Building a secure base in Rust can be very complex and time-consuming. MeinMMO shows you how to build a secure base in no time. Our author Florian Franck received support from MeinMMO reader “PaTToN”, a Rust veteran who has played over 1,000 hours of Rust since 2020.
The guide shows you how to build a base as a solo player or as a duo. The layout is compact to keep upkeep as low as possible. The larger you build your base, the higher the upkeep, which means the costs to maintain the base.
In addition to the actual construction of the base, you should note some important points beforehand. If you follow these steps, you can swing the hammer and construct the site into your own home.
The best places for your base
For your own base, you need resources. You should also carry enough food and water with you. We will explain in detail which resources you need. You will also learn why the location of the base is extremely important and why you should take your time when searching.
This is what you need for your base: Two resources are essential when building a base in Rust: wood and stone. You need about 10,000 pieces of both so you can fully concentrate on the construction. You need wood for the foundation, which initially consists of twigs. The stones are needed to upgrade the foundation, walls, and roofs.
How to find the right location for your base: When searching for a suitable location for the base, several factors play a role. Check if all the conditions of the following checklist are met:
- There are no cliffs or rocks in the immediate vicinity
- A river or freshwater lake is reachable within two minutes
- There are edible plants or wild boars in the immediate vicinity
- The location is not in close proximity to an NPC camp
- The location is not in sight of another base
- The location is not in a snow or desert biome
- Other players do not walk past or fly over the base on their way to the oil rig
Why the checklist is important in PvP: On a PvE server, you can build your base freely without needing to pay attention to all the points on the checklist. On such a server, it is important that water and food are accessible and you have enough space for building. In PvP, however, you should adhere to the points mentioned above. Aside from the obvious reasons, such as having enough space to build and food sources nearby, your base in PvP should not be discovered by chance.
NPC camps are often visited by other players because they have shops. Larger groups and clans frequently roam the snow biome as more and especially higher quality resources can be found there. A small base is a found distraction on a loot tour and is often raided.
A good neighborhood is rare in Rust. For this reason, you should not build your base within sight of other dwellings. You can see the locations of the oil rigs on the map. These are popular destinations in the endgame. If players are on their way there, they often attack bases along the way. As a solo player or in a small group, these attacks can become tiring quickly.
The framework for the Rust base is crucial
In addition to the right location for the base, you should also be clear about how the base will look like before you start building. As a solo player or in a small group, you should build as space-saving as possible, as the maintenance costs for the base depend on its size.
In this guide, we will go into one of many different variants and explain it in detail.
The YouTuber “Evil Wurst” showcases many more layouts for bases in Rust on his channel. He goes into great detail about each design. An example of a layout can be found in the following video:
This guide is about a more compact and smaller base that can also be built quickly by beginners and is well secured at the same time.
This is how the construction begins: First, place two square foundations as a base and add a rectangular foundation on the longer side. On the outside of the rectangle, place a doorframe; this will later be the entrance to your base.
A doorframe is also placed on the longer side of the rectangle. This is the first step for a later airlock. This airlock provides you with additional protection against hostile players.
Place walls from the inside in the remaining corners. In Rust, walls have a soft and hard side. The soft side gives in faster under attacks. Make sure the hard side is facing outwards. If you place the walls from the foundations, the reinforced side will automatically face outward.
Start directly with upgrading the structures: Once the layout of your new home is set, you should immediately begin upgrading the structures. Look at the structures with the hammer in hand and perform an upgrade with stone.
Next, place the doors in the airlock. The entrance door should be placed inward. The second door is installed from the inside of the base. Secure the doors immediately with a combination lock. Set a code right away and make sure the red light is on. The green light indicates that the door is open to everyone – and you definitely want to avoid that in Rust.
Once the doors are in place, put down floors to secure the roof. These should also be upgraded with stone once placed. Only at this point is your base secured for the beginning.
The resource cupboard goes in the corner: The resource cupboard (english “Tool Cupboard”) is placed in the corner of the base. Secure this with a combination lock and assign a code immediately. Otherwise, other players can gain direct access to the cupboard and also build in this area.
This is how you can build on two levels inside: To build a rectangular floor at half height inside, you first need to place a rectangular foundation outside. On this, place half-height walls and a floor. Then you can place a rectangular floor on the inside. This allows you to place chests on two levels for more storage space.
Securing the base in Rust from the outside
The double roof: To ensure that attackers do not have to destroy only one wall to enter your base, additional reinforcements are needed. Place half-height walls and more floors on the roof. If someone tries to break into your base from the roof, they will have to destroy two floors at this point.
Two walls at every point: Place triangular foundations around your base. The point of the triangle should always face away from the base. Place walls there and do not forget to upgrade all foundations and walls with stone. Additionally, place floors on the walls. This way, attackers always have to destroy two walls to reach your home. When building the outer walls, be sure that the hard side faces outwards.
Optional ways to enhance the entrance area: The entrance area can be additionally expanded with a triangular foundation. This is useful if you want to create a shopfront for trading with other players or place a research station. This area is also secured with a door. You will not gain additional protection unless the attacking team really wants to blow through three doors. Most teams commonly use C4, which is one of the strongest items in Rust. The third door is also placed inward. This way, you have built another airlock.
Building out the Rust base from the inside
Once your base is secured from the outside, start the interior construction. Place the chests in the back corner of your base, also utilizing the rectangular floor placed at half height. Placing the chests can be a bit tricky, but in the end, you will have sufficient storage space and make optimal use of the base’s area.
Sleeping bag, workbench, campfire and furnace: There is enough space next to the door to place a workbench. Opposite the door, you can place two furnaces and a campfire. Place the sleeping bags opposite the workbench next to the chests. If you use the space well, you can fit two sleeping bags in the base.
If you follow these steps, you will have a secure base in Rust and can survive as a duo or solo player.
A base alone offers protection, but there are still many dangers in Rust, as MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus noted: I was beat up in Rust for 23 hours – Here’s how to do it better.
Have you already built your own base in Rust, and how secure was it? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!
