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World Travel & Logistics

RimWorld is not restricted to your starting map tile. To complete quests, trade with other factions, or escape the planet, you have to form caravans and travel across the world map.

Caravan Weight and Foraging​

Your colonists can only carry so much weight. To move large amounts of trade goods or supplies, you need pack animals.

  • Pack Animals: Muffalos, horses, and elephants are excellent pack animals that drastically increase your caravan's total carrying capacity.
  • Foraging: You do not necessarily need to pack hundreds of packaged survival meals for a long trip. Pawns with high Plants skill will actively forage for berries and wild food while traveling across the world map. This significantly reduces the logistical burden of feeding the caravan, especially in lush biomes.

Biome Traversal and Seasons​

Movement speed across the world map is dictated by the terrain and the current season.

  • Terrain Penalties: Flat plains allow for rapid travel. Hills and mountains slow you down. Impassable mountain ranges cannot be crossed at all.
  • Seasonal Hazards: Deep winter snow slows travel significantly and exposes your caravan to hypothermia if they are not equipped with parkas. Always check the season and temperature of your route before departing.

Visibility and Ambushes​

Traveling the world is dangerous. The frequency, severity, and composition of world-map ambushes are scaled by your caravan's visibility score.

Visibility is dictated by the caravan's total mass and wealth. A massive caravan hauling thousands of units of silver and plasteel will have a massive visibility score, practically guaranteeing heavy pirate ambushes. Keep your caravans as light and fast as possible to avoid drawing unnecessary attention from raiders.