When a transport pod crashes in Rimworld, time is of the essence. Seeing that “Rimworld can’t rescue transport pod crash victim” message can be frustrating, especially when a potential new colonist or valuable ally is lying injured just outside your base. Don’t panic! Rimworld offers effective methods to rescue these crash victims and bring them to safety. This guide will walk you through the steps to ensure you can successfully rescue anyone who drops onto your map in a less-than-ideal fashion.
Standard Rescue Operation: Utilizing Medical Beds
The most straightforward approach to rescuing a transport pod crash victim involves using your existing medical infrastructure. If you’ve already set up a medical bed or sleeping spot, you’re halfway there.
Preparing Your Medical Bed
First, ensure you have a designated medical bed or sleeping spot. This area should be marked for medical use; you can check this by selecting the bed and confirming it’s set to “medical” in its settings. Medical beds are easily identifiable by their blue color when designated correctly.
Initiating the Rescue
Once your medical bed is ready, the rescue process is quite simple:
- Select a healthy colonist: Choose a colonist capable of rescue tasks. Ideally, select someone who isn’t already engaged in critical work.
- Right-click the injured victim: With your rescuer selected, right-click on the downed transport pod crash victim.
- Choose “Rescue”: If a medical bed is available, you’ll see a “Rescue” option in the context menu. Click it.
Alt text: A Rimworld colonist is carrying an injured transport pod crash victim towards a medical bed, illustrating a standard rescue operation.
Your selected colonist will now run to the crash site, pick up the injured pawn, and carry them back to the designated medical bed. Once there, either the rescuer or a designated doctor will prioritize stabilizing the victim to prevent further harm.
Emergency Rescue: The “ER Zone” Tactic for Time-Sensitive Situations
Sometimes, distance and time are critical factors. If the crash site is far from your base, and the victim is bleeding out rapidly, the standard rescue might take too long. This is where the “ER Zone” tactic becomes invaluable.
Creating a Temporary Emergency Zone
To perform an emergency rescue, follow these steps:
- Designate an “ER” Spot: Draft a medical sleeping spot directly next to the downed transport pod crash victim. This temporary spot will serve as your emergency room.
- Create a Zone: Draw a new zone encompassing both the injured pawn and the newly placed medical spot. Name this zone something easily recognizable, like “ER” or “Crash Site ER.”
- Restrict Your Rescuer: Assign the colonist you’ve chosen for the rescue specifically to this newly created “ER” zone. This restriction is crucial to prevent them from running back to base for medicine before stabilizing the victim.
Alt text: Screenshot showing a Rimworld player setting up an “ER” zone next to a transport pod crash victim, demonstrating the emergency rescue zone tactic.
Stabilizing and Relocating
With your “ER” zone set up:
- Initiate Rescue Again: Use the same rescue command as before: Select your restricted colonist, right-click the victim, and choose “Rescue.”
- Immediate Stabilization: Your colonist, confined to the “ER” zone, will immediately place the victim on the temporary medical spot and stabilize them using any available resources within the zone, preventing immediate death.
- Standard Rescue Follow-up: Once the victim is stabilized and no longer in immediate danger, remove the zone restriction from your rescuer. Delete the temporary medical spot you placed. Initiate the rescue command one last time. This time, your colonist will carry the now-stable victim back to your main base and a proper medical bed for full treatment.
Alt text: A Rimworld colonist is shown stabilizing a transport pod crash victim on a temporary medical spot within a player-created ER zone.
Rescue vs. Capture: Choosing the Right Approach
After a successful rescue, you’ll face a choice: should you rescue the individual fully or capture them?
Rescuing for Potential Allies
Rescuing a crash victim increases the chance they will willingly join your colony or, if they belong to a faction, improve your standing with that faction if they leave and return home. If you are looking for new colonists or better faction relations, standard rescue is the way to go.
Capturing for Recruitment (and Potential Risks)
Alternatively, you can choose to capture the rescued individual. This requires a prison cell (a closed room with a yellow “prisoner” bed). To capture:
- Select a colonist.
- Right-click the rescued (and now stabilized) pawn.
- Choose “Capture.”
Alt text: Rimworld interface showing the “Capture” option available after a colonist has rescued a transport pod crash victim.
Captured individuals are taken to your prison. Remember to go to the “Prisoner” tab and set their recruitment to “recruit” if you intend to add them to your colony. Be warned: capturing members of neutral or friendly factions will negatively impact your relationship with those factions. The game will remind you of this consequence before you proceed.
Conclusion: Mastering Transport Pod Crash Rescues in Rimworld
Effectively rescuing transport pod crash victims is a crucial skill in Rimworld. By understanding both standard and emergency rescue techniques, and knowing when to rescue or capture, you’ll be well-prepared to handle unexpected arrivals and bolster your colony’s strength and relationships in the Rimworld universe. Don’t let “Rimworld can’t rescue transport pod crash victim” be your colony’s downfall – use these methods to turn every crash landing into an opportunity.
