RimWorld Odyssey Sentience Catalyst Guide
Written by Alec Blackwood
The Sentience Catalyst is a rare upgrade item that makes untrainable animals useful in RimWorld Odyssey. After using it, animals like flamingos or walruses can haul, mine, or even fight for your colony.
How the Sentience Catalyst Works
The Sentience Catalyst is a one-time ultratech injection. After using it on an animal, new training options appear in the animal's tab. These can include hauling, guarding, mining, and other work-based tasks.
It doesn’t just copy normal training. It gives animals new roles based on their species. A swan might carry supplies. A crow might steal. A walrus might become your new front-line tank.
The animal still needs to be trained the regular way. A colonist with high Animals skill will speed this up. Once trained, the animal keeps its abilities like any other work pet.
Best Animals to Upgrade
You should only use Sentience Catalysts on animals that can’t normally be trained. Using one on a husky or bear is a waste.
Good picks:
Walrus – slow but high health, great for combat and hauling
Flamingo – fast, good at dodging and running supply lines
Crow – sneaky and clever, potential scavenger
Cat or Dog – gains better mood boosts from frequent nuzzling
Peacock – strong beauty score, helps with mood and hauling
Each species gets a different combo of jobs and passive effects after injection.
Click here to see the full list of animals in RimWorld: Odyssey
Where to Find the Catalyst
You can’t craft Sentience Catalysts. They show up through:
Quest rewards
Ultrafaction traders
Rare salvage from ruins or derelict ships
They’re limited, so you’ll want to save them for animals you plan to keep.
How to Use It
To apply the Sentience Catalyst:
Select your animal
Use the catalyst like a drug
Open the training tab and check for new options
Assign tasks and begin training
After that, you can assign jobs through animal zones or follow commands in combat. Some animals also unlock unique abilities after injection, depending on the species.
Final Blurb
The Sentience Catalyst lets you turn background animals into real colony members. Used right, it’s one of the most powerful upgrades in Odyssey. Just don’t inject it into something boring. You won’t get many chances.
FAQ
Q: Can every animal use the Sentience Catalyst?
Yes. Even animals that normally can’t be trained will unlock new options.
Q: How many catalysts can I find in one game?
Very few. Usually only one or two from quests or high-tech traders.
Q: Can I reverse the upgrade if I change my mind?
No. Once used, the effect is permanent.
Q: What animals gain the most from the catalyst?
Walruses, flamingos, crows, peacocks, and other untrainables that become useful after injection.
Q: Do they still need to be trained after injection?
Yes. A colonist with high Animals skill is needed to finish their training.
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