Disposing of the dead in is a constant chore, but doing it efficiently can save your colonists from massive mood penalties and prevent the spread of Lung Rot from Rot Gas. While the electric crematorium is the intended tool, many experienced players prefer faster, "off-label" methods. 1. The Automated Method: Electric Crematorium
The Electric Crematorium is the most organized way to dispose of bodies, allowing you to set "bills" that your haulers will complete automatically.
Efficiency Tip: Set the bill to "Cremate human corpse" and "Do forever." Adjust the search radius so your haulers don't walk across the entire map for a single body; instead, have them haul bodies to a nearby Dumping Stockpile Zone first.
Managing Gear: Use the bill's detail settings to filter out specific items. You can choose to burn the corpse with its clothes (to destroy Tainted apparel) or strip them first if you want to recycle materials.
The Downside: It requires 250W of power and significant pawn labor, as each body is processed one by one. 2. The Pro Method: The "Corpse Oven"
If you’re facing massive raids with 50+ bodies, a crematorium is often too slow. The most efficient high-volume method is creating a dedicated burning room. Electric crematorium - RimWorld Wiki
Cremating corpses in is essential for maintaining colony hygiene and preventing massive mood penalties from rot stink or "observed corpse" debuffs . While the Electric Crematorium is the official method, many players prefer "manual" mass cremation for its superior speed and efficiency. 1. The Automated Method: Electric Crematorium Once you research Electricity
, you can build a crematorium using 150 stony materials, 20 steel, and 2 components. It is the most "set-and-forget" option. RimWorld Wiki
The best way to cremate corpses in depends on whether you prioritize automation resource efficiency 1. The Automation Method: Electric Crematorium Electric Crematorium
is the intended mid-to-late game solution for a "set and forget" workflow. RimWorld Wiki How it Works : It requires 250W of power and a colonist assigned to the task to operate. The Best Setup Unlimited Radius
: Set the bill's ingredient radius to "unlimited" to ensure haulers pull bodies from across the map. Specific Bills
: Create separate bills for "Cremate humanlike" (Fresh/Rotten) and "Cremate animal" (Rotten only) to avoid accidentally burning food. : Place a small critical-priority stockpile
for corpses directly next to the crematorium to minimize worker travel time.
: Fully automated, cleans up tainted clothing instantly, and produces light so workers aren't slowed by darkness.
: Consumes power and significant colonist labor during large raids. 2. The Efficiency Method: "The Corpse Oven"
Many players prefer a "burn room" because it can clear hundreds of corpses at once with minimal labor. How To Burn Corpses In Rimworld
Pro Tip: The stone room retains heat. Corpses don't need to be individually burned; the room temperature will hit 1000°C, and everything inside will incinerate simultaneously. This is arguably the most power-efficient method in the game.
Requirements: A Crafting Spot, Stone blocks, and fuel (Wood or Chemfuel).
Before you have electricity or a dedicated butcher, you can build a fueled crematorium.
Pro Tip: Use a "Dumping Stockpile" zone right next to the crematorium specifically for corpses. This saves your colonists from walking back and forth. rimworld how to cremate corpses best
Best for: Late-game raids (50+ corpses).
After a massive tribal raid, an electric crematorium is too slow. One pawn can process maybe 3-4 bodies per hour. The Super-Heated Corpse Fridge is the king.
"Best" changes based on where you are in the game. Here is the tier list.
If you have the Biotech DLC, you can use the Pollution pump and Waste atomizer mechanics to effectively delete items, but for pure corpse disposal, the Mechanitor approach is king.
The "best" way to cremate corpses in depends on whether you value automation or sheer speed. While the Electric Crematorium
is the intended tool, many players prefer manual "burn rooms" for late-game efficiency. 1. The Automated Method: Electric Crematorium
This is the most straightforward, "set-and-forget" approach for mid-sized colonies. How it works
: Build an Electric Crematorium (requires 250W power) and set a bill to "Burn human corpse" to "Forever".
: Each cremation takes 3 seconds of work once the corpse is at the table.
: Haulers will automatically handle disposal without manual intervention; it also destroys tainted apparel worn by the corpse.
: It scales poorly. One pawn can only process one body at a time, which can take days after a massive raid. RimWorld Wiki 2. The Efficiency Method: The "Burn Room"
Experienced players often use a fireproof room to clear dozens of bodies at once. How it works Build a room with stone walls stone floor (non-flammable). Dumping Stockpile Zone inside for corpses only. Once full, draft a pawn with Molotov Cocktails Incendiary Launcher to fire one shot at the pile, then forbid the door.
: Destroys an unlimited number of corpses for the cost of a single "shot" and a few seconds of fire.
: Requires manual drafting; generates extreme heat that can kill pawns if they enter before it cools. 3. Special Disposal Methods
If you have specific DLCs or goals, these alternatives can be more "productive" than cremation:
In RimWorld, managing the dead is a constant struggle between efficiency, mood management, and resource gain. While the game offers a dedicated Electric Crematorium, it isn't always the "best" way to handle the problem.
Here is the deep dive on how to optimize corpse disposal based on your colony’s needs. 1. The "Industrial" Method: The Electric Crematorium
This is the standard mid-to-late game solution. It destroys corpses and tainted apparel permanently.
