Introduction
The harsh world of RimWorld is a story-generator, a sandbox where you must build, survive, and, ideally, thrive. Success in RimWorld isn’t just about keeping your colonists fed and safe from the next psychic ship or manhunting pack. It’s about building a functional society, and that often means forming relationships beyond your own colony. Factions are your neighbors, your potential allies, your trading partners, and sometimes, your mortal enemies. In this brutal world, building a friendly relationship with other factions can be the difference between a thriving settlement and a colony consumed by conflict.
But forming these bonds isn’t always easy. It can feel like a complex diplomatic dance, full of pitfalls and potential misunderstandings. Maintaining positive relations, let alone forging alliances, requires understanding and effort. Raids, unexpected deaths, and even the simple act of resource scarcity can quickly sour a budding friendship.
This article aims to be your guide to navigating the complex social landscape of RimWorld, showing you the easiest, most effective methods to befriend other factions. We’ll delve into the core mechanics, the hidden nuances, and the practical strategies that will help you turn neutral acquaintances into loyal allies. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to build strong, lasting relationships that will benefit your colony in countless ways. Prepare to trade, to receive aid in times of need, and to even call upon your allies to defend your home. This is how you survive and ultimately flourish in the unforgiving world of RimWorld.
Understanding Faction Relations
Before we dive into the tactics, it’s crucial to understand the underlying system governing relationships between your colony and the other factions of RimWorld. This isn’t just a simple matter of good deeds; various factors play a role, and understanding them is key to cultivating positive interactions.
It’s vital to remember that the game doesn’t offer simplistic moral judgments. Your actions have consequences, and these consequences can affect your standing with multiple groups simultaneously. The delicate balance is constantly shifting.
When starting your game, you’ll notice different factions inhabiting the same map. These groups may have pre-existing relationships that also influence the ways they react towards your base. Some might start as allies, while others are immediately hostile. As you play, understanding their position and how to interact will shape your relationships and influence your survival.
One of the major factors in how other factions perceive you is the concept of “bad deeds”. Invading a settlement is pretty much the ultimate “bad deed,” causing a massive drop in relationship points. This isn’t just for a raid; even a simple trespass into their territory, or even accidentally shooting at their base can initiate major diplomatic consequences. Building your colony too close to a hostile settlement can have similar effects.
Interactions with passing caravans also significantly impact your standing. Buying and selling goods with a faction’s caravan is generally a positive experience, slightly increasing your relationship over time. However, if you attack a caravan, or even *let* a manhunting animal attack one, expect a swift and severe penalty. This also applies if you have a pawn in your colony that has some kind of bad relationship with the visiting party. The passing visitors will often act based on those previous actions.
Random events can also dramatically alter your relationships. Rescuing a downed faction member (more on this later) will give a significant boost, while killing one of their pawns, especially a leader, will cause a major loss of points. Helping to bury a dead caravan member or offering them medical attention can also improve relations. These seemingly small interactions can accumulate and have a noticeable effect on your overall standing.
Underlying all of this is the concept of a “Global Reputation”. Your interactions with all the factions on the map feed into your overall reputation. This means that consistently being friendly to one group can partially offset some negative events with another. Likewise, constantly being hostile across the board will make it virtually impossible to make friends. This broad reputation also comes into play when you use some of the more advanced tools available in the game.
The ideology of both your colony and the other factions can play a significant role. A colony with a strong ideology regarding human butchering is unlikely to be friends with one who abhors it. A colony founded on pacifism will likely clash with raider factions. Matching or, at least, not actively opposing the core tenets of a faction is crucial for building positive relationships.
To monitor your relationships, pay close attention to the “Factions” tab in the game’s interface. This tab provides a detailed breakdown of your standing with each faction. It shows the current relationship value (ranging from hostile to allied), the factors influencing that relationship, and the potential rewards or penalties associated with that level of friendliness. You can also click the individual faction to see a more detailed view of their ideology, history, and potential allies. This is the single best tool to understand your place in the political landscape.
The Easiest Methods to Befriend Factions
Now that you understand the basics of how factions work, let’s get into the specific strategies to make them like you. These are techniques that provide the most consistent and significant boosts to your relationships.
The Power of Generosity
In the world of RimWorld, the old adage “it’s better to give than to receive” rings true. Giving gifts is, without a doubt, one of the easiest and most reliable ways to improve your standing with other factions. It bypasses a lot of the potential pitfalls of direct interaction and allows you to actively shape your relationships.
The core of the system lies in understanding what each faction values. The items offered must have some value for them to matter. You can’t simply give them a rock or a useless piece of junk. The more valuable the gift, the more it improves your standing.
What makes a good gift? Several options are viable: high-quality sculptures, crafted weapons, and rare components are all considered valuable. However, the best gifts often involve items that factions need. If they are suffering a shortage of medicine or food, offering them those commodities will provide an even bigger boost than a valuable trinket. Also, gifts that represent your colony’s strengths, such as art reflecting your beliefs, can provide additional boosts.
How often and how much should you give? Giving gifts every few days or weeks is generally a good strategy. Aim for a gift every time their relationship drops a bit. Giving too many gifts at once doesn’t necessarily provide additional advantages, but it also isn’t harmful. The best way to offer them gifts is when their relationship starts to deteriorate or when you know they’re in need.
