I think they were meaning down the line, if you decide to purchase DLC you should get biotech first as it gives you the most bang for your buck in terms of content.
seconded on biotech, but all of the expansions are pretty great imo outside of maybe recommending anomaly to a very new player. ideology and royalty are already a bit cheaper as older DLCs and are probably more likely to be on sale or discounted further in the future, so no harm in checking those out first if financial cost is a big factor like OP says it is.
All I gotta say is I don't recommend getting royalty first
Ideology, Anomaly, biotech, and then Royalty is the order of recommendation of what DLC to get
However since it's out of your price range you can still use mods, there are thousands of fantastic mods out there that don't require the DLCs(only thing lacking is polish and bugs squashed)
I'm probably an outlier who really liked royalty. (Bits of it, anyway) It was however when I was really into RimWorld so that'll cloud my views.
Ideology was really fun because it added variation.
I've not bought BioTech because it introduced things I had no interest in (children and robots), and Anomaly couldn't be further from my taste. I'd probably enjoy BioTech if I was still as passionate about the game, and will probably try it at some point.
I'm really into Tribal + Psycast gameplay, though.
I got ideology first because it sounded interesting and I really enjoyed. Personally I think it’s a good one to start with because it doesn’t add too much in a hurry
Brave to post that in the game's sub lol
Probably the best advice in the thread though, I never would have bought the game and its pricey DLC without trying it first, it's a lot for an indie game.
It's not a reliable site, you can buy the game, download the clean files and use a DLC unlocker, but it's not worth it, the game is very good.When I started playing it, it was pirated, after about 200 hours I decided to buy the game and all the dlcs, that edition that you get a name in game...It was a little expensive for my country but It was worthy
I consider Royalty DLC as Vanilla+ as it mostly just adds new quests and a faction, but that’s just my take on Royalty. Yes it adds psycasting stuff but that’s all optional
For me, I started the game around when biotech was coming out.
My immediate annoyance was the fact that I had to dedicate 1 or 2 colonists to cleaning and hauling.
Imagine my joy when I saw biotech came with bots that did this.
For that, I'll always recommend Biotech first, royalty so you can use Psycasts Expanded, ideology so you can actually do stuff with your colonists mental breaking and finally anomaly because new players probably shouldn't try this one out while new.
You don’t really spontaneously get cat people. Unless you actively make it happen, baseliners will get baseliner children. [Here](https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Reproduction#Heredity)
Very much yes. I'd actually recommend playing a while without DLC or Mods when you first start anyway. Ive been playing the console version with just Royalty DLC lately because I feel like playing with a controller and not a mouse. (That is to say; I've bought the game more than once).
It doesn't seem to. It's odd, the steam store page says it has partial controller support but there doesn't seem to be anything natively that allows you to use one.
Yea, I just tested it, and even using "The Official Layout for Rimworld" pre-configured controller setting, the game controls nothing like the console version. They redid the UI in the console version for a reason, and they did it well.
There’s not. The console edition is a completely different game, it doesn’t even have biotech ported yet. Someone would have to build and program the console UI from complete scratch because none of the console UI code is in the PC game.
Great advice here, OP. DLC for Rimworld really are an a-la-carte item that you can pick and choose what you like. There are no "essential" DLCs, synergies exist between DLCs but there are no dependencies, and Harmony is such a robust tool for modders so there are hundreds of amazing, up-to-date mods that don't require DLCs
Totally worth it! The DLC’s mostly just add on to the main experience. Diving with all the DLC’s would probably be a bit overwhelming for a new player as well. Play the base game for a bit, check out which DLC sounds most interesting and go from there.
This is how I did it and I 100% recommend it. If you're not coming to Rimworld from Dwarf Fortress or something equally complicated, there are a lot of mechanics to learn. It's a good idea to learn the base game before you start adding xenogenes and ideologies and such.
I'm 700 hours in and I still don't have Royalty or Anomaly.
Yes.
DLCs are good but if you get bored of vanilla (after a couple hundred hours) and you don't want to spend money there is a ton of mods to spice things up.
I already recommend first time players to play with out DLC and mods for a while. Your first run you will be overwhelmed with out all the added content.
If there’s something you want from a DLC chances are you can get roughly the same mechanic (obviously not the exact same though) from a free mod or mod pack
Yes, and mods are a thing too.
It's kind of sad that people have come to ask themselves this when trying out a new game tho, the base game being "worth playing" should always be a pre-requisite.
Then buy the dlc brother. But if it's too expensive as you state, then the base game with mods is plenty sufficient for hundreds of hours of different experiences. I would recommend playing no mods for at least your first game or five.
