When you’re tired of playing it safe, taking on the Bradley APC in RUST might be a challenge for you.
Whether searching for a challenge in RUST or seeking the best loot in the game, the Bradley APC is a challenge full to the brim with juicy booty. It’s no small task to take the AI-controlled armored personnel carrier down. You’ll need to bring late-game explosives, high-end armor, and the best medicines available.
There are numerous methods to take the APC on, but they’re all based on the same principle. Do massive damage to the APC while avoiding its line of sight. Bradley APC’s killing power in RUST is unmatched. The APC is the most potent non-player character threat in the game between multiple firing modes and its eagle-eye vision.
Why you would fight Bradley APC in RUST
Aside from bragging rights, a destroyed Bradley APC also drops three coveted APC crates, each containing the highest loot tier in the game. The Bradley APC drops items such as:
- Armored Doors and Hatches
- Tech Trash, Targeting Computers & CCTV Cameras.
- Rockets and all .556 ammo variations
- Timed Explosive Charges
- Several non-craftable military-grade weapons
If you’re looking to round out your end-game Blueprint pool, or stock up on the best weapons in the game, taking on Bradley APC may be the most economical way to go. That’s assuming you have what it takes to bring it down. As a bonus, once you’ve looted Bradley’s remains, you can also farm the metal debris left behind for some bonus Metal Fragments and High Quality Metal.
RUST’s Bradley APC’s loadout and behavior
Players can find the Bradley APC roaming the paved roads of the Launch Site monument. Respawning roughly every hour, the Bradley APC is a reliable NPC to keep tabs on.
The Bradley APC is equipped with multiple machine guns, both on its turret ring and the side ports of the vehicle. However, only the machine guns mounted on the turret ring appear to fire at players. So be wary of trying to climb atop of the APC, it can shoot in all directions. These two machine guns will hit for up to seven damage, but damage can add up quickly with their fast fire rate.
The damage can also vary depending on the armor you’re wearing and where its hits land. It’s also important to note that the APC doesn’t run out of ammo, ever. There are, however, small windows between its burst firing that you will be able to hear.
If Bradley has you pinned, listen for the burst of fire to end before sticking your head out of cover.
Bradley APC’s primary weapon is the mounted cannon located at the turret ring’s front, which fires shells that hit for 25-30 damage. These shells have armor-piercing abilities and a small explosion radius to be aware of when taking cover. Bradley fires these shells much slower than its machine guns.
Unmolested, the APC will do laps around the Launch Site monument.
Once engaged, Bradley will pursue its target relentlessly, and if the APC locks you down in cover, it will continue to fire at you until it is distracted by another target. Be aware of this loud noise, as players can hear it far away, and it does wonder for drawing attention.
In short, the only way to end a fight with Bradley is to destroy the APC or run away from the launch site. It’s important to remember that unlike the patrol helicopter, which only fires on targets wearing armor or advanced weapons, the Bradley APC will fire indiscriminately as soon as it detects any player.
Bradley APC’s armor and health
The Bradley APC has a total of 1000 health and invulnerability to all damage types other than Explosives. If you fail to destroy the APC, its health will begin to regenerate approximately 5 minutes after it has taken damage. When the Bradley is considerably damaged, it will appear on fire and a cloud of black smoke will be visible.
With this in mind, the only reasonable way to destroy the Bradley APC is with rockets, timed explosive charges, and explosive ammunition. There are methods involving finding somewhere to hide and throwing 40+ hand grenades, but this method is neither efficient nor smart.
To breach the armor and destroy the Bradley APC, you’ll need to bring one of the following set of explosives:
- 570+ Explosive 5.56 Rifle Ammo
- 40 F1 Grenades
- 20 Satchel Charges
- 11 Rockets
- 7 High-Velocity Rockets
- 3 Timed Explosive Charges
Considering you’re not likely to hit every 5.56 shot perfectly, it would be smart to bring over 600 rounds. Already you can see this is neither the most efficient nor practical way of taking the APC down.
Satchel charges are also tricky to use, as they suffer from their ability to fizzle. You can’t afford to break cover to pick them up and try again.
11 Rockets is viable but also very expensive. You’ll spend over 15,000 Sulfur crafting the rockets, and the range at which you’ll be firing will make the rocket’s travel arc challenging to manage.
Timed explosives only take three and are considerably less expensive. However, you’ll need to be very close to the Bradley APC to get them to stick to it.
With the low cost of 1400 sulfur for seven rockets, high-velocity rockets are the most cost-effective way to take out the Bradley APC. Far easier to aim, with a much more straightforward firing arc, high-velocity rockets are highly preferable over regular rockets.
Preparing to fight Bradley APC in RUST
To take on the Bradley APC, you’re going to want to bring road sign or metal armor, at a minimum. Anything lower than these armor types and the Bradley can eliminate you with one salvo. The Bradley APC is also a near-perfect shot, and you’re likely to take damage, so it’s a good idea to come with a full complement of Medical Syringes.
Also, keep in mind the battle will attract other players, so be prepared for an ambush. While the Bradley may not take damage from standard automatic weapons, players sure do!
Two primary Bradley APC fight strategies
There are two main strategies to fight the Bradley APC.
The first strategy
The first strategy involves lying in wait for the Bradley to pass through a choke point. The small guard rooms on the roadside facilitate this well. Somewhere you can duck, with no way for Bradley to get a clear line of sight, you wait for the Bradley to be almost within arms reach before you let loose with timed explosives or rockets.
The danger of fighting this close to Bradley is that it will respond very quickly to you. Bradley’s weapons fire as projectiles, which means you can bait out the fire and avoid it at a distance. Not so when right up in Bradley’s face.
The second strategy
This requires getting on top of a building and using its edges as cover to hide from Bradley’s weapons. In these fights, you are much safer but have the difficult task of knowing when to peek.
Pop up too early, and the Bradley will hit you with its automatic weapons. Too late, and it’ll blast you with the cannon. Learning the timing of guns means paying attention to the sounds of the gunfire. How long you have between each salvo of shells or bullets will give you the window in which you can fire on the Bradley safely.
Supplementary to both of these methods
Have a teammate fight the Bradley with you. Bradley will hunt whatever it has targeted relentlessly, but it can be distracted by another player causing damage. Between two players, you can have a Bradley yoyo back and forth between the two of you, keeping it out of optimal firing positions.
Timed explosives may be the fastest method, but high-velocity rockets are the cheapest and most reliable.
Beating the Bradley APC in RUST
While you might feel elated having taken down the Bradley, your troubles are just beginning. Using explosives at the launch site is a dead giveaway that someone is fighting Bradley. Players keen to contest the loot can both tell instinctively how the fight went, depending on how many booms they heard.
A destroyed Bradley will also put a burning marker on the map to let players know that others have successfully taken it out. Given that you must wait several minutes for Bradley’s debris to cool down before it can be looted, players will have plenty of time to get to the launch site from almost anywhere on the map.
It would be best if you always assumed that killing Bradley is the prelude to another fight against players, as a dead Bradley means there is Bradley crate loot, as well as a cleared launch site to pick clean for the next hour or so.
Now it’s time to try your luck with the Bradley APC in RUST.
Given the low cost of high-velocity rockets, it’s worth taking out the Bradley APC every chance you get, even if you don’t strictly plan on clearing the launch site. There is plenty of loot to get from the Bradley crates alone, and you can use the Bradley corpse as bait for over-eagre players.
So get out there and give it a shot. While Bradley may appear to be a big bad scary boy, he’s not as tough as he looks.