Rescuing and Healing
Another reliable strategy is to help members of a faction when they are in trouble. This tactic capitalizes on the inherent morality of the game engine. When members of a faction are injured or downed, helping them is a significant boost to your relationship.
This situation will most often arise after attacks from their enemies. If you see a downed enemy nearby, you have the option of picking them up and providing medical treatment.
Finding a downed pawn is the first step. When you encounter a downed faction member, immediately secure the area to prevent further harm. Next, you’ll need a pawn with good medical skills and the necessary supplies. If you lack these resources, consider the risks before attempting a rescue. You can always prioritize healing your own colonists first.
Once the downed pawn is in your care, provide immediate medical treatment. Tend to their wounds, administer any necessary medicine, and ensure they are kept comfortable. If the pawn is unconscious, make sure they are in a bed. The better the medical care, the faster they will recover and the more grateful the faction will be.
Once they are recovered and able to move, you can release them. Their relationship with you will rise dramatically! The faction will likely send you a thank you gift, and their reputation will rise. This is a win-win for everyone. This process, if done quickly and professionally, can quickly establish positive relations.
Accepting Quests
The game generates various quests which can greatly affect relations with factions. Accepting and completing these tasks is another of the best ways to improve relationships.
These quests range from simple requests to deliver items to more complex scenarios, such as defending their base. Always choose quests that are beneficial to building a good relationship. Sometimes a mission will ask you to attack a rival group. Avoid these quests unless you intend to fight with the group being attacked and damage the relationship.
Pay close attention to the potential rewards and penalties associated with each quest. Before accepting a quest, review the details carefully. Ensure that the potential benefits outweigh any risks. If the quest involves combat, make sure you can win. Failure to complete a quest may have negative consequences.
Completion is key. Failing to finish a quest will almost always cause a drop in your relationship. Work to provide timely fulfillment, and you will find that your reputation will increase.
Additional Tips and Strategies
Besides the key methods above, several additional strategies can help maintain and improve your relations with different factions. These are generally less potent but can still have a cumulative effect.
Trading
Regular trading with a faction can help stabilize and improve relationships over time. This is especially true if you have a valuable resource that they desire, or if you are able to help provide supplies when the traders arrive.
Trading allows you to increase your relationship gradually without having to give gifts. However, you must ensure that the trade is favorable for them. Over time, traders will start to value your colony more and more.
Always attempt to trade with caravans when they pass. Build a trade beacon near your warehouse and sell surplus goods at competitive prices. By offering favorable trades, you build an environment where the traders are happy to stay, and they’ll remember your generosity when it comes to future encounters.
Building a Colony That Doesn’t Offend
Some strategies are less about direct interaction and more about avoiding doing anything to upset a faction. This is mostly about respecting the territory of the other groups and also about acting in a way that does not offend their sensibilities.
Avoid attacking or besieging their settlements unless you intend to become hostile with them. Be careful when you are building near other settlements. Do not build too close or in such a way that might provoke an attack from hostile groups.
Avoiding Relationship Degradation
It’s not just about building friendships; it’s also about avoiding making enemies. Some actions will quickly destroy any goodwill you’ve earned. This section covers actions to avoid that might be detrimental to relationships with factions.
Things to Avoid
Directly attacking a settlement is the fastest route to hostility. A raid or a prolonged siege will severely damage any positive relationship you’ve built, potentially turning a neutral faction into a bitter enemy. Avoid these actions unless you are prepared to fight the enemy.
Raiding a caravan is another surefire way to make an enemy. Even attempting to steal from a caravan will severely damage your relationship. The penalty for these actions is often very harsh, so it’s best to avoid them entirely.
Also, avoid theft from settlements. Never steal from caravans, settlements, or even friendly bases. The penalty for getting caught is often extremely severe, leading to a swift decline in relations.
Managing Negative Events
Inevitably, negative events will occur. Raids, ambushes, and random events can damage your standing. Knowing how to mitigate these situations is essential.
When a raid or attack occurs, consider the involved faction. If the attackers are not allied, it is best to eliminate the enemy to avoid the situation.
After a raid or event that involves a negative impact, seek to re-establish a positive relationship. Offer gifts, rescue any injured parties, and try to make a quick recovery. This can stop the situation from going into a full-blown war.
Conclusion
Building strong relationships with other factions is critical for thriving in the unforgiving world of RimWorld. While it may take time to see the results of your efforts, building alliances and improving trade relations will provide immense benefits. You’ll gain access to valuable goods, receive military assistance in times of need, and unlock exciting opportunities for your colony’s growth.
This article has presented the easiest, most reliable strategies for befriending other factions, but it’s crucial to keep an eye on your relationships and adjust your approach based on the specific circumstances. No single method guarantees success, but by understanding the underlying mechanics, you can significantly increase your chances of forging lasting alliances.
By utilizing gifts, rescuing the injured, and accepting quests, you’ll find that your colony can prosper beyond its immediate surroundings. Now, armed with this knowledge, you’re well-equipped to turn potential adversaries into valuable allies and to build a flourishing colony in the harsh world of RimWorld. Go forth, trade wisely, and may the rim be kind to you!
