RUST: Best Strategies To Get Started | Strategy Guide

Multiplayer hardcore sandbox survival game Rust is 10 years old this year and players in the game have evolved with many, many strategies in 2023.

The hardest part of the game is surviving and to do that, you need to make your every move worth the energy and time.

We’re going to show you several ways to create a stable beginning in your Rust gameplay with this guide.

Best Strategies To Get Started

There are various ways to get started. We start from the easiest and simplest methods, then to more complex processes.

Harder strategies are perfect for you who’s starting to figure out a playstyle and has enough knowledge about the map.

Needless to say, these aren’t foolproof plans in the world of Rust. If someone finds you while you’re off to gather some woods, there’s not much you can do.

Easy

Nailgun (Weapon)

Nailgun is by far the easiest equipment to get in the game. In fact, you can incorporate this with other strategies to have a fighting chance. You can find the materials easily by chopping off signposts at the Outpost and get 1 Metal Pipe and 1 Road Sign each.

Head to the Recycler to get 10 Scraps and 2 High-Quality Metal per sign. You can chop as many as you can see since these are basic ingredients you’ll need.

Then, go to the Vending Machine to exchange the metal for Metal Fragments. Now, you can craft Nailgun at the Workbench. Don’t forget to also craft some nails for ammo!

You can use the Nailgun to farm in the tunnels to fight off the Scientists and loot crates. Or just to continue doing whatever you want on the surface, feeling safer with a Nailgun on you.

Jackhammer (Stone & Wood)

The Jackhammer is perhaps my favorite first item to have. You need Scraps by farming signposts, barrels, and other items that you can recycle.

Exchange for the Jackhammer at the Vending Machine with 150 Scraps. This allows you harvest rocks very fast, but that’s not all!

With that rock-harvesting rate, you can exchange them at the Vending Machine for Wood. 3000 rocks are worth 10,000 wood. So, imagine having all of that without having to chop a single tree!

Fishing (Blue Keycard, Fishing Rod, Scraps)

Another popular method is via fishing. Head to the fishing village and start ‘Tackle the Day’ quest where you have to find the tackle box.

And then, you’ll get your fishing rod with bait. Now, you can start fishing and don’t forget to upgrade your bait.

Ocean Farming (Floating Barrels and Shipwrecks)

Diving is not necessary for this one, you just need a boat or the flippers. This is also a rather peaceful method as you’re not likely to encounter another player.

At worst, you might just meet another beginner doing the same strat. You can take up quests from the fisherman to get a kayak and the paddle. Now, you can head into the ocean to farm floating barrels.

Additionally, you can mix this with the fishing method and get some scraps from selling the sharks. Then, buy the Diving Kit at the Vending Machine, so you can also farm for sunken shipwrecks while out in the ocean.

There’s a wide variety of loots that you can get in the seas from scraps to weapons. Be careful of the sharks if you’re diving.

Road Farming (Barrels, player-trapping)

Next up is Road Farming, which will be that the type of farming you’ll be doing a lot in the future. Road farming refers to farming barrels and abandoned vehicles on the road.

Believe it or not, it’s better to farm all the barrels you see instead of just one or two and then leaving. And it’s better if you have Scrap Tea to boost your loot!

Medium

Compounds

Raiding compounds is the more lucrative method, but with raiding comes the risk of meeting players and losing your equipment.

More often than not, you’ll find yourself getting used to figuring out how to climb over walls by building over, flying down in a balloon, or simply walking into fellow beginners’ sheds.

Trap Bases

Trap bases can be a fun way to loot other players. You can easily find different types of traps in Rust. But with so many veteran players, it can be challenging to create a convincing trap.

And that might require as far as pretending that you’re not a good player.

Dung Farm

The Dung Farm refers to buying 7 horses as each produce 10 Dung per hour. The Dung can be converted into Fertilizers, 10 per Dung.

The Fertilizer can be used for farming and traded at the Bandit Camp. You get 3 Scraps per 2 Fertilizers, with a cooldown every 186 Fertilizers traded.

Do remember that you still need to buy their food which is cheapest by buying Pickles at the Bandit Camp.

The total cost of food for 7 horses is 575 Scraps.

Hard

Hemp Farming

The Hemp Farming method is one where you build a farm for hemp to sell cloths at the Vending Machine. It has a lot of requirements, however, such as water, electricity, and fertilizer.

You need to build near a water source, plan for enough space to expand, and have constant fertilizer supply. Integrating this with the Dung Farming is a great idea.

Airdrops

Airdrops are arguably hard and easy at the same time. It’s easy to see how this can be super risky where clans and other players camp the airdrop.

But on the other hand, not everyone in every server likes to camp out at the airdrop. You don’t always walk into a trap. You might, but not all the time.

Airdrops contain fancy equipment, components, resources, and weapons. So, they’re often worth the risk.

Cargo

Finally, this is a method alright, albeit it’s more of a challenge for newbies. The cargo ship has a lot of loot you can get if you’re prepared for it.

And if you ask what you really need, all you need is the bow and arrows with some bandages. Bows are cheap and quiet, bandages are to keep you alive, and the rest is about your aiming skill.

Loot as many boxes in the ship as possible before we leave. Or if you are feelign daring, you can start the timer on the locked crate and try to prevent other players from interfering.

This can be good and bad because the chances of a group of people showing up is there.

And those are all the different best strategies you can try to kickstart yourself when starting new in Rust in 2023. Let us know your favorite!

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