Getting Started in Rust
Everything new players need to know to survive their first wipe.
01Spawning In
When you first spawn in Rust, you'll appear on a random beach with a Rock and a Torch. The rock is your first tool — use it to harvest wood from trees and stone from rock nodes. Your immediate priorities are: gather basic resources, craft basic tools, and find shelter before night falls.
- •Hit the bright spot (X marker) on trees and nodes for 50% bonus yield
- •Press G to open the map and get your bearings — find the nearest road
- •Avoid other players until you have a base — most will kill on sight
- •Sleeping bags are your spawn point — craft one ASAP (30 Cloth)
02First 10 Minutes
Your first priority is crafting a Stone Pickaxe (200 Wood + 100 Stone) and a Stone Hatchet (200 Wood + 100 Stone). These gather resources 3x faster than the rock. Next, gather enough Hemp (Cloth) to make a Sleeping Bag. Then collect enough Wood (several hundred) and find a safe spot to place a small base.
- •Hemp plants (green bushy plants) give 10 Cloth each — collect every one you see
- •Food spawns along roads and near monuments — Pumpkins and Corn restore both hunger and thirst
- •Craft a Wooden Spear (300 Wood) for early self-defense — throw it at animals for food
03Your First Base
A starter base needs: 1 foundation, 4 walls, a doorway, a ceiling, and a door. Use twig to place the structure (50 wood per piece), then upgrade to wood (200 each) or stone (300 each) immediately. Always place a Tool Cupboard inside and authorize — this prevents other players from building near your base and keeps it from decaying.
The most basic 2x1 design uses 2 square foundations, 8 walls + 2 doorways, 2 ceilings, and 2 doors. Upgrade to sheet metal doors (150 Metal Fragments each) as soon as possible.
- •ALWAYS place a code lock (100 Metal Frags) instead of a key lock — keys can be looted
- •Upgrade walls to at least stone ASAP — wood walls can be easily flamed
- •Place your tool cupboard in a spot that's hard to access after the TC is destroyed
- •Honeycomb (double-layer walls) your base for extra raid protection
04Progression Path
Rust's progression follows the workbench tier system:
Tier 0 (No workbench): Basic survival — tools, bows, cloth armor Tier 1 (Workbench L1 - 50 Scrap): Crossbow, Revolver, basic armor, code locks Tier 2 (Workbench L2 - 500 Scrap): SAR, Thompson, roadsign armor, garage doors Tier 3 (Workbench L3 - 1250 Scrap): AK, Bolt, C4, rockets, metal armor
Gather Scrap from barrels, crates, and recycling components found at monuments. Use Scrap at a Research Table (75 Scrap to craft) to learn blueprints, or spend it in the Tech Tree at your workbench.
| Tier | Workbench Cost | Key Items | Scrap Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | None | Bow, Spear, Cloth Armor | 0 |
| 1 | 50 Scrap + 500 Wood + 100 Metal | Crossbow, Revolver, Bone Armor | ~150-300 |
| 2 | 500 Scrap + 500 Metal Frags + 20 HQM | SAR, Thompson, Roadsign, Garage Door | ~750-1500 |
| 3 | 1250 Scrap + 1000 Metal + 100 HQM | AK, Bolt, C4, Rockets, Metal Armor | ~2000-5000 |
05Key Keybinds
Learning the default keybinds is essential for efficient gameplay.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| G | Open Map |
| Tab | Inventory |
| H | Holster weapon |
| Q | Quick craft menu |
| F1 | Console (for commands) |
| E | Interact / Loot |
| Right Click | ADS / Aim |
| Shift | Sprint |
| Ctrl | Crouch (reduces recoil) |
| Alt + Look | Free-look without moving |
| Middle Mouse | Ping (in teams) |