Raiding Guide
Raid costs, explosive efficiency, soft-side raiding, online vs offline, and raid economics.
01Raiding Basics
Raiding is how players break into other bases to steal loot. Every structure in Rust has an HP value, and explosives deal damage to structures. The goal is to find the cheapest path to the loot room.
Raid planning starts with scouting. Count the doors, check wall materials, look for weak points like wooden walls, exposed TCs, or windows. The cheapest raid path is almost always through doors, not walls.
- •Always count doors before crafting explosives — the cheapest path saves thousands of sulfur
- •Look for soft-side walls (the textured side) — they take 3x damage from melee and tools
- •Check for twig or wood sections that can be broken cheaply
- •Raid during off-hours for the base owners if going offline
02Explosive Costs per Structure
Understanding sulfur costs per structure is the foundation of efficient raiding.
| Structure | C4 | Rockets | Satchels | Explo Ammo | Total Sulfur (C4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Door | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 2,200 |
| Sheet Metal Door | 1 | 2 | 4 | 63 | 2,200 |
| Garage Door | 3 | 3 | 9 | 150 | 6,600 |
| Armored Door | 4 | 4 | 12 | 200 | 8,800 |
| Stone Wall | 2 | 4 | 10 | 185 | 4,400 |
| Sheet Metal Wall | 4 | 4 | 10 | 200 | 8,800 |
| Armored Wall | 8 | 15 | 46 | 800 | 17,600 |
| High External Stone Wall | 2 | 4 | 10 | 185 | 4,400 |
| Tool Cupboard | 1 | 1 | 3 | 63 | 2,200 |
- •C4 is the most sulfur-efficient for doors and walls
- •Satchels are cheapest to research (Tier 1) but unreliable with dud chance
- •Explosive ammo is cheapest per unit but extremely slow — bring 200+ rounds
- •Rockets have splash damage — great for destroying multiple structures at once
03Sulfur per Raid Tool
The total sulfur cost to craft each explosive determines your raid economy.
| Explosive | Sulfur Cost | Craft Time | Workbench |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timed Explosive (C4) | 2,200 | 30s | WB3 |
| Rocket | 1,400 | 10s | WB3 |
| Satchel Charge | 480 | 10s | WB1 |
| Explosive 5.56 (each) | 25 | 5s | WB3 |
| Beancan Grenade | 120 | 3s | WB1 |
04Soft-Side Raiding
Every building piece in Rust (except twig and armored) has a "hard side" and a "soft side." The soft side takes 3x more damage from melee tools. This means you can potentially break through walls using just tools and patience.
Soft-side identification: - Wood: the side with horizontal planks is soft - Stone: the side with the flat, smooth surface is soft - Sheet Metal: the side with the cross-brace pattern is soft
Soft-side raiding is free (no sulfur) but extremely slow and loud. It works best against poorly built bases where walls face the wrong way.
| Wall Tier | Soft Side Pickaxe Hits | Time (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | ~59 hits | ~2 minutes |
| Stone | ~188 hits | ~8 minutes |
| Sheet Metal | ~300 hits | ~12 minutes |
| Armored | Not practical | Hours |
05Raid Tips
Smart raiding separates efficient players from those who waste sulfur.
- •Seal the base behind you — wall off broken doors to prevent counter-raids
- •Bring building supplies to seal yourself in while looting
- •Rockets have splash — aim at where two walls meet to damage both
- •Check for unlocked TCs and code lock them with your own code
- •If online raiding, drain their meds and ammo first with sustained pressure
- •Always bring enough boom for the FULL raid path plus 20% extra
- •Eco raids: use fire arrows on wooden structures (free)
- •Use a silencer on explosive ammo raids to reduce noise