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<onlyinclude>
 
<onlyinclude>
{{About|NPC enemies|the ideological meme|Ideoligion#Raider{{!}}Raider}}
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'''Raiders''' are enemies that spawn in groups at semi-regular intervals. Group size, health, skill, and equipment depend on both the set [[AI_Storytellers#Challenge scale|game difficulty]] and the time already elapsed in the game. Typically on Tough [[Cassandra Classic]] only one wounded raider spawns in the first group, and the subsequent group has 3-5 raiders; eventually, there are groups of more than 20 raiders with the lowest health being above 80.
{{imagemargin|[[File:raiders_layout_preview.png|124px|right]]|41px}}</div>'''Raiders''' are essentially the main antagonists of ''RimWorld''. They are predatory enemies who appear in events called "Raids" and are sent by the storyteller or by player accepted quests. The group size and strength of a raiding party is determined by 'points', which will be explained in-depth further down this article.</onlyinclude>
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Raiders will invoke a message when they spawn, and an alert will come when they begin their assault.
{{TOCright}}
 
Raiders have several [[#Raiders' strategies|strategies]] when a raid event is spawned. Human raiders continue to attack until one of several conditions are met. Mechanoid raiders continue to attack indefinitely. Raiders who survive may return to attack again in future raids or ambushes. This includes prisoners abandoned from caravans who are in restraint, making them unable to attack properly.
 
 
 
<gallery widths="250px" heights="250px" class="center" mode="nolines">
 
File:Ransom.png|'''Ransom'''
 
File:Raiders Mod debuff tired and hungry.png|'''Raider's negative thoughts'''
 
File:Pirates have given up and area leaving.png|'''Pirates have given up and are leaving'''
 
Prisoner return as raider.png|'''Abandoned prisoner returns to ambush a caravan.'''
 
</gallery>
 
  
== Equipment ==
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Raiders can enter "steal" mode if they see enough value. In this mode, they will grab your stuff and carry it off.
{{Rewrite|section=1|reason=1) Convert linked spreadsheet to wiki, and update as is many versions out of date. 2) Addiction drug carrying mechanics}}
 
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pEhmCnRiBKAh5C7X6kHPSE7QKTeTRjspB-sHR2-B_os/edit?usp=sharing This Google Sheets spreadsheet] shows the spawn rates of weapons and apparel across all raider kinds. Valid as of 1.0.2057. Figures are taken from a modified version of the 'Pawn Kind Gear Sampled' dev tool with a sample size of 10,000 rather than 400.
 
  
=== Weapons ===
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If the raiders see that they are losing, they may try and kidnap someone of your colony by letting some do the actual kidnapping and some covering them. Only colonists will be kidnapped. After one of your colonists has been kidnapped, a ‘ransom demand’ incident can fire, demanding silver for the colonists that has been kidnapped.
Raiders have limited equipment possibilities; dependent on their weapon and apparel budgets, and what equipment 'tags' they are allowed to equip. Usually on [[Cassandra Classic]] and [[Phoebe Chillax]] they come equipped early on with mostly [[autopistol]]s and crude melee weapons, some [[bolt-action rifle]]s and [[pump shotgun]]s later down the line. In the late game they can come equipped with things such as [[frag grenades]], [[sniper rifle]]s, [[incendiary launcher]]s and [[machine pistol]]s. Rarely some will have [[assault rifle]]s or [[LMG]]s.  
 
  
A raiding party may include members equipped with melee weapons and [[shield belt]]s. When a raiding party includes grenade throwers, the AI is intelligent enough to run way from grenades thrown by their own faction (though this does not apply to other explosives). Raiders wielding rocket launchers will attempt to avoid friendly fire.
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{{asof|A15}} raiders steal a bit more often now.
 +
</onlyinclude>
  
Counterintuitively, they can and will quite often spawn with melee weapons that result in them having a lower DPS than unarmed combat.
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=Equipment=
  
Also, raiders do not always use weapons appropriate to their skills, as the weapons are randomly chosen. They are often seen equipped with ranged weapons when they are better at melee (completely disregarding the [[Trait#Brawler|Brawler]] trait), and vice versa.
+
Raiders have limited equipment possibilities. Usually on [[Cassandra Classic]] they come equipped early on with mostly [[pistol]]s and crude melee weapons, some [[survival rifle]]s and [[pump shotgun]]s later down the line. In the late game they can come equipped with things such as [[frag grenades]], [[sniper rifle]]s, [[incendiary launcher]]s and [[machine pistol]]s. Rarely some will have [[assault rifle]]s or even [[Charge Rifle]]s. A raiding party may include members equipped with melee weapons and [[Armor#Personal_Shield|personal shields]]. When a raiding party includes grenade throwers, the AI is intelligent enough to run way from grenades thrown by their own faction.
  
=== Armor ===
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{{asof|A14}} the AI dressing algorithm is now better at making outfits to withstand cold temperatures. If there is no way to make a survivable outfit, pawns won’t arrive at all. No more raids arriving and keeling over in -60C weather.
They come in different clothing depending on their type and the outside conditions. If it's cold at your colony, they will come wearing [[parka]]s and [[tuque]]s, but they don't usually wear [[duster]]s and [[cowboy hat]]s in the heat.
 
  
=== Loot ===  
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=Raider Types (Humanlike)=
{{stub|section=1|reason=Is there always loot?}}
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There are multiple types of Raiders in RimWorld, each with their own sets of equipment and budgets. Raider types are exclusive to their faction.
Raiders can spawn carrying additional items unrelated to their pawnkind and their combat role. These function as an additional reward for defeating the raid. These items spawn inside the inventories of some raiders and are dropped on their being [[downed]]. The type of loot depends on the faction the raider is from. Note that while drugs and resources do spawn as part of this loot, it is in addition to that spawned for addictions and siege construction.
 
  
The total [[market value]] of the loot is proportional to the [[raid points]] of the raid it spawns in. The loot may spawn on one raider or it may be distributed across several individuals. Note that the value does not increase after 4000 raid points.
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==Pirates==
 +
The following is a list of raider types exclusive to Piratebands, in order as shown in Defs:
  
{| class="wikitable"
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===Drifter===
|-
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Drifters are effectively the cannon fodder of pirate raiders, wielding no more than a sub-par quality club, occasionally a shiv - or rarely: a knife. They are normally either naked, or seen sporting a tattered pair of pants or t-shirt also of sub-par quality. Drifters also have a 20% chance of sporting some form of crude headgear, and a 10% chance of rocking a Peg Leg for that Pirate look. Drifters are only encountered in your very first raid (or on very low difficulties), and they prove to be of very little threat.
! Loot market value by Raid points
 
|-
 
|{{GraphChart|width = 400
 
|height = 200
 
|type = line
 
|xAxisTitle = Raid Points
 
|xAxisMin =  
 
|xAxisMax =  
 
|yAxisMin =
 
|yAxisMax =
 
|yAxisTitle = Value (Silver)
 
|legend = Legend
 
|x = 35, 100, 1000, 2000, 4000, 5000
 
|y1 = 8, 60, 250, 400, 500, 500
 
|y1Title = Mechanoids
 
|y2 = 15, 120, 500, 800, 1000, 1000
 
|y2Title = All Other Factions
 
}}
 
|}
 
  
The items that compose the loot vary and are themed to the faction performing the raid. The options are:
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It is listed in the weapon tags that Drifters may show up with guns, but they don't appear to actually bear firearms about their person.
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
! [[Mechanoid Hive]] !! [[Outlanders]] !! [[Tribals]] !! [[Pirates]] !! [[Empire]]{{RoyaltyIcon}}
 
