RimWorld Odyssey Asteroid Guide: How to Build a Base in Space
Written by Andrew Hammel
Yes, you can settle on an asteroid in RimWorld: Odyssey, and it's one of the best ways to play long-term. All you need is a grav anchor, a gravship with at least one tile overlapping the asteroid, and enough life support gear to survive the void. Once you land, you can build, mine, and even defend your own orbital colony in zero atmosphere.
Here’s how to do it right.
How to Land a Grav Ship on an Asteroid
Research Grav Anchors First
To settle an asteroid, you’ll need a Grav Anchor built ahead of time. You can now unlock this early in the basic grav tech research tree. It takes 5 advanced components, which can be crafted or salvaged.
Build the anchor anywhere on the asteroid or moon tile. You only need one ship tile to overlap it to land safely.
Launch and Land with Precision
Fly your gravship to the asteroid’s world map tile. Land with one corner of the ship overlapping the anchor. The anchor prevents the tile from being deleted when you leave, and it also stabilizes docking.
Once landed, you can extend platforms and even build a full space dock using heavy bridges, letting you construct off the edge of the asteroid.
What You Can Build on an Asteroid
Building in Zero Atmosphere
All buildings must be sealed with walls and roofs
Colonists outside require vac suits or spacer armor
Use sun lamps and hydroponics to grow food inside
You can also bring soil with you using biosculpting or modded methods if you want traditional farming inside domes.
Utilities and Defenses
Power: Use solar or nuclear (no wind in space)
Heat: Heaters are essential, especially during eclipse-style events
Oxygen: Maintain with air recyclers or oxygen generators
Raids: Drop pods and mech raids still happen, even in orbit
Some raids may land inside your base, so set up interior killboxes or turrets. Others land outside, where you can funnel them through airlocks and traps.
Using Asteroids as Permanent Bases
Many players are turning asteroids into resource outposts or mechanitor hubs. These locations are ideal for:
Deep mining operations
Space farms or gene factories
Drug labs or crafting stations
You can link asteroid bases with your grav ship or shuttles, using them as logistics hubs. Shuttles let you hop between settlements without destroying the map like grav ships do.
Tips for Managing Your Asteroid Colony
Grav anchors must be intact when you leave, or the whole map is deleted
You can build multiple grav anchors on moons, asteroids, and planets
Day/night cycles exist, based on whether the planet blocks the sun
Space flares don’t affect asteroid maps, unlike on planets
Build airlocks with double doors to reduce air loss
Some players are turning their asteroids into military HQs, storing gear, training squads, or launching mercenary raids.
Final Blurb
Asteroid colonies in RimWorld: Odyssey are one of the best ways to take control of your run. You can mine, build, raid, and explore without being tied down to a planet full of yaks and alpacas. Be sure to remember to pack air, heat, and armor though, because your colonists will freeze, suffocate, or get gutted by drop pod raiders if you slack off.
FAQ
Q: Can you build a base on an asteroid in RimWorld Odyssey?
Yes, using a grav anchor and grav ship.
Q: How do you build on the edge of an asteroid?
Use heavy bridges to extend past the rock’s edge.
Q: Do raids happen on asteroids?
Yes. Drop pods and mech raids can still target your base.
Q: Do you need air and heat?
Yes. Asteroids have no atmosphere. Use life support.
Q: Can you return to the asteroid after leaving?
Yes, as long as a grav anchor is intact on the tile.
Q: Can you grow crops on asteroids?
Yes, inside sealed rooms using sun lamps and hydroponics.
Q: Do solar flares affect asteroid bases?
No. They don’t shut down power or oxygen systems in space.
Q: What gear do colonists need outside the ship?
Vac suits or spacer armor are required outside in space.
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