RimWorld is a game of survival, challenging players to turn a group of random colonists crash-landed on a remote planet into a safe and functioning colony. Along the way, they'll have to face down everything from bloodthirsty raiders to rampaging robots, from disease to starvation.
A colony is only as strong as its defenses, and the most powerful RimWorld weapons, walls, and turrets that players can build are all made from Plasteel. Plasteel is a spacer-level tech material with a unique molecular structure, making it incredibly tough. Unfortunately, it's not easy to come by, and players will have to advance their colony a long way before they'll start using Plasteel regularly.
How to Get Plasteel in RimWorld
The easiest way to get Plasteel, particularly at the beginning of the game, is by mining nodes of Compacted Plasteel. These nodes are not only rare, but also the slowest ore to mine in the game, making them almost impossible for even miners with the best traits in RimWorld to finish in good time. For a more reliable method, players will need to advance far enough through RimWorld's tech tree to unlock the Deep Drill and Ground-Penetrating Scanner. This will allow players to identify large underground nodes of Plasteel, which can then be extracted by the Deep Drill.
If these techs aren't yet available, there are a couple of other ways that players can acquire Plasteel. The first is by trading with either Exotic or Mining Goods caravans, which also offer many items that meet colonists needs in RimWorld. Once players have unlocked the Comms Console, they'll also be able to buy Plasteel from the trade ships in orbit. Finally, colonists have a chance to acquire small amounts of Plasteel when shredding dead Mechanoids at a Machining Table.
How to Use Plasteel in RimWorld
Plasteel is one of the most vital late-game ingredients for keeping colonists safe and happy in RimWorld, and is used to make the best weapons, armor, and equipment. It's also used to make Advanced Components, another important top-tier crafting material, as well as the space-ship parts required for players to escape the RimWorld. One of the best mid-game uses of Plasteel is in building a Multi-Analyzer, a device which will speed up research and allow players to reach the end of the tech tree much faster.
As the strongest material in the game, Plasteel can also make the best melee weapons in RimWorld. If players prefer to do their fighting at range, Plasteel is the main ingredient of incredibly tough and deadly turrets, allowing a colony to add automatic firepower to its defenses. Finally, Plasteel makes the best armor and bionics in the game, protecting colonists from bullets and claws, and replacing any body parts they have the misfortune to lose.
RimWorld is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.