|-
 
| {{Icon List|Plasteel}}
 
{{Icon List|Component }}
 
| {{Icon List|Silver}}
 
{{Icon List|Medicine}}
 
{{Icon List|Component}}
 
{{Icon List|Packaged survival meal}}
 
{{Icon List|Neutroamine }}
 
| {{Icon List|Silver}}
 
{{Icon List|Jade}}
 
{{Icon List|Herbal medicine}}
 
{{Icon List|Pemmican}}
 
|{{Icon List|Silver}}
 
{{Icon List|Medicine}}
 
{{Icon List|Packaged survival meal}}
 
{{Icon List|Flake}}
 
{{Icon List|Yayo}}
 
{{Icon List|Go juice}}
 
{{Icon List|Wake up}}
 
{{Icon List|Smokeleaf}}
 
{{Icon List|Luciferium}}
 
| {{Icon List|Gold}}
 
{{Icon List|Glitterworld medicine}}
 
{{Icon List|Uranium}}
 
{{Icon List|Packaged survival meal}}
 
|}
 
  
== Humanlike ==
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'''Combat Power''': 25<br>
There are multiple types of raiders in RimWorld, each with their own sets of equipment and budgets which the game uses to 'buy' their equipment. Similarly, the game 'buys' raiders by deducting the raiders' Combat Power rating from the amount of raid points.
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'''Average Gear Health''': 40% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Shoddy<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 90-280 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 60-100 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 30-70 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None<br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': None
  
Raider types are exclusive to their faction - mercenaries being exempt.
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===Scavenger===
 +
Ranked above the Drifters; Scavengers have the privilege of actually equipping firearms as opposed to paltry low-quality melee weapons. Their equipment will still generally be of bad quality - but a massive step above what Drifters have to put up with none-the-less. Scavengers are most often seen with Machine pistols, Pump shotguns, Survival rifles, and Incendiary launchers; but they can also be seen rocking Pistols, Heavy SMGs, and even LMGs. Scavengers also typically have multiple items of clothing on them, but never armoured vests.
  
This note is temporary and needs to be processed normally.
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Scavengers have a 30% chance of spawning with headwear, and a 10% chance of being hindered by a Peg Leg. Scavengers typically accompany your average second-to-fourth-or-so pirate raid, depending on wealth and difficulty; and are therefore still not a truly significant threat, but you should still be cautious at the stage of which you'll typically fight them.
As a result of experiments, it was found out how many raid points some entities generate
 
Devouver-250
 
Himera- 135
 
Gorehulk- 75
 
Shumbler- 50
 
Flechbeasts cinkhole- 800
 
Sighstealer- 140
 
  
=== Tribals ===
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'''Combat Power''': 38<br>
{{main|Tribes}}
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'''Average Gear Health''': 55% <br>
Tribal fighters, weak but expendable. They never carry [[silver]] or [[medicine]]. They carry [[pemmican]] as food.
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'''Average Gear Quality''': Poor<br>
{{:Tribes/Pawns}}
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'''Clothing Budget''': 300-500 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 250-450 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 25-50 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None<br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': None
  
=== Pirates ===
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===Thrasher===
{{main|Pirates}}
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Thrashers are a direct step up from Drifters; typically being seen with higher quality melee weapons, but they are still generally limited to clubs, shivs, and knives - with clubs still being the most common, but knives and shivs are roughly equally likely. They are also often seen wearing headgear, and they have a generous apparel budget (for their rank), but they still have a poor weapon budget which limits them to poor melee weapon types. Thrashers have an 80% chance of coming with a hat, and a 10% chance of rocking the stage with a Peg Leg. There is a chance that a Pirate Leader could show up in a raid as a Thrasher.
These units are encountered most frequently in the early game, but you'll see these units throughout the game. All easily dispatched once you get armor and high-grade weapons.
 
{{:Pirates/Pawns}}
 
  
=== Outlanders ===
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Thrashers are only seen early game, and are soon replaced by the advanced Slashers, so they'll generally only feature in around one or two raids under typical circumstance. They pose a minor threat, but nothing too significant.
{{main|Outlanders}}
 
As friendly units, they show up in caravans or friendly reinforcements. Rough outlander unions will also send these to attack your colony in the early game.
 
{{:Outlanders/Pawns}}
 
  
=== Mercenaries ===
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'''Combat Power''': 36<br>
Elite units typically encountered from mid-game onwards. Joins the Outlanders or Pirates in their ranks.
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'''Average Gear Health''': 75% <br>
{{:Mercenaries/Pawns}}
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'''Average Gear Quality''': Poor<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 300-800 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 60-150 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 25-50 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None<br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 48 Years
  
=== Spacer ===
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===Pirate===
{{main|Ancients}}
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Pirates are a step up from Scavengers, with further improved weapon and clothing budgets. As a result, Pirates can potentially be a moderate threat to the colony should one not take sufficient care in dispatching of them. Pirates are typically equipped with higher grade firearms such as Assault rifles and LMGs; but are also often seen with Pump shotguns, Survival rifles, and Heavy SMGs, and less oft seen with Sniper rifles, and rarely Machine pistols and Pistols.
These people don't appear in normal raids but are found in [[ancient shrine]]s. This variety is always hostile to the player's faction.
 
{{:Ancients/Pawns}}
 
  
=== Empire ===
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Pirates may also sport Armoured vests and Devilstrand clothing. There's a 70% chance they'll be wearing a hat, and a 10% chance they'll have a peg leg.
{{Royalty|section=1|No Category}}
 
{{Main|Empire}}
 
{{:Empire/Pawns}}
 
  
== Mechanoid ==
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'''Combat Power''': 56<br>
{{main|Mechanoid}}
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'''Average Gear Health''': 95% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 500-1100 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 450-600 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 40-80 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None<br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 50 Years
  
Mechanical enemies that neither feel pain nor seek cover.
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==Outlanders==
 +
The following is a list of Raider Types exclusive to Outlander Towns:
  
{| {{STDT| c_01 text-center}}
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===Town Councilman & Town Trader ('Villager' based)===
! Pawn Type !! Image !! Combat Power !! Gear Health (%) !! Avg. Gear Quality !! Clothing Budget !! Weapon Budget !! Available Weapons !! Age Range !! Additional Info
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These two types of Outlanders aren't seen in raids, and are put together because they share the 'Villager' pawn kind. Villagers will typically be fully clothed and will have basic weapons of both the melee and firearm variety: usually clubs, knives, maces, and pistols.
|-
 
