Starting as a lone wanderer in the Hub is… well, it’s fine for your first playthrough. But after getting your limbs chopped off by bandits for the hundredth time, you start craving something different. That’s where Kenshi custom start mods come in – they completely transform how you experience this brutal post-apocalyptic world.
So, here are alternate start scenarios, from playing as cybernetic warriors to leading entire crusades. Some mods throw you into the deep end with maximum difficulty, while others let you roleplay specific factions or unique backstories. The beauty of these mods? They don’t just change your starting stats – they reshape your entire relationship with the world.
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Major Start Collections
These comprehensive mod packs offer multiple starting scenarios in one download. Perfect if you can’t decide what kind of suffering you want to experience first.
Game Starts Plus
Ever wanted to start as a cyborg with metal limbs already attached? Or maybe begin life as a swamp-dwelling survivor? Game Starts Plus solves the “same old Hub start” problem by adding 17 completely different beginnings to choose from.
- 17 unique starting scenarios with distinct backstories
- Faction-specific starts like Anti-Slaver and Holy Paladin
- Challenging region starts in Foglands and Swamplands
- Duo starts including “Two Best Friends” and “The Boy and his Bat”
- Specialized builds like Martial Artist and Cyborg
✅ Gameplay changes: Each start comes with appropriate equipment, skills, and faction relationships that match your background story.
The variety here is incredible. Want to roleplay as a religious warrior fighting the good fight? Holy Paladin has you covered. Prefer being the bad guy? Dust Bandit drops you into the desert with raider gear and a questionable moral compass. My personal favorite is the Rebooted Skeleton start – there’s something poetic about an ancient machine awakening to find the world in ruins.
Fresh Starts (Hard)
If you think regular Kenshi isn’t punishing enough, Fresh Starts (Hard) will fix that delusion real quick. This mod focuses on brutal difficulty spikes that’ll make you question your life choices.
- 7 extremely challenging scenarios
- Classic “Lowest Point” torso start for masochists
- Beep-focused playthrough option
- Escape scenarios like “The Thralls” and “Fog Refugees”
- Unique handicap starts like one-armed martial artist
✅ Gameplay changes: Expect significantly higher difficulty curves, damaged starting stats, and survival situations that demand immediate strategic thinking.
The “A Very Bad Bet” start particularly caught my attention – you wake up in the Hub with prosthetic legs and immediately realize your gambling problem has literal consequences. It’s dark, it’s challenging, and it perfectly captures Kenshi’s “life is suffering” philosophy. Don’t attempt these starts unless you enjoy pain… which, if you’re playing Kenshi, you probably do.
Sudo’s Alternate Starts
sudo’s Alternate Starts takes a different approach by focusing on detailed backstories and roleplay opportunities. Each of the 20+ scenarios comes with rich lore that makes your character feel like they belong in this world.
- 20+ starts with extensive backstory details
- Faction-specific equipment and relationships
- Unique scenarios like “Adventurer with a Bonehound”
- Multiple bandit-themed starts with different approaches
- Retirement and redemption storylines
✅ Gameplay changes: Starting relationships, equipment, and skills align perfectly with your character’s background, creating natural roleplay opportunities.
The “Bandit Retirement” start is particularly well-crafted – you’re a former raider trying to go straight, but your past keeps catching up. It’s like playing a Western where everyone knows your reputation. The attention to detail in character backgrounds makes every start feel like the beginning of a genuine story rather than just different stat combinations.
Faction-Specific Adventures
Sometimes you want to experience Kenshi from a particular group’s perspective. These mods let you start as established faction members with all the benefits and enemies that come with it.
Warbird’s Starts – Skin Bandits
Playing as the Skin Bandits is about as morally questionable as it gets in Kenshi. This mod lets you embrace your inner cannibal with three different difficulty levels of pure nightmare fuel.
- Three distinct Skin Bandit scenarios
- Varying difficulty from easy headquarters start to legendary horror
- Unique Grendel start where you’re hated by literally everyone
- Authentic Skin Bandit equipment and skills
- No dialogue options in hardest start (because you’re a monster)
✅ Gameplay changes: Expect hostile reactions from most NPCs, unique combat abilities, and a completely different moral framework for decision-making.
The Grendel start is particularly brutal – you can’t even speak to other characters because you’re basically a walking horror movie. It’s peak Kenshi: take everything uncomfortable about the world and crank it to eleven. Not for the faint of heart, but if you want to experience the world from a true monster’s perspective, this is it.
Crusaders – Holy Nation Game Start
Want to lead a religious crusade across the wasteland? This mod drops you into command of entire Holy Nation armies with different compositions and power levels.
- Two distinct crusade scenarios
- Large groups of trained holy warriors
- Pre-researched technology advantages
- Authentic Holy Nation equipment and hierarchy
- Immediate access to advanced military units
✅ Gameplay changes: You’ll have significant military power from the start, but also inherit all of the Holy Nation’s enemies and moral complexities.
