Red text in the corner of the screen after launching a mod list is classic RimWorld. The good news: almost any mod error can be found and cured in 10–15 minutes if you work systematically. The bad news: "just reinstall the game" almost never helps here.
Step 1. Read the error log
Open the developer console (the ` key — tilde, left of the 1) and look at the first lines of red text. Do not try to read the whole wall — focus on the first 1–2 errors: the rest are often just consequences. At the very top you will find the exception type and the mod's name, for example "Exception in Humanoid Alien Races (…): …". That is your patient.
The most convenient way to read the log is through HugsLib: press Ctrl+F12 — the mod uploads the full log to the internet and gives you a link you can post on Discord or a forum instead of screenshots.
Step 2. Tell red from yellow
- Red errors (exceptions) — a real crash: a mod failed to run. The culprit is almost always named in the first lines.
- Yellow warnings — "a mod tried to do X, failed, skipped". Often harmless, especially if nothing visibly broke in-game.
- Could not resolve cross-reference / could not find def — a mod references an object from another mod that is not installed. Usually a compatibility patch for a mod you never added.
Step 3. Find the culprit by bisection
If the mod's name in the log is unclear, use bisection. Disable half of your mods (untick them in the "Mods" menu) and restart the game. The error stayed — the culprit is in the active half. It disappeared — it is in the disabled half. Repeat with the suspicious half. Even 200 mods narrow down to one in 7–8 restarts.
Step 4. Typical causes and cures
- The mod is not for your game version — check version support (1.4/1.5/1.6) on the mod's page; old mods on a new version are error source #1.
- A library sits below a dependent mod — move Harmony and HugsLib to the very top (see the load order guide).
- A required framework is missing — look for "Requires" in the mod's description and install the dependency (for example, Vanilla Expanded Framework for the VE series).
- Two mods change the same thing — look for a compatibility patch for the conflicting pair.
- Junk in the Mods folder — old versions of the same mod next to new ones; remove the duplicates.
The error only fires in one specific colony while a new game is clean? Then the save broke after a mod was removed. Your options: roll back to an autosave made before the removal, or enable the mod again.
Prevention instead of a cure
Add mods in batches of 3–5, not a hundred at once. Keep the optimizers installed — Performance Fish and RocketMan — they not only speed the game up but also suppress part of the background performance errors. And watch the versions: every mod's page in our catalog lists the supported game versions.
HugsLib
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Библиотека общей функциональности для модов RimWorld + публикация логов по Ctrl+F12.
Performance Fish
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Набор патчей производительности от Bradson: стабильный FPS и быстрый тик даже в поздней игре.
RocketMan - Performance Mod
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Мод производительности: кэширование загрузки, фикс освещения и до +500 TPS к игре.