! [[Scyther]]
 
|[[{{Q|Scyther|Image}}|50px]] || 150 || 100 || - || - || - || '''Melee (Blades)''' || Any || - <!--Before adding anything to these sections, see its purpose on other faction pages. They are not for general analysis-->
 
|-
 
! [[Lancer]]
 
|[[{{Q|Lancer|Image}}|50px]] || 180 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Charge lance]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Centipede]]
 
|[[{{Q|Centipede|Image}}|50px]] || 400 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Heavy charge blaster]]''', '''[[Inferno cannon]]''', '''[[Minigun]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Pikeman]]
 
|[[{{Q|Pikeman|Image}}|50px]] || 110 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Needle gun]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Termite]]
 
|[[{{Q|Termite|Image}}|50px]] || 110 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Thump cannon]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Militor]]
 
|[[{{Q|Militor|Image}}|50px]] || 45  || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Mini-shotgun]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Legionary]]
 
|[[{{Q|Legionary|Image}}|50px]] || 150 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Needle gun]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Tesseron]]
 
|[[{{Q|Tesseron|Image}}|50px]] || 150 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Beam graser]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Scorcher]]
 
|[[{{Q|Scorcher|Image}}|50px]] || 110 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Mini-flameblaster]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Tunneler (Mechanoid)|Tunneler]]
 
|[[{{Q|Tunneler|Image}}|50px]] || 400 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''Melee (Power claws)''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Centurion]]
 
|[[{{Q|Centurion|Image}}|50px]] || 250 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Charge blaster turret]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Diabolus]]
 
|[[{{Q|Diabolus|Image}}|50px]] || 600 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Hellsphere cannon]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[War queen]]
 
|[[{{Q|War queen|Image}}|50px]] || 600 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Charge blaster turret]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[Apocriton]]
 
|[[{{Q|Apocriton|Image}}|50px]] || 600 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Toxic needle gun]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
! [[War urchin]]
 
|[[{{Q|War urchin|Image}}|50px]] || 75 || 100 || Normal || - || 9999 || '''[[Spiner]]''' || Any || -
 
|-
 
|}
 
  
=== Mechanoid cluster ===
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'''Combat Power''': 25<br>
{{main|Mechanoid cluster}}
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'''Average Gear Health''': 110% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Poor<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 300-900 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 0-250 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 25-70 (22.5% chance), 700-1000 (2.5% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None (Town traders), 40 (Town councilman)<br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': None (Town Traders), 100 (Town councilman)
  
Added in Royalty was the "Mechanoid Cluster" event, which may be associated with quests or drop on their own. During this event, a fleet of drop pods will land and deploy mechanoids, walls, turrets, and assorted buildings. These mechanoids will initially be dormant. They are eventually awakened by either the player attacking, a Proximity activator being tripped, or a Count-down activator finishing its count down.
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===Town Guard===
 +
Town Guards are moderately powerful outlanders which can be seen accompanying Outlander Trade Caravans, or in hostile Outlander raids. Town Guards are most often seen with Pistols, but can also be seen with Machine pistols, Heavy SMGs, Pump shotguns, Survival rifles, Incendiary launchers, Sniper rifles - and even LMGs and Assault rifles.
  
== Raiders' strategies ==
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'''Combat Power''': 50<br>
The message from the event will detail how the raiders from the hostile faction will raid.
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'''Average Gear Health''': 115% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 300-900 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 200-600 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''':  30-100 Silver (5% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
  
=== General Mechanics ===
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==Tribal==
 +
The following is a list of Raider types exclusive to glorified manhu - I mean tribes:
  
=== Raider Targeting ===
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===Warrior===
 +
Tribal warriors are your standard... tribal warriors! They appear in Tribal raids equipped with nothing but Clubs, and occasionally Spears, and they only wear Tribalwear - or Parkas if necessary. Individually, they're a moderate threat at most - but they can be a considerable threat and potentially overpower your defensive line due to the sheer numbers that they occur in.
  
Standard raiders, including humans and mechanoids, attack targets based on a rough priority system with some random elements. Raiders who are able to path towards a colonist or powered turret will attempt to attack such a colonist or pathable furniture. Raiders who are only able to path towards furniture may attack that furniture or may instead attack random walls and doors. The chance raiders attack the furniture rather than random walls and doors has some random elements to it. Raiders who cannot path towards any colonist nor any furniture targets will attack random walls and doors.
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'''Combat Power''': 50<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 115% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 180-350 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 60-400 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''':  None<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 40 Years
  
Pathable means that the raider can move to the same cell as the target. "Furniture" targets include objects like stools, tables, chairs, and even things like Wind Turbines, Geothermal Generators, Unpowered Turrets, and production benches.  
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===Archer===
 +
Archers are somewhat self-explanatory in their titles: they assault in masses, and let off a cloud of arrows (or pila) which could poke an eyeball or two. Archers typically utilise Pila and Great bows, but they may rarely sport Short bows too; and they wear your standard Tribalwear, and Parka if the conditions are too harsh to go without. Archers equipped with Pila and Great Bows are dangerous as a Pilum in the wrong place can render a colonist useless, or even kill them, and Great bows are effectively Wooden Survival rifles.
  
Raider targeting can change based on nearby targets, if their target is destroyed or becomes non-pathable, or if they take damage.
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'''Combat Power''': 50<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 115% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 180-350 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 60-400 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''':  None<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 40 Years
  
Raider targeting can also be overridden by nearby targets of opportunity. Raiders may light wooden walls or crops on fire, for example.
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===Chief===
 +
Chiefs are hardened, high-ranking tribals which have endured the heat of battle and the hardship of survival on the Rim, and so far made it through alive. They only get the best weapons that their tribe can possibly make, but they are ultimately glorified Archers which may have a chronic disease or few. Chiefs will only be found equipped with Pila and Great bows, of which some could be Excellent or even Masterwork quality. Chiefs are also more difficult to recruit as colonists if they survived to be imprisoned.
  
=== "Victory" Conditions ===
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'''Combat Power''': 70<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 185% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Superior<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 600-1600 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 800-1000 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''':  None<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': 35 Years <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': None
  
Human raiders continue to attack until one of several conditions are met. Mechanoid raiders attack indefinitely. Once mechanoids have destroyed every possible target they wander around in place indefinitely until a new target appears.
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==Mercenaries==
 +
Mercenaries are usually encountered in mid-game raids onwards, and will usually be found in Pirate raids, but can also be mixed amongst Outlander raids - but never Tribal raids. Mercenaries are high-ranking soldiers which have high budgets for weapons and clothing, and are usually encountered wearing an armoured vest. There are several variations of mercenaries:
  
Downing or killing 40 to 70% of human raiders causes the remaining alive raiders to cease their attack and attempt to flee. A random value between 40 and 70% is chosen for each raider group. If a raid attacks in multiple groups, each group has their own randomly chosen 40 to 70% flee value. Each individual raider group only counts dead or downed members of their own group. Each group attacks and flees independently.  
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===Mercenary Gunner===
 +
Mercenary gunners are the weakest mercenaries out of the lot, but still pose a moderate to considerable threat with their numbers. Gunners will spawn with pretty much any mid-range weapon with near-equal commonality: from Machine pistols to LMGs and Sniper rifles, and in-between - but never pistols. Gunners will also usually wear armoured vests, along with Kevlar helmets, Military helmets, and rarely even Power armour helmets - and they'll occasionally be seen wearing Hyperweave clothing.  
  
Human Raiders will flee after attacking for approximately 10 to 15 hours. A random value is chosen between these timers. After the time is passed the group will flee. For enemies attacking in multiple groups, each group will have its own timer and solely that group will flee when the timer is met. For sieges, the timer only begins after the siege stops attempting to siege and directly assaults the colony.
+
Mercenary Gunners also have a 0.3% chance of spawning with a bionic body part. Mercenary gunners can also be seen with Combat Enhancing Drugs.
  
Human enemies may attempt to kidnap downed colonists. When kidnapping, enemies may disengage from combat and attempt to flee the map.
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'''Combat Power''': 70<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 150% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 1500-2800 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 400-900 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''':  50-200 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
  
Human enemies may attempt to steal nearby loot. When stealing, enemies may disengage from combat and attempt to flee the map. How much nearby loot is required to cause raider theft depends on the raid points of the colony. Higher raid points requires more loot.
+
===Mercenary Sniper===
 +
Mercenary snipers are... well, snipers! Their clothing budget is overall slightly lower than a Gunner's, but they have an improved weapon budget. Everything else remains the same.
  