The Divine Crusade scenario gives you an Inquisitor and a small army of religious fanatics. It’s power fantasy meets moral ambiguity – you’re strong enough to enforce your will, but are you the good guy? (Spoiler: probably not.) The mod does a great job of making you feel like a legitimate faction leader rather than just a player with extra units.
For more comprehensive modding guidance, check out my kenshi mod installation guide to ensure these starts work properly with your setup.
How To Install Kenshi ModsExtreme Challenge Scenarios Mods
For players who think regular Kenshi is too easy (you masochists), these mods will humble you real quick.
Your Army vs The World
Your Army vs The World is less a start and more a declaration of war against existence itself. You get 94 people, everyone hates you, and building anything triggers raids from literally every faction.
- 94 starting characters in their 40s
- CyberBeep and 5 garrus included
- Universal faction hatred (-100 with everyone)
- Automatic raid triggers when building
- Requires maximum population settings
✅ Gameplay changes: Constant warfare, resource management nightmare, and strategic base building become matters of survival rather than convenience.
This isn’t a start – it’s a survival experiment. Can you maintain a 100-person settlement when the entire world wants you dead? The answer is usually no, but the attempt is gloriously chaotic. Every decision matters because one mistake can cascade into total annihilation. It’s Kenshi’s endgame content disguised as a starting scenario.
Random Start – A Unique Beginning
Sometimes you want RNG to decide your fate. This mod takes the choice out of your hands and creates genuinely unpredictable starting conditions.
- Three randomization levels from balanced to chaotic
- Stats ranging from -100 to +100 in complete random mode
- NPC template system for balanced randomness
- Unpredictable equipment and location spawns
- Replayability through infinite variation
✅ Gameplay changes: No two playthroughs will ever be the same, forcing adaptation and creative problem-solving from the very beginning.
The Complete Random option is particularly insane – you might start as a god-tier warrior with terrible social skills, or a charismatic weakling who can’t lift a sword. It’s like playing Kenshi with a deck of cards shuffled by a drunk robot. Sometimes you get dealt a royal flush, sometimes you get handed a disaster… but it’s always interesting.
Specialized Roleplay Starts
These mods focus on specific character archetypes or unique gameplay experiences that standard starts can’t provide.
The Fellowship – Alternate Start
The Fellowship addresses the “early game grind” problem by giving you a pre-trained squad ready for mid-game adventures. It’s like skipping the tutorial and jumping straight into the interesting stuff.
- 7-person squad with one maxed character
- Specialized teammates with distinct roles
- Fellowship Plus adds 7 additional support characters
- Balanced progression curve avoiding overpowered starts
- Immediate access to advanced gameplay mechanics
✅ Gameplay changes: Skip the tedious early skill grinding and jump straight into exploration, base building, and faction conflicts.
This mod is perfect when you want to experience Kenshi’s endgame content without spending 50 hours getting there. Your squad feels like a proper adventuring party where everyone has a role to play. The maxed character prevents you from being completely helpless, while the supporting cast gives you options for different strategies and approaches.
Veil Hive
Veil Hive introduces an entirely new race with unique visual design and starting scenarios. It’s like getting a mini-expansion disguised as a start mod.
- New Veil Hive race with frog-like appearance
- Multiple character types: Prince, Soldier Drone, Worker Drone, Queen
- Bright warning coloration from swamp regions
- Unique racial abilities and characteristics
- Custom starting scenario with multiple characters
✅ Gameplay changes: Experience Kenshi from a completely different biological and cultural perspective with unique racial interactions.
The bright warning coloration isn’t just cosmetic – it reflects the race’s adaptation to dangerous swamp environments. Playing as these characters feels genuinely different from standard humans or existing hive races. It’s impressive how much personality the mod creator packed into what could have been just a simple reskin.
Check out my kenshi unique recruits guide explains where to find unique recruits in Kenshi and how to get them join your squad.
Kenshi Unique Recruits ListFinding Your Perfect Start
The beauty of Kenshi’s modders lies in this incredible variety. Whether you want to roleplay as a religious fanatic, survive as a cannibal horror, or lead a massive army against the world, there’s a mod that’ll make it happen.
Most of these mods are compatible with each other and don’t require imports since they only affect your starting conditions. The Steam Workshop versions tend to be more up-to-date, but Nexus Mods often has more detailed descriptions and compatibility notes.
My personal recommendations:
- Beginners: Start with Game Starts Plus for variety without overwhelming difficulty
- Intermediate players: Graduate to Fresh Starts (Hard) once you’ve mastered the basics
- Experienced players: Try Your Army vs The World for something completely different that’ll test everything you think you know about Kenshi
New mods appear really often and I’m always testing new scenarios as they’re released. If you’ve created a custom start mod or found one I’ve missed, feel free to reach out – I’ll gladly test it and potentially add it to this list. After all, there’s always room for more creative ways to suffer in this beautiful, brutal world.
