Metal Ore is a crucial building and crafting item in RUST and is acquired through several in-game means and is spawnable via the F1 console. They are considered a core resource because players rely on them for endgame progression and base security.
Once cooked into fragments, the metal ore’s primary purpose is its utility for providing the second-highest protection structures available to be built in the game.
It takes roughly twice the amount of explosives to blow through a metal wall as it would a Stone wall. It is also a primary component in the early game best doors, the Sheet Metal Double Door, Single Door, and Garage Doors.
Alternatively, metal fragments are absolutely essential for anyone wanting to craft weapons instead of scavenging or PVPing for them. Everything from the popular low-tier Revolver to the must-have middle-tier Semi-Automatic Rifle requires substantial amounts of metal fragments to craft. Couple this with them being a primary component in the creation of Medical Syringes, and it’s no wonder they’re a mainstay in bases of all stages of progression.
One of the more overlooked aspects of metal fragments is how much is required to make ammunition. Pistol and 5.56 rounds of all types rely heavily on metal fragments to craft.
So how, then, do teams supplement all of this need when there is such high demand? In addition to farming and smelting it from mining metal nodes in the wild, precooked fragments can also be acquired by mining the defeated remains of the Attack Helicopter and Bradley APC or scrap transport helicopters.
The most lucrative way to acquire metal fragments is through recycling components farmed through barrels and crates. In the event that you find yourself with a surplus, it is worth mentioning that Bandit Camp will buy it at a rate of 1 Scrap per 20 metal. Outpost also sells them for 250 metal fragments per 25 scrap.
