Rust Monument Guide
Complete guide to every monument in Rust. Puzzle solutions, keycard requirements, scientist counts, loot tables, and recommended gear for 22 monuments.
Lighthouse
T0Small monument near the coast with basic loot.
Supermarket
T0Small shop with recycler and basic loot crates.
Gas Station
T0Roadside gas station with a recycler.
Mining Outpost
T0Small mining camp with recycler access.
Fishing Village
T0Coastal village for purchasing boats and fishing supplies.
Abandoned Cabins
T0Scattered cabins with basic loot.
Oxum's Gas Station
T0Gas station with vending machines and recycler.
Satellite Dish
T1Satellite array with green card puzzle for a crate.
Harbor
T1Large harbor with crane loot and a green card puzzle.
Sewer Branch
T1Underground sewer system with green card puzzle.
Dome
T1Giant dome structure. Climb to the top for military crates. Watch for fall damage.
Junkyard
T1Scrapyard with crates scattered among vehicles.
Power Plant
T2Industrial power plant with blue card puzzle. Requires green card to get blue card.
Water Treatment
T2Water treatment facility with blue card puzzle and military crates.
Trainyard
T2Railway yard with blue card puzzle and train car loot.
Airfield
T2Military airfield with hangars and blue card puzzle. One of the best blue card monuments.
Launch Site
T3The largest monument with Bradley APC and red card puzzle. Highest loot density.
Military Tunnels
T3Underground tunnel complex with heavy scientist presence and red card puzzle.
Oil Rig (Small)
T3Offshore oil platform. Call the heavy scientist crate for top-tier loot.
Oil Rig (Large)
T3Larger offshore platform with more scientists and better loot than small oil rig.
Arctic Research Base
T3Arctic monument with heavy scientist presence and cold hazard.
Underwater Labs
T3Procedurally generated underwater labs with modular rooms and blue card puzzles.
How Monuments Work in Rust
Monuments are pre-built structures scattered across the Rust map that contain loot crates, recyclers, and other valuable resources. They range from small roadside buildings like gas stations and supermarkets to massive complexes like Launch Site and Military Tunnels. Each monument has a difficulty tier (T0 through T3) that indicates the level of danger and quality of loot you can expect. Higher-tier monuments have more scientists (NPCs that shoot on sight), radiation zones requiring protective gear, and keycard puzzles that gate access to the best loot rooms.
Keycard System Explained
Rust uses a three-tier keycard progression system to gate access to monument loot rooms. Green keycards are the most basic and can be found in small monuments like Lighthouse and Supermarket. They unlock puzzle rooms in T1 monuments like Satellite Dish and Sewer Branch. Blue keycards are obtained by completing green card puzzles at certain monuments. They unlock more valuable loot rooms at T2 monuments like Power Plant, Water Treatment, Trainyard, and Airfield. Red keycards are the rarest and are found in blue card puzzle rooms. They unlock the most lucrative loot rooms at T3 monuments like Launch Site and Military Tunnels. Each keycard has limited uses, so plan your monument runs carefully. Most puzzles also require one or two electric fuses, which can be found in loot crates or purchased from Outpost.
Monument Loot Tiers
T0 monuments (gray) like Lighthouse, Supermarket, and Gas Station are safe zones with no scientists and basic loot. They are ideal for fresh spawns to find early components and use recyclers. T1 monuments (green) such as Satellite Dish, Harbor, and Sewer Branch have light scientist presence and green card puzzles. Expect military crates and basic weapon components. T2 monuments (blue) including Power Plant, Water Treatment, Trainyard, and Airfield feature moderate scientist resistance and blue card puzzles that reward elite crates containing high-tier weapons and armor. T3 monuments (red) like Launch Site, Military Tunnels, and Oil Rigs are endgame content with heavy scientist presence, Bradley APC, and red card puzzles. These offer the best loot in the game, including top-tier weapons, explosives, and rare items.