Learn strategies to survive RUST’s temperate biome.
It’s hard for the average person to visually discern a harmless snake from one possessing venom. Even those with the knowledge are hard-pressed to identify the danger from a distance.
Most species employ tactics similar to the average RUST grub. They inundate themselves with surroundings that complement their appearance, making them harder to see.
Perched to strike, they position themselves perfectly between their prey and a means of escape. Patiently, they wait, quietly stalking their victim until finally, though brutally, their fangs sink into their victim.
But what is the snake without the cover of invisibility? What becomes of the grub without the bush?
For every negative presented by the surroundings you select, a positive emerges. As with all things, every dark side has its lighter component, and RUST biomes are the same if you know how to navigate the terrain’s challenges best. Consider this your roadmap to surviving the RUST temperate biome.
Preemptive considerations
Before setting up a shop and choosing a base location in the temperate biome, proper preparation requires several factors to consider that will impact your ability to flourish.
Food & water in the temperate biome
The temperate biome in RUST is many things, but never a place lacking something to eat. From its (potentially) lush rivers, lined to the brim with large quantities of both Pumpkins and Corn, to shaded wooden gullies and hilltops with hidden Mushrooms and Potatoes aplenty, players are least likely to starve to death when in this resource-rich paradise.
Forethought recommendation
Be sure to check out the map beforehand. Not all procedurally generated maps have rivers; the last thing you want to do is get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no clear path to food. Especially on higher populated servers, even the ample offering of the temperate biome can be exhausted.
Resource challenges
There is no shortage of metal, stone, or sulfur within the grasslands, and the selection of quality trees to cut down is second to none. The biome is ripe for the picking. It almost sounds like an idyllic space to operate and build. In fact, the grasslands and forests of the temperate biome are the only places to acquire cloth and berry plants naturally.
While not as plentiful in mineral-rich nodes as in RUST’s arctic biome, there is still no lack of resources for the average solo player or team. Ground pickups, such as wood, stone, metal, and sulfur, litter the ground, making the acquisition of early-game tools and primitive weapons a sinch.
Forethought recommendation
When you wake up on the beach, pick up every hemp plant you can find. While not typically given a second thought, it is vital to use at least some of this cloth to place a great deal of sleeping bags in the early going. The rationality behind this will become apparent later in the guide.
Be sure to make a Hunting Bow as soon as possible, as you will need it to defend yourself from players and animals.
Wildlife challenges
Bears, stags, packs of wolves, and wild boar are ever-present companions within the temperate biome. Despite Facepunch’s best efforts, even the occasional polar bear wanders into the far-reaching trees and valleys.
Forethought recommendation
Always keep Wood and a Building Plan handy. In the current game release, animals cannot physically path onto any player-built structure.
At the low cost of 25 wood, putting down a simple triangle thatch foundation and standing on it (or under it) will cause any pursuing animal to disengage from combat and flee. This technique does not work on other players.
If you’re too close to the road system to build a structure, locate the nearest roadside truck. Jumping on top of the truck or into the air at any significant height can help you escape.
RUST’s animal AI has a height threshold parameter that causes them to disengage players not touching the ground by a certain distance. This trick does not work for roadside scientists. Their bullets can fly. #aimbotted
Dealing with other players
There is an old fishing adage; you must go where the fish are biting.
There are minnows, fish, and sharks in RUST, just as in life. Unlike life, RUST allows for a hierarchical switch from moment to moment, and all it takes is one good shotgun blast to make it happen.
Minnow can evolve into a shark in his own right if only he brave the stream and make it home with the bait.
All cryptic analogy aside, because of the ideal weather, resources, and conditions of the temperate biome, it attracts a great many grubby minnows than either of the other two biomes combined.
Visiting a Gas Station or Supermarket monument on wipe day has been likened to playing Russian Roulette, having about the same potential outcome.
Suppose you are engaged in PVP while in the temperate biome; know beforehand that all gunshots will likely attract more people. The same goes for noise created by raiding implements. Destroying walls and doors can get loud.
Nothing here is sacred, and there are no rules or courtesies.
Forethought recommendation
Pay attention to the map. Whether solo or part of a small group, avoid high-traffic areas such as those mentioned above and medium-sized monuments until you are prepared to lose your kits.
The temperate biome on wipe day is about as close to the wild west as one can come without strapping on spurs and a 6 shooter. Friendships are made and betrayed in the same breath, and the sound of a recycler is to a grub as the flame is to the moth.
Utilize the treeline when available, and keep a reasonable distance from obstructing bushes, as this is the grubs’ favorite place to play.
Be sure to deposit goods you gather into your base frequently and be slow to discard bows and primitive kits. Doorcamping is a favorite pastime in the woods, so expect to be targeted now and again.
Anonymity is key. Try to be as covert in your dealings as possible, and double-check your surroundings before heading to your base. In RUST, the fewer people that know your location, the better.
To blend seamlessly into your surroundings, check out our guide for the Best RUST Skin Sets for the Temperate Biome.
Nature
Rain and fog during the day aren’t dangerous in the temperate biome. They limit visibility and add a degree of ambient noise that hinders clear hearing and sometimes thinking. If the rain is light enough, it’s almost peaceful.
