Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Get Started

How do you get start started in Rust Console Edition? This punishing PlayStation 4 survival game unfolds in a persistent online world, where you'll not only need to secure your own safety but will need to deal with unpredictable human encounters. While it's possible to team up with the strangers you meet, many will have killed you and looted your corpse before you even have time to plead your case. This makes your decisions in the early moments of your game extremely important. In this Rust Console Edition guide, we're going to explain how to get started, by explaining how to find Wood, Stone, and Cloth. We'll also explain how to build a Base, how to create a respawn point using a Sleeping Bag, and share some general suggestions for what to do next.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Select a Server

The first thing you'll need to do in Rust Console Edition is select a server. Servers are wiped periodically in Rust Console Edition, so you'll want to pay attention to the server's creation date and what kind of rotation it's on. If you're able to build a strong enough Base that's able to withstand enemy attention and properly maintain it, then your progress will be stored on the server until it's wiped — even if you turn off the game and spend time offline. For these beginner's tips, however, it's best to accept that you will lose loot and progress regularly. That's just the nature of the game, we're afraid.

To give yourself the best chance of survival, we'd recommend selecting a server that's not fully populated at the time you're playing. This will reduce human encounters, giving you more time to gather materials unobstructed. For the best performance, we'd recommend selecting a server based in your region, as this will obviously reduce lag and help you if you do get embroiled in combat scenarios.

Rust Console Edition Guide: Wake Up and Find Your Bearings

Each time you join a new server or start a new game in Rust Console Edition, you'll begin waking by the coast in nothing but your underwear. You'll start every game equipped with two items: a Rock and a Torch. The Rock can be used to chop down trees for Wood and mine Stone; the Torch can be used to see at night (use L2 to light it). Keep in mind that if you do use the Torch at night you'll attract the attention of other players who will be able to see your position. If you do happen to get into a skirmish, then you can use the Rock to defend yourself.

Take a look at the Map by holding the Up button on the d-pad to get your bearings. Generally, you're going to want to come in-land, away from the coast, because as mentioned that's where most players will spawn in. Try to stay away from roads if possible, and pick up Wood, Stone, and Cloth as you go (more on that below). You want to try and find a secluded area with lots of nearby resources within which to build a Base.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Get Wood, Stone, and Cloth

At the beginning of a new Rust Console Edition game, you're going to want to gather as much Wood, Stone, and Cloth as possible. Wood is fairly straightforward to collect: simply bash trees with your Rock using the R2 trigger. If you specifically target the painted 'X' characters that appear on the trunk, then you'll be able to topple the tree quicker, saving both time and the durability of your rock.

Stone and Cloth is a little harder to find, especially if you're a new player. Stone can be mined from pale boulders: these are generally larger than the other rocks you'll encounter in the world and have a distinct colour. Again, you can mine them using the Rock; target glowing sections to get the job done quicker. Cloth, meanwhile, can be collected from Hemp plants; these are dark green shrubs you'll encounter while out and about. They can be difficult to spot at first, but once you know what you're looking for you shouldn't have too much trouble locating them.

As you move in-land, keep an eye out for other ores like Metal Ore and Sulfur Ore, as this will come in useful later, and you may as well collect it if you see it.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Build Tools, Weapons, and Find Food

Once you've got some materials in your Inventory, we'd strongly suggest you begin Crafting some Weapons and Tools. Tap the Up button on your d-pad to bring up the Inventory screen to see what you've collected so far, and use the R2 and L2 buttons to toggle to the Crafting tab. As this stage, we'd recommend building a Wooden Spear, a Stone Hatchet, and a Stone Pickaxe. The Wooden Spear will enable you to defend yourself against animals and human adversaries. You'll also be able to use the Stone Hatchet and Stone Pickaxe to more efficiently harvest Wood and Stone respectively.

At this point, you're probably also going to need sustenance in the form of Food and Water. Keep an eye out for Mushrooms in forest areas; these can be eaten off the ground and provide just enough calories to keep you moving. Alternatively, you could try raiding other players' Pumpkin patches; just be careful they're not home. Water can be consumed from lakes and other pond-like areas. If you've got enough Cloth, you could consider crafting a Bota Bag, which can be filled with 500ml and transported with you as you continue to head in-land.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Create a Respawn Point Using a Sleeping Bag

If you were to die at this point, then you'd have to start all over again, so it's a good idea to really begin thinking about where you want to build your Base at this stage. We'd recommend finding a good area and then crafting a Sleeping Bag. Putting this on the floor will allow you to respawn inside it should you die, as long as it's not destroyed. This means that you won't have to make the long trek in-land again, and while you will lose your resources, it should be easy to gather up some Wood and Stone if you've picked a good spot to settle down.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Build a Base

Building a Base is probably the most important thing you can do in Rust Console Edition. Try to establish your digs in a discreet area surrounded by lots of resources, away from other players and other buildings. You'll need to craft the Building Plan to get started, and then equip it. Use the L2 button to start building some Foundations, and then add Walls, a Roof, and a Doorway. Keep it simple at this stage: you don't need a monolithic mansion; just somewhere to store your stuff and stay safe overnight. If you've haven't already, we'd recommend grabbing your Sleeping Bag and putting it inside — or crafting a new one if you prefer. Remember to give it a memorable name.

You'll also want to craft a Key Lock, and attach this to the door. This will prevent other players from opening the door and walking inside, although it's worth noting that at this point your Base won't be particularly strong and other players will be able to break in if they want to.

You'll also want to build a Tool Cupboard and put a Key Lock on that as well. This will ensure that the surrounding area is reserved for you, so no one else can build within a radius of 50 metres. If you have a friend or teammate that you want to share the Base with, then you can authorise them to do that. Similarly, you'll need to store some resources in your Tool Cupboard in order to maintain your Base and prevent it from decaying. This is especially important if you plan to log off and return to the Base at a later date.

Rust Console Edition Guide: How to Secure Your Base

As mentioned above, you will be able to return to your Base if you invest the required materials to prevent it from decaying. However, a poorly fortified Base will be destroyed by other players, so you'll need to spend a bit of time securing your digs. Craft the Hammer and equip it then hold the L2 button to bring up the radial menu and inspect your options. At this stage we'd strongly recommend upgrading to Stone; it's much more durable than Wood and should be relatively safe at this stage. You'll be able to Armour your Base at a later stage, but for now focus on getting it all upgraded to Stone so that you're relatively safe from other players.

Once you've completed all of these steps, you should have a strong enough platform to start exploring the rest of the game. This is just the beginning, but you're going to want to search Junk Piles and loot Monuments in search of rarer materials and Blueprints. Focus on building a Furnace to smelt ores, Clothing items to protect you, and a Workbench to begin researching more powerful weapons and utilities. Of course, these are just our suggestions, and it's entirely up to you how to play: what are your tips and tricks for how to get started in Rust Console Edition? Let us know in the comments section below.