{| {{STDT| c_50}}
+
'''Combat Power''': 90<br>
! style="text-align:left;" | Map Entry || Attack Type || Smart? || Faction Raiders || Ally use this raid?
+
'''Average Gear Health''': 150% <br>
|-
+
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
| rowspan="7" | Walk in Edge (45%)
+
'''Clothing Budget''': 1500-2500 Silver<br>
| rowspan="3" | Immediate Attack
+
'''Weapon Budget''': 1200-1800 Silver<br>
| No
+
'''Silver Carried''':  50-200 (20% chance)<br>
| rowspan="3" | Tribal, Outlander, Pirate, Mechanoid
+
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (20% chance)<br>
| rowspan="2" | Yes
+
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
|-
+
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
| Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes (Breach)
 
| No
 
|-
 
| rowspan="2" | Preparation || No
 
| rowspan="7" | Tribal, Outlander, Pirate
 
| rowspan="2" | Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes
 
|-
 
| Sapper || No
 
| No
 
|-
 
| Siege || No
 
| Yes
 
|-
 
| rowspan="3" | Walk in Edge Group (15%)
 
| rowspan="2" | Immediate Attack
 
| No
 
| rowspan="2" | Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes
 
|-
 
| Sapper || No
 
| No
 
|-
 
| rowspan="7" | Drop pods (30%)
 
| rowspan="3" | Immediate Attack
 
| No
 
| rowspan="5" | Tribal, Outlander, Pirate, Empire, Mechanoid
 
| rowspan="2" | Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes (Breach)
 
| No
 
|-
 
| rowspan="2" | Preparation || No
 
| rowspan="2" | Yes
 
|-
 
| Yes
 
|-
 
| Sapper || No
 
| rowspan="2" | Tribal, Outlander, Pirate, Empire
 
| No
 
|-
 
| Siege || No
 
| rowspan="2" | Yes
 
|-
 
| Haywired drop pods (10%) || Immediate Attack || No || Tribal, Outlander, Pirate, Empire, Mechanoid
 
|-
 
| colspan="2" | Mechanoid Cluster {{RoyaltyIcon}} || No || Mechanoid || No
 
|}
 
  
 +
===Grenadier===
 +
Grenadiers can prove to be somewhat of a threat towards both colonist lives and structures alike. Grenadiers are identical to Mercenary gunners, except they only utilise grenades and also have a considerably lower clothing budget.
  
=== Immediate attack ===
+
'''Combat Power''': 60<br>
{{Quote|They are attacking immediately.|Description}}
+
'''Average Gear Health''': 150% <br>
Raiders, upon either landing in their drop pods or arriving on the map sides, will proceed to instantaneously converge on your colony and attack. The best thing to do is to defend.
+
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 800-1400 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 600-1000 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 50-200 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1 (10% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
  
=== "Drop right on top of you" drop pods ===
+
===Mercenary Slasher===
Raiders will drop pod right "on top of you" circumventing all exterior defenses. "Drop on top of you" raids choose a singular colonist and all drop pods land around this target in open cells. That singular colonist cannot be under overhead mountain. The drop pods can crash through nearby overhead mountain even though the singular colonist target cannot currently be under overhead mountain.  
+
Slashers can prove to be a real threat to front-line gunmen due to their use of Personal shields and high-quality melee weapons. However, a typical slasher can be overwhelmed by a couple of people beating the living daylights out of them, or some people shooting at point-blank range. Slashers have an 8% chance of spawning with bionic body parts.
  
Only outlander, pirate and empire factions can "Drop right on top of you". Tribal factions cannot use drop pods. Mechanoid "Drop right on top of you" raids were removed in patch 1.4.
+
'''Combat Power''': 135<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 140% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 1000-2600 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 1200-2000 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 180-400 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1-2 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
  
Rather than landing on a colonist, "Drop right on top of you" raids have a 40% chance to land on a powered, unroofed, orbital trade beacon.  
+
===Heavy Mercenary===
 +
Heavy Mercenaries are a force to be reckoned with in terms of firepower, and should be prioritised as a target in most combat situations. Heavy Mercenaries are specialised with heavy weaponry; and will therefore utilise Triple-rocket launchers, Doomsday rocket launchers, and miniguns. Despite packing serious heat, Heavy Mercenaries have a poor clothing budget, and will therefore not be very well protected against sustained fire. Heavy mercenaries have an 8% chance of spawning with a bionic body part.
  
These "drop right on top of you" raids always attack immediately and follow standard enemy pathing.
+
'''Combat Power''': 185<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 95% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 200-350 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 1600-2000 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': None<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 65 Years
  
=== Immediate attack smart ===
+
===Elite Mercenary & Boss===
Like Immediate Attack, but the raiders are unusually clever in their tactics because they try to avoid turret line of sight if possible. If there is no path to the raider's target around turret line of sight, or if their target is a turret, they will walk through turret line of sight.
+
Elite Mercenaries and Bosses are functionally identical, so the information here applies to both. Despite having a higher 'Combat Power' rating, it is arguable that Heavy Mercenaries will still pose a more significant threat than Elite Mercenaries, purely due to their explosive arsenal. However, Elite Mercenaries have exceptionally high equipment budgets, and are not to be messed with at all. They often utilise power armour helmets and devilstrand/hyperweave clothing, but never power armour. Their arsenal consists solely of LMGs, Assault rifles, and Charge rifles. Elite mercenaries have an 8% chance of spawning with a bionic body part.
  
Despite their description, they do not avoid traps like Spike Traps nor IEDs in any way.
+
'''Combat Power''': 220<br>
 +
'''Average Gear Health''': 215% <br>
 +
'''Average Gear Quality''': Normal<br>
 +
'''Clothing Budget''': 2500-4200 Silver<br>
 +
'''Weapon Budget''': 1600-2000 Silver<br>
 +
'''Silver Carried''': 120-480 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Medicine Carried''': 1-2 (20% chance)<br>
 +
'''Minimum Age''': None <br>
 +
'''Maximum Age''': 45 Years
  
 +
=Raiders' Strategies=
 +
=== Immediate Attack ===
 +
Raiders, upon either landing in their drop pods or arriving on the map sides, will proceed to instantaneously converge on your colony and attack. The best thing to do is to defend.
 +
=== Immediate Attack Smart ===
 +
Like Immediate Attack, but the raiders are unusually clever in their tactics because they simply steal some of your items and run. This can be devastating in early game, because a raider may steal your stockpile of components, leaving you without any means of using electricity.
 
=== Preparation ===
 
=== Preparation ===
 
Raiders, upon either landing in their drop pods or arriving on the map sides, will proceed to stand around in a small group near-by where they spawned for a period of time and then proceed to attack. It is possible and a completely viable strategy to attack them while they are "preparing". This preparation has no effect on their attack other than the fact that it gives you more time to prepare yourself.
 
Raiders, upon either landing in their drop pods or arriving on the map sides, will proceed to stand around in a small group near-by where they spawned for a period of time and then proceed to attack. It is possible and a completely viable strategy to attack them while they are "preparing". This preparation has no effect on their attack other than the fact that it gives you more time to prepare yourself.
 
