Rust guide

Rust 2x wipe-day playbook: from a rock to your first raid

On a 2x server the first day of a wipe moves fast. Groups that have a plan are in metal and raiding by the evening, while groups that wander about are still looking for a hatchet. This playbook sets out a simple progression route for Haven Rust PvP, where gather and stacks are doubled, crafting and smelting are quick, and blueprints are shared across your team.

If you have never played Rust, start with our new player guide, which covers joining and your very first hour. This guide picks up from there and focuses on progression.

The progression ladder

Rust progression comes down to a few stages, each unlocking the next:

1. Basic tools and a safe base: stone tools, a sleeping bag, a stone shelter and a Tool Cupboard.
2. Scrap and components: barrels, crates and recycling.
3. Workbench level 1: better tools, basic weapons and armour.
4. Workbench level 2: stronger guns, better armour and upgraded building.
5. Workbench level 3: the strongest weapons and high-end explosives.
6. Raiding: turning what you have into explosives and taking someone else's loot.

The quicker you move from one stage to the next, the stronger your position for the rest of the wipe.

Stage 1: the first 20 minutes

Focus on getting safe, not getting rich.

• Rock, then stone tools. Hit trees and nodes until you have a stone hatchet and pickaxe.
• Hemp for cloth. You need it for a sleeping bag and for early clothing.
• Sleeping bag first. Place one somewhere hidden before you do anything risky.
• A small stone base with a TC. A simple, closed room with a door and a code lock is enough for now. Upgrade to stone before you log off, always.

Pick a spot away from main roads and big monuments. On wipe night those areas are crowded and dangerous.

Stage 2: scrap and components

Scrap is the currency that unlocks your progression. Components such as gears, pipes and springs are what you craft better gear with.

Where to get them

• Barrels along roads. Roads are lined with barrels that drop scrap and components. A road loop is one of the fastest early sources.
• Crates at monuments. Smaller monuments are a good balance of loot and risk for a fresh group.
• Recycling. Recyclers turn unwanted components and items into scrap and raw materials. Outpost and Bandit Camp are safe zones with recyclers, where weapons are not allowed, which makes them a good early stop.

Habits that speed things up

• Recycle components you do not need yet for scrap, and keep the ones your next crafts use.
• Bank often. Run home with your scrap rather than carrying it around.
• Farm as a team. On 2x, one or two people on a road loop can fund a group's first workbench quickly.

Stage 3: workbench level 1

Your first workbench unlocks the early tech tree. Place it inside your base, well away from the door.

Priorities for most groups:

• Better tools to gather faster.
• A reliable early weapon for defending yourself and taking small fights.
• Basic armour so you survive the first exchange.
• Furnaces if you have not already built them. With fast smelting, a couple of furnaces running ore turns into metal fragments quickly.

Split your research

Because blueprints are shared across your team on Haven, the person who learns a blueprint unlocks it for everyone. Agree before you spend scrap who is unlocking what. Two players buying the same blueprint is scrap thrown away.

Stage 4: workbench level 2

Level 2 is the big jump. It brings stronger weapons, better armour, garage doors and more of the building upgrades that make your base hard to raid.

• Upgrade your doors and put in an airlock if you have not already.
• Honeycomb your core so raiders need more explosives to reach your loot.
• Set up a steady income. Keep furnaces running, keep the road loop going, and keep recycling.

Our Rust base building basics guide covers upgrading, honeycombing and loot placement.

Stage 5: workbench level 3

Level 3 unlocks the best weapons and the high-end explosives, including C4 and rockets. It takes a big chunk of scrap and resources, so it is usually a group effort. Once you are there, you are competing with the strongest groups on the server.

Stage 6: your first raid

Raiding is where 2x shines. Resources come in fast enough to raid the same night you start.

Picking a target

• Look for weak points: wooden doors, missing airlocks, soft sides facing outwards, and twig or wood that was never upgraded.
• Scout first. Watch the base for a while. A group that is online and armed is a much harder target.
• Fit the raid to your resources. Work out what you need to reach their TC and loot, and bring a little extra.

Raid tools in order

• Satchel charges are the first explosive most groups can make, and they work well on doors and weaker building pieces.
• Explosive ammunition chips away at structures, but uses a lot of sulfur.
• C4 and rockets need a level 3 workbench and do far more damage for the sulfur spent.

Raid habits

• Plan your route to their Tool Cupboard. Reaching it lets you take over the area, so they cannot simply rebuild around you.
• Watch your back. Explosions are loud, and other groups often counter-raid.
• Respect the group limit. On Haven, groups are capped at four and alliances are not allowed. Raiding with another group, or calling targets for them, counts as one group and breaks the rules.

A sample plan for a quad

A duo can do the same by sharing the roles, and a solo can work through them one after another.

Points and leaderboards

Everything you do counts towards this wipe's leaderboards. Top Fragger scores kills and deaths, and Top Hunter scores NPCs, animals, patrol helicopters and Bradley. When the server wipes, the top three on each board are paid in Points automatically. Type /weblink in game to link your account so your stats count.

The wipe resets, so be bold

The server wipes every Thursday at 7pm UK time. A failed raid or a lost base is a lesson, not a disaster. Take the fight, try the monument, and learn from it. If you want a group, find one in our Discord.

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