The world of Rust is brutal and unforgiving, especially for solo players, but there are some precautions that solo players can take to ensure their survival. Playing by yourself is a dangerous game, especially when there’s no party size limit in Rust. Death is inevitable, and you’re going to get raided every now and again, but you can stay alive for much longer if you’re smart. Solo play has its benefits, but there are many additional drawbacks that you’ll have to worry about if you can’t play with a group. These are the best tips for solo players in Rust Console Edition.
1. Play on a Less Populated Server
Playing on a smaller server is a great idea if you’re planning on playing Rust on your own. While there will still be large groups and teams on less populated servers, the map won’t be as crowded with large bases and complexes. You’ll be able to put more space between your base and everyone else’s, and you’ll be able to find a secluded area to avoid detection from roaming raiders. Playing on a crowded server just increases the chances of running into trouble. Also, make sure to join a server right at the beginning of a wipe. Small server or not, coming in a few days after everyone else has started is a surefire way to get harassed by gangs with more advanced weapons and tools than you.
2. Build Your Base in the Snow
The snowy areas of the map are usually avoided by most Rust players, which means they’re the perfect place to build your solo base. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever run into anyone else, but you won’t see as many people as you would in the grassy areas of the map. You will have to craft some clothes first to ensure you can survive the cold, but you’ll only need a small amount of Cloth to craft a basic shirt and pants that will keep you warm enough. Also, the snowy areas are usually full of resource nodes like Sulfur and Stone, so you won’t have to look too hard to find crafting materials. You’ll still have to venture out into the main areas of the map for some materials and monuments, but building in the snow will give you some safety and seclusion from everyone else. Bonus points if you can build somewhere that’s out of sight from roads and other well-treaded areas.
3. Use the Campfire Trick to Detect Unwanted Visitors
You can actually use a campfire to see if someone is waiting outside your base. Light a campfire and check how much Comfort you have. Is it over 50 percent? You’re getting door camped. Comfort typically caps at 50% if you’re alone, and that number only goes up if there are other people nearby. If you’re a solo player and see you have more than 50 percent, there’s someone else nearby. Make sure you have a campfire in your base so you can always see if someone is waiting outside your door. It makes a great security system and doesn’t take too many resources to craft. Of course, some decorative items like the Bear Rug can increase your comfort too, so take those into account if you have them in your base. Still, if your Comfort is a little higher than it should be, it always means that someone else is close by.
4. Use Head Look
Head look is a great way to keep track of your surroundings while staying on the move. You can enable it in Rust Console Edition, but it’s buried in the settings menu. Go the Options page from the pause menu, then go to Controls and select Control Layout. This will bring up a map of the controller and all the buttons. L1/LB is bound to Quick Drop by default, but this button can be swapped to many different special actions. Press Triangle/Y to swap the special action until you see head look. This will let you hold L1/LB to freely look around the environment while running. This allows you to stay on the move and still check out what’s behind you. It’s a popular strategy on the PC version of Rust, and it can help keep you alive.
5. Keep Your Base Small
If you’re playing Rust solo, then you don’t need a huge extravagant base. Try to keep things simple if you’re playing by yourself. A simple 1×1 or 1×2 base can house everything you need, and it won’t take as many resources to upgrade your walls and defenses. It can be enticing to build a giant base with a sprawling design, but all this does is place a target on it for raiders. That doesn’t mean you won’t get raided if you have a small base, but some gangs of raiders will only focus on the big complexes because they tend to have more loot. Also, you can more easily upgrade a small base to allow for more protection from raiders. A 1×2 with metal or armored walls won’t be worth the trouble to most raiders, so try to build a small base and upgrade it as fast as possible to secure your stuff.
6. Don’t Fight Unless You Know You Can Win
Look, I get it. Battling other players and raiding bases is half the fun in Rust, but you’re a solo player. If you want to survive on your own, you have to fight dirty. Don’t pick a fight unless you’re 100% sure you can get out alive. Wait for two groups to fight each other, and then swoop in to finish off the survivors while they’re looting. If you see another solo player enter their base, door camp them for easy loot. Leave the big gangs alone, take advantage of anyone you can, and try to stay out of sight. Also, don’t engage anyone until you have a strong, secure base and decent weapons. You’re not going to win a 3v1 with a bow, but if you can catch some players off guard when you have a gun, you can wipe them out. Use stealth to your advantage and third-party other people whenever you can.
7. Don’t Get Discouraged
This goes without saying, but Rust is an unforgiving game. You’re going to die, you’re going to lose all your stuff, you’re going to get raided, and you’re going to lose your base. All of it is inevitable, especially if you’re a solo player. This is all just a part of the game though, so don’t get discouraged and log off if you find out you’ve been offline raided by a gang of raiders who apparently don’t go to school or have jobs. Log back in, salvage what you can, and start building things again. After all, everything in Rust is temporary, and you’ll get a shot against everyone else with a clean slate when the server wipes. Rust can be a frustrating game, but that’s just part of the experience.
Rust is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