 
=== Sappers ===
 
=== Sappers ===
{{Quote|It looks like they want to use sappers to tunnel around your defenses.|Description}}
+
Raiders, upon either landing in their drop pods or arriving on the map sides, will proceed to instantaneously converge on your colony but not attack. They will instead mine a separate way into your colony away from your defenses. This can be a fairly dangerous way (for you) for them to try and attack. The best thing to do is instantly assault them before they can mine too much. Sappers will also avoid high-health ore veins, like compacted plasteel.
Instead of attempting to kill your colonists by traditional attack, sappers will mine or blast their way inside rather than hitting your walls or doors as usual. Their ultimate goal is an assigned sleeping position. An assigned sleeping position can be a colonist bed, an animal bed, or even a freely placed prison sleeping spot that is assigned to a prisoner.
 
 
 
The attacker with the best mining skill is chosen to dig. If that digger is killed the next best digger continues digging, and so on.
 
 
 
They can be fairly dangerous to those who tunnel into mountains as their defenses are usually concentrated at the entrances. The best thing to do is instantly assault them before they can mine too much. The other members will then carry on the normal assault. They seem to avoid digging through high-health ore veins or into the areas within the range of improvised turrets and don't mind much about other security traps (spike trap and all kind of IEDs). It's possible to create such an trap area to kill them before hand.
 
 
 
However, in open bases they are even worse than regular raiders as they come in smaller numbers.
 
 
 
Sappers can find one tile defenses, either natural rock or built walls. This may cause them to open ancient shrines unintentionally.
 
 
 
<gallery mode="packed-hover">
 
File:Sappers are good at finding one tile walls.png|1: Sappers are good at finding one tile walls.
 
File:Sappers may even open ancient structures unwisely.png|2: Sappers may even open ancient shrines unwisely.
 
File:Sappers attacking ancient structures will kill spacers you would love to recruit.png|3: Sappers attacking ancient structures will kill spacers you would love to recruit.
 
File:Sappers may cause mechanoids to function as your outer defense line.png|4: Sappers may cause mechanoids to function as your outer defense line.
 
File:Sappers demise.png|5: Sappers are defeated.
 
</gallery>
 
 
 
=== Breachers ===
 
{{Quote|These raiders intend to breach your walls. They'll determine their own path into your colony and destroy anything in their way.|Description}}
 
 
 
Much like the Sapper strategy, raiders will utilize their tools to easily breach past the walls more. Breachers, like sappers, target assigned sleeping positions. Compared to Sappers, Breachers comes equipped with tools designed to destroy walls more easily (Tribals access to [[breach axe]], Royal, Pirates and Colony uses [[frag grenades]], and Mechanoids utilizes their [[Termite]] wielding [[thump cannon]]) regardless of their mining skill. Unlike the Sappers, they mostly target after colony-built walls in their direct path, rather than mining to the shortest route. Any raiding pawns nearby will always follow the breaching pawn in question, only attacking within range. Breachers will not attack passable player buildings, and instead only target impassable buildings like walls.
 
 
 
They ignore walls that are not owned by the colonist unless there are no other pathway around them and the walls, making it more difficult to trick the breachers into unintentionally opening the ancient shrines.
 
 
 
Unlike sappers which usually come in small numbers of raiders, breachers are always followed by a ton of raiding pawns, or Centipedes in the case of Termite, which covers the disadvantageous issue that the Sapping raid in the open has with. This kind of raid will appear more frequently if the wealth is high enough.
 
 
 
[[File:Siege base construct.png|350px|thumb|right|Siegers arriving at their chosen minibase location. The faint "blueprint" for the base is not visible until the resources are dropped.]] [[File:Siege_base_finished.png|350px|thumb|right|Siegers done constructing their minibase and questionable defenses, moving toward commencing bombardment.]]
 
  
 
=== Siege ===
 
=== Siege ===
{{See also|Auto-mortar}}
+
Raiders, upon landing in their drop pods, will proceed to receive building supplies (things such as metal, food, medical supplies, and artillery shells) and construct any number of the following:
{{Quote|It looks like they want to besiege the colony and pound you with mortars from a distance. You can try to wait it out - or go get them.|Description}}
+
*Mortars
 
+
*Incendiary Mortars
Raiders enter your map from an edge and head towards a point well outside your base to set up a makeshift siege base. Once there, drop pods supply them with ample resources to construct 2 [[mortar]]s ([[steel]], [[component]]s, and both [[high-explosive shell]]s and [[incendiary shell]]s). They also get some [[cloth]] to create [[sandbags]] as cover, and [[packaged survival meal]]s. Two random raiders will begin constructing the mortars (one each), and a few more will throw the sandbags down while the rest stand guard.
+
*Sandbags
 
+
After constructing the amount they desire, they will proceed to bombard the colony with mortar shells, potentially causing a great deal of damage. The best strategy is either to assault the mortar base or wait it out and repair the damage as best as you can. The choice mainly depends on the surroundings of the mortar base and your base's position. If your base is located under a mountain (your base tiles will read ''Overhead Mountain'' when you hover your cursor over them), the mortar shells won't be able to hit those tiles at all! This makes deep mining a very effective strategy against heavy bombardment. If you don't build your base into a mountain, you should at least consider digging out at least one panic room for your colonists to hide within from the shells.
You can engage them before they finish building up if timing is favorable to you. They will always attempt to construct only two mortars regardless of the number of raiders. The layout of the mortar base is somewhat random - they might decide to place a mortar where some trees need cutting first, slowing the process considerably, and the sandbags are rarely well placed. The siegers rarely use their best constructors when building (it's random), so sometimes fail the [[construction]] process and waste that mortar's resources. As they will not get additional components, this will make any bombardment half as damaging.
 
[[File:Passive siegers.png|200px|thumb|left|Siegers not engaging friendlies while traveling to set up base.]]
 
Once a mortar is ready, they will start to bombard you, guarded by those not busy manning the mortars or still building the second one. Drop pods will continuously resupply 12 packaged survival meals and more mortar shells, as needed. They can receive [[Mortar shell|different types of shells]] during the siege, which can be [[Firefoam shell|less]] or [[Antigrain warhead|more dangerous]] to your colony, depending. After causing enough destruction, they will proceed as a normal raid to converge on your colony. Valid targets appear to be colonists and buildings but not player owned animals.  
 
 
 
The siege team will not engage friendlies while heading towards their future base until they actually start constructing or you assault them first.
 
 
 
A siege will begin their direct assault of the player colony under a few conditions. The siege will begin their assault after a random amount of time between 1.5 and 3 days has past. Every time a sieger takes damage there's an 8% chance the siege assaults directly.
 
 
 
=== Ambush ===
 
Raiders may choose to attack one of your caravans. In this case, they will charge right at your caravan without giving a second thought to strategy.
 
  
=== Multiple group attacks ===
+
If you assault their base, one possibility is sniping either the shells or the mortars, hoping an explosion kills many of the raiders.
Enemies can split up their attacking forces, attacking using multiple groups at once. Each group attacks from a different direction, and flees on their own accord.
 
  
=== Drop pod scatter ===
+
Note, the raiders always spawn in with ranged and melee weapons -- they can't all spawn with melee.
Enemies capable of drop pods have a chance of launching a raiding party onto the map via said pods at random points scattered around the map. Due to the fact they can drop through roofs, this type of attack can be incredibly devastating, as they can bypass all of your external defenses and immediately start setting fires, attacking colonists, and destroying furniture. The layout of your base and the room they choose to drop in can also make it very difficult to set up a sufficient defense, as they may drop into an extremely unfortunate location, such as a cramped storage room with lots of things to burn and destroy, and no good way to attack them beyond filing all of your fighting colonists into the room and hoping for the best or attempting to shoot through the door. While the raiders themselves will most likely be easy enough to kill, it is likely they will have ample opportunity to cause tons of damage before they can be stopped. Setting up ample fire defenses and having a defense plan for all potential drop points can help limit the amount of damage they can cause, although it’s almost guaranteed they will be able to cause at least some damage if they drop directly into a room.
 
