Complete Raiding Guide

Raiding is the endgame PvP activity in Rust, where groups attack bases to steal loot. Understanding raid economics, explosive efficiency, and strategic planning separates successful raiders from ones who waste resources. This guide covers everything from small-scale solo raids to large clan operations, including raid timing, economics, and execution strategies.

Online vs Offline Raids

Online raids occur when the base owners are online and actively defending. These are significantly harder and more dangerous than offline raids but provide immediate PvP engagement. Offline raids target inactive bases where defenders are gone, making the raid a resource-conversion problem rather than a PvP challenge. Most mid-game groups focus on offline raids for efficiency.

Choosing raid type depends on group size and skill. A small clan benefits from quick offline raids on isolated bases, while large clans can assault defended online bases. Online raids require excellent communication, weapon proficiency, and positioning. If defenders have auto turrets, online raids become extremely dangerous. Scout bases before committing resources—a heavily defended online base can destroy your raid with minimal attacker casualties.

Explosive Options and Comparisons

Five primary explosives exist in Rust: Satchel Charges, Explosive Ammo, C4, Rockets, and Incendiary Rockets. Satchel Charges are the cheapest option (240 gunpowder, 2 cloth), dealing 70 damage and costing approximately 1 sulfur per HP of wall damage. They're loud and take time to detonate, making them suitable for offline raids only.

Explosive ammo is highly efficient for destroying structures (deals 100 damage per shot), costing approximately 0.8 sulfur per HP. High-velocity and armor-piercing rounds make explosive ammo superior for specific scenarios. C4 deals 100 damage per unit and costs 1 gunpowder and 3 cloth per charge, making it expensive but very reliable. Rockets are massive area-of-effect explosives (500 damage) suitable for destroying large sections of base quickly.

Incendiary rockets set structures on fire, potentially destroying wooden sections and creating additional damage. Most efficient raiding uses explosive ammo or satchel charges for walls, C4 for doors, and rockets for large area destruction. Understanding damage values and placement is critical—misplaced explosives waste resources catastrophically.

Raid Economics and Sulfur Efficiency

Raid economics determines whether a raid is profitable. Calculate sulfur cost per wall destruction: satchel charges cost approximately 240 gunpowder per 70 damage (3.4 gunpowder per HP). Stone walls have 300 HP, requiring 1,020 gunpowder for destruction. Multiply by raid path complexity to calculate total raid cost. If expected loot is worth less than raid cost, the raid is unprofitable.

Smart raiders plan raid paths that minimize wall destruction. A poorly designed raid might require 10+ wall destructions to reach loot. An efficient raid path requires 3-5 key walls. Honeycombed bases cost more to raid than open designs. Calculate the following: sulfur cost, gunpowder crafting time, raid duration, and expected loot value. Profitable raids yield 2-3x the invested gunpowder cost in loot value.

Eco Raiding Strategies

Eco raiding focuses on minimal explosive use while maximizing loot. Instead of destroying walls, eco raiders exploit soft-side vulnerability, TC destruction, or social engineering. An eco raid might use 5,000 gunpowder to breach a base while a traditional raid uses 20,000. Small groups excel at eco raids because they require high skill but minimal resources.

Eco raid techniques include: destroying the tool cupboard early to allow wall damage inside the compound, targeting low-impact walls that bypass honeycombs, exploiting roof access vulnerability, and using C4 on doors for minimal damage spread. Experienced eco raiders identify weak points in base design and attack those rather than taking the direct path. This requires knowledge of base design principles and careful scouting.

Soft-Side Raiding and Exploits

Soft-side raiding targets wooden structures or weak points intentionally left vulnerable. Many bases have wooden decorations, external storage, or poorly designed external structures that can be destroyed easily. Some raiders deliberately identify and attack these weak points rather than the protected loot room.

Advanced soft-side techniques include: destroying external honeycombs to reach the core building faster, attacking roof access points with rockets, breaching through farm rooms that have less protection than loot rooms, and exploiting water/loot room adjacencies. Some bases inadvertently create soft-side vulnerabilities through poor design. As a raider, spend 30+ minutes scouting a base before committing to identify these weaknesses.

Raid Base Construction

Raid bases are temporary structures built near target bases to store explosives, ammunition, and supplies safely. A raid base includes explosive and ammunition storage, sleeping bags for raid respawns, workbenches for ammunition crafting, and furnaces for gunpowder production. Position raid bases 200+ meters from target bases to minimize counter-raiding risk.

Small raid bases are 2-3 room structures with locked doors and stored supplies. Large operations build raid bases with multiple storage rooms, furnaces, and workbenches. The raid base prevents raiders from carrying all supplies to the raid location (which limits inventory space) and provides a secure location for ammunition and supply management. Always secure raid base locations with multiple code locks.

Team Coordination and Roles

Successful raids require coordinated team execution. Assign specific roles: explosives manager (places charges, determines paths), extraction specialist (loots containers), lookout (watches for defender responses), and squad leader (coordinates timing and communication). Each role has specific responsibilities during the raid.

Communication is critical during raids. Use Discord or in-game voice chat to coordinate explosives placement, share loot drops, and alert teammates to incoming defenders. Establish hand signals for silent raids and confirm explosive timing before detonation. Large raids (10+ players) require group coordination with sub-teams managing different base sections simultaneously.

Raid Timing and Execution

Raid timing determines success rate. Target bases during owner sleep hours (midnight to 6 AM in their timezone). Scout the server for offline windows. Check base activity by watching doors and storage access patterns. Large groups often organize raids during specific hours when defenders are known to be sleeping or offline.

Execution begins with tool cupboard destruction or bypass, followed by systematic wall destruction toward the loot room. Maintain safety by securing each section before moving forward—entering an unexplored base section is dangerous. Extract loot continuously rather than waiting until raid completion. If defenders respawn unexpectedly, have an exit strategy planned.

Counter-Raiding and Defense

Counter-raiding is attacking the attackers. If you detect a raid in progress, organize immediate response. Spawn at your base sleeping bag and engage raiders directly. Some bases intentionally stay stocked with weapons specifically for counter-raiding. A coordinated counter-raid can repel attackers, protect your loot, and seize attacker supplies instead.

Defensive advantages include base knowledge, established firing positions, and item respawns inside protected areas. A single defender with superior positioning can fend off two-three attackers. However, overwhelming numbers and sustained explosions eventually breach defenses. The key is engaging raiders before they penetrate core structures where they have protection.

Legal and Clan Considerations

Many servers implement raid rules and clan agreements. Some servers have "no-raid" events, protected zones, or scheduled raid times. Respect these rules to avoid server bans and clan conflicts. Establishing peaceful relations with larger clans prevents retaliatory raids that devastate your progress. Some players negotiate peace treaties or farming agreements with neighbors.

Excessive raiding can trigger responses from server admins or other clans. If you raid the same group repeatedly, they'll eventually retaliate with resources and organization to completely eliminate your base. Strategic raiding means choosing targets wisely, respecting server culture, and avoiding conflicts with established powers unless you have overwhelming force.