Completely confused about meditation.

[cool skill]

I played this two years ago, and I don't remember doing any meditation.

At the start of the game, I set my schedule, and there's option to set up meditation time. Is it like a form of recreation? Do I have to do meditation and recreation? I also don't understand how to setup the meditation spot. I started with 3 sims so I put 3 meditation spots on the ground near my starting location. I looked up meditation on the official wiki, and there's no entry for it. So it's really confusing. Thanks.

[Konchuharts]

Meditation is primarily for Psicasters or something you want to do (For like Psicasters) to boost up the progression of Anima grass.
It was Added in Royalty and isn't needed by Non-Psicaster pawns. But does act as a source of Joy for recreation i believe.

[Vulpesrojo]

Originally posted by cool skill:

I played this two years ago, and I don't remember doing any meditation.

At the start of the game, I set my schedule, and there's option to set up meditation time. Is it like a form of recreation? Do I have to do meditation and recreation? I also don't understand how to setup the meditation spot. I started with 3 sims so I put 3 meditation spots on the ground near my starting location. I looked up meditation on the official wiki, and there's no entry for it. So it's really confusing. Thanks.

Meditating, in this form, is added in the royalty dlc. In order to use the psycasts added in the dlc, you need psyfocus, which naturally decays over time. Meditating will increase it at a rate of 50% +/- whatever focus object you are meditating at. Certain pawns will only be able to meditate to certain things (anima trees/shrines, gravesites, etc), which can be a result of backstories/traits/royalty level. I'd recommend checking out the wiki on Royalty and psyfocus here: https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Psycasts#Psyfocus

[Helios]

If you have people who can meditate natural put down meditation spots near the anima tree on your map and setup a plan for them to meditate regular the tree will grow grass after 20 you can get a psylink from it , if one of your chars is natural you can lookup in the bio tab clicking on the ! I. icon.

[Silverbird]

In vanilla without DLC, meditation is just a reskin of the normal meditation/praying recreation that pawns will run to their rooms to use as recreation.

[cool skill]

OK so I have three sims. I only found one of those special trees. It's fairly distant from my main base. But I set up three meditation spots near it. I guess you don't start the game psychic? I removed meditation from their schedule. But sometimes they go way down there to meditate as part of their recreation.

I read up a bit on the wiki article, but it's really unclear. Other than mentioning something about having levels. But I did get a really fun quest to guard a noble. She gave me a title. Then some priest came, and made me psychic with another title. So I'm guessing this is how you become psychic?

So it says I have dignified and artistic. I can use throne, sculpture, and stele. So I guess don't meditate at that tree? And setup a meditation spot with one of those three things?

This is actually really dope.

[ichifish]

There are two types of psycasters, determined by their backstory: those with the natural meditation type (tribals) and all others.

When tribals meditate at the anima tree the tree grows anima grass. When you have 20 grass a natural meditation type pawn can link to the tree to gain a level of psycasting.

If the pawn is not a natural type meditator they will have a specific meditation focus that works best for them. Pawns with royal titles can always mediate on their throne as well.

The better the object (higher quality), the faster the pawn gains focus.

Multiple focuses, like statues or sarcophagi, will stack, to a certain extent.

Meditation also counts as recreation.

Yea, the whole system is very, very dope. Have fun with your space wizards!

[Hoki]

Originally posted by cool skill:

I guess you don't start the game psychic?
[...]
Then some priest came, and made me psychic with another title. So I'm guessing this is how you become psychic?

So it says I have dignified and artistic. I can use throne, sculpture, and stele. So I guess don't meditate at that tree? And setup a meditation spot with one of those three things?

#1 yes and no. keep in mind that you can always modify the starting scenario to fit the experience you want to have.

#2 the priest is the original way to become psychic in the dlc. it's the pro-empire approach. alternativly shortly after comes a second quest that makes you an enemy of the empire (so no further titles) that lats you get your hands on some psychic levels.
The last added way is meditation at the anima tree. if the meditating pawn is a tribal (has tribal backstories) the tree will respond by growing anima grass around it. with enough anima grass around the tree offers the option to psychically enhance a pawn (has to be tribal for that as well).