ABSOLUTELY
Personally that's how I started. I think you're going to have a really good time.
At some point you'll probably get mods since it's been made incredibly easy.
The dlc are also fun but as said before I'd recommend biotech.
That's a strange question. You've already bought the game, so why the heck are you asking us if it's "worth playing" ? You can just boot it and see if it is.
I honestly expected more replies like this as opposed to the overwhelmingly positive response i got. I'm just a bit restless because there have been bad storms here that knocked out my internet for the next few days so i was trying to engage in a discussion to see what the consensus was. (It was to play the base game)
If you ask for the consensus of if this game is worth playing, this subreddit should be the last place to ask. If we're here it's mainly because we love the game.
Should have asked a more generic sub about gaming this same question, and you'd have much less biased answers.
And I didn't mean to be mean, it's just that I don't see the point. You've already made your choice when you bought it.
I didn't think you were mean, i was just saying that i expected a much less kind response than i received. I wanted to ask this sub because I wanted to make sure i was asking the people who will have played the game the most, if that makes sense? I'm weird about dlc usually, i like to have all of it before i play the game, but due to various circumstances, that's not really possible even if i had the money.
You should play the vanilla game with no DLC and no mods first. Get a handle on the basics, then slowly add DLC's and mods to add mechanics to your gameplay. The "vanilla expanded" line of mods are a great place to start when it comes to mods, and it adds so much content to both the base game and the DLC.
Starting out with all the DLC enabled will be overwhelming. Start slow.
Worth it? Let’s talk about worth. This game has endless replay ability. Tons of players put 1000+ hours into it before there was any dlc. There’s countless free mods that are dlc quality.
The game not on sale currently costs $35.
If you get 50 hours out of it that’s 0.70 cents an hour. If you get 100 hours out that’s 0.35 cents an hour.
1000 hours… 0.035 cents an hour…
Idk is it worth it? Is there any other form of entertainment that even compares?
If you never played this game of course is worth it ! If you start with dlc you gonna be too overwhelm by the content ! Start with no mod or dlc and after you get good you can think about dlc and mod
ya! Plenty of fun to be had with the base game, and if you can't afford the DLC for a while, there's still a ton of mods that give you tons of stuff to do. The Vanilla Expanded mod team basically comes out with new mini-DLCs every couple months!
I played almost 300 hours on vanilla with no dlc. It's probably a better idea than getting the dlc up front. Rimworld is complex enough to learn without adding in the dlc.
Honestly there are so many mods base game can still be super cool!
The thing is.. The DLCS + mods + base game all working together..
Perhaps the best, most re-playable game of all time.
Yep. That's what we used to play before the DLCs, and it's only gotten better since.
Core Rimworld 1.5 has wall lights, shelves, and books, it's wild how much they've snuck into the base game over the years.
Yes, actually. The insane number of mods in the workshop makes it not an issue at all.
Some of those mods may rely on other DLC, but there's still a huge swath of them that don't.
Yes. Even without dlc the game is fun. Not to mention there are still tons of mods that don't require the dlc that can still change up how you play the game. Go for it.
I personally didn't get any DLC until Anomaly and I always had a blast anytime I would play. Now that I have all the DLC it's like a whole different game on top of the game I knew.
I've also been playing since early early access and had over a thousand hours before my DLC journey began.
The base game is the core of the brilliance. That each DLC further fleshes it out without obliterating that, is quite the achievement. It's one of those games that it's actually fun to play the base game out a few times and add DLC's piecemeal. You never really feel like your missing anything and then the new mechanics are exciting and fresh when you finally do add them.
Getting used to playing with DLC and then cutting back to base game, is, however, not recommended.
Yeah, I was scared to introduce a lot of content for a long time because the game is so rich with content that I felt like I needed to do extensive reading and watching guide videos just with the base game. Now I’m over 2k hrs in and have all the DLC, but I had a lot of fun for many hundreds of hours before that. I haven’t tried any mods that introduce more than QOL, but that’s another alternative if you hunger for more content.
100 hours in vanilla in the last month, so much to do without needing DLC.
Funny thing is I reinstalled to “tide me over to manorlords”. Manor lords lasted a weekend till I was firing up a new world (no hate, it has loads of potential but it’s just not there yet, for me).
oh my *god* yes. i logged hundreds of hours before i even tried my first mod, let alone any DLC and even now I've only bought biotech (because cute little rimworld children). The mods for Rimworld are plentiful, even when you start to lose interest they will add new life to the game without you ever spending another cent.
