lucl!

[@jaredliette547]

Great guide!

[@AdamVsEverything]

Thanks!

[@defectiveinspector]

100% agree with this. Even if I do often do random location because I'm a masochist >.>

[@AdamVsEverything]

I like doing that also. Or do something like 'random minus caves'. I've also done the whole 'I am going to reroll 7 times and go with whatever that end sup being, lol

[@Tomoose736]

Honestly my preferred biome is arid shrubland over deciduous because it is kore likely to be in a permanent summer area and the lack of vegetation and moisture is actually somewhat beneficial when building your colony. I honestly don’t put much stock in the biome though. As long as it isn’t ice sheet or extreme desert getting enough food to survive isn’t really an issue even early on. I will take a defensible position close to a road with good resources over biome any day of the week.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Yeah, my favorite is not temperate either (I prefer Boreal for the fun factor), but this guide was more geared toward giving new players an idea of the easiest map to aim for when learning the game.

[@MuditJhawar]

Great guide

[@AdamVsEverything]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gmfreeman4211]

Thanks. New player. This helps.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Glad to help! Let me know if you have any RimWorld questions, or feel free to check the current guide play list (more coming) - kzbin.info/aero/PLQWnHloPSfq4ajFkTBA8vZk2R43NaQeKO

[@petersteiner9831]

Bonjour Adam ! Je débute dans Rimworld Merci pour ce guide. J'ai une question : si on choisit "montagnes" mais qu'on ne construit pas sous la roche, est ce qu'on aura quand même des insectes ? I try to translate : 😊 I am beginner with Rimworld Thanks for this guide. I have a question: if we choose "mountains" but we don't build under the rock, will we still have insects? I hate the insects (in the real life as well) 😨

[@AdamVsEverything]

Hi Peter. Infestations can spawn in any tile that has 'Overhead Mountain' as its roof type if that tile is not occupied by a wall and is above -17 ºC. I do plan on making a video about that *soon*. - Thanks for the comment, and let me know if you have any additional questions!

[@petersteiner9831]

@@AdamVsEverything Hi Adam. Thanks a lot for your answer. I will watch your next videos. Even if it's not easy for me to understand all 😊

[@sigmareaver680]

I had a major problem with a river defense, not to mention did they make it so you can't build on water/bridge now? But the major problem I had is that when I setup a river as my base entrance, nothing but sappers and mech breachers spawned. I never got normal raids. And I did have an open door on my barracks. And secondly, infestations spawn in the underground river tiles if you're close to those, and you can't build to get rid of it either. It's really unfortunate that they don't let you terraform. Imagine being able to divert a river.

[@AdamVsEverything]

- They made it so that you can only build wood on top of bridges now, unfortunately. There is a mod that reverts this (I think it is called 'better bridges'). - Map type doesn't impact which raid types can spawn in that way. However, breach raids had a crazy high chance on 1.3 initial release (like 95%, seriously) which has only been reduced slightly recently. There is a new patch on the test branch that will be lowering this to more like 30-35% which will be super nice. - I'd say to just not build or own any structures within ~30 tiles of the overhead mountain until you are ready to take on infestations. This is one of the requirements for non-dug-to-deep ones to spawn.

[@polllarej]

Will these ever be recorded as Satan and/or Granny? Also, awesome guide...it should allow me to understand what's going on during the stream when I can pay attention!

[@AdamVsEverything]

Not sure if that would get more views or less lol

[@Nevarek_]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the reroll map mod. I fucking love that thing; nothing worse than picking that ideal map after ten minutes and getting some of the worst layouts possible. Another thing about caves is that they can ruin the security of canyons by putting holes in otherwise great mountain walls or thinning them so much that the enemy AI will try to dig through them.

[@AdamVsEverything]

These were more of a 'without mods' set of guides. Map reroll and map preview are good. I do wish they would show the Anima tree location, though. Of course if you are using mods for better maps you could also just get the mod that allows replanting of the Anima tree.

[@Kattywagon29]

I have a mod called 'Map Preview' that lets me look at the tiles before I pick one. Such a time saver!

