Rust Beginner's Guide: Survival Tips for New Players

Rust, one of the leading survival games, shouldn't scare you as much as it looks. In fact, with a few simple steps you can become a pro at the game and achieve great things. So let's look together at how to survive in Rust.

Beginner's Guide to Rust for New Players (2022)

Choosing a Server

After opening the game, we need to choose a server in the menu to start our game. There are crowded servers, servers with plugins, modded servers, and servers with almost no one (fewer than 10 people). Our advice is not to bother much with modded and plugin servers and to be on servers with 40-50 people, because if you join a server with almost no one, you gather items, make good loot and develop, but since there is nobody on the server you get no action at all. Why don't we recommend servers with more than 50 players? Because you can die as soon as you enter. Let's say you didn't die and you looted. Even if you run away, they will raid the house you built before it can develop, and quickly. So playing with too many players is harmful. 40-50 players is enough, so we choose and join an unmodded, plugin-free server with 40-50 players and start fighting for survival.

Safety First

In general, every player in Rust starts the game naked with a rock in hand; maybe you have a torch. This will depend on the server you are on. If you have just started the game, we recommend looking for beginner-type servers or playing with friends who know the game and are your allies. The first thing to do is to explore areas away from other players. At first you are vulnerable, so you shouldn't take risks. Look for resources in your immediate surroundings near where you spawn at the start of the game. Go a bit deeper on the island, but avoid encountering large animals or other players until you have better gear. Over time, when you have your own house or shelter, don't hesitate to go further and explore. It is possible to explore caves and underground places to get better materials. From time to time there are planes that drop supply crates containing very useful things. Of course, there will be other players too!

An Axe Saves Lives

A rock is not the best weapon or tool you can have in Rust. It is useful to start with, but after a few minutes you will realize you need something better. After gathering more stone and wood, craft a stone hatchet. This will improve your ability to gather resources, and you will also be able to defend or attack better than you could with a rock. In addition to the axe, it is good to make yourself a cloth outfit. You can get cloth by hunting animals, so it won't take you long to have this outfit. It is weak armor but better than nothing, and it will protect you a bit more from the cold.

Don't Ignore Your Needs

In Rust you need to watch your hunger and thirst levels. If you don't feed your character often, it becomes weak and sooner or later dies. Don't forget to hunt animals while looking for resources and materials. A little food is enough to survive another day, but it is better if you cook the meat or you will get poisoned! Besides hunger and thirst, your character can also freeze to death. To fight the cold, you need to dress your character and provide it with a warm place. Although a campfire that also lets you cook is useful, it is best to build a house/shelter with a furnace. All of this, along with eating, helps your character feel comfortable, revived and fully healed. As a final detail, try to collect all the seeds you can. Besides feeding on hunted animals, you can also grow fruit! So once you have a house, don't hesitate to plant seeds nearby.

Be Careful at Night

We don't recommend cooking at night for a simple reason: the light attracts a lot of attention. If you can't defend yourself against better-equipped players, it is best to stay still at home until the night is over. Turn off all lights, or at least don't move in front of them. If someone sees your shadow moving, they will declare you the next prey!

A House or Shelter Is Most Important

Building a house or shelter is one of the first steps to take as someone who has survived the chaos at the start of Rust. We stress that, as your first building, it is best to build the house away from other players. If you are playing with friends, a big base is great! Of course, buildings in Rust are sensitive to decay and loss of stability. Build carefully and protect your house with repairs or improvements.

Make a Sleeping Bag

Although you don't need to sleep in Rust, sleeping bags and beds are useful. After you die, you can respawn at a sleeping bag or bed. So it is recommended that you keep your sleeping bag somewhere safe, or at least know that no enemies live where you put it. All you need to make one of these is a few dozen pieces of cloth. Much better than respawning on the beach!

Use Your Resources

We want to stress an important detail here: use your resources. Hoarding more materials is no use unless you have a plan in mind; using them will help you survive. Spend your resources on getting better tools, weapons and houses. That is crafting! Later, when creations get more expensive and you have boxes to store items in, it is recommended to stockpile. It is good to have a plan for building big bases, which require a lot of resources. As a general rule, always store materials in safe places such as boxes inside houses and bases, rather than carrying them on you. Otherwise, you can lose a lot if they kill you!

Trust No One

Unless you are playing with friends, it would be wise to assume other players are enemies. In this game, a stranger will rarely help you, especially if they are well equipped. So, when you see a player, avoid them! When you are better armed and protected, you can choose to fight or approach other players, but always be careful. Until then, stay hidden, especially in the first few minutes, and move unnoticed. We recommend staying at home or somewhere away from others when night falls. Finally, players are not the only threat. In Rust there are different NPCs, wild animals, zombies and even helicopters that will attack you as soon as they see you. Watch your surroundings; dangers abound on Rust Island!