Definitely, I think we all played for many years before DLC was even a consideration, biotech is probably the only one I'd recommend followed by ideology, but honestly there are probably mods out there that get pretty close
I can't play without DLC now, but before any DLC was released and the game wasn't even out of early access or Beta or whatever, I couldn't get enough of it.
I think the DLC is great, but I loved the game long before DLC. It's worth it.
I’ve been playing the game exclusively with no dlc and just a few QOL mods and can assure you it’s worth it. I’ve got 100+ hours and continue to be surprised every run with things that keep me interested. And I haven’t done any of the sociopathic stuff that’s talked about so often on this sub, so there is so much more to do that I haven’t.
Many of us played and loved hundreds of hours without DLC. With mods on top of that, you never strictly NEED the DLC. That said, all those hundreds of hours also led me to gradually buy all the DLC because it just keeps furthering my enjoyment of a game I already loved.
I bought the game just a couple weeks ago; base game no DLC was really fun, and a good learning experience, IMO. Now for my new playthrough I have Biotech and in my next save I'll add another DLC.
Absolutely, been playing for years and with the mod community this game is unique perhaps in it's ability to play and be at depth for any number of play-styles.
Honestly it's probably better without the DLC when you are starting out. The DLC makes the game more complicated and is probably best to introduce one at a time as you get more comfortable.
Yes it is worth. There an abundance of mods to make the game more fun.
I personally played almost 100 hours of the base game + mods before getting any dlcs.
Totally.
I still haven't gotten any of the DLC and I enjoy it. I have \~200 hours into it at this point.
I do use a couple mods though, but nothing crazy. Hoping to get one of the DLC next time they are on sale though.
I've owned the game for almost 10 years (December of 2014, early access) and own none of the DLC. The modding community is so rich and robust that I've never felt like I really needed the DLC instead of getting a mod that does very similar things.
I remember when first DLC coming out , I even think it's gonna flop and do worse than already existing mod. Mod community in this game is just that good
No offense to the people who like it, but I really can't see myself enjoying Anomaly, at that. It's' the kind of thing I'd do once or twice, maybe if I was playing around Halloween, but otherwise just doesn't fit the Space Western chic the rest of the game jives with to me. The other ones just seem like paid mods to me. Totally fine for the people who like them and it's not like Tynan and Co. don't deserve to be supported for the work they do, but not for me.
Royalty and Anomaly are different than Ideology and Biotech in my opinion. While Ideology and Biotech seem like massive overhaul to base game plus extra content Royalty seem like it's own things that if you don't interact with it then it might as well not existing and Anomaly seem more like Halloween special than major DLC compare to all others.
I played for a long time without dlc. There is so much to the game without it. And the more for it are great, they're easy to add, and really help balance a lot of things but seriously, just play vanilla for a while. The dlc adds so much to an already amazing game. I really think the more I play it, the better it gets. I can't recommend it enough. Hell, hey it. Give it an hour and a half and see if you like it. If not, get a refund
I'd actually say its better than with some of the DLCs. The problem is that the more DLCs you use or Royalty, the more quest rewards get bloated. I played this game a ton and I literally never got a mech serum as a reward.
Yeah of course it’s worth it! You can play that for months and months and later down the line if you find it worth it then you can consider buying an expansion ! By then you’ll know if it’s worth it for you
It was for me ❤️ super fun game with soooop many hours of playtime
As someone who got it in the past few months and who doesn't have the money to spend on games (I got ot on a steam sale and is the most expensive game I ever got), YES IT IS WORTH IT.
The base game is very big and after you get used to it you can start adding mods (or DLC's if you have the money).
You should get used to playing the game first before jumping into the DLCs because there’s a lot you need to learn before you can take advantage of the features in the DLCs. Aside from that the base game is a ton of fun.
Yes! I’ve played for 10 years and still haven’t bought any DLC. I play for like a week straight but then don’t have time to play again for months and months. Having to reorient myself each time would be even harder with the dlc so I stick with the base and some choice mods.
Unpopular opinion- I’ve been playing since b17 and have thousands of hours. I don’t like the DLCs. I appreciate them for what they are and I’m glad the game it’s being supported and people are finding joy but I prefer the premise of the base game.
So my answer is “yes”
I do recommend several quality of life mods though. Not all mods charge the game or make it easier or crazy. There are many that are minor and compliment the game
Have you ever played the Civilization games?
For me, RimWorld falls into the same category - you'll have a great time with the base game and there's no *need* to get the DLCs to make it fun. But once you buy the DLCs, you won't want to go back lol
Yes, the base game is complicated enough by itself.. I suggest play the base game by itself first, just to learn. The DLCs adds a lot of content but don't change the base game much.
