Survival games are rather hard for players to get into for many reasons like being very realistic. Learning the game can take a lot of time, and the combat is unforgiving which can make players not want to plan them. Rust is no exception to the rule, however, even though it's one of the hardest survival games for players to get into, there's still something for someone. Which in turn has made Rust a great stepping stone for players who haven't tried it out. The name of the game for Rust is that players must survive in a harsh environment, which can be hard.
The great thing about Rust is that does not force players to play it a certain way. To make the game more enjoyable, players can opt to play on the hundreds of servers that fans of Rust have created, they can focus on the many aspects of Rust like the PVE. These servers make the game as a whole much more enjoyable because players can play it differently. Even though there are many servers, and players may feel overwhelmed when picking one, this list should help them narrow down their search, and in turn, make Rust a unique experience.
Updated December 1, 2022 By Raza Malik: Rust is an ever-growing game with tons of things to do for all sorts of players. While the base game gives players a lot of variety in what they can do with friends, servers add more play time to the game. This is a huge reason why Rust is one of the longest survival games to date, there are new ways to play and new challenges.
The good thing about these servers is that they are built for many things like if players want to roleplay strictly, there's a server for that. This allows these servers to showcase different aspects of Rust, which wouldn't be in the base game. Since most of Rust is community-driven, more and more community-based servers are appearing, each offering players a different play style as mentioned before. Even though there are many servers, here are the ones that stand out the most.
10 Stevious Server
This server is basically for the players who are more experienced in Rust since it's primarily pvping and raids. While beginners can still try it out, they'll have a hard time getting through the world. While a small map, with a lot of action, both new and old players will be able to pick up the play style of Rust quicker this way, provided they don't give up. Since Rust is about surviving the longest, this server will test that for all sorts of players.
This gives the Stevious server a more exciting feel and makes players more aware and forces them to think on their feet. If they choose to run this server with friends, things can get a little easier, and also more entertaining. Plus, with Stevious server being only pvp as mentioned before, things like raiding will happen more often which gives a chance for newer and experienced players to get better at the meta of Rust. Because when players learn the steep learning curve of the game through this server, the whole game becomes much more tangible.
9 Rusty Moose
One of the oldest and largest servers in Rust and is for all sorts of players. While it's a pvp server, the community on Rusty Moose is both dedicated and extremely helpful. So players who opt to play on this server will find it's much less stressful than most other pvp servers. On top of that, there are a few different servers with the same name, but all offer somewhat the same experience. If players and their friends want to experience the expansive open world of Rust, which is something the game is very good at, they pick this server.
While Rusty Moose has a hardcore variant that players should try out, it still offers a lot for any player, so they won't be held back by one play style. On top of that, if they try to run solo, the Rusty Moose is probably one the best servers to do that. Because as mentioned before, it's a pvp server, and depending on the size, things can get harder which forces players to challenge themselves more. Plus, most servers that Rust Moose offers are high in population, so players will always be in a game no matter which one they pick.
8 Salty Zombies
Rust has definitely changed the survival aspect of gaming, which many other developers have been influenced by. This server takes those influences and put them in Rust, which has made it not just fun, but one of the best servers for both new and old players to enjoy. While there is pvp action, this server punishes those players who play that way since Salty Zombies is primarily pve. This server is probably a great one to play with friends, during the day players can do a bunch of things, but at night the zombies come out.
While other players will think twice before attacking another player, the NPCs still can cause problems for them and their friends. Overall, the Salty Zombies server is great for players who don't really want the stress of Rust but rather enjoy a gaming session with their friends. As mentioned before, this server has zombies, so while it doesn't lean into the pvp as much, the zombies make everything really fun.
7 Altopia
If players want a balanced play style between pvp and pve, this is the server they should look into. While it offers a lot of the things from a vanilla Rust server, it also has more, which can make gameplay a lot easier regardless of how many hours each player has been on Rust. While being both play styles, the community is really friendly and is dedicated to helping players adjust to Rust's realistic style of gaming. The admins of this server emphasize that Altopia is for fun, so when players connect to this server they won't have to face any of the harshnesses of the base game.
This can help Rust be better overall because it's supposed to give a different experience to players and their friends. One of the reasons why Altopia is one of the best servers in Rust is that it makes the learning curve rather steady, by giving players a starter kit right at the beginning. This can actually help players learn how to manage things better because there's always someone helping out each player.