  
=== Weapon-specific raids ===
+
== Defense Strategy ==
Humanlike raiders have the ability to send raiders with a specific kind of weapon only.
 
  
==== Melee rush ====
+
Raiders will start by standing around in a group where they spawned and will continue this until they see a [[colonist]] nearby or they hit a certain preparation time limit, at which point they begin the assault. Because a colonist can set them off early, you can plan out the time you want them to attack. It is generally best to set them off early if you're well-prepared, to avoid potentially troublesome scenarios such as having no power when their timer runs out. Conversely, you should not set them off early if your defense is not prepared. Note that raiders usually take less than one day to begin, meaning that if there is an eclipse and you rely on [[Buildings#Solar generator|Solar generators]], you should not wait for them and should instead set them off early while you still have some power left. Also it's good to note that raiders will remember where your [[Deadfall trap|traps]] are. This doesn't apply to other factions, though -- if, say, the Vipers of Power come in and sets off your traps, then they would remember that. But, if the Rippers of Fire later attack, they won't have that knowledge and will still set off the same traps.
Pirate or outlander raiders have the chance to attack your base with mercenary slashers only, meaning everyone will be shielded and have a melee weapon. Tribals can do the same with their melee units, except without shields.
 
  
Mechanoids have their own rendition of the melee rush with [[scyther]]s only.
+
Raiders will attack randomly chosen constructed objects and colonists. They will not attack [[prisoners]], rock walls,[[animals]] (unless the animals are hostile) or unpowered turrets. Raiders will usually set fire to [[Food]](As in growing zones), [[power]] generation, [[wall]]s, [[nutrient paste dispenser]]s, [[equipment rack]]s, [[drop beacon]]s; they will melee-attack [[Standing_lamp|lamps]], [[bed]]s, [[stool]]s, [[Table_(short)|short tables]], [[Table_(long)|long tables]], and [[door]]s; they also use [[Molotov_cocktails|molotovs]] and [[frag Grenades]] on [[auto-turret]]s, [[sandbag]]s, and other targets. They will not attack [[blasting charge]]s, [[power conduit]]s, [[zones]], [[floor]]ing, or [[grave]]s. It is thus recommended to keep power generation, eating areas, lighting, doors, and walls near or behind a protected entrance. Raiders will prioritize firing on colonists or turrets when those colonists or turrets are firing on them, but will otherwise prioritize random objects, meaning you can put doors or walls near your defenses to temporarily distract them.
  
==== Sniper party ====
+
=== Turret Nested Entryway ===
Pirates or outlanders have a chance to send snipers only, meaning that all attackers will have long-ranged attacks.
+
Turreted outside areas are generally only viable for the first several raids (in [[Tough Cassandra Classic]]), after which the areas will quickly get overwhelmed each raid due to not being able to focus fire on the spread-out raiders. Remember that raiders will run from exploding turrets! While protecting the outside starting area, you want to rapidly pause the game during raids and give orders to repair damaged turrets. Turrets should each get their own sandbags to reduce incoming fire both to the turret and the colonist behind the turret repairing/shooting.
 +
Putting a turreted defense in an underground base with a narrow entrance and wide turreted area is best because it forces the raiders to take a single-file approach to where all the turrets will be able to fire on them. There should be more than one line of turrets so that the innermost line or lines can be used to position colonists where they are not immediately under threat from grenades (grenadiers will target the closest turrets first) or if colonists are positioned closer so they can repair, to retreat colonists further back when turrets are about to be or have been destroyed. Every line of turrets should have a line of sandbags directly in front and every supporting wall/rock should also have sandbags to lessen the likelihood of collapse due to collateral damage. Turrets should not be placed directly (within three tiles) next to wall/rock or other turrets for the same reason, as they explode when they run out of health. Outside or in front of the defense area, you can put blasting charge minefields in areas they are likely to group up in.
 +
Gun Turret Cooling is a priority for later raids, but should not be rushed. The extra shots tend to help ''kill'' raiders, but early on you will want to incapacitate them so you can capture and imprison them for recruitment.
  
==== Explosives assault ====
+
By enclosing your entryway in a large unroofed room, you have created a "killbox".
Pirates or outlanders have the chance to send a party consisting of either grenadiers or heavy mercenaries. While this makes them extremely destructive, it also makes them particularly prone to friendly fire.
 
  
== Raid strength ==
+
''Note: as of the Alpha 11 "Sappers" attack strategy for raiders, this method of defense can be avoided by any of the slightly higher level raids, but is still a viable option for many of the raids as not all of them will attempt this strategy.''
{{Main|Raid points}}
 
A raid's size and strength is determined by the amount of colonists you have, your wealth, how many big threats you've had (for the early-game), how long your faction's been around for, how long it's been since one of your colonists were downed or killed, and your difficulty.
 
  
The actual raid strength is determined by points, which is calculated by taking into account the above factors that affect raid strength.
+
<!--
 +
This section commented out since blasting charges have been removed from the game.
 +
=== Minefields ===
 +
Early on, you want to focus on armed colonist defense with turrets, but as the raiders grow in number, it becomes more efficient to use a bit of metal to kill several at once than to invest a lot of metal in a turret that costs nothing to fire, but will explode rapidly due to large raider groups.
 +
Blasting charges are extremely effective when used correctly, and the raiders will make some (but not usually enough) of an attempt to avoid them, which can force them into a single-file line even before they reach the entrance. You should only detonate a charge if one second (slowest speed) from when you activate it, it will have at least one grenadier or at least three regular raiders near it or it is vital that you kill as many as possible. Note that fires and other blasting charges can activate blasting charges, so do not place them outside near where your colonists regularly walk and do not place them within range of other charges.
 +
While you can place them near support walls/rock, triggering a cave-in is not usually worth it. It creates more rock to mine out after the battle, provides cover for raiders, destroys metal from destroyed turrets or other buildings, and since the cave-in will happen usually right in the middle of where the charge went off, it will only kill raiders who are already at low health from the blast or simply destroy the bodies of those killed by the blast.
  
For a full technical breakdown; see [[Raid points]]
+
The most dangerous raiders are those with frag grenades. One grenade will instantly destroy a turret or kill a colonist. The only defense against grenades is to kill the grenadier quickly, pull out colonists from an area a grenade is being thrown at immediately, and sell anything in that area immediately too. Grenadiers are thus by far the first priority to kill. All other raiders are generally weak, but among them raiders equipped with pump shotguns are the most threatening to colonists and raiders equipped with molotovs or incendiary launchers are the most threatening to buildings, yet the least threatening to colonists.
<!-- Formatting and style could likely benefit from this old version, so it is not being deleted as of yet
 
The below is technical information on the strength of raids, through the determination of points a raid has. All of the following information is from Alpha 17b, or 0.17.1557.
 
  
=== Points ===
+
Because raiders will take cover from your turrets and colonists, it's possible to lead them into mines by offering them false cover. Once detonated, the raiders will not only take damage, but be left in the open for further attacks.
Your first raid will always be 35 points, regardless of the above conditions. Additionally, the first raider won't randomly die upon being downed, and they will never flee.
 