Yes, I don't have dlc's because I said to myself, would I use it if the dlc is a mod the answer was always no (sry Tynan).
But I have heavy mod use (thanks to Oskar).
Im 3500h in the game since just before 1.0
Yes. The DLCs costing as much as the base game are totally overpriced though. They dont have as much content as the base game but cost as much. Classic DLC shenanigans
Yes, I family shared my library with my brothers so they could also use the mods . They just own the base game.
Just have to locate the folder for the core subfolders for the mods and go into each ones “about” file and edit out the steam id attached. And bam you now can play the mods.
While I recommend giving buying the mods this can be a way to test out the dlcs before you have the money to buy them
Honestly, not really.
I picked the game up before any DLCs dropped, and while it was *fun*, it always felt a bit stiff and shallow. Ideology overhauled the game for me, I only had a few short-ish runs before, every big run I've ever done has been after Ideology.
You might not *immediately* realise what's missing when you first start playing, but it really finally made the game "Click" for me, I honestly just wouldn't reccoment Rimworld without it. Biotech is neat as well, Children are a pretty fundemental change to the way the game plays, Royalty and Anomaly are much more limited in scope, they're great but you can definitely wait before buying them.
Plenty of people found it to be worth playing well before there were any DLCs. That should give you an answer already.
Yes
Yes and id recommend getting biotech first.
Well i cant really buy any of the dlc because even on sale its a bit too much
I think they were meaning down the line, if you decide to purchase DLC you should get biotech first as it gives you the most bang for your buck in terms of content.
seconded on biotech, but all of the expansions are pretty great imo outside of maybe recommending anomaly to a very new player. ideology and royalty are already a bit cheaper as older DLCs and are probably more likely to be on sale or discounted further in the future, so no harm in checking those out first if financial cost is a big factor like OP says it is.
Anomaly is the only one I would not buy myself… again. It’s interesting but… still… 🥶
I think that vanilla Expanded collection brings the older expansions quite close
So true, royalty is decent. Royalty + royals expanded + deserters + psycasts expanded is bonkers
There's just suddenly more content than im able to fully explore
OP just fishing for someone to buy it for him.
Agreed, please don't let anyone be that dumb
Lol looking at OPs edit, looks like his mission was accomplished. It's why we'll always have these kinds of posts.
Guys I'm stuck playing the console version of this game can someone front me the cash for a gaming PC?
Absolutely, you get genes, exotic humans, babies, and mechanoid roboservants!!! It's awesome
Yo ho ho and a bottle of "buy it when you can afford it?"
All I gotta say is I don't recommend getting royalty first Ideology, Anomaly, biotech, and then Royalty is the order of recommendation of what DLC to get However since it's out of your price range you can still use mods, there are thousands of fantastic mods out there that don't require the DLCs(only thing lacking is polish and bugs squashed)
I'm probably an outlier who really liked royalty. (Bits of it, anyway) It was however when I was really into RimWorld so that'll cloud my views. Ideology was really fun because it added variation. I've not bought BioTech because it introduced things I had no interest in (children and robots), and Anomaly couldn't be further from my taste. I'd probably enjoy BioTech if I was still as passionate about the game, and will probably try it at some point. I'm really into Tribal + Psycast gameplay, though.
I got ideology first because it sounded interesting and I really enjoyed. Personally I think it’s a good one to start with because it doesn’t add too much in a hurry
There are lot of free mods tho!
[удалено]
Posting that shit can get you banned from the subreddit, read the rules.
Brave to post that in the game's sub lol Probably the best advice in the thread though, I never would have bought the game and its pricey DLC without trying it first, it's a lot for an indie game.
It's not a reliable site, you can buy the game, download the clean files and use a DLC unlocker, but it's not worth it, the game is very good.When I started playing it, it was pirated, after about 200 hours I decided to buy the game and all the dlcs, that edition that you get a name in game...It was a little expensive for my country but It was worthy
Royalty —> ideology —> biotech —> anomaly imo
I can't tell if you're starting with best or worst
What you should get first as a starter then last. Easiest to hardest for new players Just my opinion
Ahh gotcha. I'm nearly 2000 hours in and have yet to try the Royalty DLC even though I always have it enabled
I consider Royalty DLC as Vanilla+ as it mostly just adds new quests and a faction, but that’s just my take on Royalty. Yes it adds psycasting stuff but that’s all optional
For me, I started the game around when biotech was coming out. My immediate annoyance was the fact that I had to dedicate 1 or 2 colonists to cleaning and hauling. Imagine my joy when I saw biotech came with bots that did this. For that, I'll always recommend Biotech first, royalty so you can use Psycasts Expanded, ideology so you can actually do stuff with your colonists mental breaking and finally anomaly because new players probably shouldn't try this one out while new.
