The First 10 Minutes
You spawn naked on a beach with a rock and a torch. Everything wants you dead. Here is exactly what to do.
- Hit trees with your rock until you have 200 wood. Look for the red X and hit it for bonus wood.
- Craft a stone hatchet (200 wood). It gathers wood and stone much faster than the rock.
- Hit stone nodes until you have 100 stone. Again, aim for the sparkling hotspot.
- Craft a stone pickaxe (200 wood, 100 stone). Now you can farm both resources efficiently.
- Craft a spear (300 wood). Your first weapon for self-defense and hunting animals.
- Find hemp plants and harvest 30 cloth for a sleeping bag and bow.
PRO TIP
Always place a sleeping bag immediately. If you die, you respawn at the sleeping bag instead of a random beach. Hide it well — other players can destroy it.
Essential Early Crafting
| Item | Materials | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Hatchet | 200 Wood | Gather wood and stone faster |
| Stone Pickaxe | 200 Wood, 100 Stone | Gather stone, metal ore, sulfur |
| Spear | 300 Wood | Melee weapon and hunting tool |
| Bow | 200 Wood, 50 Cloth | Ranged weapon for PVP and animals |
| Arrows | 25 Wood, 10 Stone each | Ammunition for bow |
| Sleeping Bag | 30 Cloth | Custom respawn point |
| Camp Fire | 100 Wood | Cook food and stay warm |
| Building Plan | 20 Wood | Place building foundations |
| Hammer | 100 Wood | Upgrade and repair buildings |
WARNING
Never craft a wooden door. It burns down in seconds with a torch. Save 100 metal fragments for a sheet metal door — it costs raiders 4 satchels or 63 explosive ammo instead of 1 satchel for wood.
Food and Hunger
Starvation is a real threat. Your hunger bar drops constantly, and when empty, you lose health. Here is how to stay fed.
- Hunt animals with your spear or bow. Boars, deer, and horses provide meat and cloth.
- Cook meat on a campfire. Raw meat restores little health and can poison you. Cooked pork and bear meat are the best early food sources.
- Gather mushrooms in forests for emergency food. They restore small amounts of hunger and health.
- Eat pumpkins and corn found near rivers and in fields. They respawn quickly and are great early-game food.
- Build near a river for easy access to pumpkins, corn, and water.
PRO TIP
Build a small furnace as soon as you have 50 low-grade fuel and 200 stone. Smelt metal ore into fragments and craft a sheet metal door before logging off. A base with a sheet metal door is 10x safer than one with a wooden door.
Building Your First Base
Your first base does not need to be a fortress. It needs to be small, hidden, and have a sheet metal door.
- Find a hidden spot away from monuments and main roads. Look for valleys, forests, or behind hills.
- Build a 1x2 or 2x2 with an airlock (two doors in a row). The airlock prevents door campers from entering when you open the door.
- Upgrade to stone immediately. Stone walls cost raiders 2 C4 or 4 rockets. Wood walls burn with a torch.
- Place a tool cupboard inside and authorize on it. This prevents other players from building near your base.
- Add a sleeping bag and a furnace. Store your best loot in the innermost room.
COMMON MISTAKE
Do not build too big too fast. Large bases attract attention and are expensive to upgrade. A small, well-upgraded 2x2 with honeycomb is safer than a massive wood fortress.
Avoiding Early Death
Most beginners die repeatedly because they make these mistakes. Avoid them and you will progress 10x faster.
- Do not run on roads at the start. Roads have traffic and players looking for easy kills. Stick to forests and fields.
- Do not farm with your rock visible. Put it away when running. A player with a rock looks like free loot.
- Listen for footsteps. Rust has excellent directional audio. If you hear steps, hide or prepare to fight.
- Do not trust anyone. Friendly players often betray you. Only team with people you know outside the game.
- Log out in a secure room with your door closed. Offline players are easy targets if they are visible.
Progression Checklist
| Stage | Goals | Time Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Naked | Get 200 wood, craft stone hatchet | 2 minutes |
| Primitive | Spear, bow, sleeping bag, small base | 15 minutes |
| Early Game | Sheet metal door, furnace, metal tools | 1 hour |
| Mid Game | Revolver or SAR, roadsign armor, larger base | 3-5 hours |
| Late Game | Assault rifle, metal armor, explosives | 10+ hours |
PRO TIP
Recycle components at the Outpost or Bandit Camp for scrap. Scrap lets you research items at the workbench. Researching a sheet metal door or a semi-auto rifle early accelerates your entire wipe.