Base Defense Guide

Auto turrets are the cornerstone of base defense in Rust. Proper placement maximizes their effectiveness while minimizing vulnerabilities.

Placement fundamentals: - Line of sight: Turrets can only shoot what they can see. Place them where they have clear sightlines to approach routes, doorways, and compound entry points. - Behind window bars: The standard defensive turret placement. Window bars allow the turret to shoot outward while protecting it from incoming fire. Raiders cannot easily destroy a turret behind window bars without using explosives on the bars themselves. - On shelves: Elevate turrets on half-walls or shelves to give them better firing angles and make them harder to drain of ammo from below. - Roof turrets: Placed on your roof, these turrets engage players who try to build up to your base or approach from elevated terrain. Essential for preventing build-up raids.

Coverage overlap: No single turret can cover all angles. Plan your turret network so that each turret's field of fire overlaps with at least one other turret. This creates crossfire zones where intruders are engaged by multiple turrets simultaneously. A raider draining one turret is shot by the adjacent turret.

Ammo management: Each turret holds 128 rounds of 5.56 ammo in its inventory. This is consumed as the turret fires. At full auto, a turret burns through its ammo in approximately 30 seconds of continuous fire. Stock turrets with maximum ammo and check them daily. A turret with zero ammo is useless.

Anti-drain measures: Raiders sometimes drain turrets by repeatedly peeking them, causing the turret to fire and waste ammo until empty. Counter this by placing turrets in recessed positions where the peek angle is narrow. Also, ensure turrets are behind window bars or in positions where the raider takes damage from another turret while trying to drain the first.

Turret authorization: Authorize all team members on every turret. An unauthorized teammate walking into turret range gets killed. After any team roster change, immediately update all turret authorizations. Also authorize on new turrets immediately after placement -- an unauthorized turret will shoot you.

Non-electrical traps provide cheap, reliable base defense that works without power. Shotgun traps and flame turrets are essential defensive layers.

Shotgun Trap: - Fires a shotgun blast when a player walks in front of it. Deals 100+ damage per blast at close range. - Placement: Behind doors (aimed at the doorway), in airlocks (aimed at the entry point), and in narrow corridors. - Trigger range: Approximately 1.5 meters. The trap fires when a player enters its cone of vision. - Ammo: Loads Handmade Shells (2 per trap). Each trap fires once per trigger, then must reload (approximately 3 seconds). Stock traps with maximum shells. - Team authorization: Authorize teammates so they do not trigger traps when entering the base.

Advanced shotgun trap placement: - Ceiling traps: Place a shotgun trap on the ceiling above a doorway, aimed downward. Players rarely check above door frames. - Floor traps: Place in pits or recessed floor sections where players step onto them unknowingly. - Stacked traps: Place two shotgun traps covering the same doorway from slightly different angles. The first trap fires when the raider enters, the second fires when they try to retreat or advance. - Hidden traps: Place behind deployable items (boxes, furnaces) where they are not immediately visible but have clear firing lines.

Flame Turret: - Sprays fire in a cone, dealing burn damage over time. Burns through wooden structures and ignites players. - Placement: In airlocks, behind breachable doors, and in chokepoints. The flame turret excels in enclosed spaces where fire fills the area. - Fuel: Uses Low Grade Fuel. A full flame turret holds 500 Low Grade and fires for approximately 30 seconds before depleting. - Damage: Deals approximately 15 damage per tick, plus afterburn. In a confined space, the flame turret can kill a player in 3-5 seconds. - Weakness: Flame turrets are countered by players who rush through the fire quickly and heal on the other side. Place them in dead-end rooms where there is no escape from the fire.

Combining traps: The most effective defense uses layers. A raider breaches the front door and faces a shotgun trap (immediate burst damage). Behind the shotgun trap is a flame turret (sustained area damage). If they survive both, another shotgun trap covers the inner door. This three-layer trap system kills most raiders before they reach your loot.

SAM Sites (Surface-to-Air Missile launchers) protect your base from aerial threats -- primarily minicopters and scrap helicopters used for scouting and raiding.

SAM Site basics: - Fires guided missiles at airborne targets within range. - Range: Approximately 150 meters in all directions, effective against targets up to about 100 meters altitude. - Damage: Each missile deals significant damage to aircraft. Two missile hits destroy a full-health minicopter. - Power: Requires 25 rW of electricity. - Ammo: Uses SAM ammo (crafted at Workbench Level 2: 100 metal fragments, 20 pipes, 5 Low Grade each).

Placement strategy: - Place SAM Sites on your roof or on elevated platforms within your compound. - Two SAM Sites positioned on opposite sides of your base create overlapping coverage that is nearly impossible for aircraft to avoid. - Angle SAM Sites outward and upward for maximum coverage against approaching aircraft. - Ensure SAM Sites have clear sky access -- walls and roofs between the SAM and the sky block missile launches.

