Hello Survivors, and welcome to the Ultimate Rust Monument Guide!
This guide will be your complete reference to every monument in Rust. Each one includes a loot and callout map, a strategy guide, and whatever other information you need in order to make the most of every monument in Rust, using the knowledge I’ve acquired from more than 4,000 hours in-game. This guide has been tailored for use by all players, regardless of experience or playstyle.
This guide hub contains the key to loot symbols that appears on the maps, a short description of every monument, and links to the individual guides for each monument.
Important Terms
Rust operates on a tier system for loot, starting with very basic Primitive loot and going up to top-quality Tier-3 loot. The tier of monuments is defined based on what level of loot they spawn.
Primitive: The weakest items in the game. Includes primitive components, weapons, and gear. Primitive monuments have no radiation.
Tier-1: Simple components and basic gear, a step up from Primitive loot.
Tier-2: Advanced components and military-grade gear, decent for most applications.
Tier-3: Explosives, rare high-quality components, and the most powerful gear in Rust.
Map Key
The following symbols appear on the loot and callout maps for each monument. Information on each type of loot can be found below this key. It should be noted that the symbols on the maps represent the spawns as I encountered them when making this guide and that each monument’s procedural generation can result in slightly different spawns than the maps show.
The default Crate (often called “Brown Crate”) provides players with components and Tier-1 equipment to help players establish themselves in the game.
Note: Some brown crate spawns on the callout maps have the chance to spawn military crates. The maps are reflective of what crates I encountered when creating the guide.
The Military Crate provides players with high-tier components and Tier-2 equipment.
Note: Most military crate spawns on the callout maps also have the chance to spawn default brown crates. The maps are reflective of what crates I encountered when creating the guide.
The Medical Crate provides players with bandages, as well as a chance for medical syringes or medical kits. These should not take priority when looting but can be nice if you come across them.
The Food Crate contains — wait for it… — food, which is good to keep your hunger up (Shocking, I know). Rations Crates will typically contain higher-tier food that usually has some sort of healing element.
Note: For the purposes of the callout maps, this symbol represents the spawns of both Ration and Food crates.
The Tool Box is one of the best Crates in Rust, as it provides players with tools and armor. Every tool in the game, most clothing/armor, and some ammo can spawn in them.
The Recycler is one of the most critical elements in Rust. It grinds up components and any unwanted items into a portion of their original crafting value. Recycling unused goods should be considered imperative, and these machines are how you do it.
Key Cards are the basis of progression in Rust; the better your keycard, the better loot at your disposal. Tier-1 loot is usually locked within Green Rooms (A room requiring a Green Card to enter), Tier-2 loot within Blue Rooms, and Tier-3 and Tier-4 loot within Red Rooms.
Monuments
Below is the complete list of monuments, together with a short description of each and a link to the full monument guide with Strategies, Loot, and Callouts.
Abandoned Cabins is a primitive monument with no radiation, and can only spawn within the forest/plains biome. It is surrounded by swamp-biome trees and swamp bush. The actual monument itself consists of two cabins, with a small decayed walkway between them. Because of its location, ease to loot, and status as a buildable monument, it makes for an excellent stop in the early game.
Abandoned Military Base is a Tier-2 monument on the island of Rust. It contains a few new and important elements; chief among them being the MLRS system, which can fire MLRS rockets.
This monument only spawns in the desert and is surrounded by a sand wall with barbed wire on top. Inside, there are many different types of buildings: barracks, auto-repair tents, low-grade processors, mess halls, and more. Since this monument is procedurally generated, it will be different every time.
Often called “Sperm Ket” because of the remnants of its sign, Abandoned Supermarket is a tier-one monument with decent loot spawns. This includes at least one Military Crate (with the potential for many more), a Green Card, multiple barrels, and plenty of food. It even has a recycler around the back, though making use of it can often prove deadly.
