What are RUST Snowmobiles, and what are they used for?
The RUST Snowmobile is a motorized vehicle that allows players to quickly traverse snow and sand-covered areas. Introduced to RUST on April 3rd, 2022, in the Arctic Update, they are primarily designed for usage in the Arctic Biome and specifically for usage in snow. However, they also operate at full capacity on sandy beaches or through open sand-covered deserts.
It’s important to note when they leave snow or sand-covered areas, their speed is immediately and dramatically reduced to a crawl. A server variable can be modified to change this factor so that the Snowmobiles operate at full capacity on all surfaces. Equally important to remember is that ice-covered surfaces also impact its traction and top speed, reducing control to almost nothing while increasing speed.
Snowmobiles allow players an additional travel option with a low overhead cost compared to their car counterparts, allowing them to traverse the land at accelerated speeds while also providing a cargo capacity.
How to acquire a Snowmobile
The Snowmobile can be acquired by visiting the Arctic Research Base monument and completing the blue keycard puzzle. It comes with no fuel by default, so if you intend to commandeer it, you will need to bring some with you.
It can hold two players: a driver’s seat in charge of directionality and fuel storage and a single passenger seat. While seated, the passenger will have full control over their hotbar functions, including the ability to swing, eat, med, or shoot. The driver will be limited to maneuvering and accessing the onboard fuel storage while the vehicle is in motion.
Although Snowmobiles use Low Grade Fuel to operate, a player is able to push the vehicle when it is stationary and unmounted. Be warned, when pushing any vehicle, you will quickly exhaust a considerable amount of calories. Bring extra food if you plan on pushing it for whatever reason.
Alternatively, you can acquire a Snowmobile by “borrowing” one from any property that might have neglected to put it behind a door, as it has no locking feature, so carefully guard your new acquisition.
Anatomy of a Snowmobile
Like any other vehicle type, there are specific names for the individual pieces that make up a whole vehicle. While some of these aren’t absolutely pertinent to the game or operation of the Snowmobile, they might be referenced at some point in this guide.
- Center Thwart – middle double-seat area, back passenger, front driver
- Fuel Tank – deposit slot for fuel storage, located beneath the steering column
- Headlight – press F to engage, allows for night driving
- Stash – onboard bag located at the back with 12 slots
- Skag Bar – front-blade steering assembly that points the intended travel direction
- Steering Column – handlebar system used to navigate
- Track – railed propulsion system that utilizes RPM to move vehicle via kinetic traction through sand or snow
Snowmobile Screenshots
Snowmobile Fuel System
The Snowmobile can hold up to 500 Low Grade Fuel on a standard Vanilla server. It will consume 1 Low Grade Fuel every 7 seconds, allowing you to stay at a constant full throttle for a little over 58 minutes on a full tank. Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT use fuel when the engine is on but not moving.
They can be refueled both while stationary and while moving. Be careful; if an active driver isn’t seated, other players can open the fuel tank and steal its contents. They can also loot the onboard storage, so be mindful of those around you.
Refueling
- Have the appropriate Low Grade Fuel in your inventory.
- Position yourself seated in the front seat and look straight down.
- Look for a yellow engine fuel tank with no discernable markings.
- Press E on the fuel tank to open the Fuel Storage screen.
- Insert the Low Grade Fuel into the Fuel Storage slot.
- You’re now refueled.
Snowmobile Controls
The Snowmobile is a rather difficult beast to control on appropriate terrain and an absolute snail of a vehicle on grass, concrete, or dirt. It doesn’t corner the best and is probably twice as difficult to maneuver as a horse at a similar speed.
More importantly, while mounted on a snowmobile, the driver and passenger become completely immune to fall damage. The only caveat to that statement is a fall from such height or at low health that would otherwise destroy the Snowmobile, or if, while falling, the body of the driver or passenger were to impact a stationary object and result in a Blunt Force death.
Driver Controls:
- In the driver’s seat, press either W or D to engage the engine (standing up disengages it)
- Hold W to accelerate forward
- Hold A to bear left
- Hold S to bear right
- Hold D to go in reverse
All Seats
- Hold Left Alt + Mouse to look around
- SPACEBAR to leave the vehicle
- X to swap seats
Snowmobile Repair, Decay & Durability
Repair
The Snowmobile can be repaired 30 seconds after it last took damage. This requires using a Hammer and having Metal Fragments in your inventory. Each repair swing will repair up to 54 damage. Any passenger can also repair it while moving.
Decay Rates
While outside, the Snowmobile will decay slowly over 1440 minutes. If sheltered (roof overhead), it will last indefinitely or until the base is raided and the roof is long since destroyed. Housing one is quite practical, being a common retrofit for most base designs or as its own entity further from the main base. Any single square with a door will work, with garage doors preferable for clearance purposes.
Durability Damage Chart
The RUST Snowmobile has 300 Hit Points; all calculations below were based on this number. While fire-based ballistics are included, their damage is impact-based only, as this vehicle is immune to fire damage over time. All calculations used an LR-300 Assault Rifle, MP5A4, and Pump Shotgun for the assorted ammo types at point-blank range, where applicable.
| Ammunition / Tool | Damage Done Per | Total Req. to Destroy |
|---|---|---|
| 5.56 Rifle Ammo | 4 | 75 |
| Incendiary 5.56 Rifle Ammo | 4.3 | 70 |
| Explosive 5.56 Rifle Ammo | 7 | 43 |
| Pistol Ammo | 3.7 | 82 |
| Incendiary Pistol Ammo | 4 | 75 |
| 12 Gauge Buckshot | 21 | 15 |
| 12 Gauge Slug | 8 | 38 |
| Handmade Shell | 18 | 17 |
| HV Rocket | 263 | 2 |
| Rocket | 169 | 2 |
| 40MM HE Grenade | 23 | 14 |
| Satchel Charge | 126 | 3 |
| Timed Explosive Charge | 300+ | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
When destroyed, all fuel inserted into the fuel container is lost in destruction. At the same time, items stored in the onboard storage will appear as a lootable gray bag where the vehicle was destroyed.
Yes, the headlight can be initiated by pressing the F key.
We tested this, and if you drive one into a cave, down to the single bucket drop, mount it, and very slowly guide it down the hole without hitting your head and instantly dying, you can 100% drop down the bucket and reach the bottom without taking damage.
Admin Commands & Convars
| Convar | Default Value | Description |
| snowmobile.allowpassengeronly | False | Allow mounting as a passenger when there’s no driver |
| snowmobile.allterrain | False | If true, Snowmobile goes fast on all terrain types |
| snowmobile.outsidedecayminutes | 1440 | How long before a Snowmobile loses all its health while outside |
| spawn Snowmobile | – | Admin command to spawn a Snowmobile |
Final Thoughts
RUST Snowmobiles provide players with a convenient means of navigating through snow and sand-covered terrains with the added benefit of carrying a passenger and a small amount of loot. Whatever your means for acquiring one, it provides a swift mode of transportation with more-than-acceptable limits. So, the next time you embark into the Arctic and Desert biomes, consider hopping on one for a faster and more exciting ride.
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