Wet status at night can present a complication, reducing your light source’s effectiveness and distorting your field of view. While not directly comparable to the arctic or desert biomes, getting the condition in the dark can eat away at your health bar over time.
Forethought recommendation
For RUST players just starting, your most direct concern needs to be mitigating primitive weapon damage, both melee and ranged. The secondary priority should be acquiring 11 radiation protection, as this is the minimum for getting into most mid-difficulty monuments.
Exclusive monuments
The temperate biome is home to more biome-specific monuments than any other area type, though this is overlooked by most because they don’t recognize the pattern.
Up first are the Large Barn and Ranch, both monuments serving the same general purpose and offering the same amenities, chief among them affordable transportation in the form of horses.
They also offer a relatively ‘safe zone’ for a player needing an AFK for a few moments. Throw in a few comfort healing barrels, and they’re a nice pitstop for anyone with the urge to hear stomping horse hooves. You can also pick up a quest or two.
While less of a monument and more of a geographical feature, Swamps are also a pure temperate biome feature. Swamps come in different configurations. These sulfur-spawning cesspools are often built-in and offer a unique ambiance to their inhabitants.
Lastly, we have the Abandoned Cabins, which technically qualifies as a ‘swamp’ feature. This simple two-building, quaintly bridged tier 0 monument is a perfect learning space for players looking to pick up a few crates, food, or possibly a green keycard.
All about building
Now is as good a time as any to carve out your portion of the green dream. Further considerations on this topic are as follows:
Terrain
The temperate biome has a bit of everything. Complete with rolling hills, valleys, plains, mountains, and swamps.
Oddly enough, the one feature that both other biomes have the corner on is overly-flat base building locations. Not that there aren’t any procedurally generated, but large sand barges and ice lakes are much more frequent than a big flat green field. If you should happen upon one, claim it quickly and pray a larger group doesn’t want it.
Deep forests
It’s the great RUST dream—build in a thick enough forest, small but strong enough to last an entire wipe. Whether or not it ever comes to fruition is up to you, but the idea alone is enough to warrant trying.
There is certainly no shortage of tree-rich land to make your stand. However, the unfortunate thing about this feature of the temperate biome is the rampant deforestation destroying the RUST ecosystem.
Never trust a naked person with a chainsaw!
Caves
Caves are always a solid choice to build in, but always a reliable raid target to others. RUST cave systems vary from large to small, but all have a few things in common. Chiefly, they’re all fairly visible to the trained eye on a map.
This knowledge is especially true for certain temperate caves, as both very low or high landscape elevations often make cave entrances stick out like a sore thumb.
While not as evident as the colossal superstructure next door, the cave has several strengths and weaknesses that are inherent only to itself. Caves offer a natural shelter from the wet status-causing elements. However, these underground havens do not warm you up at night – you will still very much take passive damage if you venture away from your keyboard while wet and underclothed with night falling.
Caves in RUST are also natural attractions for new players looking for resources and tools. Expect a lot of foot traffic should you elect to build in or near one of these.
Landlocked bases
One of the best things about living amongst the trees and monuments is also the worst—access to the ocean. For those players that go inland, the distance between their base and the wide open seas isn’t always at the forefront of their minds.
Later in the wipe, however, when contesting the cargoship event or dying on the Large Oil Rig, the reality of the situation sinks in. There are very few fast ways back short of risking your expensive minicopter. Horses get stuck on lips, ledges, and rocks, and traveling on foot is slow and dangerous.
Swamps
While less practical for most people, swamps are a wonderful source of passive sulfur pickups and cast quite an interesting fog, especially at night.
While certainly not the experience that everyone is looking for, we encourage all types of building exploration within the game. Building a swamp tree-house could be just the ticket to break up the ‘what design are we going to use this time’ grind that happens from wipe to wipe.
As with caves, there is no hiding a swamp on the map, so be ready for quite a few visitors coming your way.
Raiders are coming
As different as each biome is from one another, so is the process for waging war within them. From the perspective of a potential raider, the temperate biome often provides a much more dangerous raiding experience, with grubs and counter-raiders coming (quite literally) out of the woodwork.
While the elements aren’t nearly as much of an obstacle for raiding teams, the terrain can be downright perilous. Counter raiders very much like to utilize the everpresent treelines, bushes, and cliff sides of RUST’s temperate biome to their advantage. Be sure to have a backup plan A, B, and C if you are raiding during prime time hours in this biome.
For the defender, the environment can be just as hazardous. Just because the original raiding party was countered and robbed doesn’t mean that the zerg that countered them doesn’t wish to finish the job.
Be sure to have plenty of external spawn points with kits to make defending more plausible. Consider working external TCs into your base design to prevent griefing and loss of workbenches.
Final thoughts on the RUST temperate biome
You don’t have to live in any particular area to be a successful RUST player. The temperate biome can provide an authentic RUST experience for some or an absolute horror scene for others.
It all comes down to diligence, preparation, and attention to detail. Be sure to check out our Arctic and Desert guides for more tips on surviving the various biomes of RUST.
Please keep those suggestions and begrudgingly witty comments coming back to us directly in our Discord. We love hearing different perspectives. It keeps us thinking.
