Best DLC Purchase Order

For most players, the best RimWorld DLC purchase order starts with Biotech for breadth, then Ideology for colony identity, then Royalty or Anomaly depending on whether you want power fantasy or horror pressure.

01Overview

RimWorld DLC is not just more content. Each expansion changes what kind of colony you are building. Biotech adds children, genes, xenotypes, mechanitors, and a huge amount of pawn-level variety. Ideology changes colony identity and moral rules. Royalty adds the Empire, titles, permits, and psycasts. Anomaly adds horror progression and containment-focused threats.

If you are brand new, play some base RimWorld first. Once you understand food, raids, research, medicine, and mood, DLC becomes much easier to judge.

02Why It Matters

The wrong first DLC can overwhelm a new player or add systems they do not actually want. Someone who wants more everyday colony variety will usually enjoy Biotech sooner than Anomaly. Someone who wants themed challenge colonies may value Ideology more than Royalty. Someone who wants supernatural combat tools may love Royalty, while a horror fan may put Anomaly higher.

Good purchase order is about playstyle fit, not release order.

03Practical Uses

Use this page as a decision guide. If you want the most broadly useful first expansion, pick Biotech. If you want colonies to feel culturally distinct, pick Ideology. If you like noble titles, psycasts, and Empire quests, pick Royalty. If you want a separate horror arc with strange entities and containment pressure, pick Anomaly.

Mod users should also consider compatibility. Many popular mods build heavily around Biotech genes, Ideology memes, and Royalty psycasts. Anomaly support is growing, but its content is more specialized by nature.

04Strengths

04Biotech adds the broadest everyday colony variety for most players.

05Ideology greatly improves themed runs and self-imposed challenges.

01Royalty integrates well if you enjoy psycasts, titles, and high-tech combat tools.

02Anomaly is excellent when you specifically want horror, containment, and unnatural threats.

05Weaknesses

05Biotech adds many systems at once and can distract beginners.

01Ideology can feel restrictive if you dislike managing beliefs and rituals.

02Royalty is narrower than Biotech or Ideology for some players.

03Anomaly can feel separate from normal colony goals if you do not want a horror run.

06Community Opinions

Community recommendations often put Biotech first because it adds the most broadly useful systems and feels integrated into normal RimWorld. Ideology is commonly recommended for players who want roleplay and colony variety, but some warn that it changes the feel of every run. Royalty is often described as fun but narrower, especially if you do not care about the Empire or psycasts. Anomaly is the most polarizing: loved by players who want horror pressure, skipped by players who prefer classic colony simulation.

The repeated community warning is also important: learn the base game before stacking every DLC and a large mod list.

07Common Mistakes

02Buying every DLC before understanding the base game systems.

03Choosing Anomaly first when you do not actually want horror events shaping the run.

04Buying Ideology and then disabling ideology systems because they feel inconvenient.

05Ignoring Biotech because children and genes sound optional, then missing how much variety it adds.

01Assuming release order is the best purchase order.

02Adding DLC and overhaul mods at the same time, then not knowing which system caused a problem.

08Recommendations

My default recommendation is: base game first, then Biotech, then Ideology, then Royalty, then Anomaly. Change that order if your preferences are strong. Choose Ideology before Biotech if themed roleplay is the main appeal. Choose Royalty earlier if you want psycasts and Empire progression. Choose Anomaly earlier only if horror is the reason you are excited to play.

For budget-conscious players buying one DLC, Biotech is the safest broad recommendation. For players who already have hundreds of hours and want colonies to feel morally and culturally different, Ideology may be the more refreshing second purchase.

09Related Articles

Compare the individual pages for Biotech, Ideology, Royalty, and Anomaly. New players should also read Beginner Guide, Best Mods, and Mod Compatibility.