Choosing the right pack animal in RimWorld can have a significant impact on your colony’s efficiency and survival, especially when it comes to caravanning and resource transportation. Among the most commonly used animals for hauling and travel are the dromedary and the horse. Both have distinct advantages and are suited to different playstyles, climates, and colony strategies. Deciding between a dromedary or a horse requires an understanding of their stats, behaviors, and environmental needs. This topic compares these two animals in-depth to help you decide which one better serves your RimWorld colony’s goals.
Basic Overview of the Dromedary and Horse
Dromedary Characteristics
The dromedary is a desert-adapted pack animal that thrives in hot, arid climates. Its resilience in extreme temperatures and decent carrying capacity make it a great choice for colonies located in deserts or arid shrublands. Dromedaries also produce milk, offering an additional benefit beyond caravan use.
- Carrying capacity: 70 kg
- Body size: 2.5
- Nutrition consumption per day: 0.85
- Temperature tolerance: -20°C to 60°C
- Milk production: Dromedary milk every 2 days
- Trainability: Intermediate (can haul)
Horse Characteristics
Horses are versatile and quick pack animals that excel in movement speed and adaptability to most temperate biomes. They don’t offer any extra resources like milk or wool, but their speed can be crucial for fast trade caravans and emergency travel missions.
- Carrying capacity: 70 kg
- Body size: 2.0
- Nutrition consumption per day: 1.0
- Temperature tolerance: -45°C to 45°C
- Movement speed: High (4.6 c/s)
- Trainability: Intermediate (can haul)
Caravan Performance Comparison
Speed and Travel Efficiency
If your priority is getting from one location to another as fast as possible, horses are generally the better option. Their high movement speed allows them to cover long distances quicker than most animals, which is especially useful for time-sensitive caravan missions such as rescue operations or trade runs.
Dromedaries, on the other hand, have a slightly lower movement speed, but they compensate with better endurance in hot biomes. In tropical or desert maps, horses may suffer from heatstroke or slower movement during hot days, while dromedaries move unhindered.
Carrying Capacity
Interestingly, both animals share the same base carrying capacity of 70 kg, meaning they can haul equal amounts of cargo on caravans. However, body size can factor into caravan speed calculations and nutrition requirements. Dromedaries have a larger body size, which also means they take longer to train and may require larger spaces for pens and sleeping spots.
Survivability and Climate Adaptability
Climate Considerations
Climate plays a major role when selecting animals in RimWorld. Dromedaries have excellent heat tolerance, making them ideal for maps like deserts, extreme deserts, and some tropical areas. They rarely suffer from heatstroke and can graze on minimal vegetation in tough conditions.
Horses are more suited to temperate and boreal forest biomes. They perform poorly in desert climates due to low heat resistance and may require additional cooling to prevent overheating. However, their cold tolerance makes them more viable in colder maps where dromedaries would struggle.
Feeding and Maintenance
Both animals are herbivores, but horses have a slightly higher nutrition requirement, consuming 1.0 units of food per day compared to the dromedary’s 0.85. While this difference seems small, it becomes significant when managing multiple animals in a resource-scarce biome. Dromedaries can more easily survive on scrub grass and sparse plants, especially in arid climates.
If you’re planning to raise animals primarily on grazing, dromedaries will typically be more sustainable. For colonies with sufficient hay or kibble production, the food cost of horses may not be a significant drawback.
Utility and Resource Output
Dromedary Milk Production
One major advantage the dromedary has over the horse is its milk production. Dromedary females produce milk every 2 days, and this milk can be used as a food source for colonists or sold for silver. While not as prolific as cows, it’s a helpful bonus for survival in harsh environments where food can be scarce.
Horses as Trade Assets
Horses are generally more valuable when sold to traders, especially if you breed them for silver income. Their higher base market value and speed make them excellent trade animals. A caravan loaded with horses can reach trade destinations quickly, deliver goods, and return with profits before food or raider pressure becomes critical.
Hauling and Defense
Both animals can be trained to haul, providing useful labor around the colony. However, neither are particularly effective in combat due to low DPS and moderate health pools. Dromedaries have slightly higher health due to larger body size but lack any meaningful offensive power.
As hauling animals, they help reduce colonist workload by transporting items around the base. In long-term colonies with large storage zones and fields, having 23 hauling animals of either type can significantly boost efficiency.
Breeding and Sustainability
Breeding Cycle
Horses tend to breed slightly faster than dromedaries, with shorter gestation periods and quicker maturity rates. If your goal is to create a sustainable supply of pack animals or trade animals, horses will give you quicker results.
Dromedaries, being slower to mature, require more investment before becoming useful as haulers or milk producers. However, they live longer, and their resilience in tough climates can make up for the slower pace in colonies where time is less critical than sustainability.
When to Choose Dromedaries
- Your colony is based in a hot biome such as a desert or arid shrubland
- You need pack animals that produce additional resources (milk)
- You want animals that require slightly less food and are heat resistant
- You are prioritizing survival and long-term stability over speed
When to Choose Horses
- Your colony is in a temperate or cold biome
- You need high-speed caravans for trade or urgent missions
- You plan to breed animals for profit via traders
- You have access to ample food to support slightly higher consumption
The choice between a dromedary and a horse in RimWorld depends largely on your biome, your colony’s priorities, and how you plan to use your pack animals. Dromedaries offer heat resilience, milk production, and slightly lower maintenance, making them ideal for tough desert environments. Horses provide unmatched speed, better trade value, and faster breeding, which is perfect for fast-paced colonies with access to temperate resources.
There is no single best pack animal in RimWorld, but understanding the strengths and weaknesses of dromedaries versus horses allows you to tailor your strategy for maximum efficiency. Whether you’re surviving harsh conditions or building a thriving trade empire, choosing the right animal companion is a step toward long-term success.