Quick answer
What to do first
With Ideology active, identify whether you are converting a prisoner or a colonist. Use the matching conversion interaction and watch certainty in the existing belief. Recruitment resistance and prisoner will are not certainty, so a successful recruitment plan does not automatically convert anyone.
Match your symptom
| Symptom | Likely cause | Check | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prisoner is recruited with the wrong belief | Recruitment was selected instead of conversion | Inspect the prisoner interaction. | Convert first if that is your goal, then switch to Recruit. |
| Certainty returns between attempts | Recovery exceeds conversion progress | Watch certainty, mood and conversion effectiveness. | Use appropriate conversion opportunities consistently; do not assume one talk is enough. |
| Colonist has no prisoner conversion option | Wrong interaction for their status | Check your moral guide and available ability/ritual. | Use the colonist-appropriate route rather than treating them as a prisoner. |
| Reducing will makes no conversion progress | Different mechanic | Read which value changes after the interaction. | Target certainty for conversion; will belongs to a different system. |
Choose prisoner or colonist conversion
Decide the desired outcome before selecting an interaction. A prisoner joining the colony and a pawn adopting an ideology are distinct results. If shared belief matters before recruitment, conversion belongs earlier in the plan.
Check certainty and conversion conditions
Watch certainty across several opportunities rather than looking only at a single reduction. The pawn can recover certainty between attempts, and traits, beliefs or other conditions can affect progress. Read the current pawn’s details instead of relying on one universal number of visits.
Keep recruitment separate
Colonists are not handled through the same prisoner menu. A moral guide’s available conversion tools and relevant rituals provide a different route. Check ability availability and the colony’s actual ideology setup before following instructions intended for another role or belief.
After the conversion
After conversion succeeds, confirm the new belief on the pawn and revisit any prisoner interaction you changed. Leaving a prisoner on conversion when your next goal is joining delays the separate recruitment task. This guide does not prescribe every meme or precept for a colony.
Version & sources
Sources & what may change
- Applies to
- Core + Ideology · PC 1.6.4850.
- Last verified
- 2026-09-04
- When to check again
- Recheck after a relevant game patch, DLC change or source correction. Mods can change these conditions.
Documentation reviewed; not an in-game test report. RimWorld Wiki is community-maintained, not Ludeon documentation.
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