Earlier this year, Evil Wurst graced the RUST community with a wonderful solo starter base guide that slipped past us, and we wanted to make sure to call out this video guide as it’s one of the strongest starting bases we’ve seen for a solo. Many new players to RUST struggle getting started and in this solo base design video, Evil Wurst walks us through some genuine protips for getting a strong start, each and every time you join a fresh wipe.
With just a few base-building techniques, players can keep their bases running efficiently and safely. While this base design isn’t meant to withstand any serious raiding capabilities, it does help to fight against the early game woes. Additionally, a well-hidden base that utilizes compact item placement techniques this well can allow players to store all of the necessary components needed to get their main build going while remaining completely inconspicuous.
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In Rust, the start that is going from being naked on the base to a place where you’re finally safe is the hardest part. Starter bases are your first safe haven. One of the most common starter bases in Rust for solo and duo players is the so-called 2×1. It basically consists of two squares, hence the name, and a triangle for the exit.
A perfect choice when all you have at your disposal to farm materials is your rock. This video guides you all the way from the beach to a complete and well-optimized 2×1 starter base. The strategy is meant to work even if you are new to the game and still tend to lose most of your fights.
As with everyone else, your story begins on the beach. Seeing all those other nakeds running amok, you may feel a primal temptation to join the frenzy and smash your rock into the skull of that other feather. Don’t. It will cost you precious time and health, and at best, leave you with a second rock. Instead, turn inland and run. Don’t look back.
Once you have a moment to catch your breath, open up the map and decide where you want to build. Try to stay away from large open areas. These usually get claimed by clans who terrorize the neighborhood with roof camping towers. Pick your location and continue the journey. On the way, pick up hemp and craft sleeping bags. Deploy a sleeping bag every now and then so that you won’t have to respawn all the way back at the beach should you get killed.
A lot of the famous gameplay YouTubers such as hJune, Wellin, Blueprint, or Stevie will fill their inventory before they start building and then chuck down the whole base at once. They can afford this since they know how to land shots with a bow. For us mortals without superhuman reflexes, I recommend gathering only the necessary minimum and build the base in tiny increments instead.
Once you reach the destination, throw down a sleeping bag or two in the bushes. Make sure that the second one is blue, not yellow. This way, if you respawn in one bag, the timer of the second bag won’t reset. If you picked up valuable items on the way, hide a box in a bush or a stash in one of those rocks. Hit a node in a tree to craft stone tools. Stone hatchets are optimized to farm wood. Stone pickaxes are meant to farm those nodes. The stone hatchet has priority. Wood is the most urgent need since you want to craft a building plan, a hammer, a tool cupboard, and a key lock.
Start with a foundation that’s a bit raised and add two walls. Upgrade them directly to stone if you can; otherwise, use wood. Place the tool cupboard, or TC for short, into this corner and lock it with a key lock. If you are solo, hold E and select the lock option. There’s no need to craft a key since the person who placed the lock can operate it without them. You now got a somewhat sturdy box for your material. That’s not great, but safer than on your body.
Continue farming and craft a wooden double door and another key lock. Fill in the third wall and a wall frame here, and place a double door so that it swings outwards. Secure it with a key lock, and close off the ceiling. If you play with a friend, open and close the door until you can afford code locks.
Put down a sleeping bag in front of the TC. Use the rear for a few small boxes. Place the campfire next to the door. Before you leave the base, light it up. If your comfort level goes above 50%, another player is close to the base. Either wait them out or respawn in one of your outside bags.
Once you’ve farmed more materials, add a second square. You will have to close the door to be able to place that foundation. On the side of the tool cupboard, add a doorway with a single door swinging inwards. Surround the rest of the square with walls and the ceiling. If you open the double door, it will block the doorway.
This is important because, in Rust, people love to camp in front of other people’s bases. If your base is not prepared that possibility, they may go deep, meaning that they kill you when you open the door, run inside your base, and relieve you of your valuables. This door lock will largely prevent that. This is also the reason why we place the TC and the sleeping bag on the side of that doorway.
Door campers won’t be able to see them. You can respawn out of their line of sight to close the door. Please note, it is possible for a team that one player pushes the second player past that door. However, since we raised the foundation a bit, this won’t be too easy for them. To eliminate that risk, let’s add a proper airlock. In front of the single door, add another triangle. Place a doorway to the right, a wall to the left, and close off the ceiling. Once the outer door is in place, take off the inner door and place it back so that it swings outwards. Whenever you intend to leave the base, open the inner door first. Since it fully blocks the outer doorway, there is no more going deep. Sorry beach hilts.
Place a campfire into this corner to check for door campers. You can destroy the old one with a hatchet if it’s in the way. Right now, the base is still vulnerable to eco raids with a flamethrower and shotguns. This is why you should continue upgrading all building blocks to stone as it comes in. This leaves us with the wooden doors as weak points. To replace them, you need metal fragments.
You can get metal fragments by recycling components, buying them at Outpost, or smelting metal ore in a furnace. The furnace is the best long term strategy. However, it requires low-grade fuel to be crafted. You can obtain low-grade fuel by crafting it from animal fat, red barrels, and crates near caves, smelting crude oil in a refinery, or buying it at Outpost. The first furnace goes into this corner and the second one next to it. If you play as a duo, start replacing key locks with code locks. Use 150 metal fragments to craft a sheet metal door and replace the inner single door with it. From that point on, your base will require metal fragments for the upkeep as well, so always leave some in the TC.
You are now flame raid proof. Eventually, replace the outer door as well. By now, your small boxes probably ran out of storage. Use the next batch of metal fragments to craft large boxes. Pick up your sleeping bag and place it in front of the double door. Run to the wall that’s opposite from the airlock. Place a foundation, a half wall, and a floor tile against the wall.
Run back inside. If no other objects or players are in the way, you can connect the floor tile as a makeshift shelf against the twig. Once the shelf is in place, the twig outside of the base can be demolished. Unlock the double door, remove the key lock, and pick up the door. Jump onto the triangle and set up the first large box sideways. If both edges of the box emerge from the wall at the same time, it’s well-aligned and can be placed. Push your avatar against the wall.
Then place the second box as far back as you can. Clear out the space below the shelf, and repeat that box placement. In case you need more help, I’ll link an in-depth tutorial on how to design this loot room in the description. From the top of the furnace, you can place small boxes here. You can rotate most deployables by pressing the R key. Upgrade the wall frame to metal, and add in a sheet metal double door. This time, the door can swing inward for better mobility.
If you have trouble placing the door, one of the small boxes might be sticking out too far. If that’s the case, place it further back or remove it and try again. The reason for upgrading the wall frame to metal is that the stone frame is visible from the outside, but the metal frame is not. You don’t want potential raiders to know whether there is a third door or not.
We are still missing a few essential items. Once you accumulated 50 scrap, craft a tier-one workbench, and place it against this wall. This allows you to craft more advanced items. A sleeping bag for a teammate can go in front of it. Use this base for a barbecue and another small box. Barbecues cook meat much more efficiently than campfires.
Finally, you may need a research table to research items that you find. By default, keep it in a box. When you need it, pick up the second sleeping bag and place it into the doorway. When you’re done, pick it up with a hammer and put it back into the box. You can do the same with the repair bench.
And that is our 2×1 starter base complete. Note that as a starter base, this is really just intended to be your first safe haven. Unless you’re playing super casual, you should quickly move on to building your main base, as the 2×1 can be raided with just 10 satchel charges. However, given the incredibly low upkeep, it’s always wise to keep your starter as a flanking base. You never know when this might come in handy.
As always, I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Evil Wurst, out.
