The 4 Best Beginner Steps to Rust

Rust, a multiplayer game developed by Facepunch Studios and Double Eleven, has had on-and-off surges of popularity since its release in 2013. Whether it's bored teens or chaotic Twitch streamers leading the charge, Rust is the kind of game that's easy to enjoy with friends. It's even easier to come back years later and still have a fun time. 

However, each time Rust gets trendy, new players join and are often stomped on by game veterans. 

To help out, here's a quick beginner's guide to Rust.

1.) Before the Game

When you plan on starting your Rust experience, you have to first think about the server you'll be joining. For newbies, it's best to pick one with less than 50-100 people in it. You'll have an easier time leveling up. Also, the spread of players across the map can give you a better shot at avoiding hostility.

Also, know that whatever you accomplish, whatever you build, will be reset in a few weeks. Rust servers don't save all your builds forever. Otherwise, players would overfill servers with half-made beginner's huts and scary, giant bases made by hardcore players. So, don't get surprised if one day you have to start your adventure from the beginning (generally on the first Thursday of every month).

2.) So, You've Spawned

At the beginning of Rust, you appear on a beach and start with a torch and a rock. Your controls rely on the typical WASD system, jump using the spacebar, and access your inventory using TAB. 

More importantly, though, use that WASD to book it away from your spawn point. Some more experienced players camp the spawn beach to kill new arrivals, so it's best to go somewhere else as soon as possible.

Once you're far enough away, you can explore the crafting you can do in your inventory, the voice chat, etc.

3.) Survival

The first main goal in Rust is surviving. NPCs and other players are often hostile, so until you feel safer and more established, it's best to avoid them. For best results, find a quiet, uninhabited corner on the map and build your base there (but do be careful of irradiated areas; players avoid it for a reason). 

Some quick tricks for safety during the early hours of Rust include:

• Night-travel is optimal because torches are easy to see and avoid

• Alt-looking helps keep an eye out for enemies

• The ocean tends to be a great, less-traveled place to look for scrap

4.) Building Your Base

Now that you've found a safe haven in the chaos, you need to farm resources. These are Rust's primary resources: Wood, stone, metal fragments, high-quality metal, sulfur, and cloth. 

Your best bet is to focus on farming stone and wood first so that you can make a stone hatchet (100 stone, 200 wood), a stone pickaxe (100 stone, 200 wood), and a campfire (100 wood and six more wood per minute).

Past that, you'll want to build a simple base design for yourself. The core items for a basic base are a foundation, walls, a door, storage crates, and a bedroll. 

Once you start building sturdier walls, do be careful that your weakened wall is facing inside your house, not outside. If not, random people can easily destroy your base on a whim. 

However, throughout this entire experience, don't overfarm your resources. Otherwise, you'll force yourself out of your own area, and ravaging your territory can ruin all the hard work you've done to build a safe base in a safe space, forcing you to start all over again somewhere else.