You won't get far in RimWorld without colonists. Of course, gathering materials, constructing buildings or machines, and eventually getting off the planet is much easier if you have access to plenty of colonists. Here, we'll tell you how to get more colonists in RimWorld to (hopefully) help your colony's continued survival!

How to Get More Colonists in RimWorld

There are several ways to recruit colonists to your cause, but some can be dangerous, and others are exclusively available in specific RimWorld DLC. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is Skills. All colonists come with randomly generated skills, and a healthy colony needs a variety. As a result, you'll want to curate your colonist selections. Make sure you don't have too many colonists with the same set of skills, and your colony will thrive as a result.

Attacking, Kidnapping, & Purchasing

Life in RimWorld is often brutal. Unfortunately, this is often the case when gathering new colonists, but hey! No one said survival is easy, and that steel won't gather itself! While none of these options are particularly kind, they're some of the easiest ways to grow your colony's numbers. If raiders attack you, you don't always have to put them down. You can imprison your would-be conquerors! To do this, you must ensure the raiders are incapacitated rather than killed. The easiest way to get this done is to set up plenty of traps around your base. When a raider is incapacitated, you can lock them up and recruit them! This process takes some time, but it's a great way to turn foes into friends. If you don't want to wait for a raid, you can always do your own raiding. Passing caravans are easy targets, and they're not hostile. When you're out exploring or when they visit your base, you can attack and recruit them to your cause. However, remember that this can decrease your relationship with the factions that the caravans come from. As a result, you might be cutting off a way to get some preferred supplies. Finally, you can purchase slaves from different factions. This is only possible with the Ideology DLC. When you have slaves, you'll need to make sure you have a warden to watch over them and quell any thoughts of rebellion. If slavery strikes you as a step too far, you can always throw your slaves in the slammer and recruit them as you would a raider. Keep in mind that slaves aren't cheap, and you'll only be able to buy them from Pirate Merchant Ships using an Orbital Trade Beacon.

Completing Quests, Performing Rescues, & Having Children

Now, for some less violent ways to recruit colonists. There are always quests to complete in RimWorld, and many of them can involve rescuing humans from prison camps, bringing stranded folks home, or saving someone from an enemy faction. While not all of these quests will result in acquiring new colonists, they always feature rewards of some kind. So even if you don't get a new recruit, completing quests can still be worth your time. As you're exploring, you might notice events where escape pods come crashing down from space. These can happen anywhere, and the pod's occupant can belong to any faction you encounter. If they're from a faction you're friendly with or don't have any allegiances, you can recruit them immediately! If they're from an enemy faction, you can bop them on the head and throw them in prison before recruiting them. And, for the most peaceful way to recruit new colonists, you can grow them yourself! That is, you can have your colonists have children. This is only possible with the Biotech DLC. Your colonists can have children if left to their own devices, or you can take advantage of IVF to create children however you like. While this method won't involve imprisonment, children aren't easy. You must ensure your pregnant colonists can give birth in safe locations and provide plenty of resources for children to grow and develop their valuable skills. While this can process can take time, demands dedicated space in your base, and drains a few resources, it's considerably safer than fighting anyone you see and hoping to recruit them if they survive.