Anti-air defense applications: - Prevents enemy minicopters from landing on your roof during raids. - Destroys scouting helicopters that fly over your compound to assess your defenses. - Deters Cargo Ship and Oil Rig return trips (players flying home with loot). - Forces attackers to approach on foot or by boat, giving your ground defenses more engagement time.

SAM Site limitations: - SAM Sites also engage the Patrol Helicopter. If you do not want to fight the heli, this can be a problem. Some players turn off SAM power when the heli is active to avoid unwanted engagements. - SAM Sites fire at your own team's aircraft. There is no friend-or-foe authorization. If you fly a mini near your base, your own SAM will shoot you down. Build a landing pad outside SAM range with a covered walkway to your compound. - SAM ammo is consumed quickly during sustained engagements. Stock each SAM Site with 10-20 SAM ammo and check regularly.

SAM Site protection: SAM Sites themselves can be destroyed by ground-level attackers. Place them behind walls or in armored enclosures with open tops (so missiles can still launch upward). An unprotected SAM Site on a flat roof is easily destroyed by a player with an AK and 50 explosive ammo rounds.

Compound walls create the outer perimeter of your base defense, controlling access and creating kill zones for intruders.

High External Stone Walls: - Cost: 1,500 stone each. - Height: 4 meters -- too tall to jump over without boosting. - Health: Approximately equivalent to a stone building wall. - Placement: Create a continuous perimeter around your base and external TCs. Overlap walls slightly to prevent gaps.

Compound layout principles: 1. The Kill Zone: Leave 5-10 meters of open ground between your compound walls and your main base. This open area is the kill zone -- any intruder who breaches the compound wall is exposed to turret fire from the main base before reaching any cover. 2. The Funnel: Design compound gates to funnel intruders through a narrow entry point covered by multiple turrets. A single-width gate with turrets on both sides creates a deadly chokepoint. 3. No Dead Zones: Walk the interior perimeter of your compound and check for areas that are not covered by turret fire. These dead zones allow raiders to build, heal, or loot safely inside your walls. Eliminate dead zones by adding turrets or repositioning existing ones.

Murder holes: - Small openings in walls designed for shooting outward while remaining protected. - Create murder holes using window bars or half-walls at strategic positions along your compound walls. - Place them at varying heights so defenders can shoot at different angles. - Murder holes facing inward (toward the kill zone) allow you to shoot intruders from behind compound walls. - Murder holes facing outward let you engage attackers before they breach the compound.

Barbed wire and spikes: Place barbed wire on top of compound walls to prevent boosting over them. Wooden Floor Spikes placed inside the compound along walls deal damage to intruders who drop down from above. These passive defenses slow raiders and deal chip damage that adds up.

Gate security: Use armored garage doors for compound gates. A single sheet metal garage door is the minimum; an armored door behind it adds another layer. Place a shotgun trap behind the inner gate aimed at the entrance to catch raiders who breach the outer gate.

Trap bases are structures specifically designed to lure and kill other players, allowing you to steal their loot. They range from simple ambush structures to elaborate multi-room death mazes.

Basic trap base (the loot bait): - Build a small 1x1 or 2x1 base that looks abandoned or poorly defended. - Place a visible small box near the entrance with bait items (low-value weapons, components). - Behind the entrance door, place shotgun traps aimed at the bait box. - When a player enters to loot the box, the shotgun trap fires. Collect their kit and reset the trap.

Advanced trap base (the garage door trick): - Build a base with a garage door entrance that appears to be openable. - Behind the garage door, place a flame turret and shotgun trap. - Put a sign outside saying something inviting (like a shop sign or fake team recruitment). - When a player opens the garage door, the traps fire through the opening. The garage door blocks their retreat path.

Death maze trap base: - Build a multi-room structure with a winding path through several rooms. - Each room contains a different trap: shotgun trap in room 1, flame turret in room 2, tesla coil in room 3. - The final room contains a locked loot room that appears to be the reward. - Players who push through the traps die from accumulated damage before reaching the end. - Place auto-closing door controllers on each room so the path resets automatically.

Trap base ethics and effectiveness: - Trap bases work best on high-population servers where many players are roaming. - Place trap bases near roads and monuments for maximum foot traffic. - Disguise them as real bases -- complete with TC, sleeping bag, and realistic furnishing. - Trap bases are most effective during the first few days of wipe when players are desperate for loot and less cautious. - Advanced players recognize trap bases. Keep designs varied and creative to catch experienced players.

Collecting loot from traps: Place sleeping bags in hidden rooms adjacent to the trap rooms. When you hear traps fire (the shotgun blast or flame turret sound), respawn at the bag and collect the victim's items from their body. Reset traps (reload ammo, refuel flame turrets) after each kill.