[@thriceandonce]

Oh, seeing what the game used to look like is so fun. It's so easy to forget! Me vs. caves is like: this is fine! I'll just stay far away! *one of my colonists has a binge eating mental break, runs straight for the insect jelly* Me: oh no

[@MuditJhawar]

I play on a map with caves and it has insects inside. After forbidding my pawns and animals, I've positioned my killbox such that after getting a hit from the first trap, the enemies tend to go inside the cave and then insects just help me clearing them out. Great tips though 👍

[@AdamVsEverything]

You can definitely take advantage of caves, including using them as jelly 'farms'. However, this guide is mostly for complete beginners, so I think having caves and insects to worry about is not great for them. - Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@FahimAlam-w8x]

Can guide how river killbox have to be in middle.

[@Mentallyillboat57]

I have a question. So I might be getting this game soon. Can you prevent infestations in your underground base or are you just stuck with them?

[@AdamVsEverything]

Yes, you can prevent them entirely by maintaining -17ºC below or lower temperatures in the entire under-mountain base or by downloading a free mod. You could also edit the game files, depending on if you want an in or out of game solution.

[@AdamVsEverything]

@Lucas Gonzalez As of 1.2 you can just turn off infestations in the game options. But yes, if you want to sue mods there is always 'a mod for that' when it comes to RimWorld.

[@Mentallyillboat57]

Oh thanks lol

[@sensibleorange4886]

I'm surround by mountains on my first serious go, stuck on one area lol

[@AdamVsEverything]

lol. That can be good in some ways, but yeah, being completely surrounded by mountain ranges can suck for travel. I do advise getting to orbital beacons as soon as you can so you can at least easily trade with some ships. Also, launch pods.

[@graytime-wastesubs266]

will evil settlements nearby influence my visitors? I mean, will I get more attacks if I settle near one?

[@AdamVsEverything]

No, it will only make it easier for you to caravan or drop-pod to those bases etc.

[@beady123]

Does % world generated affect anything other than the initial load time? Does it impact ongoing performance?

[@tcironbear21]

Great Advice! I have two points of advice. 1) You don't have to just randomly click temperate forests to find permanent summer. Permanent summer temperate forests happen near the equator and higher elevation. If you find a good region (=neighbors and roads) but your first hex is not permanent summer, head towards the equator (within 20th latitude). You can also look for good region of desert or rainforest and head towards the mountains nearby. Can use science, not random chance to find that sweet spot. 2) If you want to build a RimCity (15+ pawns with lots of amenities), I don't recommend mountains and rivers. The constant infestations of mountains will annoy the hell out of you. Meanwhile rivers can really eat up your valuable real estate in the center of the map . Flat lands are best if you want to really want sprawl out. Between Geothermal and Wood burning generators it is easy to fuel your city.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Thanks for the comment! As with most things in RimWorld, the real answer is always 'it depends'. Mountains are extremely good defensively, whether you go inside them or just build next to them, as it limits the directions enemies can spawn and attack you from. Insects in general are very easy to deal with if you know how (of course new players will not, but just pointing out from a defensive standpoint - I'd rather have a max raid point infestation than pirates with lowshields and doomsdays any day). As far as space goes, I am currently doing a run on stream on a medium, 275x275 map with mountain + river and am going up to 100 pawns. I think there is plenty of building space even with those two enabled.

[@tcironbear21]

@@AdamVsEverything We might have different play styles and yours is more advanced. I treat Rimworld with the threats turned low and more like a SimCity simulator. I like to build the well manicured and orderly cities. I like raids and such as more of way of breaking up the monotony of my building projects. 100 pawns you going to have really pack them in.

[@CalvinGibson195]

I'd argue for arid shrub lands being the best. Elephants are pretty amazing

[@AdamVsEverything]

Yeah, it is definitely one of the easier biomes. Very close to temperate. Overall it has less growing area on average, and early heat waves can be more dangerous ... less wood etc, but elephants, year long growing, and low disease is nice.

[@yashida1999]

So I found a perfect map with good location, easy to defend and had 2 diffrent outlander faction close by, but it suck when the map say "Year-round" it had 4 season :/

[@MuditJhawar]

I also look for granite and marble!!

[@AdamVsEverything]

There are some benefits with the other stone, such as faster build times, but I'd rather spend extra time building and have a stronger defense / more beautiful environment for sure.

[@Jiraki_the_Wingless]

Is marble better than jade for statues?

[@AdamVsEverything]

No, jade has a higher beauty multiplier.

[@NorroTaku]

there is a mod that let's you set parameters for your perfect starting spot I forgot the name tho

[@Kattywagon29]

I have a mod called 'Map Preview' that lets me look at the tiles before I pick one. Such a time saver!

