RimWorld – Hardcore SK Mod
stargrace 
A lot of the best (in my opinion) RimWorld mods don’t come from the steam workshop (although that is the easiest way of getting mods) but come from players outside of steam. One pack of mods that I’ve been playing with lately is called Hardcore SK. It has got an insane amount of mods built into the pack, and it completely changes gameplay (while leaving the core game intact).
I have heard that there are some issues if you play in the default storymodes that are offered, so I swapped mine over to one of the new ones (and not the one that involved magma leakage.. if you’ve ever played Hardcore SK you know which one I’m talking about).
I started out with one colonist since that was the way I was used to playing – but quickly learned that there was just SO MUCH to do. I ended up restarting the game with a different collection of colonists, three this time. I learned starting out with three was just as difficult as starting out with one, but for a different reason. Food.
Food for one person is pretty easy to come by while you’re working on other things. Food for three people while they’re all trying to establish their base is annoying. Especially if you don’t have a base to speak of and wile animals keep eating your food, or your random_animal_01 (in my case, a cat) eats the hard earned meat you have just accumulated.
Thankfully there was a “house” on my map (I use the term loosely) so I was able to build a quick roof, and get some beds made up along with a storage pile or two.
Then two of my colonists caught the flu. Viruses and sicknesses can travel through mosquito in this version of the game, pretty detailed but very annoying. So now my three colonists are temporarily down to two – and it looks like one isn’t healing very quickly, and probably won’t be able to get over her flu which will drop me down to two before the first month is up.
If you’re used to how things are done in RimWorld and have experimented with a few of the basic mod packs but are looking for a little more depth, I HIGHLY suggest you check this one out. Keep in mind it does completely change how you play the game, so if you’re set on loading up a world and playing it exactly as you would play a basic world you may grow pretty frustrated.
Crops for example. You need to research them before you can plant them and you need seeds, first. Seeds are expensive if you purchase them from traders, and it’s rare to find the ones you actually want as you go harvesting. You need to research a LOT of things before you’ll be useful, all while trying to survive the random events going on.
There are a ton of things to harvest and pillage on the map, make use of them and spend some time deconstructing. You need bricks, planks, and other odds and ends that you can’t make right off the bat. There’s also hygiene in this version of the game. You’ll need an outhouse along with a wash basin. Waste fills up and has to go somewhere, so keep that in mind.
Colonists are given a whole slew of new traits, ranging from things like DIY enthusiast to well endowed. It gives the game a ton of flavour, and the replayability is fantastic. I’ve only been using the mod for a day or two now and while it was a bit difficult to get started and not to be so set in my steam workshop ways, it has been an absolute blast.
What are some of your favourite RimWorld mod packs? Let me know in comments, and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!