Moderator and community evidence for the documented build says ordinary soldiers do not use a universal item-by-item gear system; their weapon and abilities follow a role or character card, while crafted personal equipment belongs to the Leader.
Separate official manufacturing from the restriction
The official Steam description confirms that the colony can manufacture weapons and armor and that the Leader commands soldiers in combat. It does not document an individual inventory for ordinary soldiers, but absence from the store description alone cannot prove that no such interface exists.
The stronger restriction comes from a Steam discussion containing a moderator answer, supported by independent player reports. Those are community-tier sources in the canonical research, so the restriction is labeled accordingly rather than presented as a store-page fact.
Read the documented role-card restriction
In the version discussed by the moderator and players, crafted personal gear was equipped by the Leader. Ordinary soldiers instead brought the weapon and abilities associated with their type, role, or character card.
That makes three concepts distinct:
- colony manufacturing creates weapons and armor within the broader official game loop;
- Leader equipment uses the documented personal gear described by the moderator; and
- ordinary soldier combat identity follows the role or character card in the discussed build.
A crafted weapon appearing in colony stock is therefore not enough evidence that it can be dragged onto any soldier. If a later build adds soldier customization, this version-specific answer must be revised.
Inspect supported role and card information
Use only information the active build visibly presents. The player reports describe cards showing a soldier's role or type, weapon, and abilities during expedition preparation, with type information also observed while a captive remained in management.
Because those locations are community-observed, do not rely on a permanent side of the screen or a specific hover action. A safe inspection asks:
- What role, class, or type label is visible for this soldier?
- What weapon type does the current card state?
- Which abilities does the current card actually list?
- Does the current build expose any individual equipment control, or only the card-defined identity?
If the current interface differs, follow what is explicitly shown rather than reconstructing the old layout. This guidance supports reading card information; it does not invent a gear-assignment step.
Keep Leader effects separate from physical soldier gear
The supplied community research says some Leader-equipment effects can improve soldier damage or survival across the squad. In that evidence, the effect remains on Leader equipment; it is not a physical armor item distributed to each soldier.
Read the current item wording before applying that distinction. The research does not provide a complete modifier list, values, or an optimal Leader loadout, so none is reproduced here.
Build a squad from supported identities
Within this evidence boundary, compare the role, weapon type, and abilities that the active cards show. Squad composition can then be based on those supported identities rather than an assumed inventory.
The canonical research mentions soldier level, quality, type, and squad composition as considerations but does not establish a universal tier list or best squad. This page does not rank roles, infer stat curves, or prescribe an exact team.
Chosen soldiers also leave colony jobs during an expedition. The beginner guide covers the resulting gathering, cooking, and transport check. The broader game guide places Leader preparation and role-card squad selection inside the colony-to-expedition loop.
Recheck after customization updates
This answer is version-sensitive. After an official update, inspect the current cards and update notes for explicit soldier-level customization. Do not infer a new system merely because the colony manufactures a weapon, and do not retain the old restriction if current evidence replaces it.
The soldier aging guide covers a separate management setting. Aging, role identity, and Leader equipment are not interchangeable systems.