RimWorld is a game whose player base has been pretty consistently happy with its expansions. Even its least popular expansion still has an overall positive rating on Steam, andallof the game’s expansions undeniably add a variety of interesting features and mechanics that help them stand out from each other.
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The aim of this list is to help (subjectively) sort each expansion by how much value they’re likely to add to a player’s experience. It will also include an explanation of each expansion’s biggest strengths and any notable weaknesses to help readers decide for themselves if they would have given the expansion the same rating.
Introduces Interesting Horror And Horror-adjacent Elements But Can Be Fairly Linear
For good and bad, RimWorld - Anomaly stands out as an expansion. It is relatively narrative driven, introducing the idea of an insane Archotech, an extremely powerful artificial superintelligence with the power to rival gods.This being is responsible for warped horrors which one can then capture and research, allowing a colony to master the construction of strange machines and the use of dark rituals.If you choose to dive deeply into such research, you will also start to gain the mad Archotech’s notice and attract increasingly deadly horrors.
RimWorld: Getting Started With Anomaly
From tackling the new threats to making the most of the new resources, here’s how to get started with RimWorld’s Anomaly expansion.
One major complaint people seem to have about this expansion is that it doesn’t change much until you opt into it by researching the Void Monolith it adds to a colony’s map. Additionally, once you do opt in, it can be pretty linear; you will slowly research the same few objects and creatures until unlocking the next Void Monolith stage, which then unlocks more anomalous creatures and events.
This expansion can be fun and is great if you like the idea of adding horror elements to your gameplay, but it doesn’t offer some of the more varied gameplay experiences other expansions allow for.
For those interested in Lovecraftian horror (sans its most problematic elements), this expansion is definitely one to consider. You may also want to check outthese gamesif that’s the sort of theming you’re looking for in your games.
Adds Psychic Powers And The Ability To Ascend The Ranks Of Nobility
RimWorld’s Royalty expansion introduces an imperial faction to the game with which you can gain favor, potentially even attracting the attention of the region’s Imperial Stellarch and, should you please them, earning a new way off the planet.As a pawn climbs the ranks of the Empire, you will gain a number of benefits, including psychic powers and the ability to call in favors from your powerful allies.However, pawns may start to become entitled, growing upset if they don’t have a bedroom and throne room fitting their station.
As an expansion, Royalty definitely adds many fun elements to engage with, and you don’tneedto ally with the Empire to gain Psycasts (you’ll just need to buy, earn, or steal a Psylink neuroformer first). At the same time, progression can be slow and unsteady. you’re able to’t always guarantee you’ll get the quests you need in order to earn Favor. Meanwhile, Psycasts will usually only become available to you at a trickle and will be bestowed randomly, so you’ll often need to buy the ones you actually want.
It’s worth mentioning here that if you enjoy the management side of RimWorld but not so much the social complexities (and frequent violent conflicts),Timberbornis a well-regarded management game with some very interesting mechanics worth checking out. It’s in early access but is rated Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam at the time of writing.
Gives Pawns Ideological Beliefs And Allows Players To Create Their Own Ideoligions
RimWorld - Ideology adds the concept of Ideoligions to one’s game, which is essentially a combination of a pawn’s social and religious beliefs. On its surface, this may seem simple, but, in practice, this adds a huge amount of flavor to each pawn and allows the way in which your colony operates to be radically shifted depending on the dominant social mores and taboos of that colony.
This expansion also allows you to create your own custom Ideoligion, opening up not just interesting roleplaying opportunities but also the ability to completely change what “Normal” behavior looks like for your starter pawns.
To summarize just a few things one can alter through Ideoligion, you may change how pawns view cannibalism, nudity, monogamy, hunting, scientific research, and much more.This expansion also integrates with mechanics in other expansions; for example, in combination with Biotech, you can also change how Pawn’s view child labor and even decide if they seek to worship a Sanguophage overlord.
This expansion also adds other gameplay mechanics, including trees that will summon minions that work in symbiotic harmony with their tenders, a new win condition, and more.
Pawns Can Now Have Different Genetic Traits, Which Can Be Extracted And/or Manipulated
Biotech’s biggest and most obvious addition is that of Pawn genetics, with various types of xenotypes being added to the game, including the fire-resistant Impids, the unnaturally peaceful Highmates, the warrior Hussars, and more.
While these xenohumans are interesting on their own, this expansion then allows one to use special devices to extract the unique genetics of these different xenohumans (and to buy genetic traits from shops as well).One can then work on constructing your own xenotypes from collected genetics, allowing you to radically modify an existing pawn for a particular role.
This alone would arguably make it one of the best expansions, but this expansion also adds the ability to master the construction of mechanoid servants and to fight a series of mechanoid boss fights related to this tech.
Couple this with the fact the xenotype system also has special archotech-linked genes you can acquire that allow for extremely powerful pawns (including the vampiric Sanguophages) and this expansion comes completelypackedwith interesting content that can radically alter your colony depending on how you engage with it. That’s not even mentioning that the expansion also adds pregnancy and children to the game.
Those interested in the transhumanist themes of this expansion but looking for aradicallydifferent gameplay and narrative experience may want to consider playing Cyberpunk 2077, which has had many of its most notorious problems fixed by patches and through its well-regarded expansion,Phantom Liberty.
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