Signs of Life Colonists Guide: Rooms, Jobs and Colony Setup

The colony system is the biggest addition in Signs of Life 1.0. It turns the end of the story into a management layer: thaw colonists, build valid rooms, assign jobs, and collect the output through Pneumail.

It is also the most poorly explained system in the game. The tutorial does not walk you through room validation or job priorities. This guide does.

The post-game colony starts at a Pioneer Station.

Unlocking the colony

The colony unlocks after the main story. A Pioneer Station contains a powered operations computer. Interacting with it starts the colonist workflow.

Two conditions matter:

1. You need a new world. The station and console generate on maps created after Update 27. An old save will not gain them.
2. You need power. The operations computer is powered. If the station has no power, the colony interface will not function.

If you are returning to an old world and cannot find the console, that is expected. Start a fresh 1.0 world if colony management is the reason you came back.

Room requirements

Every colonist needs a valid room. The rules are strict:

• Interior at least 8 tiles wide and 4 tiles high.
• Interior no larger than 32 tiles wide and 16 tiles high.
• Background walls on the interior.
• At least one bed.
• A door or hatch.
• A working light.
• The room must be on Osiris, not on the Hephaestus.

A room that fails any one of these checks will not host a colonist. The most common failure is missing background walls; the second most common is a light that is not powered.

Build rooms specifically for colonists rather than converting a storage closet. An 8 by 4 room is the minimum, but a 12 by 6 room gives you space for a bed, a workstation and a walking path.

The job list

Colonists can be assigned to gather and produce:

• Plant gathering
• Hunting
• Wood collection
• Fruit, fungi and nut foraging
• Mining
• Clay collection
• Medicine
• Cooking
• Salad preparation
• Pottery
• Workshop production
• Smelting
• Chemistry
• Ammunition production

The list covers the full production chain from raw gathering to finished ammunition. You do not need every job running at once. Start with the inputs your base actually lacks.

A starter colony layout

Room 1: food

Assign one colonist to fruit, fungi and nut foraging and one to cooking. The forager feeds the cook, and the cook produces meals into Pneumail. If you have a salad recipe, add salad preparation later.

Room 2: metal

Assign one colonist to mining and one to smelting. The miner brings ore, the smelter turns it into ingots. Keep the room near your Blast Furnace; the faster furnace makes the job worthwhile.

Room 3: workshop

Assign one colonist to workshop production. This is the flexible room: it can make tools, parts or furniture depending on the recipe queue. Do not assign it until you have surplus ingots.

Room 4: chemistry and ammunition

This is the most power-hungry block. Build it after food and metal are stable. Assign one colonist to chemistry and one to ammunition production.

Room 5: medicine

A medicine room keeps the colony healthy. It is easy to postpone, but a colony with no medical production is one bad event away from a setback.

How output works

Colonists deposit produced goods into Pneumail shared storage. You do not need to visit each room to collect output. Withdraw from Pneumail at the colony and move goods to your main storage.

This is convenient, but it creates a new problem: overflow. If Pneumail fills with low-value items, you lose track of the good stuff. Set a routine:

• Withdraw finished goods after each play session.
• Move raw materials to dedicated chests.
• Keep ammunition and medicine in separate storage.
• Do not use Pneumail as your only storage.

Power and rooms

A colony room needs a working light, and the operations computer needs power. If the colony loses power, jobs stop. Build a backup battery for the colony block and keep it charged.

The power guide→ covers wireless batteries, fuel cells and power cores. The short version: do not run the colony from a single field battery.

Managing colonists

The game does not expose a deep personality system in the patch notes. Treat colonists as workers with jobs, not characters with needs. Assign them to the job that supports your current bottleneck, and reassign when the bottleneck moves.

A practical priority order:

1. Food, if you are running low.
2. Metal, if you are building or repairing.
3. Ammunition, if you are defending the colony.
4. Medicine, if colonists are getting injured.
5. Workshop and pottery, once the basics are stable.

Do not assign every job on day one. A colony with ten jobs and no storage is chaos.

Co-op colonies

In co-op, the colony belongs to the host's world. The host must be online for jobs to run. Other players can use the colony and withdraw from Pneumail, but they cannot keep it running while the host is offline.

For a shared colony:

• Agree on who manages job assignments.
• Keep personal gear out of Pneumail.
• Give the colony its own power battery.
• Build rooms large enough for two players to move through.

Common colony problems

No operations computer. You are on an old save. Start a new world.

Colonist will not enter a room. Check size, background walls, bed, door and light, in that order.

Jobs are not producing. Check power, inputs and Pneumail space. A job with no materials produces nothing.

Pneumail is full of junk. Withdraw and sort. Do not let colony output become your only storage.

Colony stopped while playing co-op. The host is offline or the host's game is paused.

Is the colony worth it?

Yes, if you enjoy production chains. The colony turns the post-game into a small management game and gives your base a purpose after the credits. If you only want combat, you can skip it; the main story does not require colony optimisation.

The automation guide→ covers the machine side, and the ending guide→ explains how to reach the post-game.

Official source: Sweet Dog Studios, Update 27 patch notes (colony rooms, jobs, Pneumail) and the 1.0 release announcement, checked 10 November 2026.

Sources and further reading

• Update 27 patch notes ↗ - colony management details
• 1.0 release announcement ↗ - post-game scope
• Official wiki ↗ - structures and recipes
• Steam store page ↗ - game overview

FAQ

How do I unlock colonists in Signs of Life?

Finish the main story, reach a Pioneer Station and use the powered operations computer. The station must exist in a world created after Update 27.

Why can't I find the colony on my old save?

The Pioneer Station and operations computer only generate on new maps. Old saves do not gain them.

What can colonists produce?

Food, gathered plants, wood, ore, clay, medicine, cooked meals, pottery, workshop goods, smelted metal, chemicals and ammunition.

Do colonists need beds?

Yes. A valid colonist room requires at least one bed, background walls, a door or hatch and a working light.