[@n1clsxd]

2:06 Chimpanzee Sea

[@AdamVsEverything]

RimWorld has so many crazy random names lol. A challenge run we did a couple years ago had our closest starting ally randomly named 'The Southeastern Hen Boners' ..???

[@S.R.S_Nuke]

For Me The Chimpanzee Sea Is The Saigon Expanse

[@AdamVsEverything]

Using the same exact seed and settings? Kind of interesting if the planet/maps are seeded but the names are random each time.

[@MaestroAlvis]

my maps never seem to contain large hills

[@joekingaudits2225]

Can you make a road accross the globe to speed up caravans?

[@AdamVsEverything]

Not without a mod. The name of the mod to make your own roads, if you want to use it, is "Roads of the Rim"

[@TheImmortalMushroom]

It is literally impossible for me to find a mountain with year round growth yet ALONE with a river how in the heccing hecc

[@expressionamidstcacophony390]

Personally I kinda prefer to choose flat maps on roads with a crowded world. I find the game a lot less fun and dynamic when caravans take more than a day to reach neighbors.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Everyone definitely has their own preference when it comes to their favorite or 'perfect' map. This video is just to give beginners the highest likelihood of winning when it comes to map selection. I generally don't caravan around too much, so don't mind mountains on most sides.

[@Mrreycool]

more pls

[@AdamVsEverything]

I have another one coming out tomorrow!

[@papaguts5387]

Rimworlds so fuckin hard guys

[@nickpatrick7021]

Map Designer with Map Re-roll isn't cheating if you don't use it to generate broken maps. I literally use it to end up with maps like you've shown in two minutes instead of 20. It's no more cheaty than Prepare Carefully - just depends on whether you're abusing it or saving time getting a good vanilla result.

[@AdamVsEverything]

Who said it is 'cheating'? I don't care who uses what mods at all, even 'cheating' ones lol. It's a single player game, do whatever you want. Some people just choose to play without mods for one reason or another.

[@nickpatrick7021]

@@AdamVsEverything Wasn't insinuating that anyone said it was cheating. Some people think any modding is cheating. All I'm saying is you can achieve the same very smart things you pointed out even more quickly with mods.

[@randallporter1404]

1:02 Still waiting for someone to explain what "Population" affects.

[@AdamVsEverything]

It just puts more settlements on the map for NPC factions. The most notable thing this impacts is caravaning for trade or attacks. With more settlements, it is likely your map is only a couple days journey from a friendly settlements to caravan and trade with or an enemy settlement to go raid.

[@randallporter1404]

@@AdamVsEverything Thx, this is what I hoped it would do. But a single tick down appears to have no effect. There are so many settlements that are less than a day's travel apart. So the world map is still crowded. I'll play with more ticks up and down to see if the results are more noticeable.

[@AdamVsEverything]

@@randallporter1404 They should be. It probably does depend on the initial seed a bit as well.

[@TimFromCasohs]

how do i stop screen tear? cause i love the game but i get screen tear, (it is the only game now that does it) anyone else had this issue?

[@AdamVsEverything]

I have not had that problem. If you are using an NVIDIA card you can try settings through the Nvidia control panel instead of Rimworld, though.( www.reddit.com/r/RimWorld/comments/6f0eak/diagonal_screen_tearing/ /// ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=30886.0 )

[@z0h33y]

That granite/marble one is super important.

[@SamWinters]

Would love a guide for dealing with breachers

[@AdamVsEverything]

Breachers can definitely be annoying. I will have some content out about them specifically some time. The run on here you can see me deal with them the most, if interested, is my Transhumanist run. This was back when 93% (literally) of all late game raids were breaches. - kzbin.info/aero/PLQWnHloPSfq6V_gf2M7mfHNNJ1WpcMkor

[@iskandersemibratov8483]

Up the boro

[@AdamVsEverything]

I had to look this up but I think it means something good/positive? lol - Thanks for the comment.

[@Mr.Bardel4363]

50 % World is perfect .

[@AdamVsEverything]

Tell me, how much of the 50% glove do you travel to and interact with in a playthrough? :P I usually just use 30% because it loads faster and I'll basically never travel outside of a 100 tile radius from my starting map anyway.

[@tacomc.derpington965]

England

[@AdamVsEverything]

Perfidious Albion

[@fallahgetrite]

Can you please make a video out of this but mobile on Android please