The massive online community of Rust is as brutal as it is creative. A community oriented around building massive structures and homes as much as they are focused on raiding the of a server. New players to the long-standing online game will be shocked to find how brutal and difficult it is to survive the world. Whether it be the act of being betrayed by a supposed friend, being raided by more established players or simply beating up by a freshly spawned newcomer like yourself. The reality is that when playing Rust no one is your friend, and the few friends you make in a server can turn on you as quickly as you connected. It is important to develop a large sum of skills and tactics before jumping into the "dog eat dog" world of Rust.
As you begin your adventure through the open world and extremely intimidating landscapes of Rust there a few essential tips to understand. Similar to any large open-world survival game there is a very real sense of fear and anxiety when developing your initial settlement. The last thing a player needs is to have their freshly built house get burned down the moment you build it. Although there will always be players in a server either better than or more established than yourself, there are some strategies that can close the gap. The following guide will provide some tips and tricks to better settle in the brutal world of Rust.
Aiming For the Sweet Spots on Resources in Rust
One of the key features within Rust is the existence of "sweet spots" on almost all the available consumables. These sweet spots allow players to gain more of the given item by hitting the spot with their mining item of choice.
For example, let's examine the lifeline of Rust, wood. As players begin chopping down trees in Rust a large red X will appear on the face of the tree. As the saying goes, X is the spot when chopping down this tree. Be sure to aim your item at this marker as it will bestow more wood to you than if you didn't hit it. This will allow you to quickly gain large amounts of the resource fast and ease the act of developing your base than if you didn't hit the mark.
The same goes for ore but rather than an X, the ore in question will have a gleaming speck on its surface. These markers will begin to move around the item as you mine the provided resource, but be sure to hit them in order to optimize your resource intake.
Be Sure to Craft a Spear After Spawning in Rust
Almost immediately a new player could be faced with a combat situation. Whether it be a newly spawned player or a developed player, it is not out of the norm to be attacked as soon as you spawn in Rust.
This reality is why crafting a weapon ASAP is essential for survival. One of the better weapons to develop is the wooden spear. Although not great for late-game fights, a spear is a cheap and effective tool to defeat early-game opponents.
There are certainly better weapons to make throughout your time on a server. But given its low cost, the wooden spear is an excellent choice for a quick weapon to defend yourself with.
Craft a Hatchet As Soon As Possible in Rust
The hatchet makes for a decent weapon and a powerful tool. It can quickly dispatch of large trees an allow players to get large sums of wood to build bases.
A craftsman lives on his tools and without a hatchet, you are limiting your ability to develop structures. Using the small ax can be the difference between a quickly developed based or a player still lugging around a rock.
This is one of the most versatile tools in the game and using one throughout the early-game will ease the weight of anxiety. Having such an efficient tool to build and develop settlements is one of the most important steps to developing a strong base in Rust.
Build Multiple Settlements in Rust
It may seem counter-intuitive but building a variety of houses is a smart and powerful way to survive. It provides players multiple options to flee to when facing combat encounters and is an essential way to maintain your items.
The reality is that players will die in a game of Rust. Like water is wet and the sun is hot, people tend to die in Rust. That being said having a variety of houses on a given server will ensure that when the reaper comes knocking or raiding, you have a fallback plan.
Building a variety of settlements in Rust will allow a player a chance to re-establish himself after an untimely defeat. It is essentially the act of spreading out your resources and is a must for success in the brutal game.
Never Cook at Night in Rust
One of the few relaxing actions in Rust, cooking is an important part of survival. However, being wise when preparing food is an important lesson to learn in order to survive.
Think of night-time cooking as a large Neon Sign. On the sign, it says "please come raid me" followed by large crackling and pops to let everyone know where you are. This is what night time cooking essentially tells the fellow server . It is a large target on your back and it provides the enemy with both an audio and at times visual tool to tell your location.
If you are to cook doing it during the day time will allow you the blessing of daylight to know if an enemy is rushing you. Doing so at night time places you in jeopardy with little to no way to identify your enemies.
Rust is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One