#3 required meditation types are set by backstories, titles and traits. as mentioned the anima tree is a meditation focus for tribals the throne on the other hand is the focus for any pawn with a title (it acts as a meditation spot on its own).
art is a universal focus thats available for everyone. just put down a meditation spot and put some art around it to increase the power gain.

there are 2 additional foci that are unlocked via traits: fire and morbid.

fire acts the same way art does with fire instead. instead of sculptures you can use torches or other fires. pyromancer unlocks this.
Morbid uses graves of any kind instead. The content of the graves defines how much improvement you get. empty ones give a low focus, enemies a decent and colonists the highest improvement.

[War Pig Wizard]

You only need to place that green circle for pawns who are psycasters. Which is basically a type of magic.

If you promote a pawn into Royalty you should be aware of a few things first. Royal pawns do no basic labor work. No hauling, cleaning, farming or mining. I recommend making your best social skill pawn your royal pawn, as social skill is a big part of being royal in game.
In my current game, my royal pawn is a countess and other than hunt and research everything she does is social related.
Royal pawns will need a throne room and royal bedroom. They have requirements so they gotta be nice and of at least a certain size room. It's expensive and time consuming to build.

[cool skill]

OK thanks. I'm playing as Arrivals. So I guess I can't use the animal tree?

My title is Yeoman. I chose my social/research specialist to do the quest. He also does construction and crafting. But there hasn't been any restriction on what he's allowed to do.

So if I turn against the royals, is there still a way to level up my powers? Right now, the one I have is stun. It came in really useful for stunning an attack. Then using other units to club him for capture. So I hope to make him my first addition to the three I started with.

[Razor 2.3]

You'd have to capture a tribal first, and only that tribal could use the tree.

The Empire uses psylink neuroformers to increase your psychic level. You can get a few by killing that priest you mentioned, so it's how you're going to betray the Empire if you go that route. I think they're also considered quest rewards, so in theory you can find them if you're proactive enough. In theory, that is.

[Vulpesrojo]

Originally posted by Razor 2.3:

You'd have to capture a tribal first, and only that tribal could use the tree.

The Empire uses psylink neuroformers to increase your psychic level. You can get a few by killing that priest you mentioned, so it's how you're going to betray the Empire if you go that route. I think they're also considered quest rewards, so in theory you can find them if you're proactive enough. In theory, that is.

neuroformers can also be found uncommonly as quest rewards, so even if you screw yourself out of the empire and don't get any tribals that you want to keep, you still have ways to level up your colonists' psylevels

[cool skill]

Is there a way to tell if a unit is New Arrival or New Tribe? Three refugees are visiting who aren't part of any faction.

[Smut]

I hate the meditation mechanic. Its retarded.

[Vulpesrojo]

Originally posted by cool skill:

Is there a way to tell if a unit is New Arrival or New Tribe? Three refugees are visiting who aren't part of any faction.

You can look at their available meditation focii through the little i in their info panel. If they have a natural focus type, then they're part of a tribe.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by Hoki:

there are 2 additional foci that are unlocked via traits: fire and morbid.

There's also Simple, which is unlocked by the Ascetic trait, which makes them want to go stare at a constructed wall to meditate.

Originally posted by cool skill:

My title is Yeoman. I chose my social/research specialist to do the quest. He also does construction and crafting. But there hasn't been any restriction on what he's allowed to do.

If the pawn isn't an Empire backstory (which you're only going to get if you capture Empire pawns, all of whom have at least Freeholder as a starting title) and they aren't Greedy or Jealous (or Abrasive, I think?) then they won't suddenly decide that they aren't going to do work due to gaining a title. They'll still demand better food and lodging (unless Ascetic) and want noble apparel, though.

Originally posted by cool skill:

Is there a way to tell if a unit is New Arrival or New Tribe? Three refugees are visiting who aren't part of any faction.

Their first Backstory will tell you if it gives them the Nature focus or not.