[Top 5] RUST Best Early Weapons (And How To Get Them)

Updated:

15 Feb 2023

5.Water Pipe Shotgun

The Water Pipe Shotgun is a single-fire weapon that can shoot one of 4 ammunition types; Handmade Shell, 12 Gauge Slug, 12 Gauge Incendiary Shell and 12 Gauge Buckshot. The weapon itself is very powerful and is capable of one-shotting from close range. It is very cheap to make, it takes 100 Wood and 75 Metal Fragments. The crafting recipe is locked behind a blueprint, so it must be learned before crafting.

Weapon Stats

The Water Pipe shotgun is a great early game weapon as it is easy to craft as long as you have the blueprint. Additionally, when crafted it also comes with some ammunition just like many guns in the game. In this case, the shotgun comes loaded with 1 Handmade Shell, which is its maximum capacity.

The shotgun excels at surprise close combat. Ideally, you will not be running towards the enemy with the Water Pipe as its range is very low, and with the recent updates to the 12 Gauge Slug, the damage drop off is quite significant. It is recommended to get as close to the enemy as possible before shooting in hopes to one-shot them. The reload time is 4.5 seconds so it will be very hard to get another shot on the enemy.

When used correctly the Water Pipe shotgun can be devastating because of its capability to one-shot enemies. However, the two main factors holding it back are its Reload Rate and the Capacity.

How to get the Water Pipe Shotgun:

Research the Water Pipe Shotgun which will cost you 75 Scrap
It can also be researched in the tech tree of a Tier 1 workbench for a total of 470 Scrap
Stand next to a Tier 1 workbench and you can craft the Water Pipe shotgun with 100 Wood and 75 Metal Fragments

4.Double Barrel Shotgun

The Double Barrel Shotgun is the next upgrade from the Water Pipe Shotgun. It can fire 2 shells per reload instead of one, and each shot will do the same damage as if it was shot from a Water Pipe Shotgun. It can shoot the same ammunition types as the Water Pipe Shotgun which are; Handmade Shell, 12 Gauge Buckshot, 12 Gauge Slug and 12 Gauge Incendiary. Crafted using 175 Metal Fragments and 2 Metal Pipes which is a lot more expensive than the Water Pipe Shotgun.

Weapon Stats

The Double Barrels is a direct upgrade from the Water Pipe Shotgun because it can shoot twice as much, allowing for more damage per second for a slightly longer reload time at 5.5 seconds. The main downside to the Double Barrel is its crafting recipe. The metal pipes are a problem because in the early game they can be recycled for a good amount of resources which can be used to build a base and expand.

Despite its crafting recipe, the Double Barrel is a fantastic weapon. Essentially you can use it the same way as the Water Pipe shotgun and sneak behind enemies. However, you now have a much higher chance to secure the kill as you get two shots instead of one. You can also use the shotgun as a secondary weapon paired with a Hunting Bow. The Hunting Bow can be used at long range, then you can surprise your enemy with the Double Barrel when they get close. You should note that, if the Double Barrel is in your hotbar, it will appear on the back of your character.

The weapon excels at close range combat and can be used as a reliable secondary. The base stats are very high and it can already one-shot an enemy player with just one shell, imagine two. Even with metal gear, the Double Barrel shotgun can kill most players with two shots.

The Double Barrel shotgun is a devastating weapon when used in close combat. Using it as a secondary may be what will win you the gunfight in the end, especially in the early game. As mentioned above, its damage per second is very good for a weapon located in the Tier 1 crafting tree.

How to get the Double Barrel Shotgun:

You can buy the Double Barrel Shotgun from the Outpost for 250
It can be researched at a research table for 125 Scrap
It can be researched through the tech free of a Tier 1 workbench for a total of 595 Scrap
Once researched it can be crafter next to a Tier 1 workbench for 175 Metal Fragments and 2 Metal Pipes

3.Compound Bow

The compound bow is the strongest bow in the game. It has a mechanic where the string can be pulled back on the bow by holding the shoot button and keeping still, this results in higher velocity and damage. The Compound Bow uses four types of ammunition, these are; Wooden Arrow, High Velocity Arrow, Fire Arrow and Bone Arrow. The bow can be crafted using 100 Wood, 75 Metal Fragments and 2 ft Rope at a Tier 1 workbench.

Weapon Stats

The Compound Bow is a very strong weapon, it has the potential to one-shot a fully geared player by pulling the string all the way back and aiming for the head. However, it is heavily reliant on accuracy and patience which is hard to find in a game like Rust.

You now know that the Compound Bow can one-shot fully geared players, but in the early game, most of the players will not be fully geared. This means that you can afford to compromise on some functionality of the bow and still one-shot players. It is also quite cheap to craft since Rope can be found while scavenging and when recycling Sewing kits. You can research the Compound Bow for 75 Scrap at a Research Table, or traverse the Tier 1 tech tree and acquire it for 245 Scrap.

The Compound Bow excels at stealthy gameplay where patience and accuracy is highly rewarded. Since the bow has high damage but it takes a lot of time to prepare the shot, I recommend using it as a first-hitter. Meaning, you will begin by shooting the Compound Bow and hopefully hitting your enemy, then you will switch to your secondary weapon and finish the job.

