Starting out as a lone wanderer in the Hub is… well, fine for a first playthrough. But after bandits chop off your limbs for the hundredth time, you want something new.
That is where custom game start mods for Kenshi come in, completely changing how you experience this brutal post-apocalyptic world.
Game Starts Plus
Have you ever wanted to start a game as a cyborg with metal limbs already installed? Or maybe start life as a swamp survivor? Game Starts Plus solves the "always the same start in the Hub" problem by adding 17 completely different starts to choose from.
- 17 unique starting scenarios with different backgrounds.
- Faction-specific starts such as Anti-Slaver and Holy Paladin.
- Challenging starts in regions such as the Fog Islands and the Swamp.
- Two-character starts, including Two Best Friends and The Boy and his Bat.
- Specialized builds such as Martial Artist and Cyborg.
✅ How the gameplay changes: Each start equips you with the appropriate equipment, skills and relationships with factions that perfectly match your background.
Fresh Starts (Hard)
If you think regular Kenshi isn't tough enough, Fresh Starts (Hard) will quickly dispel that illusion. This mod focuses on brutal difficulty spikes that will make you question your life choices.
- 7 extremely difficult scenarios.
- The classic Lowest Point start for masochists.
- A playthrough that focuses on Beep.
- Escape scenarios such as The Thralls and Fog Refugees.
- Unique starts with limitations, such as a martial artist with one arm.
✅ How gameplay changes: Expect a much steeper challenge, worse starting stats, and survival situations that demand strategic thinking immediately.
Sudo’s Alternate Starts
Sudo's Alternate Starts takes a different approach, focusing on detailed backstories and roleplaying opportunities. Each of the more than 20 scenarios comes with rich lore that makes your character feel like part of this world.
- 20+ starts with detailed backstories.
- Faction-specific equipment and relations.
- Unique scenarios such as Adventurer with a Bonehound.
- Several bandit-themed starts with different approaches.
- Storylines about retirement and redemption.
✅ How Gameplay Changes: Starting relationships, equipment, and skills perfectly match your character's background, creating natural roleplaying opportunities.
Warbird’s Starts — Skin Bandits
Playing as the Skin Bandits is about as morally questionable as Kenshi gets. This mod lets you unleash your inner cannibal across three difficulty levels of pure nightmare.
- Three distinct Skin Bandit scenarios.
- Difficulty ranges from an easy start at headquarters to legendary horror.
- A unique start for Grendelwhere literally everyone hates you.
- Authentic Skin Bandit equipment and skills.
- The hardest start has no dialogue options (because you're a monster).
✅ How the gameplay changes: Expect hostile reactions from most NPCs, unique combat abilities and a completely different moral system for making decisions.
Crusaders — Holy Nation Game Start
Want to lead a religious crusade across the wasteland? This mod puts you in command of entire Holy Nation armies with different compositions and power levels.
- Two different crusade scenarios.
- Large groups of trained holy warriors.
- Benefits of pre-researched technologies.
- Authentic Holy Nation equipment and hierarchy.
- Immediate access to advanced military units.
✅ How gameplay changes: You start with substantial military power, but also inherit every enemy and moral complication of the Holy Nation.
For a more comprehensive look at modding, visit my Kenshi mod installation guide to make sure these starts work properly with your setup.
Your Army vs The World
Your Army vs The World is less a start than a declaration of war on existence itself. You get 94 people in your squad, everyone around you hates you, and any construction causes raids from literally every faction.
- 94 starting characters with stats around 40.
- Cyber Beep and 5 Garru.
- Every faction hates you, with relations at -100 across the board.
- Automatic raid triggers during construction.
- Requires maximum population settings.
✅ How the gameplay changes: Constant war, the nightmare of resource management and strategic base building become matters of survival rather than convenience.
Random Start — A Unique Beginning
Sometimes you want a random number generator to decide your fate. This mod takes away your choice and creates truly unpredictable starting conditions.
- Three levels of randomization: from balanced to chaotic.
- Characteristics from -100 to +100 in complete randomness mode.
- NPC template system for balanced randomness.
- Unpredictable equipment and spawn locations.
- Replayability through endless variety.
✅ How gameplay changes: No playthrough will be the same, forcing you to adapt and solve problems creatively from the very beginning.
The Fellowship — Alternate Start
The Fellowship tackles the early-game grind by giving you a trained squad ready for midgame adventures. It is like skipping the tutorial and getting straight to the interesting part.
- A squad of 7 with one well-trained character.
- Specialized companions with clearly defined roles.
- Fellowship Plus adds 7 additional supporting characters.
- A balanced progression curve that avoids an overpowered start.
- Immediate access to advanced gameplay mechanics.
✅ How the gameplay changes: Skip the tedious early skill leveling and jump straight into exploration, base building and faction conflicts.
Veil Hive
Veil Hive introduces an entirely new race with its own visual design and starting scenarios. It is like a small expansion disguised as a game start mod.
- A new Veil Hive race with a frog-like appearance.
- Several character types: Prince, Soldier Drone, Worker Drone, and Queen.
- Bright warning coloration from swamp regions.
- Unique racial abilities and characteristics.
- Custom starting scenario with multiple characters.
How Gameplay Changes: Experience Kenshi from a completely different biological and cultural perspective with unique racial interactions.
Choosing the perfect mod for a new start
Most of these mods are compatible with each other and do not require importing, since they only affect your starting conditions. The Steam Workshop versions are often more up to date, but Nexus Mods can often provide detailed descriptions and compatibility notes.
Getting mods to work reliably means following the right steps. The installation guide has the full details.
My personal recommendations:
- Beginners: Start with Game Starts Plus for variety without excessive difficulty.
- Experienced players: Go to Fresh Starts (Hard)once you have mastered the basics.
- Veterans: Try Your Army vs The World for something completely different that will test everything you think you know about Kenshi.
If you find something I should have included that truly improves Kenshi, tell me. I am always willing to test it. The key is that the mod preserves the balance of the entire collection.
