In RUST, your main goal is to survive for as long as you can. You will need to survive environmental threats as well as many other players. To do this, you will need to build a proper base to survive against raiders who can hunt you down. In this guide, we will provide you with information on how to create the right defense base.
Ultimate Base & Compound Defense Guide
There are several strategies for defending your base in RUST, including choosing the right location, designing your base effectively, setting up alerts, and using traps.
You can use this guide as a checklist of the tasks you need to do and start building your base’s defenses. Many items in the game can synergize very well with one another, so be as creative as you can with your builds.
Location
The best defense location is where you can avoid all the Raiders. With that said, you’ll want to avoid building near popular monuments like the Launch Site, Oil Rigs, Excavators, or any large open spaces.
If you are not always active in the game, it is best for you to choose a secluded location. You’ll want to build your base that is far away from the high-traffic areas.
If you are more active, consider building your base near the smaller, less popular monuments like the Dome, Power Plant or Missile Silo.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to avoid building your base near roads or open spaces. This will reduce the chances of someone running into your base and deciding to raid it.
Base Design
No matter how well you hide your base, it still has a chance of being found by other players. This is why having a base design is very important to keep you and your loot safe.
Smaller bases will usually be raided by solo players or a smaller group of raiders. On the opposite, the bigger bases will defend against large groups of raiders, since they have the resources to raid them.
Depending on your server, the size of your base will be different.
- If you are playing on a big server, avoid building huge bases if you are playing solo. Unless you have a huge group to defend the big base, having a huge one isn’t recommended.
- If you are playing on a smaller server with fewer players, building huge bases allows you to defend against other players more effectively.
Here are some tips that you can apply while building your base:
- Consider building a symmetrical base with multiple fake entrances. Unless your opponent knows where to enter the base, they will have a chance of getting the wrong way in. This will make them waste time and resources just to get in.
- Avoid building big flat surfaces on your base. If the raiders use a rocket, they can break multiple walls with splash damage. You should consider creating spike-shaped or using edged walls.
After you have taken care of the outside defense, you should consider upgrading the defenses inside:
- Focus on protecting your primary loot & tool cupboard. You can do this by upgrading the surrounding surfaces with armored walls or double-layering with half walls.
- Bunker Bases are great base designs that many players use. This is very effective for defense due to the high cost if other players decide to raid it.
SIDE NOTE: We have a guide which covers all Diesel Barrel spawn locations in RUST. Make sure to check it out as well for more awesome info!
Alerts
You will eventually be raided, and your only option is to fight back. To make sure you are well-prepared, set up a defense alert system through the Rust+ App.
When you are offline or away from your base, this app will notify you if you are being raided. It is best for you to set up detectors connected to an alarm system around your base to notify you.
Fighting Back
If you are lucky enough to be able to log on when the raid occurs, make sure you are able to fight back. The weapon racks and lockers are a great way for you to equip yourself with a raid kit. This will offer you the protection and the damage you need.
- Fully automatic weapons like the MP5, Thompson, AK, or M429 are effective at defending against raids.
- The SPAS-12 with incendiary ammo can be a great way to temporarily block an entrance and slow raiders down.
- A full heavy metal armor is great for holding vital corners. If you need to move around a lot, consider using metal armor or a jacket kit.
Traps
If you are offline, traps are great ways for you to defend. However, raiders can also trick the traps to use all of their ammo or destroy traps with their resources.
If you are online, you can use these traps to your advantage. Traps can be great ways for you to slow down enemies or even kill them.
A good trap that use can use is a shotgun trap with dropdowns. These are cheap and can one-shot enemies if they ever get caught.
Make sure to check out our guide for the Automatic Crafter as well – it will help you out a lot on your productivity!
Compound Walls
You can create compound defense around your base by using wooden or stone walls. This will provide you with a safe space around your base. With this space, you can place down furnaces or quick storage chests to store the resources you need.
- Wooden Wall: This is the cheapest option, requiring a level 1 workbench & 590 scraps to unlock. You can also find them in certain lootboxes. They have 500 HP, which can be destroyed by using explosives or fire projectiles. Even though the wooden walls are easily destroyed, they are great options for early-game defense.
- Stone Wall: The strongest compound wall in the game. This requires a level 2 Workbench & 1450 scraps to unlock. You can also find them in certain loot boxes or buy them from other players. Stone walls also have 500 HP, but cannot be destroyed by explosives or fire projectiles.
Keep in mind that the compound walls will decay after 8 hours. Make sure that the outer wall ring isn’t too big, or too small, but with right enough space for you to place down a big furnace.
SAM Sites
SAM Sites are turrets that can help you defend your base against enemies that can fly over it, or against MLRS Rockets. Ideally, you’ll want to have 3 SAM Sites to protect against all threats.
You can purchase this item from the Outpost Weapon Shop with 500 Scraps. You should place this device on the roof, or anywhere that can give you a clear view of the sky.
Keep in mind that the SAM Sites only target objects that are flying higher than them. This means that if you place it too low, players can fly below it and get inside your base.
SAM Sites can also attack you, meaning that you should be extra careful when using helicopters. You can prevent this by setting it to Defense Mode, in which it will only attack MLRS Rockets.
If you’re not yet very familiar, check out our dedicated guide about Electricity in RUST as well!
Before you are able to use SAM Sites, you will need to make sure they are powered up. A medium battery can power up two of them, while a large one can power up to four devices. When it is powered up, you can start putting in the SAM Ammos:
- You can purchase 6 Rockets from the Outpost Shop for 75 Scrap Each.
- Crafting from a Level 2 Workbench With 2375 Scrap.
- After you have purchased the item from the Outpost Shop. You can alternatively research it at the research table for a blueprint.
Auto Turrets
Auto Turrets are great ways for you to protect your base as well as your SAM Sites. You should consider placing down these turrets in corners to avoid players directly destroying them.
You can also place certain walls in front of the turrets so that they cannot break from a distance. Placing the Turrets on the roof is also a great way for you to protect your SAM Sites.
Spikes
The next defense system you’ll want to know about is spikes. Spikes are great ways for you to defend your base both from the outside and inside.
- If you place the spikes outside, they can prevent your enemies from placing ladders on your walls.
- If you place the spikes inside, it will be more difficult for enemies to climb down from their ladders.
Traps
Inside your base, you can also place down more traps to strengthen the defense. The Shotgun traps when placed upwards can help you prevent enemies that may try to climb through the walls.
Inside your base, you can also place down mines and Bear traps in the grass, which can be hard to see for your enemies.
That’s how you can start defending your base and loot in RUST. You can use this guide as a checklist to help you maximize your defense and prevent any raiders from getting in. Many different traps and defenses can synergize very well with one another, so be creative when you build your base!
If you are looking for a beginner guide for RUST on how to gather resources, consider taking a look at this guide! To build your base, you will need to gather a lot of resources, so it is best for you to know where they are. Once you have the things you need, you’ll be able to build the best defenses.
