Rimworld: How To Use & Move Anima Trees

Rimworld is also a complex game that operates on a trial-and-error learning style for players, which can make it difficult to understand nuances of the mechanics. Anima Trees squarely fall into this category, but players who can use and manage them properly will be rewarded with Psylinks, one of the game's most powerful mechanics.

To get Psylinks from the Anima Tree, players must cultivate it properly and perform a ritual with an eligible pawn. Keep reading to learn the technique for linking with the Anima Tree, reasons the ritual may not be working, and even how to move the Anima Tree to a different location.

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What Is An Anima Tree?

An anima tree in rimworld on a desert map

Anima Trees are a special spawn on most tiles in Rimworld (excluding Extreme Deserts and Ice Sheet biomes). The Anima Tree is the primary way for players to teach Psycasting to their pawns outside of quests with the Broken Empire, although players will have to avoid building near the Anima Tree to benefit from its powers. Psycasting is one of the most important advantages the player can obtain when defending their colony against raiders, so it is highly suggested to start cultivating Psylinks early.

To prevent players from losing this valuable spawn in one of Rimworld's many random events, these trees have an incredible temperature tolerance and are immune to fire and pollution. Additionally, a lack of light will not result in the rotting of the tree, as happens with various crops. However, animals and events that damage trees (such as Deforestors or Alphabeavers) can result in the destruction of the tree. Players may also tell their pawns to cut the tree down by mistake, which will kill the tree.

How To Use An Anima Tree

several pawns gathered around an anima tree to meditate

To use an Anima Tree, the Anima Grass around its base must be cultivated through meditation. Placing a Meditation Spot near the tree, and assigning Natural Meditation-type pawns time to meditate in the schedule tab will result in luminescent green grass (Anima Grass) growing around the tree's base over time. Once the tree has 20 Anima Grass, pawns with a Tribal Background can link with it using a ritual to start gaining Psylink levels.

While they cannot bond with the tree, psychically deaf pawns can still stimulate Anima Grass Growth by meditating near an Anima Tree.

Who Can Bond With An Anima Tree?

Pawns that have the Natural Meditation Focus type, granted by their childhood backstory, are the only characters who can bond with the Anima Tree. This means that players will need to either have captured such a pawn or choose one from the pawn select (most easily done when playing the Lost Tribe Scenario).

Unlike the Garlean Tree, multiple pawns can link with the same Anima Tree, although each pawn will need to meet the requirements for linking separately, and cannot share Anima Grass.

How To Bond With The Anima Tree

Once the tree has sufficient Anima Grass, click on it and select the 'start ritual' option at the bottom of the screen. From here, players can select the pawn to bond with the Anima Tree and which pawns will spectate. This ritual takes five hours, and results in the death of 20 Anima Grass, consumed to generate the Psylink. However, one new Anima Grass will spawn for each spectator of the ritual - making it desirable to have big rituals.

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Why Isn't My Anima Tree Growing Anima Grass?

The rings around an anima tree to show its' area

Typically, Anima Grass fails to grow around an Anima Tree for two reasons.

The pawns meditating near it lack the proper meditation focus type. Only pawns with a Natural Meditation Focus type can grow Anima Grass.
Built structures such as furniture, walls, or power cables are placed too close to the tree.

How Close Can Buildings Be To An Anima Tree?

Anima Trees require a large space of natural terrain around them to function, and building too close to them will disable their powers. When the Anima Tree is selected, players should see two circles highlighted around the tree. The inner circle represents the minimum amount of space the tree needs to grow grass and link with a pawn. The outer circle represents the radius at which the tree loses efficiency, but continues to function.

For the best results, players should leave the 36-tile radius around the tree free of all built items and structures.

How To Tell If A Pawn Has The Natural Meditation Focus Type

Determine the focus types of your pawn by looking at the pawn's child backstory. Backstories that grant the Natural Meditation Focus Type are:

Tribe Child - also applies to any child born and raised in a New Tribe or Lost Tribe playthrough
Abandoned Child
Reclusive Child
Herder
Scavenger
Cave Child
Sole Survivor (version mentioning raids)
Vengeful Child
Fire Keeper
Hideaway
Crash Baby
Budding Artist
Bully
Bookworm

It is sometimes possible that a pawn from a tribal society, such as one chosen in the New Tribe scenario, does not have a backstory compatible with Natural Meditation Focus (i.e. They have the Killer childhood background). Pawns with player-created backstories can sometimes seem tribal in nature but have no Natural Meditation Focus - affected are Accursed Child, Sole Survivor (version mentioning disease), and Forest Child.

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How To Move An Anima Tree

image of anima tree next to the symbol for chopping wood

Often, players encounter an Anima Tree which spawns in an inconvenient location. However, it is possible to move the spawn of an Anima Tree on the players' tile at the cost of mood by chopping it down. This forces the game to respawn the tree at a different, random location.

At this time, there is no official way to plant an Anima Tree, or otherwise micromanage the spawning location.

Consequences Of Cutting Down An Anima Tree

Chopping down the Anima Tree will result in a negative moodlet of -6 called Anima Scream which lasts for five days. Following this event, a new Anima Tree will spawn somewhere on the tile away from built structures within 30 days. The exact timing of this spawn is unpredictable, as it is a random event.

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