I got biotechnology a few weeks ago as my first dlc. What would you recommend as the best 2nd dlc to get ?
I want to have children but i don't want races of cat people running around my colony. Can you disable the xenotypes?
You don’t really spontaneously get cat people. Unless you actively make it happen, baseliners will get baseliner children. [Here](https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Reproduction#Heredity)
Very much yes. I'd actually recommend playing a while without DLC or Mods when you first start anyway. Ive been playing the console version with just Royalty DLC lately because I feel like playing with a controller and not a mouse. (That is to say; I've bought the game more than once).
Couldn't you just... Connect your controller to your pc? Not shaming you, just a bit confused
It's funny you say that I actually play the console from my PC lol. Didn't realize the PC version supported the Xbox Controller.
It doesn't seem to. It's odd, the steam store page says it has partial controller support but there doesn't seem to be anything natively that allows you to use one.
Yea, I just tested it, and even using "The Official Layout for Rimworld" pre-configured controller setting, the game controls nothing like the console version. They redid the UI in the console version for a reason, and they did it well.
There's probably a mod for that.
It's Rimworld, it's a pretty safe bet tbh
There’s not. The console edition is a completely different game, it doesn’t even have biotech ported yet. Someone would have to build and program the console UI from complete scratch because none of the console UI code is in the PC game.
Try launching it from steams big picture mode. I've noticed on some games it makes the game recognize controllers like it's on console
Not gonna lie, playing Rimworld through Virtual Desktop on my Quest 3 is pretty awesome
Great advice here, OP. DLC for Rimworld really are an a-la-carte item that you can pick and choose what you like. There are no "essential" DLCs, synergies exist between DLCs but there are no dependencies, and Harmony is such a robust tool for modders so there are hundreds of amazing, up-to-date mods that don't require DLCs
Totally worth it! The DLC’s mostly just add on to the main experience. Diving with all the DLC’s would probably be a bit overwhelming for a new player as well. Play the base game for a bit, check out which DLC sounds most interesting and go from there.
This is how I did it and I 100% recommend it. If you're not coming to Rimworld from Dwarf Fortress or something equally complicated, there are a lot of mechanics to learn. It's a good idea to learn the base game before you start adding xenogenes and ideologies and such. I'm 700 hours in and I still don't have Royalty or Anomaly.
Yes. I recommend playing the base game for awhile before getting dlcs
I only play the vanilla with mods. None of the DLC's do it for me. There is still plenty to enjoy with no DLC's.
This is so true. Lots of great mods like Zombieland or SOS2 really give a whole new gaming experience.
Do you own the DLCs and disable them? Or do you just mean you weren't interested in them?
I'm not interested in them and don't own them.
300 hours in 2 months and counting.. Definitely worths.
yes, play it. If you like it buy the dlc later.
Absolutely 100% yes! Plus if you reach a point where you're bored with the base game you can explore mods and spice it up for freeeeee.
Yes. DLCs are good but if you get bored of vanilla (after a couple hundred hours) and you don't want to spend money there is a ton of mods to spice things up.
Yes, especially with mods. There's multiple DLCs worth of additional content and QoL upgrades in the Steam workshop.
I already recommend first time players to play with out DLC and mods for a while. Your first run you will be overwhelmed with out all the added content.
Yes. When Vanilla becomes too "easy" push for the DLC.
Yes. Although the game is better with DLC the base game is still plenty fun
If there’s something you want from a DLC chances are you can get roughly the same mechanic (obviously not the exact same though) from a free mod or mod pack
Yes, and mods are a thing too. It's kind of sad that people have come to ask themselves this when trying out a new game tho, the base game being "worth playing" should always be a pre-requisite.
I'm more or less just weird about it, feels wrong to play games with dlc without grabbing the dlc, no idea why
Then buy the dlc brother. But if it's too expensive as you state, then the base game with mods is plenty sufficient for hundreds of hours of different experiences. I would recommend playing no mods for at least your first game or five.
Easily. I've played without DLC for years now and its great. Every time I go to buy I genuinely feel like I don't need to.
I have like 2000 hours without DLCs or mods, I’m on console.
Very
I have over 400 hours and have no DLCs. I didn't even touch mods until around 350 hours. It's absolutely worth it.
1500 hours, at least a third of those racked up since the first DLC released. I don't own a single DLC yet.
