Nothing immerses you more than having to look for the right type of bullet to put in your rifle. In Rust, it's no secret that certain types of ammo are better than others, but some require access to high-end equipment and resources. It's only natural to wonder about the possible ammo you can rely on since you will die and start over quite a bit.
Sure, rockets cause the most damage in the game, but you will not be able to craft many of these, especially not right after a respawn. The best ammo in Rust is versatile, has multiple uses, and is easy to obtain.
10 Wooden Arrow
After jumping into a new server, you will need to arm yourself quickly. This enables you to both defend yourself and start gathering valuable food and resources from animals. A hunting bow makes for the perfect weapon in this case.
Since it's quick and easy to craft, you should not have any issues getting your hands on a bow fairly soon. The wooden arrow is the most basic type of ammo bows use, and they strike an overall good balance between range and damage. Keep plenty of arrows handy while hunting, but avoid resorting to them if you are looking to pick a fight with another player.
9 12 Gauge Slug
Shotguns can use a variety of ammo at close and medium ranges, depending on the situation you might pick one kind over another. The least useful type, but still worthwhile to have, is the 12 Gauge Slug.
This slug has the most range compared to the other shotgun ammo, but there are better candidates for higher damage at longer ranges. It isn't too expensive to craft, since it requires five metal fragments and 10 gunpowder, but you could invest those resources in more useful ammo types.
8 Incendiary 5.56 Rifle Ammo
Rifle ammo is, arguably, the most valuable in the game, because assault rifles prove extremely dependable in most circumstances. The least cost-effective type of bullet craftable for these guns is incendiary ammo.
The explosive rifle bullets cost quite a bit more resources; however, they are incredibly valuable because they can damage certain structures quickly. Incendiary weapons deal fire damage, but this particular type of bullet is subject to decreased velocity and increased drop, making its weapon less effective at longer ranges.
7 12 Gauge Buckshot
Few candidates can surpass the power of a shotgun at close range, even fewer when using the valuable buckshot. Depending on what kind of shotgun is being used, this ammo can prove extremely useful at downing players in one hit at close range.
This becomes especially valuable in close-quarters situations during a base defense. Buckshot has a decent pellet spread, allowing you to get away with some inaccurate but fast shots. This ammo has the same crafting cost as a 12 Gauge Slug but proves far more valuable since you will run in plenty of situations where players might try to rush you with their Artic Wolf MP5.
6 Pistol Bullet
The pistol bullet accounts for the standard ammo type of a wide variety of guns in Rust. The best sidearm to have at your side in a medium-range gunfight is the trusty MP5, or even better, the Custom SMG. Both use pistol ammo, which yields four bullets when crafted for the same price as three assault rifle standard bullets.
You should be wary of players using SMGs. If they are in a base, it is likely they have plenty of these bullets to defend themselves, so avoid getting too close to prevent waves of spray fire.
5 12 Gauge Incendiary
If you plan to specialize in co-op action involving base invasions and raids, consider investing your precious sulfur in some incendiary ammo for your shotgun. You already know shotguns can be devastating at close range, but these incendiary shells have an extremely useful area of denial effect.
Fire will burn for a short time anywhere you shoot, allowing you to trap other players and prevent their escape or a possible flanking move. Naturally, walking into the fire deals significant damage, so make sure you don't hurt yourself while using this ammo.
4 High Velocity 5.56 Rifle Ammo
In multiplayer games, especially first-person shooters, the distance between you and an enemy is a decisive factor that often determines the outcome of an encounter. If you are getting downed from long distances without being able to land any shots, you should definitely invest in high-velocity rifle ammo.
These work best with the L96 over long ranges. You will experience little bullet drop using this combination of items, making you extremely dangerous in sniper battles. These bullets also work well with assault rifles, but investing them in sniping is more cost-effective, and results in dealing higher damage if you are accurate enough.
3 Explosive 5.56 Rifle Ammo
Anything explosive proves extremely useful during attacks on player-created structures. Since explosive bullets are considerably easier to craft than rockets, you should save them to destroy lower tier material, like wood or sheet metal.
In addition to added damage to structures, these bullets also do additional splash damage that can hurt players. The only caveat is that they will wear down a weapon rather quickly, so make sure to have a spare assault rifle with plenty of other types of 5.56 ammo.
2 Rocket
The king of base raiding is, undoubtedly, the rocket. Its cost is high enough that you should stick to crafting the basic one since it does considerably more damage than its smoke and high-velocity variants. A few rockets can punch a hole in most structures, proving invaluable to creating an opening that can be exploited.
Its splash damage can hit up to four walls and proves extremely deadly to players. If you have someone cornered behind cover, do not hesitate to exploit the splash damage's properties.
1 5.56 Rifle Ammo
The most reliable bullet in the game is the standard one you can craft for any assault rifle. No matter what biome you are in, what animal you are hunting, or what player you might encounter, these bullets are a must-have.
They offer better capabilities than the standard pistol bullets and are just as easy to craft, though they yield one unit less for the same amount of materials. These bullets can be used in any situation, and they are especially useful as cover fire fodder since they are cheap to make. Whenever you are not raiding, make sure to have plenty of these with you.