If you are one of those players who played the PC version of Rust and wanted to try out Rust Mobile for yourself, consider us an ally on this journey. It can be quite infuriating for a new player to understand the core mechanics and further learn how to progress efficiently. That’s why we have crafted this Rust Mobile progression guide. It tackles some of the more common issues faced by beginners.

Master the Starting Scenario of Rust Mobile

Every journey starts the same way in Rust. You wake up on the sand with very little to your name. Your rock is your most valuable tool for the first five minutes. Use it to hit trees for wood and large brown boulders for stone. Your immediate priority is crafting a stone hatchet and a stone pickaxe. These tools allow you to gather resources much faster than the rock ever could. While you are gathering keep an eye out for hemp plants.

These give you cloth which is necessary for crafting a hunting bow. The bow is your first line of defense and your primary hunting tool. Without it you are an easy target for anyone with a better weapon or even a fast animal.

While you are in this primitive stage you should also look for food. Red berries or pumpkins near rivers will keep your health and hunger bars full. Do not spend too long on the beach because it is a high traffic area where other new players will be looking to fight for the same resources. Move inland toward a forested area where you can hide your progress.

Secure a Base to Call it Home

Once you have a few thousand wood and stone it is time to build. You cannot progress in Rust Mobile without a base to store your loot and a place to respawn. Most experienced players suggest building a small two by one structure. This means a base that is two foundations long and one foundation wide. The most important part of this base is the airlock. An airlock consists of two doors placed in a way that if someone kills you while you are walking out they cannot get into the rest of your base.

After placing your foundations and walls you must place a Tool Cupboard. This is the heart of your base. It prevents other players from building onto your structure and it is where you store resources for upkeep. If you do not put enough wood or stone in the cupboard your base will slowly decay and disappear. Upgrade your wooden walls to stone as quickly as possible. Wood is very easy for other players to burn down with a flamethrower or even hit through with basic tools. Stone provides a solid layer of protection that requires explosives to break.

Master The Scrap Economy and Build Workbenches

Progress in this game is tied to a resource called Scrap. You find scrap by breaking barrels and opening crates along roads or at monuments. Think of scrap as the currency of knowledge. You need it to learn how to craft better items and to build workbenches. There are three tiers of workbenches in the game.

The Tier 1 Workbench allows you to craft basic items like the revolver and the wooden ladder. The Tier 2 Workbench is where the game really opens up because it gives you access to the Semi Auto Rifle and better armor.

The Tier 3 Workbench is for the late game where you craft the assault rifle and heavy explosives. You can progress through these tiers by using the tech tree inside the workbench menu. This allows you to spend scrap to unlock items in a specific order. Alternatively you can use a Research Table if you find a specific item out in the world and want to learn how to make it immediately.

Explore New Monuments

To get the best loot you have to leave the safety of your forest and visit monuments. These are named locations on the map like the Gas Station or the Airfield. Small monuments usually have crates that give you components like gears and springs which you can grind down into scrap using a Recycler.

Keycards

The larger monuments contain puzzles that require keycards. You usually start by finding a Green Keycard at a simple location like the Lighthouse. You take that card to a medium tier monument to find a Blue Keycard. Finally the Blue Keycard leads you to the Red Keycard which is found at high danger areas like the Power Plant or Water Treatment. These puzzles often require you to find a fuse and flip a switch to power the card readers. The rewards are high tier crates that contain weapons and armor you cannot find anywhere else.

Mid-Game Progression Strategy for Rust Mobile

Once you have a steady supply of scrap and a Tier 2 Workbench your goal is to stop being a victim. This is the stage where you craft Road Sign Armor and a Semi Auto Rifle. This gear set is the standard for most players because it is relatively affordable but offers great protection and firepower.

At this point you should also consider expanding your base. Adding a second floor or a honeycomb layer of extra walls around your core will make it much harder for raiders to reach your loot. High external wooden walls can also be placed around your perimeter to give you a safe yard to move around in. This is also the time to start stockpiling gunpowder and explosives.

Late-Game Progression Strategy for Rust Mobile

The final stage of progression is all about power. When you reach Tier 3 you are looking for the Assault Rifle and the Bolt Action Rifle. These weapons allow you to win almost any fight if your aim is true. However the real endgame of Rust Mobile is raiding. Using C4 or Rockets to break into another player’s base is the most intense experience the game offers.

Raiding requires a lot of preparation. You need to craft enough explosives to get through multiple layers of stone or metal walls. It is always a gamble because you never know if the loot inside will be worth the cost of the explosives. Successful players often scout a base for a few days to see when the owners are offline or to find a weak point in the roof.

Players can enjoy playing Rust Mobile on a bigger screen of their PC or Laptop via BlueStacks along with your keyboard and mouse.