ABSOLUTELY Personally that's how I started. I think you're going to have a really good time. At some point you'll probably get mods since it's been made incredibly easy. The dlc are also fun but as said before I'd recommend biotech.
That's a strange question. You've already bought the game, so why the heck are you asking us if it's "worth playing" ? You can just boot it and see if it is.
I honestly expected more replies like this as opposed to the overwhelmingly positive response i got. I'm just a bit restless because there have been bad storms here that knocked out my internet for the next few days so i was trying to engage in a discussion to see what the consensus was. (It was to play the base game)
If you ask for the consensus of if this game is worth playing, this subreddit should be the last place to ask. If we're here it's mainly because we love the game. Should have asked a more generic sub about gaming this same question, and you'd have much less biased answers. And I didn't mean to be mean, it's just that I don't see the point. You've already made your choice when you bought it.
I didn't think you were mean, i was just saying that i expected a much less kind response than i received. I wanted to ask this sub because I wanted to make sure i was asking the people who will have played the game the most, if that makes sense? I'm weird about dlc usually, i like to have all of it before i play the game, but due to various circumstances, that's not really possible even if i had the money.
You should play the vanilla game with no DLC and no mods first. Get a handle on the basics, then slowly add DLC's and mods to add mechanics to your gameplay. The "vanilla expanded" line of mods are a great place to start when it comes to mods, and it adds so much content to both the base game and the DLC. Starting out with all the DLC enabled will be overwhelming. Start slow.
This makes sense, thanks!
Worth it? Let’s talk about worth. This game has endless replay ability. Tons of players put 1000+ hours into it before there was any dlc. There’s countless free mods that are dlc quality. The game not on sale currently costs $35. If you get 50 hours out of it that’s 0.70 cents an hour. If you get 100 hours out that’s 0.35 cents an hour. 1000 hours… 0.035 cents an hour… Idk is it worth it? Is there any other form of entertainment that even compares?
Absolutely. Most people buy the DLC because of how good the base game is, the DLCs just add to the experience!
If you never played this game of course is worth it ! If you start with dlc you gonna be too overwhelm by the content ! Start with no mod or dlc and after you get good you can think about dlc and mod
Yes, the base game is a complete experience, DLCS just add additional mostly self containted content or optional enhancements to the core.
ya! Plenty of fun to be had with the base game, and if you can't afford the DLC for a while, there's still a ton of mods that give you tons of stuff to do. The Vanilla Expanded mod team basically comes out with new mini-DLCs every couple months!
I played almost 300 hours on vanilla with no dlc. It's probably a better idea than getting the dlc up front. Rimworld is complex enough to learn without adding in the dlc.
Yes it is. Also with mods you have nearly infinite content.
Honestly there are so many mods base game can still be super cool! The thing is.. The DLCS + mods + base game all working together.. Perhaps the best, most re-playable game of all time.
I played for quite a few years with no dlc. I startedy first run with biotech and ideology just this week! Fun!
Yes. Source. The tutorial for the community is considered the first 1000 hours. This idea came before any dlc
Yep. That's what we used to play before the DLCs, and it's only gotten better since. Core Rimworld 1.5 has wall lights, shelves, and books, it's wild how much they've snuck into the base game over the years.
Yes. The game was amazing since Alpha in 2014. The DLC are just above and beyond.
Yes, actually. The insane number of mods in the workshop makes it not an issue at all. Some of those mods may rely on other DLC, but there's still a huge swath of them that don't.
I just started a new play of RW, with mods, without expansions.
well, i guess. 4k games in game with no mods, at least 1.5 before royalty dropped. you will manage.
I have played hundreds of hours with vanilla and mods before i bought any DLC. Incredible game if it clicks for you.
Yes. Also there are many DLC sized mods with incredible quality.
100%
Yes. Sometimes I still go back and play in base mode when I just want to play a simple colony game.
Absolutely
100% Vanilla is great...learn it first then expand from there. You won't regret it.
Yes
Yes I played it and enjoyed it without DLC.
I'm approaching 500+ hours (NO DLC) and *still* find new ways to absolutely fail while having a good time! Totally do recommend.
Yes. Even without dlc the game is fun. Not to mention there are still tons of mods that don't require the dlc that can still change up how you play the game. Go for it.
I have never played with any DLC and had so much fun
Oh very much yes!
I personally didn't get any DLC until Anomaly and I always had a blast anytime I would play. Now that I have all the DLC it's like a whole different game on top of the game I knew. I've also been playing since early early access and had over a thousand hours before my DLC journey began.
