[Top 10] RUST Best Base Locations

A walled compound in Rust.
A large compound in Rust.


Choosing your base location can be difficult but doing so correctly and carefully can have an enormous impact on how successful you are in the game. The maps in Rust are often procedurally generated, so this guide is not going to address any specific maps but rather all maps in general.

10. Snow Biome

The snow biome is primarily known for one thing – being cold. However, it is also a better place to find animals and places to farm ores and stone. Besides, if you want your privacy then you are more likely to be left alone living in the snow. Just dress warm!

Snow Biome Advantages:

  • The harsh temperatures mean less players will be around
  • There tend to be more metal and stone spawns here
  • Animals also spawn in the snow biome more often

How to Get There:

  • Use your map
  • Walk towards the snowy area or respawn until you are near it
  • Build your base immediately or at least use a campfire to stay warm

9. Near Roads

Roads are throughout the maps of Rust, making good places to find other players as well as plentiful barrels and crates for scrap and component farming. If you build near one of these, expect more PVP and attention to your base, as well as easier component farming.

Roads Advantages:

  • Plenty of barrels and crates
  • More PVP
  • Easier access to scrap and components

How to Get There:

  • Roads are everywhere
  • They are easy to see on your map
  • Run towards one and follow it for as long as you would like

8. Forest Biome

Living in a forest is a great bet in Rust. You will have plenty of wood to last for as long as you live there and there are more animals that spawn here. You also might find it wise to hide your base among a tree stand.

Forest Advantages:

  • Plenty of trees
  • Easy to hide a base in the forest
  • Not as extreme of temperatures

How to Get There:

  • As will always be the case, use your map
  • You can walk there, or you can respawn until you spawn nearby
  • Forests will be in the green locations on the map

7. The Desert Biome

The desert may be lacking in trees, but there is one thing it isn’t lacking in: metal and stone. There are quite a lot of nodes for these resources scattered around the deserts of Rust, and this is nice because the stone and metal mining areas tend to be more difficult to find than other resources.

Desert Advantages:

  • Plenty of stone and metal ore
  • The heat can make it a more sparsely populated area
  • Higher likelihood of finding sulfur

How to Get There:

  • Look at the map
  • Run towards it or respawn until you are there
  • Getting a base built is important to protect from the elements

6. Near Recycling Monuments

Recycling monuments such as gas stations or warehouses tend to be lower traffic than larger monuments, but there is certainly still the potential for PVP. You will also have some easy access to barrels and crates, as well as (of course) a recycler.

Near Recycling Monuments Advantages:

  • Easy access to recycler
  • Better access to components and scrap
  • More PVP and player interactions

How to Get There: 

  • These are scattered throughout the map
  • Use your map to find one
  • Run there and set up shop

5. Near Launch Site

This is the first large monument of the list. Large monuments are good to build by because they can yield necessary components and scrap more easily than if you had to come from far away, and they are sites for high player traffic and therefore a lot of PVP. If PVP is your thing, build near one of these!

Launch Site Advantages:

  • Quickly get plenty of components and scrap
  • Find valuable items in the military crates
  • Excellent for finding PVP
  • Use the workbenches, research benches, etc. that are on location

How to Get There:

  • Find it on the map
  • Run there – kill yourself to get closer if need be
  • Get a base set up nearby where there aren’t too many people building already

4. Near Dome

The dome is one of the most iconic locations in all of Rust. It has been around since the earliest days of the game. Building near it can mean reliable access to components, especially oil!

Dome Advantages:

  • Easy access to crates, barrels, and oil
  • No need to build a refinery, just use the two at dome
  • Make other players wish they had stayed away from your neighborhood by killing them and taking their loot

How to Get There:

  • Find the dome on the map
  • Run there
  • Find a good spot nearby without too many bases next to you

3. Near Airfield

If you want to be close to a ready supply of components and scrap, build near the airfield or any other large monument. This will also be a place to easily find other players to combat. Use caution – higher player density can mean more raid likelihood!

Near Airfield Advantages:

  • This is a good location for PVP
  • You will have easy access to components, scrap, recycling, and the various benches
  • High player traffic means you might consider roof camping

How to Get There:

  • Use your map to find the airfield
  • Run there
  • Find a good spot nearby to set up shop

2. Rock Base

Having a rock base was one of my high points in Rust. A rock base can be well defended, built strongly, and will have an incredible vantage point over the surrounding area. Make sure the foundation is wide enough, so you don’t get foundation wiped, though!

Rock Base Advantages:

  • Incredible views from the top
  • Can make entry very difficult
  • Using spikes is a good way to keep enemies away

How to Get There:

  • There are large boulders all around the map
  • Look for one that cannot be jumped up the side of, only climbed with stairs or ladders
  • Build your own stairs or ladders behind locked doors and use spikes to deny entry anywhere else

1. Cave Base

Having a cave base means you will have one of the strongest and most defensible base locations possible in Rust. The caves walls themselves are indestructible, meaning that players will have to go through the cave tunnels to get into your base. You can booby trap these or create extremely fortified entrances.

Cave Base Advantages:

  • Easy to fortify
  • Easy to defend
  • Difficult to raid

How to Get There:

  • Press F1 while loading the map to see the map size and seed
  • Enter this size and seed on playrust.io under the “generate map” button
  • This will show you a detailed map of the server that includes cave locations

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Long has Jonathan dwelt in the caves of living room and basement, hands wrapped around a controller or upon the mighty keyboard and mouse... Legend has it that he may sometime pause to write about it.
Gamer Since: 2005
Favorite Genre: FPS
Currently Playing: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
Top 3 Favorite Games:Arma 3, Total War: Rome II, Mirrors Edge Catalyst


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