 
 
The base formula for raid points could be expressed as follows:
 
 
 
{{math|big=0|P {{=}} (( C &times; 42 ) + ( iW &divide; 100 ) + ( bW &divide; 200 )) &times; ( sR &times; lR ) &times; D &times; T &times; R}}
 
 
 
{| {{STDT| c_01 text-left}}
 
|-
 
! Variable !! Meaning !! Value
 
|-
 
! C
 
|  number of colonists that your base has ||  Colonists are always worth 42 points, regardless of their condition
 
|-
 
! iW
 
| base's item wealth || can be checked under the 'History' tab
 
|-
 
! bW
 
| base's building wealth || can be checked under the 'History' tab
 
|-
 
! sR
 
| short-term ramp-up factor || Check below
 
|-
 
! lR
 
| long-term ramp-up factor || Check below
 
|-
 
! D
 
| difficulty's threat scale factor (i.e. points multiplier) || 0.05 on peaceful; 0.1 on base builder; 0.35 on some challenge; 0.65 on rough; 1 on intense; and 1.3 on extreme.
 
|-
 
! T
 
| the number of big threats (i.e. raids, manhunter packs, mechanoid ship parts, and psychic waves) that your faction has experienced || 0.5 for 1 big threat; 0.7 for 2; 0.8 for 3; 0.9 for 4; and 1 for 5 and greater. Simplified, '''T''''s value will be 0.5 for your faction's second-ever big threat, and so on.
 
|-
 
! R
 
| the strategy that the raiders are using || 1 for waiting and then attacking; 0.9 for immediate attacks; 0.85 for 'smart' attacks; 0.8 for sapper attacks; and 0.6 for sieges. For raids involving chased refugees it is 1.35.
 
|}
 
 
 
====Ramp-up factors====
 
Ramp-ups (i.e. '''sR''' and '''lR''') are substantially more complicated than any of the other factors involved:
 
 
 
'''sR''' is always 1 until 21 days in; in which case 0.000514403335 is added to it every {{ticks|5000}} - or 1 every 162 days.
 
 
 
'''lR''' is always 1 until 42 days in; in which case 0.000231481492 is added to it every 5,000 ticks - or 1 every 360 days.
 
 
 
If a colonist gets downed or killed, 1 is subtracted from both '''sR''' and '''lR''' - but these aren't the new values; only part of the new values. '''sR''' and '''lR''' then get multiplied by certain values independently, based on how many colonists you have, with the table below showing all possible combinations as stated in the code (RimWorld.StoryWatcher_RampUp):
 
 
 
{| {{STDT| c_01 text-center}}
 
! Colonists
 
| 0
 
| 1
 
| 2
 
| 3
 
| 4
 
| 5
 
| 6
 
| 7
 
| 8
 
| 9
 
| 10
 
| 11
 
| 12
 
| 13
 
| 14
 
| 15
 
| 16+
 
|-
 
! sR Multiplier
 
| 0
 
| 0
 
| 0
 
| 0
 
| 0.15
 
| 0.25
 
| 0.3
 
| 0.35
 
| 0.4
 
| 0.45
 
| 0.5
 
| 0.55
 
| 0.6
 
| 0.65
 
| 0.7
 
| 0.75
 
| 0.8
 
|- newline
 
! lR Multiplier
 
| 0
 
| 0
 
| 0
 
| 0.2
 
| 0.4
 
| 0.6
 
| 0.7
 
| 0.75
 
| 0.8
 
| 0.85
 
| 0.9
 
| 0.91
 
| 0.92
 
| 0.93
 
| 0.94
 
| 0.95
 
| 0.95
 
|}
 
 
 
After '''sR''' and '''lR''' have been multiplied by whatever corresponding values, new '''sR''' and new '''lR''' both equal 1 + old correspondents.
 
 
 
After the base amount of points have been calculated, the game then factors in diminishing returns as follows, using nested 'if' statements, in pseudo-code form:
 
 
 
    IF P > 1000 THEN
 
        IF P > 2000 THEN
 
            P = 2000 + (P - 2000) * 0.5
 
        P = 1000 + (P - 1000) * 0.5
 
 
 
In layman's terms: if P is above 1000, then P is the average of itself and 1,000. However, if P is above 2,000, then P will first be the average of itself and 2,000, before averaging with 1,000.
 
 
 
Finally, with [[Randy Random]], a raid's points gets multiplied by anywhere from 0.5x to 1.5x, meaning that you could face more or less powerful raids than usual with this storyteller.
 
 
 
====Example====
 
So now lets plug in some real-world numbers: your colony has 4 people, it's been 17 days, and this is the colony's third raid. Your item wealth is 11,000, your building wealth is 4,000, and you're playing on rough difficulty. The raiders are attacking immediately.
 
 
 
The values in the formula will be as follows:
 
 
 
'''C''' = 4<br>
 
'''iW''' = 11000<br>
 
'''bW''' = 4000<br>
 
'''sR''' = 1<br>
 
'''lR''' = 1<br>
 
'''D''' = 0.65<br>
 
'''T''' = 0.7<br>
 
'''R''' = 0.9
 
 
 
Plugging these values into the formula:
 
 
 
'''P = ((4 * 42) + (11000 / 100) + (4000 / 200)) * (1 * 1) * 0.65 * 0.7 * 0.9''' or<br>
 
'''P = (168 + 110 + 20) * 1 * 0.65 * 0.7 * 0.9''' or<br>
 
'''P = 298 * 0.4095''' thus<br>
 
'''P = 122.031''' or<br>
 
'''P = 122'''
 
 
 
Therefore, the raid will be 122 points.
 
 
-->
 
-->
  
== Defense strategies ==
+
=== "Attention Suppressor" Entryway ===
''For a more comprehensive list of strategies, see [[Defense tactics]].'' <br>
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Once you have lots of bulk materials, but don't have enough industry to build proper defenses, you can build an attention suppressor out front of your basic defensive line. This is usually out of [[wood]], although the flammability of wood is a problem.
''For constructed defenses to hold against raiders, see [[Defense structures]].''
 
 
 
It is recommended to keep power generation, eating areas, lighting, doors, and walls near or behind a protected entrance, as raiders tend to set fire to them, potentially causing huge damage. Raiders will prioritize firing on colonists or turrets when those colonists or turrets are firing on them, but will otherwise prioritize random objects, meaning you can put doors or walls near your defenses to temporarily distract them.
 
 
 
=== Raider preparation ===
 
Raiders will sometimes start by standing around in a group where they spawned and will continue this until they see a [[colonist]] nearby or they hit a certain preparation time limit, at which point they begin the assault. Because a colonist can set them off early, you can plan out the time you want them to attack. It is generally best to set them off early if you're well-prepared, to avoid potentially troublesome scenarios such as having no power when their timer runs out. Conversely, you should not set them off early if your defense is not prepared. Note that raiders usually take less than one day to begin, meaning that if there is an eclipse and you rely on [[Buildings#Solar generator|solar generators]], you should not wait for them and should instead set them off early while you still have some power left.
 
 
 
=== Siege defense ===
 
When faced with a siege, there are a few coping strategies you can use.
 
 
 
You can choose to either to assault the mortar base or wait it out and repair the damage as best as you can. The choice mainly depends on the surroundings of the mortar base and your base's position. If your base is located under a mountain (your base tiles will read ''Overhead Mountain'' when you hover your cursor over them), the mortar shells won't be able to hit those tiles at all! This makes deep mining a very effective strategy against heavy bombardment. If you don't build your base into a mountain, you should at least consider digging out at least one panic room for your colonists to hide within from the shells.
 