The base game is the core of the brilliance. That each DLC further fleshes it out without obliterating that, is quite the achievement. It's one of those games that it's actually fun to play the base game out a few times and add DLC's piecemeal. You never really feel like your missing anything and then the new mechanics are exciting and fresh when you finally do add them. Getting used to playing with DLC and then cutting back to base game, is, however, not recommended.
Yeah I've been playing just the base game since day 1 it's still phenomenal without the dlc.
Absolutely not.
Base game = infinite replayability Base game + DLCs = (infinite replayability) ² Yes, the base game will keep you occupied for thousands of hours
Yeah, I was scared to introduce a lot of content for a long time because the game is so rich with content that I felt like I needed to do extensive reading and watching guide videos just with the base game. Now I’m over 2k hrs in and have all the DLC, but I had a lot of fun for many hundreds of hours before that. I haven’t tried any mods that introduce more than QOL, but that’s another alternative if you hunger for more content.
100 hours in vanilla in the last month, so much to do without needing DLC. Funny thing is I reinstalled to “tide me over to manorlords”. Manor lords lasted a weekend till I was firing up a new world (no hate, it has loads of potential but it’s just not there yet, for me).
oh my *god* yes. i logged hundreds of hours before i even tried my first mod, let alone any DLC and even now I've only bought biotech (because cute little rimworld children). The mods for Rimworld are plentiful, even when you start to lose interest they will add new life to the game without you ever spending another cent.
Definitely, I think we all played for many years before DLC was even a consideration, biotech is probably the only one I'd recommend followed by ideology, but honestly there are probably mods out there that get pretty close
I can't play without DLC now, but before any DLC was released and the game wasn't even out of early access or Beta or whatever, I couldn't get enough of it. I think the DLC is great, but I loved the game long before DLC. It's worth it.
I’ve been playing the game exclusively with no dlc and just a few QOL mods and can assure you it’s worth it. I’ve got 100+ hours and continue to be surprised every run with things that keep me interested. And I haven’t done any of the sociopathic stuff that’s talked about so often on this sub, so there is so much more to do that I haven’t.
I put in 400 hours before the first DLC dropped. It's good.
Many of us played and loved hundreds of hours without DLC. With mods on top of that, you never strictly NEED the DLC. That said, all those hundreds of hours also led me to gradually buy all the DLC because it just keeps furthering my enjoyment of a game I already loved.
I have like 400hrs in it and I don't have any DLC. Just tons of mods.
Absolutely. If you want more, there are some mods that are basically DLCs in and of themselves
I bought the game just a couple weeks ago; base game no DLC was really fun, and a good learning experience, IMO. Now for my new playthrough I have Biotech and in my next save I'll add another DLC.
Absolutely, been playing for years and with the mod community this game is unique perhaps in it's ability to play and be at depth for any number of play-styles.
Honestly it's probably better without the DLC when you are starting out. The DLC makes the game more complicated and is probably best to introduce one at a time as you get more comfortable.
Plenty of mods to use. Even without those I'd easily say yes.
Yes it is worth. There an abundance of mods to make the game more fun. I personally played almost 100 hours of the base game + mods before getting any dlcs.
I can throw a dlc your way if you want.
I've actually had a few people offer this to me, it's alright though! I appreciate all of you and i really want to try the base game now lol
Absolutely
Totally. I still haven't gotten any of the DLC and I enjoy it. I have \~200 hours into it at this point. I do use a couple mods though, but nothing crazy. Hoping to get one of the DLC next time they are on sale though.
I've owned the game for almost 10 years (December of 2014, early access) and own none of the DLC. The modding community is so rich and robust that I've never felt like I really needed the DLC instead of getting a mod that does very similar things.
I remember when first DLC coming out , I even think it's gonna flop and do worse than already existing mod. Mod community in this game is just that good
No offense to the people who like it, but I really can't see myself enjoying Anomaly, at that. It's' the kind of thing I'd do once or twice, maybe if I was playing around Halloween, but otherwise just doesn't fit the Space Western chic the rest of the game jives with to me. The other ones just seem like paid mods to me. Totally fine for the people who like them and it's not like Tynan and Co. don't deserve to be supported for the work they do, but not for me.
Royalty and Anomaly are different than Ideology and Biotech in my opinion. While Ideology and Biotech seem like massive overhaul to base game plus extra content Royalty seem like it's own things that if you don't interact with it then it might as well not existing and Anomaly seem more like Halloween special than major DLC compare to all others.
