Building & Upkeep System
Building tiers, tool cupboard mechanics, decay rates, and base design fundamentals.
01Building Tiers
Every building piece can be upgraded through 5 tiers. Each tier costs more resources but provides significantly more health and protection.
| Tier | HP | Cost (Wall) | Decay Time | Weak Side? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twig | 10 | 50 Wood | 1 hour | Same both sides |
| Wood | 250 | 200 Wood | 3 hours | Yes — soft side takes 3x damage |
| Stone | 500 | 300 Stone | 5 hours | Yes — soft side takes 3x damage |
| Sheet Metal | 1,000 | 150 Metal Frags | 8 hours | Yes — soft side takes 3x damage |
| Armored | 2,000 | 25 HQM | 12 hours | Minimal difference |
- •Always check wall direction — the soft side (with cross-braces for wood, clean side for metal) takes 3x damage
- •Stone walls are the most cost-effective protection per resource spent
- •Armored is rarely worth the HQM cost unless protecting TC or loot room
02Tool Cupboard (TC)
The Tool Cupboard is the most important building component. It: - Prevents other players from building within its radius (~16m radius) - Requires resources deposited to prevent decay (upkeep) - Must be authorized to build, upgrade, or rotate structures in its range - Grants building privilege to anyone authorized on it
Upkeep is charged every 24 hours. The TC must contain enough resources to cover the cost of all building pieces in its zone. If it runs out, structures start decaying.
- •Multiple TCs can overlap — use external TCs to prevent grief-walling
- •TC costs scale exponentially with base size — bigger bases cost proportionally more
- •Always lock your TC with a code lock — unauthorized access = raided base
- •Keep extra upkeep in the TC (2-3 days worth) in case you can't log in
03Upkeep Costs
Upkeep costs 10% of the building cost for the first few pieces, scaling up with base size. The scaling brackets are:
- First ~15 pieces: 10% of build cost - Next ~45 pieces: 15% of build cost - Next ~75 pieces: 20% of build cost - Beyond that: 33% of build cost
This means large bases are exponentially expensive to maintain, encouraging smaller, more efficient designs.
04Decay Rates
Without upkeep, structures decay at the following rates (time until fully destroyed):
| Tier | Inside TC Range | Outside TC Range |
|---|---|---|
| Twig | 24 hours (with upkeep) | 1 hour |
| Wood | 24 hours (with upkeep) | 3 hours |
| Stone | 24 hours (with upkeep) | 5 hours |
| Sheet Metal | 24 hours (with upkeep) | 8 hours |
| Armored | 24 hours (with upkeep) | 12 hours |
05Base Design Tips
Good base design is one of the most impactful skills in Rust. The goal is to maximize the cost to raid your base while minimizing your build and upkeep costs.
- •2x2 with triangle airlock is the standard starter base — cheap and effective
- •Honeycomb walls add an extra layer raiders must go through
- •Spread loot across multiple rooms — don't put everything in one box
- •Roof access with a ladder hatch prevents roof-camping vulnerability
- •Garage doors are the most cost-effective door for security (600 HP for 300 Metal + 2 Gears)
- •Use half walls and floor frames to create kill boxes and bunker designs
- •Bunker bases (sealed rooms that open when a twig piece is destroyed) are extremely strong