 
 
If you assault their base, one possibility is sniping either the shells or the mortars, hoping an explosion kills many of the raiders. If you want to leave those intact, you can snipe the raiders themselves. Keep in mind that killing enough of them prompts them to assault your colony directly instead of continuing their siege.
 
 
 
=== Mechanoid assaults ===
 
Mechanoids have much differing stats and weapons, meaning different tactics may be used.
 
 
 
In most raids where they come/ drop in at the edges, the scythers will outrun the centipedes by a great margin, giving plenty of time to deal with them before the centipedes.
 
 
 
==== Lancers ====
 
Lancers are capable of mid-long range high damage attacks. If fighting it from a distance, cover along with mid-long ranged weapons such as [[assault rifle]]s or [[bolt-action rifle]]s are vital.
 
 
 
Due to the lancers' weak melee ability and low health, melee fighting it is always the better choice.
 
 
 
==== Scyther ====
 
Scythers are dangerous melee fighters; they deal significant melee damage while forcing your gunners into melee combat. Usually, a 1v1 fight with a scyther and a gunner will result in the scyther emerging victorious.
 
 
 
Melee fighters are useful in guarding against scythers, being able to 'peel' them off from more vulnerable allies. A thrumbo could beat up one easily, they are strong enough that even a calf could kill one in a 1v1.
 
 
 
==== Pikemen ====
 
Pikemen can snipe your colonists from a very long distance, though their damage output is abysmal.
 
 
 
Due to the pikemen's weak melee ability and low health, melee fighting it is always the better choice.
 
 
 
==== Centipedes ====
 
Centipedes, on the other hand, specialize in crowd control and area denial; the [[minigun]] and [[heavy charge blaster]] can annihilate groups of colonists, while the [[inferno cannon]] sets your colonists ablaze and burns down your base if not careful. They are incredibly durable, sporting thick armor and high health, and can take many hits before they can be downed.
 
 
 
The inferno cannon is not as directly destructive towards your colonists, but is dangerous due to the [[fire]] it spreads - destroying defenses and bases, causing burning pawns to run out of cover, and preventing movement. Keep watch on your colonists at all times, and remember to send them back into cover when needed. As a precaution, build your base out of non-flammable materials to prevent large-scale fires erupting all over your colony.
 
 
 
Engaging it in melee is not recommended due to its armor, high health and heavy damage.
 
 
 
=== Tribal raids ===
 
Tribal raiders come in large numbers, but with relatively poor equipment; as such, it may require different strategy compared to pirate or outlander raids.
 
 
 
Overall, they can deal heavy damage to your colonists; they do not have good weapons, but compensate with their sheer numbers. <br>
 
However, as tribalwear does not provide protection and they do not wear any form of regular armor, they are easier to kill individually than other raiders.
 
  
Crowd control is an important aspect in defeating tribal raids. The [[minigun]] or [[LMG]] is an effective weapon to use as it can easily mow down groups of raiders.
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Start like you're making a 29×29 room(27×27 interior), but instead of doors, just leave one-tile openings at opposite ends. That way it doesn't get a roof. If needed, use a [[no roof area]]. Down the middle of the attention suppressor leave an open path, 3 tiles wide, which will actually be travelled by your colonists. Pack the sides with alternating walls, leaving numerous blind alleys branching off the open path. The attention suppressor should look like two giant combs facing each other across the path, or perhaps like a cutaway of an especially-blocky sound suppressor.
  
Explosive weapons are also useful in crowd control.
+
'''Diagram:'''
  
Explosive mortars, while inaccurate, can easily destroy a sizable group of tribals at once if they hit. <br>
+
<pre>
Grenades can hit archers hiding behind cover, though you have to risk a colonist or two in order to even get close enough to throw them. <br>
+
#############  #############
 +
#                          #
 +
#############  #############
 +
#                          #
 +
#############  #############
 +
#                          #
 +
#############  #############
 +
#                          #
 +
#############  #############
 +
#                          #
 +
...and so on
 +
</pre>
  
Their archers are dangerous; their bows can be fired from a somewhat long distance, their pila can easily kill or incapacitate a colonist, and they always come in a large volley. As with most defensive strategies, cover is essential when fighting them.
+
A raider entering through an attention suppressor is presented with numerous blind alleys, each one of which could hold something important. Raiders will typically only resist the lure of a dozen or so blind alleys, after which they'll turn off into a blind alley to look for something to attack. In many cases they'll attack the walls, but the general effect is that a raiding force will spend a long time milling around in the attention suppressor, deeply distracted, and slowly trickle out of it toward your base alone, or (for a large raid) in twos and threes. This slow trickle of raiders is easily handled by a few colonists with basic weapons, or later a few turrets and a [[Menus#Repair|repair]]er.
  
Removing rock chunks also helps in dealing with tribal raiders hiding behind them, making them much easier to hit.
+
Colonists and visitors with specific business on one side or the other of the attention suppressor will go quickly down the middle without being distracted. However, colonists pursuing [[joy]] activities like going for a walk will usually be diverted to do so in the blind alleys of the attention suppressor. As a result, it's not safe to fill with deathtraps.
  
== Version history ==
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=== Mortar Tactic ===
* [[Version/0.0.245|0.0.245]] - Sniper squad and mercenary squad added.
+
A mortar attack on siege and tribe raids can be effective while the attackers are still preparing. It's fun and most times raiders would flee before begin their assault due to huge losses of men during preparation.
* [[Version/0.3.410|0.3.410]] - Raiders come from specific factions and don’t always drop from orbit. Tribal raiders now spawn and attack.
+
If you managed to destroy the mortars and crew members during a siege, you can dismantle the sandbags and take their supplies (400~600 steel) (If you're lucky enough, you can get an intact mortar)
* [[Version/0.5.492|0.5.492]] -  Sieges added.
 
* [[Version/0.11.877|0.11.877]] - Sappers added. Raiders now opportunistically ignite crops on fire.
 
** A11B - Siegers can never use melee weapons. Enemies (especially wargs) now ignore unpowered unmanned turrets and mortars.
 
* [[Version/0.12.906|0.12.906]] - Sappers now avoid mining through high-health ores and barriers.  Siegers will never be sent with only melee weapons ... again?
 
* Beta 19/ 1.0 - Heavily reworked the selection weights of raider factions, raider strategies (sappers, siege, etc) and arrival modes (walk-in, drop pods) to make the more difficult ones appear more consistently against stronger colonies.
 
* [[Version/1.3.3066|1.3.3066]] - Added new raid type: Breaching. Breaching raids will attempt to reach your colony by breaking through walls with unique weapons.
 
* [[Version/1.3.3159|1.3.3159]] - Reduce prevalence of breach raids at high points levels.
 
* [[Version/1.3.3200|1.3.3200]] - Adjusted human factions' raid strategy selection weights for slightly more variation. Breachers no longer want to attack passable player buildings. They only target impassable buildings like walls.
 
* [[Version/1.4.3524|1.4.3524]] - Fix: Breach raids not spawning.
 
  
{{nav|factions|wide}}
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It takes at least 4 mortars to be effective, any around 8 mortars will be enough for most attacks. Do note that each mortar needs its own shell storage, mortar shells can stack up to 25, you will need around 200 shells for 8 mortars to work effectively/automatically (manually un-man the turret can solve this issue)
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Normal Raid Prep - 3 Rounds per mortar
 +
Siege - 4-5 Rounds per mortar
 
[[Category:Characters]]
 
[[Category:Characters]]
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[[Category:Events]]

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