Rust wipe day checklist: what to do before the server wipes
A short checklist for wipe day in Rust, from updating the game to having a plan for the first ten minutes, so nothing stands between you and a fresh map.
Wipe day goes well or badly in the first half hour, and most of what decides it happens before the server even comes back. Run through this before the wipe.
The day before
- Pick your server, and a backup in case the first one has a huge queue.
- Check the wipe time in its Discord. On force wipe, expect the evening UK time.
- Agree a plan with your group: who farms what, where you want to build, who places the base.
An hour before
- Update Steam and Rust. On force wipe the game needs an update. Start Steam early so the download is finished before the servers come back, not after.
- Restart your PC if it has been on for days, so Windows does not decide to install updates in the middle of your session.
- Turn off sleep so the PC does not drift off while you wait. In Settings, go to System, then Power & battery (Power & sleep on Windows 10), and set sleep to Never while plugged in.
- Close anything heavy you will not need.
As the server comes back
- Join straight away. A popular server fills within minutes of coming back, and after that it is a queue.
- Do not leave the queue. Clicking another server or closing Rust sends you to the back. See how Rust server queues work.
The first ten minutes in game
- Get stone and wood first, then a tool cupboard down as early as you can.
- Do not wander far until you have somewhere to put things.
- Keep it small to start. A tiny base that exists beats a big one still being planned.
If you cannot be there
Plenty of wipes happen while people are at work, at school or out. You do not have to miss them: QueueUp starts Rust on your gaming PC from your phone and waits in the queue for you, and on wipe night it can watch your server through its restart and join the moment it is back.