6 Rustafied
This server takes the hardcore aspect of Rust and turns it up. By having a really large and dedicated population that focuses on pvp, players who have experience in Rust should try this server out. But understand that they will be getting into fights a lot more. This server highlights one of the best aspects of Rust, and that is the replay value, since it's a densely populated server with many players, each time a player drops into Rustafied, they'll have a different experience.
Even for raiding, players need to take care more, because everyone is kitted up and everything becomes a matter of life and death. However, one of the cooler aspects of this server is that it's not just for pvp action, but also for experimenting with what players can do. This allows players to be more creative with how they interact with Rust, all while defending themselves. This server showcases the realism and the creative side of Rust which in turn, makes it one of the better servers in the game.
5 CombatTag's PVP Combat Server
In Rust, there are many things for players to do, so there will be no downtime. In this server, players will see the focus primarily on the PVP aspect, where players fight against one another. However, this server is much different, and really intense at the same time, because it emphasizes the realism of Rust's combat. When players drop into a match in this server, they'll be kitted out, meaning players will have weapons, ammo, and meds all ready to go. Because of that, they will immediately get into a firefight.
Unlike the main mode of Rust, where if a player dies, they respawn with nothing and have to go find their body and loot it, provided an enemy player hasn't already. In this server, if they die, they'll respawn with everything they had initially. On top of that, this server also allows players to experience all the guns, this will help players fight better if they opt to play on an official server. This server is great for players who want to practice their fighting capabilities, something many new and old players will miss doing.
4 Rust Empires Roleplay Server
Rust is known for its immersion, allowing players to get deep in the game which gives them a better understanding of what type of game Rust is. This server furthers that statement because it's a roleplaying server, players won't need to worry about being killed randomly. Because the server is a based PVE one, players can have the freedom to do whatever they want, and have friends join in on the fun. The best part about this server is that it helps players learn the ins and outs of Rust at their own pace, so when they play the real game, they won't have an issue adjusting to its learning curve.
Players should certainly try this server out, because its main focus is fun, and having them be creative while exploring the open world. All things that have made Rust one of the best open-world games on PC. Another great thing about this server, is the player limit, being about 250 which will have player interacts with other players a lot more, this, in turn, makes the server rather fun, since they'll be doing something at all times.
3 Rustoria.co Server
This server isn't for everyone, but if players want to try it out, they should arm themselves with some tips before jumping into it. Firstly, this server is really popular, and on top of that, it allows up to 500 players at any time. This and the fact the map size is about half of the actual Rust map means there will be tons of action going on at any one time. Because of this, players will need to play more aggressively, and with more strategy, just because the map is smaller and enemies are more closely together.
However, even though this server is popular and massive, it does make it equal for everyone since there are wipes every week. This means everything the player has collected, made, and owned will be wiped, making them start at zero every week. This is great because the more experienced players won't get far based on their skill, and the newer players will have a chance of fighting back and get a better experience. So the main thing players should understand is that this server can be hard most of the time, but because the server wipes, things do stabilize.
2 Rusticated Server
Much like the Rustoria Server, this one is densely populated because it's a smaller map size with a whopping 450-player limit. However, the map size is even smaller, so there will tons of action that the player will encounter. Unlike most servers in Rust, Rusticated focuses on base building and developing clans, because of the map size, players may fight or may build depending on where they are. While server wipes are normal in Rust, Rusticated does have it as well, but players can keep blueprints after the weekly wipe.
This makes gameplay a lot more tangible since they can spend less time getting blueprints and more time building. But, players should still consider blueprints temporary because they do get wiped once a month at any time. With that, this server is a good middle ground to understanding the mechanics quickly because players will have more engagements on this server.
1 Rust Academy Server
For players who want a good balance between grinding, and having the normal experience of Rust will find a home here. One of the reasons why Rust is rather influential is how much developers put into the realism, which they'll face in this server as well. But giving players an easier time digesting the game, and if they use proper guides while playing, players will have an easier time adjusting to the balance. This server is great for the experienced and the new player because it offers things to both camps, all while making gameplay fun and easy.
On top of how easy it is to get into, the Rust Academy server has many things unlocked at the get-go, like blueprints. This makes crafting much easier to do since players will have it ready for them. The best part about this server is how popular it is boasting a 385-player count. Players have reported making great connections on this server because it's mostly about having fun without the difficulty of the base game, so making friends on this server is one of the main things.
Rust is available now on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.