Throughout RUST’s storied history, the act or art of raiding has taken some rather drastic twists and turns with changes ranging from the flavor of the month, “Molly Meta,” the nerf to multiple rocket raiding reloading, down to the changing of build components like armored doors themselves, until finally, we come to present day.
As a community, we’ve seen everything from exploding ammunition to ordinances, from rockets raining from the sky to those that skim the surface of the water. We’ve seen almost everything, short of going utterly medieval on our enemies, until now.
Coming to a Primitive Game Mode server near you in February of 2025, siege weapons are the first land-based hybrid raid/vehicle and combat tools of their kind. In a mode where all other methods of destruction, like Timed Explosive Charges and Rockets, are prohibited, these new tools are there to both slow down end-game domination as well as bring a new medieval dynamic to the latest form of gun-free gameplay.
While the argument could be made that some of these siege-type weapons aren’t weapons at all, they all play a pivotal role in the facilitation of primitive raiding, if not doing the damage themselves.
All information herein is highly subject to change.
Siege Weapon Types
Waging war, in many ways, is the same principle at its core as stepping into the kitchen. In this instance, the generals, or baker, need knowledge of and access to the assorted tools and ingredients that go into a successful pastry. Without these components and how to correctly assemble them, the yielded confection might come out more bagel than baguette, or muffin instead of cupcake.
Primitive rust raiding is drastically different than the traditional warfare even veteran RUST players are used to, and going into battle underprepared, especially in this game mode will get very expensive in a hurry. Let’s review the new (old) tools available.
Ballista (Mounted and Stationary)
As a quick preface, there are two different types of Ballista, with one being a stationary variety with a brick and bracket base, placed within Tool Cupboard Privilege and only moveable via a Wooden Hammer or destruction. The alternate form is the much more touted mobile version, the Mounted Ballista. Both fall within the same general parameters, with only their mobility being different.
Historically, ballistas are large-scale projectile launchers used to damage property or enemy personnel with any assortment of ammunition type the user could come up with. This ammunition could range from something as simple as large stones and boulders to more intricate ammo types like oversized arrows and explosive-tipped ordinance.
In the game of RUST, the developers elected to go with a variety of bolts, almost representing giant arrows, each with a purpose. It is fitting that the ballista types they have chosen to incorporate into the game look like large crossbows on platforms.
Ammunition Types
Ammo Type
Description
Hammerhead Bolt
A raid-type bolt blowing through sheet metal doors in as little as seven shots
Incendiary Bolt
A flame-tipped munition, igniting on impact and leaving behind a fire effect on the ground similar to a mild Molotov cocktail
Piercer Bolt
An anti-vehicle bolts used effectively against armored cars and camper vans and works against players in a pinch
Pitchfork Bolt
An anti-personnel munitions, causing more area of effect damage than other bolt types and doing considerable, if not deadly, bodily harm to players
Battering Ram
Since early man’s concept and creation of the door, the need to break and enter has been at the forefront of combative thinking. Some structures are fastened and easily accessible with a well-placed boot or shoulder, while others take a little more doing. In the world of RUST, a door is oftentimes the only thing standing between a player with a lot of resources and the players outside who want those resources.
Insert the Battering Ram; what comes to mind is what we get. This oversized, partially covered raiding machine may be driven (using Low Grade Fuel) or towed by a horse. The battering ram operates much like a Scrap Transport Helicopter does when ferrying on the ground and has almost as much storage space for players to hitch a ride inside.
The concept of usage is relatively simple. When approaching a raid target, the driver will operate this behemoth from the cockpit and get as close to the wall or other structure as possible. From there, he and he alone may deploy the Battering Ram head, causing damage to both the Battering Ram head and whatever it hits.
If enough damage is done, the Battering Ram head will need repairing before additional hits can be levied, requiring either someone on board to hit the swinging head with a Wooden Hammer and High Quality Metal, or perhaps the driver himself might have to get out and do it.
In addition to the battering function, there are slotted vertical walls that allow players to engage the enemy and duck and cover. At the non-business end of the vehicle is a door, openable by friends and enemies alike. It actuates and functions at the press of the E key, either opening or closing, with a short delay in between. Players can also exit from the front.
Catapult
Have you ever wanted to send a teammate flying through the air at a high rate of speed, helpless to stop their own momentum? Merry Christmas, this is your machine.
To start, aiming for this beast is a nightmare at first. There are no fundamental targeting functions other than point and pray. Because of the payload players can deliver from this siege weapon, it works well enough, but it’s probably best for any teams wanting to raid with the Catapult practice long in advance, preferably not while being shot back at.
Positioning is half the battle with the Catapult, which may be pulled into position by players or towed by horses. Might we suggest towing for the majority of the trip, and pulling it to aim once on site. Once locked, it’s time to get loaded; the fairly intuitive firing mechanism is towards the vehicle’s back end.
