Rust Tips - a starting guide for beginner players

Taking on board some Rust tips is your key to survival in this brutal world of crafting, especially if it's your first time journeying into the wilderness. When you initially arrive in this environment, you're naked with only a torch and a rock for equipment, and unless you find some Rust food quickly you're going to end up wasting away. There are also plenty of threats from hostile animals and other players scattered around the Rust map, but don't let that put you off as with these 10 essential Rust tips, you'll soon become a master of survival.

Originally released way back in 2013, Rust has finally arrived on consoles and is still one of the most entertaining and challenging survival experiences you can find. However, without an in-game tutorial it’s hard to get started, so check out these Rust tips and see if you can live to see another day.

1. Choose a beginner-friendly server

Your very first choice in Rust is choosing a server to play on. Many newcomers just go for a highly populated official sever, but these are often full of experienced players. As a newcomer, you need some time to figure out how to play without repeatedly get killed right after spawning. You should therefore join a beginner-friendly server.

To get started, click ‘play’ in the main menu, and then go to ‘community servers’. You will see a search bar at the bottom of your screen. Type something like ‘beginner’, ‘friendly’, or even ‘PvE only’ to find the perfect starting server. Note that players can still kill you, but are far less likely to. 

2. Create a sleeping bag to get a respawn point

One of the very first items you need in Rust, is a sleeping bag. By placing one on the ground, you create a custom respawn point. Having one early on is going to save you the frustration of respawning on the beach (the default spawn location) and having to walk all the way back.

You can make a sleeping bag with 30 cloth. Cloth can be gathered from hemp plants in stacks of 10, so you only need 3 plants. The hemp plants are easy to overlook though, so make sure to take a good look at the picture up there before you start your adventure in Rust. 

3. Hit the right spot when gathering wood and stone to get more

After you’ve created your first spawn point, start gathering stone and wood by hitting trees and large boulders with your Rock (the starting tool). You need these materials to build your first custom tools: the Hatchet and Pickaxe. 

Unfortunately, gathering resources with only the Rock is a lengthy and therefore dangerous process. To make it as fast as possible, try to hit the red X which will appear on the tree. If you hit the X with your Rock, you will get more wood per hit. The same goes for the sparkle which appears on the boulder: hit it to get more stone at once.

4. Prioritize gathering wood to build all your starter needs

After you’ve created the Hatchet and Pickaxe, start gathering wood. Lots and lots of wood. This resource material is all you need to build your first base, so don’t waste time on other resources. These are the essential starting items you can create with wood only:

• Building plan
• Building foundation
• Walls
• Wooden door
• Wooden lock
• Campfire
• Storage box

5. Choose the right spot for your first base to make life easier

The location of your base has a lot of influence on your success in the game. Try to find a well-hidden spot with plenty of nearby resources, but don’t walk further than necessary. There’s no use running halfway across the map, only to get killed and respawn miles away. You can always create more bases later on.

The best place is in a forest. As explained in the previous point, you need plenty of wood to get started, and it also gives you cover. The desert, on the other hand, is dangerous, and the snowy areas are unsuitable for new players without clothes. It’s also a good idea to be close to roads and old towns to search for better materials later on.

6. Do not farm more than necessary

This is perhaps the most common mistake people make in Rust; farming far more than necessary. Although it can be very tempting to gather large amounts of resources at once, it makes dying all the more frustrating. It is far better to gather small amounts of the resources you need right now, and return them to your base regularly. That way you only gather what you need and the risks of losing it all are far reduced. 

7. Use double doors in your base to protect all your stuff

Sometimes when you meet a better equipped player, the best thing you can do is run back to your base and hide. That is risky though, because you can accidentally give the other player all your stashed material if you open the door and die. 

You should therefore create an ‘airlock’ as soon as you are able. Build at least two rooms with locked doors and stash your items in the last one. If an enemy player gets through the first, they will still not be able to reach your stored items. Just remember to always lock the door behind you first, even if it means dying. Your stash is probably worth more than the items you have on your body.

8. Avoid lighting a fire at night and attracting other players

This one may seem a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many players walk around with a torch at night. This is the best way to make yourself a target for other players, so better stay in the dark. 

In addition to this; make sure you cook enough food during daytime! Make a habit of always checking your food supplies before the night falls. If you really have to cook at night though, make sure you do it away from your base to avoid advertising your base’s location to raiders.

9. Keep your base from decaying

Buildings don’t last forever, and certainly not in Rust. Your base will ‘decay’ over time, and the only way you can prevent this is by doing upkeep. First, you must build a tool cupboard from 1000 wood, and place this in your base. Then, you must put a certain amount of the building materials you used inside the cupboard. The bigger your base, the more upkeep it needs (keep that in mind before starting on your mansion).

10. Watch out for radiation

Now that you have a strong base, you should start visiting abandoned sites to gather more valuable materials. But be careful: exploring abandoned buildings is fun until they make you radioactive and kill you. There’s no chance you will survive this without protective clothing. So, if you see an old industrial site, keep your ears open. Do you hear a crackling sound? It means the buildings are irradiated. Turn around!

You’re all set to start your adventure in Rust. May you never face an automatic rifle on your first spawn!

Want to try an even more surreal survival game? Check out how to pee, poop and vomit in Scum. Seriously.