The world of Rust is a dangerous one that will get players who aren't careful killed in a heartbeat. When out trying to survive in Rust many players choose to team up with others in order to protect themselves from hostile NPCs and bloodthirsty gangs of other players. While in a larger group it is much easier to keep an eye out for other threats and also stay safer in the long run.
The biggest issue though is that some players don't have others that they want to play with or they have joined a server where they can't find a group of like-minded individuals. In this case, the player will need to go it alone and do their best to try and survive in this hard world. To do so though the player is going to need to employ different techniques and strategies than they would with a group of other players. This guide shows players how to survive alone in Rust.
Rust: How to Survive As A Solo Player
Think of Everything as Hostile - The first thing for players to get in their head is that any creature or player that they come across should be considered a hostile combatant. While not every player in the game is a homicidal maniac, everyone has the potential to be. This means that a solo should never risk trusting another player until they are settled down and in a position to defend themselves should someone turn on them. By picturing everything as hostile the player can ensure that they will survive for much longer.
Run As Far From High Population Areas As Possible - One of the biggest mistakes that a player can make early on in Rust is deciding to hang out in the spawn area or spending time near monuments on the map. These are places where large amounts of players will congregate and enemy groups will probably choose to build their bases. Solo players should instead choose to flee as far from these areas as possible to ensure that they aren't hunted down by roving gangs of players. It may even be a good idea to try and craft some decent clothes as quickly as possible and rush to the snowy part of the map because less players will spend time there.
Don't Build Immediately - While it may seem counterintuitive to not build a base to store extra gear at first, this can really wind up being a waste of time and resources for a solo player. When trying to gather some gear in the early hours of the game the player should keep an eye out for mostly intact bases that have already been raided. The player can then fix them up for a small amount of resources and install their own bedroll to respawn in if they die. The player can then collect any resources nearby to gather enough to construct their own base exactly where they wish.
Keep Things Small - Once the player decides to build their own place they won't want to build anything extravagant at first. The better idea is to build a base as small as possible that is still secure enough to hold all of the player's gear. Even if the player has enough to build themselves a decently sized base at this point they will want to avoid doing so until they have all the resources required to construct something capable of protecting them from well-equipped players. The larger a base is then the bigger a target it will become for a group of raiders, whereas a smaller but sturdier base will be easier to defend against the smaller groups of players it will attract.
Avoid Fighting a Losing Battle - Killing other players for their loot is half the fun of Rust, but solo players will only want to fight when they are certain they can win. A one-on-one or one-on-two fight is no big deal if the player has decent weapons and armor, but even well-equipped players should avoid picking a fight with a whole squad. More often than not the only time that the player should fight when woefully outnumbered is if they are defending their base directly or there is no other method of escape. Raiding larger bases alone is recipe for disaster.
Don't Be Opposed to Going Cannibal - Is this gross? Yes. Is it necessary? Sometimes. As a solo player, it can be very difficult to come across regular supplies of food in the earlier hours of a game. Farming will up far too much time out of the player's day and it's pretty likely that some other player will steal the crops they worked so hard on. Hunting other animals is an effective strategy, but when starving there isn't enough time to track down a deer or pig. In many circumstances, the best option is to kill and harvest sleeping or defenseless players and harvest their meat. Many AFK players can be found near the beach or laying on the ground, so players should take advantage of this.
Be Prepared For A Fight At All Times - This kind of goes hand in hand with considering everyone to be hostile, but players should always be prepared to fight. This means that when going out to look for resources or food players should ensure that they are properly equipped to handle anything that is thrown at them. Players will want to have access to a close-up melee weapon, a ranged weapon, several healing items, and even some armor before they decide to go out exploring. Some players will just kill anything they see, so it's best to ready for it when out in the world.
Use the Cover Of Night - Those who really don't want to get involved in a fight with someone may want to instead just avoid contact with other players entirely. A super-easy way to do this is by deciding to sneak around during the night when going out to forage rather than doing it during the daytime. Most players spend the night crafting or improving their base, so this leaves a smart player plenty of time to explore the world and acquire everything they need. Care will need to be taken if the player needs to use a torch though because the light can lead any nearby hostiles to the area.
Be Nice to Nearby Neighbors - While the player should consider everyone around them hostile, that doesn't mean that they should immediately kill everyone they see. Instead, anyone who sets up shop near a player's home base should be seen as a potential ally or at least someone who should be avoided. If the player decides to start raiding and killing those that live nearby they will quickly create enemies who know where they live. Try to only raid people who live further away and once players are properly settled they can try to make friends with those nearby players to have trading partners.
Anything Outside The Base Should Be Considered Lost - The biggest piece of advice that any Rust player can remember is that anything they have on them after leaving their base should be considered lost. The world is so dangerous that it is very likely that an enemy will kill the player and loot their body, so they should only carry things on their person that they are willing to part with permanently. Just acquired high-quality weapons or armor? Don't bring them along until a second set is sitting in a locked chest back home. This will ensure that deaths are much less frustrating.
Rust can be played on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.