Rust is a survival multiplayer game that makes the players live on a post-apocalyptic island with each other. Though you might think that you won’t make many friends playing this game, there are certain mechanics that help in building trust with your neighbors.
For example, you can always create a team with other players and see each other from a distance. You can also place Vending Machines on the outer side of your base to trade with other players at any time they want.
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Trading is an amazing way to get exactly what resources you need. However, most Rust players are liars. So, a Vending Machine is the best of both worlds, as it allows you to trade with players without risking getting killed and looted.
In this guide, we will present everything you need to know about the Vending Machine in Rust, including what it does, how it works, how to get it, and where to place it to get the most out of it.
Table of Contents
- What Are Vending Machines in Rust?
- How Do Vending Machines Work in Rust?
- How to Get a Vending Machine in Rust
- How to Place a Vending Machine in Rust
- What Happens if Someone Breaks Your Vending Machine in Rust
- Best Monument Locations to Place a Vending Machine in Rust
- Can You Pick Up Vending Machines in Rust?
- What to Sell at a Vending Machine in Rust
What Are Vending Machines in Rust?
Vending Machines are special buildings in Rust that allow you to trade with other players without being in direct contact. You can build a Vending Machine at any time during your playthrough, and other players can approach it to see what offers you have proposed.
Since you can see the stock of a Vending Machine using the map, these little player-run shops are a really good way of getting the resources you need for a good price.
How Do Vending Machines Work in Rust?
Vending Machines in Rust are player-run shops that also work as storage boxes. You can place one in your base in a doorway instead of a door and allow other players to trade with you without making contact.
You build a Vending Machine, place it on a doorway, with the back toward the inner side of the base, and place whatever items you want inside it. Just by placing an item inside the Vending Machine, players won’t actually see it on the other side.
How to Place Sell Orders
After you place what you want, you can hold down E to see more options. This is only possible from the back of the Vending Machine. One of the options is called Administrate. Other players can also access the storage, so make sure nobody can reach the back of your Vending Machine.
If you select this, you can choose which types of trades you want to make available at your Vending Machine. In the Sell square, you will need to search for the item that you want to give to other players, and in the For square, you will have to select what you want in exchange.
For example, if you said that you want to sell weapons for Sulfur, then you should place an AK in the Sell slot and a couple of thousand Sulfur in the For slot.
In the bottom left corner, you will find a spot where you can change the name of the shop, which players will see on the map. In the upper right corner, you will see all of the Sell Orders you have created. You can also remove them from that spot.
Vending Machines in Rust will automatically broadcast their position on the map, so you will need to disable this if you don’t want that by selecting the option while interacting with the back of the machine.
How to Get a Vending Machine in Rust
There is no other way to get a Vending Machine in Rust besides crafting it. Players will know the Blueprint for it by default, but they will have to also craft a Level 1 Workbench first.
To craft a Vending Machine in Rust, you will need to use 20 High Quality Metal and 3 Gears, while standing next to a Level 1 Workbench. If you don’t want to spend time making a Workbench, you can use one at the Outpost.
You can also recycle the Vending Machine to get back half of the original resources invested into it, but that would usually be a waste. We only recommend doing this if you find a Vending Machine in someone’s chest.
How to Place a Vending Machine in Rust
To place a Vending Machine in Rust, you will need to build a doorway. The Vending Machine will take the place of a door. When you place it, you can see if you are placing the front toward you if a little window can be seen.
To rotate it while you are placing it, just move your mouse left and right until you see the image of the blueprint change.
It doesn’t matter if you place it the wrong way, as you can rotate it at any time, as long as there aren’t any items inside it. Usually, you should use a Sheet Metal Doorway, Foundation, and Floor to make sure that the surrounding structures aren’t weaker than the Vending Machine.
If they are, someone can destroy your Vending Machine by destroying them, or they can get behind it and get everything out of it.
What Happens if Someone Breaks Your Vending Machine in Rust
Vending Machines are relatively sturdy, and most players won’t be able to break them, but you should usually be prepared for the moment when it happens. When someone destroys a Vending Machine, they will get 50% of the items inside.
This can be horrible, as you can have a lot of resources inside a Vending Machine and lose everything. Since players can see what items are inside a Vending Machine, due to the Sell Orders appearing on the map, placing high-quality items inside can bring a lot of bad players.
In general, you should also place some Turrets close to the Vending Machine, preferably set to the Peacekeeping mode, to protect any players trading and your base as well.
Best Monument Locations to Place a Vending Machine in Rust
Usually, if you want to place a Vending Machine in Rust, it is because you either need some resources or you just want to get rid of excess materials.
This is why you should think about the best possible locations where you can actually place a Vending Machine that people will trade with. The monuments are generally good locations for a trading base, as a lot of players will be around them.
The best monuments where you can place your Vending Machine and trading base in Rust are the locations that have Safe Zones:
- Bandit Camp
- Fishing Village
- Outpost
- Ranch
Depending on what you are selling, any one of the monuments can be a great place to set up shop next to. You consider that, for example, a lot of people leaving the Outpost will have a lot of raw resources from recycling. If you want them, you can give them something good in return.
Since most players are a bit afraid of Vending Machines due to the chance they will lose everything from random raiders, placing them close to Safe Zones will allow them to quickly run to one to prepare for the journey home.
It is very important what types of items you plan to sell, as you should also consider if the neighboring players will afford or want what you are selling.
If you make a Vending Machine close to the spawn beach, players will usually look to buy simple, starting items. However, if you want to sell higher-tier items, such as guns, you would do better to place your trading outpost close to a higher-level location, such as the Snow biome.
Can You Pick Up Vending Machines in Rust?
No, you can’t pick up Vending Machines in Rust. This can be very annoying if you didn’t plan your base properly, as it will be stuck there unless you use C4.
You can use any type of weapon to destroy Vending Machines, but they are incredibly sturdy. You will need at least 3 C4s to break down a single Vending Machine.
This means that using a melee tool, such as the Jackhammer, can take up to 15 minutes to destroy a Vending Machine. And this would only be possible if you had multiple Jackhammers to use.
Since you will lose half of the items inside, make sure to empty the Vending Machine before demolishing it.
What to Sell at a Vending Machine in Rust
Usually, you should consider what resources you want when you make a Vending Machine. Depending on what spot you are in your playthrough, there might be some very different items other players will also want to exchange.
Some of the best items to sell in the early game in Rust at a Vending Machine are:
When it comes to what you should want in exchange, you should usually only trade for Scrap. You will need a lot of Scrap at the start of the game if you want to unlock a lot of the Blueprints in the Workbenches.
Once you get further in the game and feel like you don’t need Scrap anymore, you should start trading for Sulfur, as you will need it to make bullets for all your guns.
That’s everything you need to know about how Vending Machines work in Rust!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
