Insectoids - RimWorld Wiki (2024)

These giant insect-like creatures live underground and burrow up to attack when attracted by noise or pheromone signals. Originally from the planet Sorne, interstellar entrepreneurs managed to capture, genetically-modify, and vat-grow the insect colonies for use as weapons. It's not clear who placed Sorne insects on this planet, but they are here and as dangerous as ever.

See Also

Infestation - RimWorld Wiki

—Faction description

Insectoids are an ecosystem of genetically engineered insect-like animals that function, in part, like a permanently hostile faction. The insectoids that populate this faction are slow-moving, melee-only animals that are themselves are not always automatically hostile to colonists, but can be a serious surprise threat to any colony when encountered during an infestation.

Pawns[edit]

Summary[edit]

Insectoids are animals. Uniquely, insectoids experience hypothermic slowdown instead of hypothermia. They have 100% Toxic Resistance, rendering them immune to toxic buildup from any source. When butchered, they give insect meat, which is disgusting for humans to eat. Insectoids may be tamed, but as most spawn hostile, it is a very difficult task - often relying on the bond chance whenever you tend to them.

Infestation[edit]

As part of an infestation, they are a "faction" that is hostile to every other faction in the world. They will maintain hives, which, if left untampered, will produce more insectoids - as well as insect jelly. Unlike other raiders, and because they are animals, insectoids don't have any ranged attacks. However, their decent armor and sheer numbers make them extreme threats if not handled properly.

Infestations will normally stay within a 10-tile radius from their hive. While awake, insectoids will attack any creature within that radius. Insectoids are "triggered" when any of them are downed or killed, for any reason. Once triggered, they'll rush vaguely towards colonists and buildings, up to 100 tiles away, attempting to find other hostiles. An insectoid will continue to chase if they see an enemy, and the 100 tile radius resets from where they last slept. They move slowly and attack directly and mindlessly, so are vulnerable to to more sophisticated tactics like kiting. Insectoids will mine through walls and rock anywhere they roam around, even to the point of ceiling collapses. If neccessary to reach their targets, triggered insects will behave like sappers, or even mine through collapsed rocks, a terrain they normally ignore to ensure their nests remain safe underground.

The Too Deep: Infestation event, caused by using deep drills, creates hostile insectoids but without hives. Hostile insectoids may also be found in ancient structures and the ancient cryptosleep caskets inside them.

Wild Insectoids[edit]

Megascarabs may be found in the wild in the desert or extreme desert biomes, where they are not hostile until attacked. Other insectoid types are not found naturally. If a hostile insect is downed and has no hive, they will become neutral.

Lore[edit]

Only a limited amount is known as about the origins of Insectoids, and most is provided from the faction description above. The planet Sorne was the original homeworld of the insectoids, before they were captured, genetically modified, and vat-grown by interstellar entrepreneurs for use as weapons, and exported to other worlds by parties unknown. As all seemingly-alien life is claimed to have originated on Earth,^[1] it is possible that the original pre-weaponization Sorne Geneline evolved from Earth life on the planet, or were already genetically engineered for some reason before being modified again.^[2]

The purpose of the modification is known however - they were intended to act as artificial ecosystem of insectoids designed to fight mechanoid invasions.^[3] Given the past tense used in the source, it is possible that the current insectoid ecosystem seen on the rimworld does not function as originally designed. Notably however, mechanoids and insectoids do remain permanently hostile to each other, a fact that can occasionally be exploited.

References[edit]