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RimWorld is a game of survival, challenging players to turn a group of crash-landed colonists into a safe and thriving community. Building a colony on a remote and hostile world isn't easy however, and players can expect to face anything from pirate raids to toxic fallout, heatwaves to burrowing insects.
For players who find the challenge of building a colony in a hostile land a little too easy, there's an even harder game mode available. In RimWorld's Naked Brutality scenario, players will begin the game with only a single, naked colonist with no starting items. Naked Brutality is an incredibly tough challenge, and can be impossible to complete with the wrong colonist or biome. However, with a skilled colonist sporting some of RimWorld's best traits, it is possible to build a colony from absolutely nothing. This guide will be aimed at beating Naked Brutality in a standard temperate biome, the most forgiving of the starting locations.
Picking a Colonist for Naked Brutality
Players who start the Naked Brutality scenario get to pick their unfortunate colonist from eight randomly-generated choices. When picking, it's absolutely essential that the colonist has certain skills. Firstly, they must be able to perform dumb labor, as a colonist who refuses to pick things up won't last very long. Otherwise, the most important skills are Construction, Crafting, and Medicine. The first two are essential for crafting many of the tools that are necessary for survival, while RimWorld's Medicine skill will help keep the colonist alive while self-treating.
Apart from the most important skills, a high Plants skill is extremely useful while in a biome that has a long growing window, while Cooking can boost the productivity of a hunting colonist at the Butcher Spot. Acquiring Steel for early weapons and tools can be very useful, making Mining a good pick, while Social will give the colonist a better chance of expanding their colony by recruiting a captured raider or getting good deals from RimWorld's traders.
When it comes to Traits, the golden combination of Industrious and Jogger will allow the colonist to get more done each day. Alternatively, a mood-boosting trait like Sanguine will help players manage their colonist's mood in RimWorld. Fast Learner is another Trait that is ideal for a solo colonist, as it will allow them to quickly pick up new skills when needed. Finally, players should make sure to avoid really debilitating Traits like Pyromaniac, Volatile, Slothful, and Wimp.
How to Survive the First Nights in Naked Brutality
Players' first priorities in Naked Brutality should be providing their colonist with the basics for survival. This begins with shelter, which can quickly be made by walling off one of the ruins scattered across most RimWorld maps. Alternatively, players can seal off unoccupied caves to give their colonist a safe place to sleep. Next, players will need to manage their colonist's need for food. Planting crops doesn't require any resources, so players can begin with a fast-growing crop like Rice immediately. However, the colonist will always have to forage and hunt in order to feed themselves while waiting for the first harvest.
Hunting requires a ranged weapon in RimWorld, and any colonist with Crafting 2 can make a Short Bow from Wood at a Crafting Spot. Once equipped, the player should send their colonist to hunt animals with 0% chance of retaliation, safely gathering meat for food and leather for crafting. Once players have gathered 60 leather, they'll be able to craft Tribal Wear, which will cover up the essential parts and remove the mood penalty for being naked. With the basics of survival taken care of, the player's next thought should be defense. Sooner or later the colonist will have to defend their new home, using either a crafted ranged weapon, or one of RimWorld's many melee weapons. Acquiring a good weapon, and surrounding the colonist's home with spike traps, should be enough to keep them safe until they can begin to recruit new followers.
RimWorld is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
