For those that don’t know Rimworld is a top-down resource management colony building sim. The setting and style is an interesting mix of classic western and scifi. There are a couple of different play modes to choose from that shifts the pacing of the story, Cassandra Classic: a moderately paced story, Phoebe Chillax: more building oriented - a much more peaceful story, Randy Random: completely unpredictable, fast-paced and manic.
Along with the three story modes, there are also numerous settings in which you may choose to settle, as such you will want to alter your choice of clothing depending on the terrain and dominant season for the region.
The following list is based on a Cassandra Classic game in a temperate biome.
10. Tainted Clothing
Any clothing worn or item carried by a character that has died becomes tainted. If a colonist is forced to wear tainted clothing they suffer from a mood debuff. It is almost never beneficial to get your colonists to wear tainted clothing… almost.
There are rare occasions that attackers come wearing incredibly sought after clothing and it would be a waste to destroy it as usual. If you happen to have a colonist with the bloodlust trait then that’s perfect! Problem solved, corpse clothes don’t seem to bother Bloodlust colonists. Yay for free stuff.
Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot of point to crafting t-shirts, regardless of the material used the t-shirts miss the mark. If you are truly desperate for materials then maybe the T-shirt is an okay option… or not because tribal wear exists!
In order to be able to craft a t-shirt, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 40 fabric and a Tailor Bench. Thanks to how quick the T-shirt is to make, you don’t need to use an electric tailor bench, a hand tailor bench will do just fine.
8. Pants
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Probably the most popular and most common leg covering within the game, although there are only 3, to begin with. Pants are important for male colonists as it prevents them from suffering the Naked mood debuff. If nothing else your male colonists need pants, in contrast, your female colonists need something that covers their torso.
In order to be able to craft Pants, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 40 fabric and a Tailor Bench. Considering the penalty to not having pants on your male colonists they are definitely worth it.
7. Button-down Shirt
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Just like the pants, the button-down shirt is the most popular skin layer torso covering. It offers the same amount of armour as the t-shirt but offers a slightly larger coverage. With the existence of the button-down, the t-shirt is pretty redundant.
It is better for cold insulation and is all your female colonists need in order to not get the Naked debuff. So if you are looking to be stingy with materials early game one piece of clothing each is the way to go!
In order to be able to craft a Button-down shirt, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 45 fabric and a Tailor Bench. This really is a great baseline for colonists.
6.Parka (ideal in a coldsnap)
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Parkas are big chunky jackets that have the best cold insulation stat in the game. If you are in a predominantly cold environment Parkas are a must but for the temperate biomes, they are a little more optional.
If you are particularly concerned with the cold snaps in winter then it won’t hurt to craft your colonists some cosy parkas to wear, especially when starting out. Their insane insulation bonus does come with a drawback though: little to no protection.
In order to be able to craft a Parka, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 80 fabric and a Tailor Bench. A little later in the game when you have spare fabric to use up they are a good choice to make in excess as sellable/tradable items.
5. Tribal Wear (great for early game)
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This is the most basic clothing option. It is so simple you will be able to craft it right off the bat, all you need is a crafting spot. No complex clothing research necessary! Tribal wear stacks up pretty well against the top and pants combination to the point I think it is much more useful.
It only takes 60 fabric to craft and covers both the torso and the legs, you are getting the same amount of protection (stat-wise) for less fabric cost. On top of the budget friendly crafting cost, the insulation stats for tribal wear is also superior.
What are the benefits?
No tailor bench required
55% cold insulation
55% heat insulation
Less production costs than Shirt/T-shirt and pants combo
In order to craft Tribal wear you only need a Crafting Spot which is available to you right at the start. You will need 60 Fabric. The perfect cheap base layer.
4. Tuque
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A brilliant little beanie for the cold weather. Adds some flair to your colonists which is nice and actually serves a purpose as well. Got to love fashion and function. They are mainly used for the dramatically colder settings but there is no reason why you wouldn’t benefit from them during the winter even in the temperate forest.
One thing to note is you will need to keep an eye on your colonists, if you have a parka and a tuque inside, with temperature control machines they may begin to overheat.
They also provide a pretty good armour boost considering how cheap they are to make. Hyperweave turques can even rival simple helmets.
What are the benefits?
50% cold insulation
Decent armour stats, hyperweave rivals an actual helmet
In order to be able to craft Tuque, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 20 fabric and a Tailor Bench in order to craft it. Very low cost and a great little addition to your colonist’s look.
3. Cowboy Hat
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If you thought the Tuque was a stylish addition you will love the Cowboy hat! My personal favourite fabric to make it out of is devilstrand simply because it is bright red. I mean sure there are other benefits too but, aesthetically devilstrand is the best.
The cowboy hat is great for the hotter climates and functions largely the same as the Tuque, just opposite. As well as the insulation benefits the cowboy hat provides a social bonus as well - I am clearly not the only one that appreciates a cool hat.
In general, I tend to pick the cowboy hat over anything else as it does provide some protection against cold as well as heat, whereas the tuque is all about cold and does nothing for heat.
In order to be able to craft Cowboy Hat, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 25 fabric and a Tailor Bench too. If you manage to get enough resources… devilstrand cowboy hat all the way.
2. Duster
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In terms of singular clothing items, the duster is without a doubt the best item in the game. As a baseline it provides insulation against both the heat and the cold, it has pretty good armour stats and completely covers the body.
If you then look at making it from different materials you can tailor the duster to suit the temperature of the season you are in. If you want better cold insulation craft it from fur or wool, if you want it to excel even further at protecting your colonists against heat go for something like camel hide.
From an aesthetic point of view, the duster is also a necessary companion piece to the cowboy hat. 10/10 for style. And of course, if made in devilstrand it is bright red.
In order to be able to craft Dusters, you will need to have researched Complex Clothing on a research bench. You will then need 80 fabric and a Tailor Bench. The best choice available in the game.
1. Anything Hyperweave
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This may seem like a bit of a copout for the first place position but it's not wrong. Quite frankly you can make anything and if it is made out of hyperweave you are in business, you really cannot go wrong.
It is a fancy space wonder fabric! Anything you create with it will gain protection bonuses against everything and gain additional HP. It also looks great.
Literally, anything in hyperweave is worth making! This fabric can only be gained as a quest reward, through trading, or via the cargo pod event. In rare cases, some attackers will come through wearing hyperweave gear - remember what I said at the very beginning of this article? Hyperweave is worth the mood debuff.
