18 — New Player Onboarding

Last updated: May 18, 2026

You just installed Rust. You're about to spawn naked on a beach. You will die many times. This file is the survival guide for surviving the first 8 hours and not quitting.

What is Rust?

Survival multiplayer game. You spawn naked on a server with up to 200 other naked players. You build a base, gather resources, kill animals, fight other players, and try to survive. Wipes happen weekly or biweekly on most servers — meaning everyone starts from scratch.

There is no real "win condition." You play to survive longer, raid more, build bigger, until next wipe.

First-time setup

Settings to change before first match:

1. Mouse sensitivity: start at 0.3 in Rust. Adjust to taste.
2. Field of View: 90 (max).
3. Graphics: start at Medium. Drop to Low for FPS if needed.
4. Voice push-to-talk: bind to V or your preferred key.
5. Resolution: native resolution of your monitor.

Picking your first server

Filters that matter:

• Vanilla 2x — modded "2x gather rate" Vanilla = good entry. Faster progression.
• Population: 50-100 players is the sweet spot for new players. 200+ is brutal.
• Wipe schedule: weekly wipes = always fresh starts. Monthly = harder but more depth.
• Region: pick a server geographically close to you for low ping (under 100ms ideal).
• No KOS rules: "RP" or "PvE" servers prohibit kill-on-sight. Easier for learning. Real game is PvP though.

Recommended for your first wipe: a vanilla 2x weekly-wipe server, 100 max players, low-medium population, region matching yours.

Why you keep dying

Common new-player death causes, ranked:

1. KOS at spawn: another player shoots you for fun. Inevitable. Just respawn.
2. Wandering into a monument with no gear: scientists kill you. Don't enter monuments unarmed.
3. Sleeping naked. Wake up to a 1-rocket raid. Always sleep in armor.
4. Engaging a fight you can't win: never fight unless you have to.
5. Forgetting hunger/thirst: you stop regenerating and slowly die.
6. Falling from a height: 15m+ falls = lethal.
7. Eating raw meat: food poisoning damages you. Always cook first.
8. Drinking ocean water: dehydrates and damages.
9. Approaching a bear naked: bears kill you in 3 hits.
10. Raid in progress, you die in the doorway: never push a raid alone.

Your first hour goals

In order:

1. Punch trees and rocks. Get 500 wood, 200 stone.
2. Run away from spawn area (other naked players).
3. Find a quiet location. Place a building plan, build a 1x1 wood shelter with wood walls/door.
4. Place a Tool Cupboard inside (1k wood).
5. Place a sleeping bag (30 cloth from killing a deer).
6. Place 1-2 wood storage boxes.
7. Eat a cooked deer or some berries. Drink water from a river.
8. Visit a Lighthouse — easy crates, 50-80 scrap.

By hour 1, you have a tiny shelter, a respawn point, basic loot. You won't be raided yet (you're not interesting enough).

Your first day goals

• Build a stone 1x1 (upgrade your wood shelter): 1,500 stone
• Get to Workbench 1 (research 75 scrap or find at Outpost/Bandit)
• Make a basic weapon: Eoka pistol (75 wood + 30 frags + 15 metal blade) or bow + 20 arrows
• Hit 2-3 monuments: Lighthouse, Junkyard, Abandoned Cabins
• Bank 200+ scrap
• Get sheet metal door (75 frags)

What to do when you die

1. Respawn at your sleeping bag (T to use it).
2. Run back to your corpse if possible — your loot is on it, decays over 30 min.
3. If your bag is at a stranger's base — that bag is exposed; place a new one safer.
4. If you died in a heated fight — wait 5-10 min before pushing back. Stalemate is okay.

When to hide

The game has natural "quiet hours" where almost no one fights — early morning server time. Use these to monument-run safely.

When you see/hear other players:

• Crouch, listen, watch. Don't sprint into the unknown.
• Hide behind cover. Don't expose your silhouette on hills.
• Move at night. Players are less attentive after dark.

Useful early-game tips

• Stockpile basic resources before logging off. Wake up to a fully-stocked stash.
• Build hidden caches: small boxes outside your main base for emergency gear.
• Sleeping bag near your loot: if raided, you spawn next to your stuff.
• Don't argue in chat. Stay quiet. Loud chat draws attention.
• Learn to identify weapons by sound: AK sounds different from MP5, satchel different from rocket. Audio = info.
• Don't run with all your gear. Bring a backup set so death doesn't ruin your day.

When to quit (the wipe, not the game)

The wipe is over for you mentally when:

• Your main base just got raided cleanly. Start fresh next wipe.
• You died 3 times in a row to the same enemy. Take a break, log back later.
• It's been 4+ days into wipe and you have no progress. Likely on too-hard a server.

Useful concepts to learn first

• Workbench tiers — 01_Building.md and 09_Wipe_Day_Playbook.md
• Honeycombing — 01_Building.md
• Soft/hard side rule — every external wall, every time
• Recycling — 07_Scrap_Farming.md
• Tea brewing — 16_Tea_Recipes.md (intermediate-advanced)

What's next?

Once you've survived a few hours:

• Read 09_Wipe_Day_Playbook.md for the hour-by-hour optimal progression
• Read 01_Building.md for proper base building math
• Read 07_Scrap_Farming.md to understand the economy
• Read 12_Combat_and_PvP.md for actual gunplay
• Read 08_Monuments_Guide.md for where to find loot

You'll die a lot. That's the game. Every wipe you'll die less. After 100 hours, you'll know what you're doing. After 500 hours, you'll be the one killing nakeds at spawn.

GG.