Ammunition Types
Ammunition
Description
Propane Explosive Bomb
The raid-type projectile, impacting similar to a regular Rocket, with 125 damage to stone walls and foundations directly hit, with comparable but slightly lesser damage doing done to surrounding foundational structures
Firebomb
Essentially an Incendiary Rocket, igniting on impact and leaving behind a fire effect on the ground similar to several Molotov cocktails deploying at once
Scattershot
Anti-personnel munitions, causing more area of effect damage than other bomb types and doing considerable, if not deadly, bodily harm to players. Most closely thought of like non-raiding High Velocity Rockets
People
Yes, you can put fleshy players in the Catapult and launch them at your foes
Siege Tower
Not all weapons are designed to do direct damage, chief amongst them being the Siege Tower. Those who have been playing RUST for years know that sometimes there is no replacement for a well-placed ladder. A Siege Tower is essentially a ladder on steroids. Like the Catapult, it must be pushed, pulled, or towed to whatever building you’re attempting to infiltrate, but once there can deliver a lot of personnel assets over a wall or into a window very fast.
At the base of the Siege Tower is what we believe to be the neatest feature, shy of the drawbridges at the top. Players may deploy their door and code or key lock directly onto a bottom slot, turning the Siege Tower into a miniature raid base.
Moving into the device, players will find 3 total ladders, each roughly a story high, with a deployable dropping door to allow instant infiltration into an enemy compound. This Siege Tower is the closest thing to a manufactured ‘build-up’ that RUST players can get, allowing it to be constructed and wheeled into places where you might not have building privilege.
Siege Weapon Function & Controls
There are a lot of variables that go into each type of siege weapon, so it makes sense to segregate them into their own subsections. Those with controls will have them listed, while those lacking will be omitted.
Ballista (Mounted and Stationary)
Controls:
Hold W, A, S, D, or use mouse movements to aim and direct the attackW up
A left
S right
D down
Once aimed, hold R to prime and tension the release cord
Hold R to select the bolt type you wish to have fired available in your inventory
Press the Left Mouse Button to fire
Battering Ram
Driver Ground controls:
Hold W, A, S, D to driveW forward
A left
S right
D reverse
Press any direction once to start the engine
Use Spacebar to disembark / turn off the engine
Raiding controls:
Position the vehicle right up against any object with which you intend to deploy the Battering Ram head
Once positioned in the driver’s seat and with the engine on, turn towards the 3 lighted panel slightly to your left
Press E to deploy the head.
Each successful impact will damage the head by 20 health points until it must be repaired via Hammer and resources, as listed below.
Each successful strike against a raidable target, for our purposes, the High External Stone Wall, will do considerable damage. In the case of the stone wall, it will take 10 hits to destroy one, or 50 damage per strike
Back Door controls:
At any point where applicable, players either on board or within melee range may look at and open the back deployable gate by pressing E
Towing controls:
Any player may utilize a horse, either purchased or found, and back the rear of the animal to the front center section of the Battering Ram
Once done properly, turning and looking down toward the horse should cause a Towing prompt to appear
Press E to hitch the horse to the vehicle
Doing so again will unhitch the horse
Use the horse to move the vehicle around as needed
Refueling
To refuel, follow these steps:
Have the appropriate Low-Grade Fuel in your inventory.
Position yourself just inside the vehicle, right outside the driver’s cockpit.
Look for a red fuel tank conveniently labeled “FUEL.”
Press the E key on the fuel tank to open the Fuel Storage screen.
Insert the Low-Grade Fuel into the Fuel Storage slot.
You are now ready to go
Catapult
Controls:
Aiming a Catapult is more trial and error than a A-B-C process
Line up the Catapult the best that you can to estimate it firing at roughly what you want to hit
While at the back of the Catapult, look towards the center swing arm and hold E to ‘reload’ the Catapult – this can take from 8-10 seconds
Once ‘cocked’, look up at the primary blue holding box and press E
Insert your desired Ammunition type (see below)
Look at the firing arm again, and press E to fire
Towing controls:
Any player may utilize a horse, either purchased or found, and back the rear of the animal to the front center section of the Catapult
Once done properly, turning and looking down towards the horse should cause a Towing prompt to appear
Press E to hitch the horse to the vehicle
Doing so again will unhitch the horse
Use the horse to move the vehicle around as needed
Siege Tower
Controls:
Siege Towers are a push-and-pray objective once the shooting starts, unless they are being towed by a horse
Position the Siege Tower and climb up to the desired floor
Deploy the doors to gain access to enemy structures
Towing controls:
Any player may utilize a horse, either purchased or found, and back the rear of the animal to the front center section of the Siege Tower
Once done properly, turning and looking down towards the horse should cause a Towing prompt to appear
Press E to hitch the horse to the vehicle
Doing so again will unhitch the horse
Use the horse to move the vehicle around as needed
Siege Weapon Repair & Decay
Repair
All siege weapons, up to the moment that the frame collapses and disappears into the void, can be repaired 30 seconds after it last took damage. This requires using a Hammer and having some combination of Metal Fragments, Wood and Cloth in your inventory. Each repair swing will repair between 51 and 53 damage per swing, depending on the device being repaired.
Decay Rates
Given that the server you’re playing has default convar values, all siege vehicles should slowly decay outside over the course of 600 minutes. This is the default decay period, but it is modifiable through server variables.
Final Thoughts
As players further push the envelope of game progression methods, game mechanic exploitations, and game admin patience, you can be sure that Rust 420 will be right here detailing all of the tools that they are sure to use for victory.