Airfield is one of the largest and most open monuments in Rust. It is surrounded by a concrete slab wall. All the buildings inside are fully accessible, and the monument contains an average of twenty Crates, one of the largest amounts in the game, making it incredibly useful to loot. It is also one of the three Red Card monuments. These factors combine to make it a popular – and therefore dangerous – monument to raid.
This monument is procedurally generated, and so will be different with every iteration. All variants, however, have two runways, three hangers, some watch towers, an office building, a Red Card puzzle, and some concrete tunnels running underneath.
Arctic Research Base is a small, snow-covered monument hidden on the edge of the map. Its wealth of Crates, Lowgrade Fuel, and food have made it a staple monument for looting. The Lowgrade Fuel spawns, especially, are extremely generous. It is protected by self-healing scientists with winter-camo suits, and is a popular monument for players, making it an exciting place for challenging PvE and PvP encounters. It is also the only location that spawns snowmobiles and is the only scientific monument with a recycler.
Bandit Camp is the place to be if you want to gamble or fly, using a helicopter purchased from Air Wolf. It has a recycler, a drone shop, and many other amenities that can make it a reprieve from the harsh world of Rust. It is located in a swamp and made up of several cabin-like buildings and a downed barge, all enshrouded in a thin layer of fog that gives it an eerie and sinister feeling.
Dome is the “Red Giant” that looks out over the world of Rust. Standing beside it are two red towers that once held fuel, but have now been empty for some time. But that doesn’t mean the Dome itself is lacking loot: it contains the highest amount of guaranteed, non-locked Military Crates in the game. If you need to stock up on Tier-2 supplies, this is the place to be.
Giant Excavator is located in the desert, and towers above all the nearby terrain with its massive trusses and machinery, so it should be easy to locate. Once you are there, you should know that the Giant Excavator is the fastest way to collect material in Rust, if you can pay to operate and defend it. Using it to shred the nearby ground can allow you to collect huge amounts of sulfur, metal, and high-quality metal, so long as you can kill its guards and defend its drops from players.
Junkyard is the largest Tier-1 monument, and one of the most interesting. It is usually found in the forest/plains biome, where it stands out thanks to its rusty red color and dilapidated appearance (even more so than the rest of the game). It has a very decent variety of Crates, a Green Card, and a moving crane and shredder that add a dynamic factor to both resource collection and PvP strategy.
Large Barn is a peaceful monument located in the plains/forest biome. It has a hobo barrel to comfort-heal with, some auto-turrets keeping the peace, and a horse shop, making it the perfect place for some respite before riding back out into the harsh world of Rust.
Large Fishing Village is the best way to pursue ocean exploration in Rust. The dock housing the monument sits on wooden stilts just off the coast and contains several buildings and shops. Using these, you can purchase boats, submarines, fishing equipment, and diving gear, and then make the best use of those shops by embarking on one of several quests available. There is no better place in the game for acquiring aquatic gear — if you have the resources to afford it.
Large Harbor’s concrete platforms, rusted boats, and old cranes extend from the map’s shore out into the ocean, acting as a bridge between the land and the sea. Its many Crates and loot spawns make it a decent Tier-2 monument with a simple Blue Card puzzle and an even simpler loot-collection route.
Large Oil Rig is one of the most lucrative monuments in the game, holding huge amounts of tier-2 and tier-3 loot for those who are bold enough to take it. Standing imposingly in the middle of the ocean, this monument can seem intimidating. But, if you are careful and make use of this guide, you will find that it is much easier to complete than it seems. And trust me: the loot is worth it.
Launch Site
Launch Site is the heart of PVP in Rust. It contains some of the best loot in the game, and one of its hardest NPCs. Because of this, people flock here en masse (making the monument that much more dangerous).
Lighthouse is the most peaceful primitive monument on the map, sitting charmingly right off the coast. With a Green Card and some decent early loot, it makes for a great place to start your Rust journey.