Pros: Clean, stays indoors, removes "Tainted" clothing clutter. Disposing of the dead in is a constant
Cons: Requires research, significant power (200W), and pawn labor time.
Best Practice: Set the bill to "Do Forever" and use the "Drop on Floor" setting. Filter the bill to exclude "Fresh" animal carcasses if you plan on butchering them for food instead. 2. The "Efficiency" Method: The Molotov Cocktail Pit
Most veteran players prefer this over the actual crematorium because it requires zero power and handles bulk disposal instantly.
Setup: Build a small room (9x9 or smaller) out of stone (walls and floor). Place a dumping stockpile inside for "Humanlike" corpses.
Execution: Once the room is full, have a pawn with Molotov Cocktails or an Incendiary Launcher fire once at a corpse. Close the stone door.
Why it’s better: The room will reach extreme temperatures, vaporizing dozens of bodies in seconds without requiring a pawn to stand there working a bench for days. 3. The "Profit" Method: Pigs and Wargs
If you have the right livestock, corpses aren't trash—they’re free calories.
The Setup: Create a refrigerated "Corpse Freezer" (keep it at sub-zero temperatures to prevent rot).
The Strategy: Zone your Pigs, Wargs, or Dogs to have access to this freezer. They will eat the human remains, converting "Raid Waste" into valuable meat and leather (pigs) or keeping your guard animals fed for free.
Warning: Keep your colonists out of this room to avoid the "Observed Corpse" mood debuff. 4. The "Ethical" Method: Graves and Sarcophagi
Early on, you might use graves, but they are generally the worst long-term solution.
The Issue: They take up massive amounts of space and don't stop the "Beauty" penalty of a graveyard.
When to use: Use Sarcophagi in a dedicated, decorated "Tomb" only for your own colonists. This provides a "Meditation" spot and a mood boost for visiting survivors. 5. The "Forbidden" Method: Cannibalism & Kibble
If your Ideoligion (with the Ideology DLC) allows for it, or if you have "Cannibal" pawns: Butchering: Butcher humans at a butcher table.
Products: You get Human Meat and Human Leather. Human leather is one of the most valuable textiles in the game for crafting high-value dusters or armchairs.
Kibble: If your colony hates human meat, turn it into Kibble at a kitchen stove. Your animals won't mind, and it stretches your food supply significantly. Summary Recommendation For speed: Use the Molotov Stone Room. For resources: Use a Corpse Freezer for carnivorous pets.
For roleplay: Use the Electric Crematorium to keep your base tidy.
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18;write_to_target_document19;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_10;55; How to do it right:
18;write_to_target_document19;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_20;55; 0;92;0;a5; 18;write_to_target_document7;default0;1dd;
18;write_to_target_document19;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_20;1542;0;40d; The Ultimate Guide to Corpse Disposal in RimWorld0;67;0;562; 0;49;: Cremation vs. The Burn Box 18;write_to_target_document7;default0;1dd;
18;write_to_target_document19;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_20;526;0;86e; In the unforgiving world of
0;82;0;202;, death is a frequent visitor. After a massive raid, you're often left with dozens of bodies that threaten your colony’s morale and hygiene. While burying is a classic choice, it quickly consumes valuable building and growing space. For long-term sustainability, cremation is the gold standard for high-efficiency colony management. Why Cremation Beats Burial 0;381;0;423;
Space Efficiency: Unlike graves, which permanently occupy a tile, cremation completely deletes the body from the game, freeing up land for expansion.
Speed0;53e;: Building a grave takes about 13.33 seconds, while a single cremation at an electric crematorium takes only 3 seconds.
Mental Health: Leaving corpses to rot causes severe negative mood thoughts for any colonist who sees them. Automated cremation ensures bodies are cleared before your pawns suffer a mental break.
Preventing "Shamblers"0;bd;: Cremation prevents corpses from being resurrected during dangerous "Death Pall" events. 0;ea;0;7a;0;a5; Method 1: The Electric Crematorium (Set-and-Forget) 18;write_to_target_document7;default0;1dd;
18;write_to_target_document19;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_20;145;0;906; The Electric Crematorium
0;6dc;0;dd; is a production building available after researching Electricity.
Setup: Once built, add a bill for "Cremate corpse." Set this bill to "Do forever".
Filtering0;505;: Go into the bill's Details to filter exactly what gets burned.
Humanoid Corpses: Enable for raiders, but consider disabling for "Colonist corpses" to avoid accidentally burning your own fallen heroes.
Condition0;3c8;: You can set it to only burn "Rotten" or "Dessicated" corpses if you prefer to keep fresh ones for other uses.
Automation: Cremating is technically a hauling job. Ensure you have pawns assigned to high-priority hauling to keep the crematorium running. 0;7a;0;a5; Method 2: The "Burn Box" (High Efficiency)
Many veteran players prefer a manual "burn box" over an electric crematorium because it can destroy dozens of bodies simultaneously with a single spark.
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18;write_to_target_document7;default0;4bf;0;dc3;18;write_to_target_document1a;_KGTuabbXAdPAkPIPi4_CKA_100;292b;0;33d2; How To Move Dead Animal Corpses In Rimworld