Survive harder. Build smarter. Loot bigger.
Welcome to the Cosmo strategy hub for Rust. Everything below is vanilla, server-rules-friendly knowledge: early-game pacing, crafting reference, monument risk tiers, base building, workbench progression, the scrap economy, combat fundamentals, environmental hazards, and the safe console commands every wiped player should know.
The first thirty minutes decide your wipe.
Vanilla rates. Modded servers will differ: confirm in your in-game crafting menu.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bandage | 1 Cloth · 1 Rope | Stops bleeding instantly. Always have one hotbarred. |
| Sleeping Bag | 100 Cloth | Respawn anchor. Place first, place second, place third. |
| Wooden Spear | 200 Wood | Pre-bow combat tool. Cheap, throwable, surprisingly viable. |
| Bow | 200 Wood | Workbench-free ranged option for early-game pressure. |
| Stone Hatchet | 75 Wood · 50 Stone | Massive gather-rate upgrade over the starter rock. |
| Stone Pickaxe | 75 Wood · 50 Stone | Required for stone-tier and metal-ore mining speed. |
| Wood Storage Box | 100 Wood | Cheap, small, replaceable. Spread loot across many. |
| Tool Cupboard | 1000 Wood | Defines building privilege. One per base, placed deep inside. |
| Furnace | 200 Wood · 50 Stone | Smelts sulfur ore, metal ore, HQM. Core to the wipe economy. |
| Campfire | 50 Wood | Cooks meat, melts ice, lights interiors. First fire in any base. |
Risk vs reward. Match your hazmat coverage to your ambitions.
Outpost and Bandit Camp host recyclers: your scrap pipeline lives here.
Mid-tier components and the first reliable scrap density outside safe-zones.
End-game loot tables. Bring meds, friends, and an exit plan.
Single-layer walls die. Layered walls live.
F1 opens the in-game console. Every command below is vanilla, supported, and server-rules-friendly.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| kill | Suicides your character. Faster than the menu: useful when you spawned wrong, are trapped, or want to respawn at a specific bag. |
| disconnect | Leaves the current server cleanly. Better than alt-F4: saves your position and avoids the rejoin penalty on some servers. |
| combatlog | Prints your last few combat events with damage taken and dealt. Built-in, fully vanilla, your evidence when something feels off. |
| fps.limit 144 | Caps your framerate. Set it to your monitor’s refresh rate to reduce input latency and GPU load. |
| gc.collect | Forces a Unity garbage-collection pass. Small perf nudge after long sessions when memory creeps up. |
| perf 1 | Shows a small stats overlay (FPS, ping, memory). Useful while diagnosing stutters or troubleshooting performance. |
| client.connect IP:PORT | Direct-connects to a server by IP and port. Faster than browsing the in-game server list. |
| bind <key> <command> | Creates a custom keybind. Common: bind mouse2 +duck, bind q forward;sprint (auto-run). |
| find [string] | Searches the console for any command containing your string. Use this to discover other vanilla settings. |
Quick hits the loading screens never tell you.
Each bench unlocks a tier of blueprints and crafting. Without the bench, even researched items cannot be made.
Place the T1 bench inside your starter base. Many servers require you to research at the bench location.
T2 is the inflection point: once it is placed, you can hold mid-tier ground against most other groups.
T3 is what wins late-wipe fights. Protect this bench like it is your TC: a stolen T3 hurts more than a stolen base.
Scrap funds your blueprints. Components fund your scrap. Master the loop and the wipe is yours.
Fighting in Rust is positioning, sound, and self-care more than aim.
The map kills more new players than other players do.
These are your steady supply line. Hunt early, often, and cook before storing.
Most of these kill via attrition rather than burst damage. Manage hydration, comfort, and stamina before you engage.
Helicopter and Bradley reward serious coordination. Going solo is mostly a contribution to the next group’s loot pile.