Military Tunnels are a sprawling, underground labyrinth of concrete tunnels housing military equipment. It is an extremely lucrative monument — if you can survive it. With huge quantities of loot protected by scientists and players alike, this substantial monument will either make you rich or strip you of all that you’re worth. It also has one of the more involved Red Card puzzles.
Mining Outpost is a decent, if small, Tier-1 monument. It has plenty of Crates for its size, as well as a Recycler. Its relative simplicity makes it a fun place to have a classic low-tier battle.
Outpost, with its myriad shops and critical utilities, is the beating heart of Rust. Located in the middle of the map, Outpost is a giant, walled compound that almost every player will find critical to their adventures. Of all the safe zones, it is the best stocked, best defended, and most important. Players often trade with each other here, too, in case you want something not sold at the shops.
Oxum’s Gas Station is a small gas station on the side of the road. It is a Tier-1 monument containing food, Crates, and Car Parts. It can be a great place to start your journey and get the tools you need to jump-start your wipe.
The Power Plant is a Tier-3 monument with an extraordinary amount of loot. It consists of two huge towers, one bombed-out and the other still in good shape. In addition to Military and Elite Crates, it also contains a Red Card, two Recyclers, and an oil refinery. While this monument is similar to Train Yard and Water Treatment in riches, it is organized quite differently.
Quarry is an underwhelming monument. It is sunken into the ground, with exposed stone surrounding it. The Quarry itself is the centerpiece, with only a few other structures surrounding it. It produces 90 High-Quality Metal (HQM) per every 360 Lowgrade consumed, a process which takes an hour. This process is slow and Lowgrade-intensive, making it an unviable waste of time for most players and groups. If you have a huge abundance of Lowgrade, you may find some benefit to it, but not much.
Ranch is where to be if it is time to go back to basics and buy a horse. It has a store that sells horseshoes, saddles, and other equipment you need to begin riding horses. Plus, as a safe zone, it’s a good place to rendezvous with your team and prepare for the dangerous world of Rust.
Satellite Dish is a large complex featuring many cement structures and trench-like alcoves, with huge, rusted satellites rising above. It has one of the 4 Blue Card spawns. Satellite Dish also has plenty of Crates, and its unique layout and sightlines make it an interesting place to fight.
Sewer Branch is the best of the Tier-2 monuments, with plenty of Crates and one of the easiest puzzles to complete. Its parkour puzzle is fun and easy to do, making it great practice for some of the harder parkour in the game. This is a must-visit monument.
Small Fishing Village is, as the name suggests, a smaller version of the Large Fishing Village. It provides all the same amenities as the Large Fishing Village, but on a smaller scale. If you need to get out on the water in a hurry, this should be your first destination.
Small Oil Rig at Night
Small Oil Rig (affectionately called “Smoil”) is the little brother of Large Oil Rig. But, though it is smaller, it is no less deadly and no less profitable!
It is said that all rails lead to Train Yard, and those who say so are right! It is an excellent Tier-3 monument, with an incredible amount of loot, fun PvP, and plenty to do, including emptying train cars out so you can access their loot!
The massive Water Treatment Plant is the best no-radiation monument. It is always good to head there as early as you can. Even if you start naked, you will likely leave here fully outfitted with early-game equipment. Just be ready for other players to be there as well.
Extra Info and Disclaimer
All callouts, strategies, and positioning tactics are taken from the community, my teammates, and my personal 4300 hours of playtime. If you have a critique or disagreement I would highly encourage you to leave a comment or contact me on Discord at Atë#3215, and I will attempt to make appropriate changes and updates as needed.
Thank you for taking the time to read through our Ultimate Rust Monument Guide! I hope that you found the information contained within useful. If you did (or didn’t), we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, survivors: enjoy your wipes and stay rusty!
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Ate
An avid Rust player with 4000 hours in the game. My hobbies include cooking, baking, and camping!
Would like to see a guide for new builders/good solo bases