Metal Detector
The Metal Detector is a unique tool in RUST that allows players to hunt for buried treasure. It was released in February 2024 as a part of the Bags to Riches Update and is the first item of its kind in the game.
The Metal Detector acts and performs how you’d expect it would, giving off electronic beeps that speed up or slow down as you get closer or further from hidden metal. The item’s appearance does look like a mess, cobbled together with various junk, but it gets the job done.
How to get a Metal Detector
Metal Detectors can be crafted at a Level 1 Workbench once they have been researched or the blueprint has been unlocked from the tech tree. Players can also find one as loot inside brown crates at low-tier monuments.
Potential loot
Checkout the following list for all confirmed items found using the Metal Detector:
- 5.56 Rifle Ammo
- Bucket Helmet
- Can of Beans
- Can of Tuna
- Chainsaw
- Coffee Can Helmet
- Hatchet
- High-Quality Horse Shoes
- High-Quality Metal
- Jackhammer
- Longsword
- Metal Blade
- Metal Fragments
- Metal Spring
- Pickaxe
- Pistol Bullet
- Revolver
- Road Signs
- Road Sign Jacket
- Roadsign Gloves
- Salvaged Axe
- Salvaged Icepick
- Salvaged Sword
- Scrap
- Semi-Automatic Pistol
- Water Jug
Basic Metal Detector function
Players must equip the Metal Detector in their hotbar to use it. Once active, the device will begin searching for random world-spawn prospecting zones. These zones can appear almost anywhere on land except inside safe zones and are hidden from sight. The Metal Detector is the only method for revealing prospecting zones.
The detector is equipped with a small display box that displays two bars that light up. The bar on the left indicates if a broad-range target is found and will light up if a prospecting zone is detected within 5-10 yards. Once you’ve got activity, this means it’s time to narrow down the search and go into active search.
Holding down the right mouse button will place the detector in a search mode that lowers the sensor to the ground and also slows down your player character’s movement speed. You will be vulnerable while in this state. Move about the general area, following the direction that the detector’s beeping increases, and you should come upon a spot where a red flag on a stick appears. You’ve found some treasure! Now hit it with a melee weapon and retrieve your prize.
Check out our companion guide to the RUST Metal Detection System for more detailed information about using RUST’s Metal Detector.
