If you play with the Ideology DLC, you can add rituals to cremation. However, even without DLC, many players prefer the "Chimney" method for aesthetic efficiency.
Instead of an electric machine, build a Stone walled room with a Stone campfire inside.
You don't have electricity or components on day 1. How do you deal with the three raiders you just killed?
The Fire Method.
Best for: Established colonies with stable electricity and a dedicated hauler. rimworld how to cremate corpses best
The Electric Crematorium is the intended solution. You build it, set a bill, and forget it.
The "Best" Power Efficiency Trick: Do not keep the crematorium on 24/7. It uses 200W idle and 700W working. Create a switch or use a Power Logic system (or just micro-manage by drafting a pawn to switch it on when the corpse pile hits 10). Alternatively, install the crematorium inside your freezer. If it’s cold, bodies never rot, and you can cremate at your leisure without power waste.
| Method | Throughput | Fuel Cost | Labor Cost | Tech Level | Best Use Case | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Electric Crematorium | Low | Electricity | High | Industrial | Standard play; low raid counts. | | Molotov/Burn Room | High | Ammo (Molotovs) | Medium | Any | Post-siege cleanup; Desert biomes. | | Biofuel Conversion | Medium | Electricity | High | Industrial | Resource-recycling colonies. | | Modded Automation | Very High | Electricity | None | Spacer | Late-game quality of life. |
The Electric Crematorium is your end-game solution. It burns bodies into nothing but a small pile of ashes (literally nothing—no resources are recovered). If you play with the Ideology DLC ,
How to optimize it:
The "Molotov on a Stone Slab" method is objectively the best balance of speed, labor, and safety.
Pro Tip: Build your burning slab right outside your killbox. Hauling distance is the real enemy here. A pawn will walk 50 tiles to drop a body. Make it 5 tiles.
Now go forth, RimWorld manager. Cleanse the land with fire, and remember: It’s not a war crime if there are no witnesses. Or bodies. The "Best" Power Efficiency Trick: Do not keep
With the Ideology DLC, the definition of "best" changes based on the colony's memes.
4.1. Cannibalism and Recycling Colonies with the "Cannibal" or "Rancher" memes may find cremation wasteful.
4.2. The Scarification Ritual Some ideologies require the destruction of corpses as part of rituals. In these cases, a specialized ritual crematorium may be built, turning the disposal process into a mood-enhancing event rather than a chore.