The most robust material in the game RimWorld is Plasteel, and the importance of acquiring it can be defined by the fact that it can help win the game by escaping the planet through a spaceship, since most of the parts, like ship engines and other modules, are made from it. [Source 1]
While regular materials are available on the map, steel, and advanced materials like plasteel are challenging to get hands-on. It is rarely found on the map but acquired through some techniques.
Plasteel Statistics
Base Statistics [Source 2]
Type | Metal |
Stuff Category | Metallic |
Market Value | 9 Silver |
Stack Limit | 75 |
Mass | 0.25 kg |
Beauty | -4 |
Rotatable | False |
Path Cost | 15 |
Statistics Modifiers [Source 3]
Beauty Factor | ×1 |
Beauty Offset | +0 |
Work To Make Factor | ×2.2 |
Work To Build Factor | ×2.2 |
Max Hit Points | ×2.8 |
Flammability | ×0 |
Armor – Sharp | ×1.14 |
Armor – Blunt | ×0.55 |
Armor – Heat | ×0.65 |
Insulation – Cold | +3 °C (5.4 °F) |
Insulation – Heat | +0 °C (0 °F) |
Melee Blunt Damage | ×0.9 |
Melee Sharp Damage | ×1.1 |
Melee Cooldown | ×0.8 |
Door Opening Speed | ×1 |
Rest Effectiveness | ×1 |
How to Get Plasteel?
There are several methods to gain plasteel that are given below:
Mining Compacted Plasteel
There’s a rare chance that the player will find compacted plasteel on mountains and hills, which can be identified as blue-colored ore. For this, the player must assign colonists with high mining skills to extract it from the mountains, as it is the slowest ore to be mined. [Source 4] Each deposit will award the player with 40 plasteel. [Source 5]
Trading From Passing Caravans
Available from the game’s early stages, the simplest way of acquiring plasteel is to trade for it from the caravans that often pass by your colony. It is an expensive material to trade, so the player must assign the colonist with the highest social skill to get the best deal from the caravan. The person they will consult in the passing fleet is marked by a question mark on their head. [Source 6]
Note: Not all the caravans will have plasteel, such as traders who trade with tribes. [Source 7]
Trade by Sending Caravans to Other Factions
Similar to the caravans passing by your colony to buy and sell items, you can now set up your own fleet and send it to allied factions from the world menu. [source 8] Forming a caravan requires strategic decisions, such as choosing which colonists and animals will make the journey and how long it will be. Depending on the distance of the trip, the player must carry enough food to sustain the colonists and create bedrolls for resting. [source 9]
Note: Carry a good amount of silver for trading plasteel to match a fair trade with other factions.
Trade With Passing Ships
In the game’s late stages, the player can trade resources with ships passing above your colony. You must set up an ‘Orbital Trading Beacon’ and a ‘Comms Console.’ Place a good amount of silver in the orbit of the orbital trading beacon so that it appears in the trading menu. If not, you will have to match the price of Plasteel with other resources. The comms console will alert the player of passing ships, and you can call the desired ship for trading opportunities. As before, send a colonist with the highest social skill to get the best bargain. [Source 10]
Build Long Range Mineral Scanner
Completing the research “Long Range Mineral Scanner” with two pre-requisite researches, “Microelectronics” and “Machining,” allows the player to build the scanner, which will scan the materials wanted by the player throughout the map until it finds a lump of it.
Because it’s a long way up the research tree to unlock it, and despite that, it costs 200 steel, 6 components, and 2 advanced components to build, which is a little too costly. But still, it is a must-have resource for a colony because the payoff is around 400 plasteel. [Source 11] Mine the lump of plasteel as soon as you find the deposit, because it will be mined by other factions if you fail to do so within 30 days.
Dissemble Dead Mechanoids
Mechanoid raids are very often occurring, bringing many opportunities if you kill them. Disassembling the dead mechanoids has the potential to award the player with plasteel. However, this method is only effective in the mid-game, because disassembling them requires a machining table, which is locked in the early stages. [source 12]
Deep Drill Mining for Plasteel
Before the player begins the process of underground deep drilling, they must identify the reserves of Plasteel buried beneath the surface. To do this, a ‘Ground Penetrating Scanner’ is required, which will start searching for buried ore reserves. [Source 13] Once identified, the underground deposits will be highlighted as green on the map tiles. You can then place the deep drill on it, telling you what material the deposit holds. If you find plasteel under any deposit, drill it to benefit from it. This process is usually not recommended because of the time and energy it costs the player and the risk of a “small infestation” that comes with it. However, it is not a lot to handle, but it can still be a little distracting for the player when he is already multitasking.
This process is usually not recommended because of the time and energy it costs the player and the risk of a ‘small infestation’ that comes with it. Even though it is not a lot to handle, it can still be a little distracting for the player when they are already multitasking
What Are the Uses of Plasteel?
Plasteel is a resource that has the highest HP and the highest sharp damage in the game, suggesting that it is best suited to make longswords and other melee weapons. It is also used as a main component in charged guns and power armor, while serving as the raw material needed to create advanced pieces for the game’s progression.
Its use is limited to creating weapons and items like doors, walls, and buildings. [Source 15]
One of the primary advantages of Plasteel is that it allows the player to build a Multi-Analyzer, a device that speeds up the research process. [Source 16] This not only helps to advance through the research tree but also opens up multiple opportunities for acquiring new technology.