With practice and a good primary and secondary combination the Compound Bow can be absolutely deadly especially in the early game. However, not using the Compound Bow with another weapon may be a mistake. Consider shooting the bow at someone, you then miss and they see you. In order to shoot another powerful shot you have to be stationary for a few seconds until the bow string is pulled all the way back. You can however, just shoot the bow without pulling it back, but this does a lot less damage.

How to get the Compound Bow:

Research the Compound Bow at a Research Table for 75 Scrap.
Or you can traverse the Tier 1 tech tree and ultimately research it for a total of 245 Scrap.
Once researched you can craft the bow by being near a Tier 1 workbench and having 100 Wood, 75 Metal Fragments and 2 ft Rope.

2.Nail gun

The Nailgun shoots a single type of ammunition, which is Nailgun Nails. Unlike all of the other weapons on this list, the Nailgun is the only weapon that does not have to be researched, which is the main reason it is very high up on the list It has to be crafted next to a Tier 1 workbench and is crafted using 75 Metal Fragments and 15 Scrap.

Weapon Stats

The Nailgun is available from the start of the wipe and is very cheap to craft. The only problem is that you require a Tier 1 workbench to craft it. The Nailgun can be acquired even before you build your starter base by visiting the Outpost with the crafting materials and being close to the Tier 1 workbench inside. The ammunition, Nailgun Nails are very cheap to craft as well. For 8 Metal Fragments you can craft 5 Nailgun Nails. For the ammunition, you will not require the Tier 1 workbench.

The accessibility and price of the Nailgun really make it an outstanding weapon to use in the early game. It lacks in range so you will want to get close to your enemies to get the most damage per second. Although, you want to keep your distance and not get too close as you can be clipped by the Double Barrel Shotgun or the Water Pipe shotgun. You want to find the sweet spot

The weapon excels at close range silent combat. The nails fired from the Nailgun do not make nearly as much noise as guns, allowing you to stay silent while waiting for your next prey. The Nailgun works especially well in a Supermarket fight situation. The players are close to mid range and in the sweet spot for the Nailgun to thrive. It can also be good as a secondary weapon since it has such a low draw time of 0.5 seconds and a big capacity of 16 nails. As mentioned above, this could go very well with the Compound Bow, but here are some more suggestions; Double Barrel Shotgun + Nailgun, Revolver + Nailgun, Hunting Bow + Nailgun.

The Nailgun will deal around 18 damage per nail depending on the distance. With a decent fire-rate of 400 RPM you will get around 54 damage per second which is quite good, especially when used as a secondary weapon. You should also take into account that the Nailgun has that high capacity of 16 nails that gives you a little wiggle room when it comes to being accurate.

How to get the Nailgun:

Take 75 Metal Fragments and 15 Scrap to a Tier 1 workbench.

1.Revolver

The Revolver is the best early game weapon in Rust. It is the most expensive to and use. However, it makes up by being a very reliable mid to long range weapon dealing decent damage. Once researched it is also a very cheap weapon to craft. The Revolver can only fire 3 types of ammunition, these are; Pistol Bullet, HV Pistol Bullet and Incendiary Pistol Bullet.

Weapon Stats

The price of the Revolver is cheap, it can allow you to roam around looking for players without being scared to lose it. That being said, the road to the Revolver is quite a long one. It is located near the bottom of the Tier 1 research tree and will cost 640 Scrap in total to research. Alternatively, you can purchase it from the Outpost with 200 Scrap, which you can then research for 75 Scrap. The main drawback is the ammunition. You will need to begin gathering Charcoal and Sulfur to make Gunpowder which you can turn into Pistol Bullets, or any other Pistol Bullet type. The bullets also need to be researched.

The Revolver is a great early game weapon because it is easy to acquire. The easiest and most straightforward way is to buy it from the Outpost for 200 Scrap and research it along with one of the Pistol Bullets that it comes with for 75 Scrap each. Which is 350 Scrap in total. In the case of Pistol Bullets, you can buy F1 Grenades from the Outpost, which you can recycle for Gunpowder that can be used to make them.

The weapon excels in all situations. You can use it mid to long range to shoot down fleeing enemies. Or you can get up close and personal and spray your enemies down. Be mindful that using a Double Barrel in super close combat should always be your go to. In fact, why not combine the two weapons. Use the Revolver as the primary and the Double Barrel as the secondary weapon. This way you have really good mid and close range damage.

The Revolver does on average 61 damage per second if you are using regular Pistol Bullets which is quite decent, especially at mid range. You get 8 rounds per reload which is a fair amount and definitely an upgrade from the one to two shot guns we looked at before. The Revolver is by far the most effective weapon for early game at killing enemies, hence it is ranked the highest on this list.

How to get the Revolver;

Research the Revolver.
You can either buy it for 200 Scrap at the Outpost and research both the gun and a Pistol bullet for 75 Scrap each. This will run you down 350 Scrap.
Or you can go down the Tier 1 tech tree for 640 Scrap. You will also research the regular Pistol Bullets this way and get a lot more items researched.
Craft the Revolver by taking 1 Metal Pipe, 25 Cloth and 125 Metal Fragments to a Tier 1 workbench.