Managing colonists efficiently inRimWorldis key to maintaining a well-functioning colony, especially during intense raids, construction surges, or moments when quick medical responses are needed. One seemingly minor feature that can significantly improve gameplay clarity is the colonist bar the display at the top of the screen showing all your current pawns. Being able to reorder this colonist bar may seem like a small tweak, but for players who value structure, roleplay, or task-specific organization, it becomes an invaluable tool. Whether you want to group fighters together, keep medics to one side, or just have your favorite pawns in a specific order, learning how to reorder the colonist bar in RimWorld makes gameplay smoother and more personal.
Understanding the Colonist Bar in RimWorld
What is the Colonist Bar?
The colonist bar is the horizontal strip at the top of your screen that displays your active colonists, prisoners, animals (if toggled), and sometimes guests or temporary allies. Each colonist is represented by their portrait icon, which provides quick access to their status, health, and needs. This bar is essential for fast micromanagement, allowing players to click on a pawn and give them tasks on the fly.
However, by default, the game arranges these pawns based on their arrival order or game-assigned ID, which can become chaotic over time as new pawns join or older ones die. Thankfully, reordering the colonist bar allows players to take control of this layout for easier oversight.
Why Reordering Matters
There are several reasons why a player might want to reorder their colonist bar:
- Combat efficiency– Keep all shooters or melee fighters grouped together for faster battle micromanagement.
- Medical emergencies– Place doctors or medics in easily accessible spots to respond quickly.
- Roleplay and narrative– Group characters based on relationships, backstory, or faction.
- Personal preference– Simply for the satisfaction of seeing a tidy, organized bar.
How to Reorder the Colonist Bar
Vanilla RimWorld Limitations
In vanilla (unmodded) RimWorld, reordering the colonist bar is not a built-in feature. Players are locked into the default arrangement, which can become frustrating over long playthroughs. The game does allow for some sorting through the use of animals and guests filters, but colonist position control isn’t natively supported.
Using Mods to Reorder
To unlock colonist bar reordering, you’ll need to use mods. The most popular and widely recommended one is:
- Colonist Bar KF– This mod enables drag-and-drop functionality on the colonist bar, letting players arrange pawns in any order they choose. It also adds several visual customization features such as changing colors and grouping options.
Installing this mod is simple through the Steam Workshop or other modding platforms. Once installed, it activates immediately in your UI, offering intuitive drag-and-drop capability.
Steps to Reorder the Colonist Bar (With Mod)
After installing Colonist Bar KF or a similar mod, follow these steps:
- Open your saved game with the mod active.
- Hover over the colonist bar at the top of the screen.
- Click and drag any colonist icon to a new position.
- Release to drop the icon in the desired slot.
Changes are saved automatically and will persist across sessions, allowing you to maintain your preferred layout.
Tips for Organizing Your Colonist Bar
Grouping by Role
One effective method is to group colonists by job role. For instance:
- First row: Fighters (melee and ranged)
- Second row: Medics and social workers
- Third row: Constructors and miners
- Fourth row: Growers and animal handlers
This makes it easier to assign tasks or draft specific units during a crisis.
Organizing by Skills
Another strategy is to arrange colonists based on their highest skill. This works well if you’re managing work priorities manually. Use the order to quickly identify who the best cook, doctor, or crafter is without opening the colonist info panel each time.
Relationship-Based Placement
Players who focus on storytelling or roleplay may choose to group family members or couples together. This enhances immersion and can be particularly satisfying in long-term colonies where generational playthroughs are common.
Combat Scenarios
During combat-heavy playthroughs, you’ll want to group your best soldiers together at one end of the bar. This enables quicker drafting and faster response during raids or mechanoid invasions.
Advanced Mod Features
Custom Groups and Separators
Some mods go beyond simple reordering. With Colonist Bar KF, for instance, you can:
- Create custom groups separated by lines or icons
- Apply different color backgrounds to specific roles
- Sort colonists automatically based on work type or health
These advanced features allow for deeper organization and visual clarity, especially helpful in colonies with over 20 members.
Colonist Status Indicators
Some versions of colonist bar mods include small status icons such as hunger, bleeding, or exhaustion directly on the bar. These quick-glance icons help prioritize which colonist needs immediate attention without clicking into each profile.
Keeping Your Colonist Bar Manageable
Using Filters
Even with reordering options, large colonies can clutter the bar. Use filters to control who is displayed:
- Toggle animals on or off
- Hide guests or prisoners if they’re not currently active
- Limit display to colonists only during combat scenarios
Colonist Management with Naming Conventions
Renaming your colonists with prefixes (e.g., Dr. Sarah or Builder Tom) can also help with bar organization. This makes identifying their role even faster when scanning the list under pressure.
Regularly Update the Order
As your colony grows or changes focus (e.g., shifting from farming to high-tech research), it’s wise to periodically reorganize your colonist bar to reflect your current priorities. Doing this ensures the bar stays helpful rather than cluttered.
Compatibility and Stability
Mod Compatibility
Colonist bar mods are usually lightweight and compatible with most other mods. However, always check the load order if you’re using multiple UI-altering mods. Place colonist bar mods below core UI mods to ensure they load properly.
Game Updates
Major RimWorld updates may temporarily break compatibility with colonist bar mods. Keep your mods updated and watch community forums for patch notes. Fortunately, due to the popularity of these tools, mod creators are quick to update after official game changes.
Reordering the colonist bar inRimWorldmay not be a built-in vanilla feature, but with the right mods, it becomes a game-changing customization tool. From tactical management to immersive storytelling, organizing the colonist bar improves both aesthetics and functionality. Whether you’re playing a small tribal group or managing a bustling industrial colony, a well-structured colonist bar is a subtle yet powerful way to stay in control. With just a few clicks and a bit of planning, you can bring order to chaos and make your colony a little easier to manage.