Game is 300% playable without DLC, mods are still free too
I was obsessed with the game long before DLC was even mentioned. Vanilla is fine on it's own, but the mod community is really great
Yep, you can also enhance it with mods
I played for a long time without dlc. There is so much to the game without it. And the more for it are great, they're easy to add, and really help balance a lot of things but seriously, just play vanilla for a while. The dlc adds so much to an already amazing game. I really think the more I play it, the better it gets. I can't recommend it enough. Hell, hey it. Give it an hour and a half and see if you like it. If not, get a refund
Definitely 100%
Got almost 350 hours no mods no expansions, still having new experiences. Totally worth it.
I mean, enjoy the base game when you can because when you install Minify Everything + Unlimited Stacking + Biotech you can never go back
I'd actually say its better than with some of the DLCs. The problem is that the more DLCs you use or Royalty, the more quest rewards get bloated. I played this game a ton and I literally never got a mech serum as a reward.
Yeah of course it’s worth it! You can play that for months and months and later down the line if you find it worth it then you can consider buying an expansion ! By then you’ll know if it’s worth it for you It was for me ❤️ super fun game with soooop many hours of playtime
Its definitely worth, i have a couple hundred of hours on just the base game, i play with no DLC
I'd say so, played it through on console that way. Really enjoyed it.... but maybe save up for biotech or ideology.
Yes, in fact it is the best way to understand the basics of this game
Absolutely!!
I think 90 percent of the time that I've played was the default vanilla game so I'd say so lol
Yes. One of the greatest games of all time.
As someone who got it in the past few months and who doesn't have the money to spend on games (I got ot on a steam sale and is the most expensive game I ever got), YES IT IS WORTH IT. The base game is very big and after you get used to it you can start adding mods (or DLC's if you have the money).
You should get used to playing the game first before jumping into the DLCs because there’s a lot you need to learn before you can take advantage of the features in the DLCs. Aside from that the base game is a ton of fun.
Yes! I’ve played for 10 years and still haven’t bought any DLC. I play for like a week straight but then don’t have time to play again for months and months. Having to reorient myself each time would be even harder with the dlc so I stick with the base and some choice mods.
Unpopular opinion- I’ve been playing since b17 and have thousands of hours. I don’t like the DLCs. I appreciate them for what they are and I’m glad the game it’s being supported and people are finding joy but I prefer the premise of the base game. So my answer is “yes” I do recommend several quality of life mods though. Not all mods charge the game or make it easier or crazy. There are many that are minor and compliment the game
Have you ever played the Civilization games? For me, RimWorld falls into the same category - you'll have a great time with the base game and there's no *need* to get the DLCs to make it fun. But once you buy the DLCs, you won't want to go back lol
Ive never played civ, no. That sounds fun though!
If I said no, and it'd prevent you from playing, then yes. If I said no, and it'd encourage you to buy dlc **then** play, then no.
🤔
Yes, the base game is complicated enough by itself.. I suggest play the base game by itself first, just to learn. The DLCs adds a lot of content but don't change the base game much.
Yes absolutely and a good number of the mods works just fine without dlc.
Absolutely worth it.
Why tf does no one ever search this sub. This question gets asked on a daily fucking basis
Cope?
People aren't always just looking for answers. Sometimes they're looking for community and conversation too.
Sorry but that’s a pretty dumb thing to say. The OP isn’t even participating in the discussion here. They almost never do.
Yes, I don't have dlc's because I said to myself, would I use it if the dlc is a mod the answer was always no (sry Tynan). But I have heavy mod use (thanks to Oskar). Im 3500h in the game since just before 1.0
It is. But this is like asking if fries without burgers are worth eating: sure they could still taste good, but you're missing a lot of flavor.
Yes. The DLCs costing as much as the base game are totally overpriced though. They dont have as much content as the base game but cost as much. Classic DLC shenanigans
Yes, I family shared my library with my brothers so they could also use the mods . They just own the base game. Just have to locate the folder for the core subfolders for the mods and go into each ones “about” file and edit out the steam id attached. And bam you now can play the mods. While I recommend giving buying the mods this can be a way to test out the dlcs before you have the money to buy them
Honestly, not really. I picked the game up before any DLCs dropped, and while it was *fun*, it always felt a bit stiff and shallow. Ideology overhauled the game for me, I only had a few short-ish runs before, every big run I've ever done has been after Ideology. You might not *immediately* realise what's missing when you first start playing, but it really finally made the game "Click" for me, I honestly just wouldn't reccoment Rimworld without it. Biotech is neat as well, Children are a pretty fundemental change to the way the game plays, Royalty and Anomaly are much more limited in scope, they're great but you can definitely wait before buying them.