🔍
No matching results. Try a different term?
🏠 Base Building
🏗️ Room Layout Golden Rules
Rooms in RimWorld aren't just random squares — each room type has a "purpose" check that affects work speed and mood.
| Room Type | Starter Example Size | Key Furniture | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | 5×5 (25 tiles) | Bed, nightstand, dresser, flower pot | ⭐ Better impression = +1~2 mood per level |
| Kitchen | 4×5 | Stove (against wall), light | ⭐ Must be clean — dirty kitchen = food poisoning |
| Freezer | 8×8 starter example | Insulation, door buffer, cooling sized to conditions | ⭐ Target below 0°C; add cooling for heat or larger rooms |
| Dining/Rec Room | 8×8 (combined) | Tables, chairs, recreation items | ⭐ Combined saves space & materials, double bonus |
| Research Lab | 5×6 | Research bench, multi-analyzer (later) | ⭐ Keep clean for faster research speed |
| Workshop | 10×10 | Workbenches, tool cabinets against wall | ⭐ Tool cabinet covers two benches |
| Hospital | 6×6 | Medical bed, vitals monitor, sterile tile | ⭐⭐ Survival is non-negotiable |
🧊 Freezer Design
The freezer is the heart of your base — no freezer means no food stockpile, and no food stockpile means you don't survive the winter.
- Insulation and doors: Double walls and a door buffer reduce temperature swings from outdoors and door traffic, but are not mandatory on every map.
- Airlock: Add a 1×2 buffer room with two doors to minimize cold air loss when pawns enter
- Cooler placement: Place the cooler in a wall, with its red side facing an area that can shed heat and its blue side facing the freezer.
- Temp setting: A freezer target must be below 0°C. Start around -5 to -10°C, then add cooling for outside temperature, room size, and door traffic.
- Backup power: Reserve a separate circuit or stored power for coolers. Runtime depends on stored power and the actual load; there is no guaranteed fixed duration.
⚠️ Common mistake: Door "hold open" not set to false — pawns leave the door open while hauling, all the cold air escapes. Always check door settings!
⚡ Power Grid Planning
- Distribute batteries: Don't cluster all batteries together — use switches to separate into groups. Zzzt events only fry what's connected.
- Indoor power: Place batteries and generators indoors (roofed). Rain causes explosions.
- Progression: Wind/Solar → Geothermal (mid-game) → Hydroponics + Sun Lamp (late-game)
- Wiring: Use conduits for long-distance transmission; regular wires inside rooms are fine.
🧹 Cleanliness & Beauty
- Flooring: Prioritize flooring in the kitchen and hospital (sterile tile is best). Other rooms can wait.
- Dedicated cleaner: Mid-late game, assign one pawn cleaning priority 1 to keep the base spotless.
- Outdoors: Lay flooring or concrete to prevent trees from growing into your base and to stop fire spread.
- Floor material: Wood looks nice but is flammable — don't use it in large areas. Stone tiles are the safest.
🏗️ Grow the base by risk, not all at once
1. Four upgrades, one result each
| Stage | Finish first | Layout focus | Can wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary camp | One roofed multi-use room | Medicine, food, and components go indoors | Private bedrooms and decoration |
| Work core | Short kitchen, freezer, and stockpile routes | Frequent items do not cross half the map | Every workbench at once |
| Stone shell | Stone walls for kitchen, batteries, and bedrooms | Protect rooms that cannot burn first | A wall around the whole map |
| Defense expansion | Separate entrance, cover, and hospital routes | Casualties use the inside; enemies stay outside | Long corridors made only for looks |
2. Which rooms belong together?
| Room | Keep close to | Keep away from |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Freezer and ingredient storage | Hospital, corpse area, workshop |
| Hospital | Bedrooms and an internal corridor | Main gate, firing line, kitchen |
| Workshop | Material storage and finished goods | Dining room and bedrooms |
⚠️ Do not wall the whole map first: when resources are tight, protect the entrance, kitchen, and freezer. Expand walls after stone, labor, and firepower catch up.
🧭 Stabilize the base, then assign the people
Once the roof, food, freezer, and key routes are stable, do not open several more projects at once. Make sure cooking, care, building, and hauling have coverage. Continue with work priorities.
🔎 Version and source check
Scope: base game 1.6 series; last checked 2026-09-19. Room size, cooler count, and backup-power needs are starter guidance, not a replacement for checking this colony's temperature and load.
Sources for this page: Ludeon 1.6.4850 update notes, RimWorld Wiki: Basics, and RimWorld Wiki: Cooler.