How to Build a Successful Caravan in RimWorld

A Caravan in RimWorld is one or a group of colonists that leave the colony to complete various goals, like responding to distress signals, reaching diplomatic goals, or scavenging supplies. However, the success of this party can depend on many factors, and building them isn't quite as easy as it seems upfront. So, continue reading as we guide you into building a successful Caravan in RimWorld.

How to Build a Caravan in RimWorld

First, it’s important to know the basic steps in building a Caravan in RimWorld, which you’ll find below:

• 1. Click the Architect tab at the bottom of the screen, and then select Miscellaneous
• 2. Select the Caravan Packing Spot, and then choose an appropriate location for it
• 3. Click the World tab at the bottom of the screen
• 4. Choose your settlement and click the Form Caravan option
• 5. Select the colonists and pack animals to be included in the Caravan
• 6. Pick the items that your Caravan will bring in its travels, including survival meals and sellable items
• 7. Click the Config tab in the Form Caravan window to choose the Caravan’s exit direction
• 8. Click the Accept button to confirm your selections

After building your RimWorld Caravan, you should see the colonists and animals getting ready for the trip. Once the group is out of your colony, you'll see a small yellow marker on the world map indicating the location of your Caravan.

Tips for Building a Successful Caravan

The term “successful” can be subjective, particularly when building a Caravan in RimWorld. Your definition of success might include completing world quests, gathering resources like Steel, or simply, the group's survival. Nonetheless, here are five tips to help you build a successful Caravan in RimWorld:

Focus On Your Colony First

Don't give into the temptation of forming and sending out a Caravan during the game's early stages. Remember, some colonists will leave the colony for quests and opportunities, which can mean reducing your colony's defenses. So, it's typically ideal to wait until your colony has a reasonably high chance of survival, even when some colonists are away. That means stockpiling food, medical supplies, and necessary resources, and setting up static base defenses.

Choose Good Caravan Colonist Combinations

Many new players in RimWorld fall for the trap of sending a lot of colonists in one Caravan, particularly for increased survivability. These extra caravan members, however, come with additional strain on your resources like food, and in the end, running out of food is the true killer of a caravan. Instead, aim to send only two colonists for each Caravan in RimWorld. One colonist should focus on offense while the other on defense. For example, a colonist can be a Blaster while the other one is a Healer.

Bring Food That Lasts

Bringing non-perishable food, such as Pemmican and Packaged Survival Meal, helps lengthen your Caravan’s exploration time significantly over other prepared foods and even fresh crops. Food goes fast for caravans in RimWorld, so picking the right type and quantity could easily mean the difference between a successful trip and a lost party.

Consider the Caravan’s Mood

Apart from bringing non-perishable food and sellable items, don't forget the mood of your colonists who are out on the road. Remember, reduced moods can result in mental breaks. Items like Beer and Bedrolls can be ideal to bring to help lighten the mood during explorations and keep your colonists going.

Aim for the Power Source

If you run into hostiles in the wild and the enemy camp has turrets, consider destroying the base's power source rather than terminating the automated firearms if you have the numbers necessary to pull it off. The reason behind this action is that you can salvage the turrets when they’re offline. Then, let your Caravan bring the recovered turrets back to the colony to enhance your defenses at relatively no additional material costs.