RimWorld Odyssey Flooding Guide
Written by Andrew Hammel
Flooding in RimWorld Odyssey happens during torrential downpour events and mostly affects maps with rivers or deltas. If you're too close to a water source, it can spread fast and ruin farms, power lines, and walls.
Flooding is tied to biome and weather. It starts with a warning event, then riverbanks swell and spill out. This can flood large areas near rivers, especially on tropical or delta maps. The flood recedes after a few days, but by then, you might have lost crops or buildings.
How Flooding Works
Flooding only happens in RimWorld Odyssey, not in the base game.
It is triggered by a special weather event called torrential downpour. This usually hits maps with rivers, large water sources, or tropical/delta biomes.
The flood starts near the river and spreads outward. Tiles change visually into shallow or deep water. If you have crops or buildings in the flood zone, they will be soaked or destroyed.
Flooding is temporary but dangerous. It ends on its own after a few in-game days. The terrain returns to normal, but your destroyed fields and equipment won’t fix themselves.
What Stops Flooding
You can block floods using the following:
Sandbags act like levees and block shallow floodwater.
Barricades work like walls and also stop water spread.
Slate walls, metal walls, or any non-flammable material hold best.
Doors block water and still let pawns through.
Bridges help build over affected areas, but do not stop floods.
Fences work for shallow flooding, but look silly and aren’t reliable.
Lava-proof barricades also block lava floods, which act similarly.
Build a perimeter before the flood starts. Flooding ignores zoning and terrain type, so placing crops or furniture on dry-looking grass doesn’t protect it.
How to Survive a Flood
Use the warning time to move valuables indoors.
Farm in higher ground or create raised platforms using terrain tools or mods. Use a cleaning mod to avoid pawns wasting time sweeping flood zones.
Turn off auto home zoning, or pawns will keep trying to clean beach tiles instead of doing real work.
If your power grid is at risk, keep generators or batteries indoors or elevated. Floods can disable power lines and ruin exposed cables.
Make backup farms or food stockpiles away from the waterline in case the flood hits mid-growing season.
If the colony is completely flooded, your last option is to use the gravship to relocate.
Can You Fish in Flooded Areas?
Yes, sometimes. Fishing zones already placed before flooding still work. However, you may not be able to place new fishing zones on temporary floodwater. Testing is still ongoing, but fishing remains possible in many cases.
Final Blurb
Flooding in RimWorld Odyssey is not just a visual gimmick. It messes with crops, walls, and schedules, and can turn your dream delta base into a water park. Barricades and prep make all the difference. If you ignore it, you’ll probably get Atlantis’d.
FAQ
Q: Does flooding happen in the base game?
No, flooding is exclusive to RimWorld Odyssey.
Q: Can I stop a flood once it starts?
No, but you can stop it from spreading by using sandbags, barricades, or walls.
Q: Will doors block water?
Yes, doors block water and let pawns through safely.
Q: What biomes have floods?
Any map with a river can flood, especially tropical rainforest and delta biomes.
Q: Can lava flood too?
Yes, lava flooding exists in volcanic biomes. Use non-flammable materials to block it.
Q: Can I use bridges to stop flooding?
No, bridges go over water but do not stop it.
Q: Does fishing still work during floods?
Yes, but only if the fishing zone was placed before the flood. New zones may not work.
Q: Do floors or tiles stop flooding?
No, terrain type doesn’t prevent floodwater from spreading. Only physical barriers work.
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