The fauna in Rust can be a great early-game resource for food, bone, and cloth. Depending on how dangerous you want your hunting to be, you might prefer looking for animals that are easier to kill and won’t try to kill you in return. You should always exercise caution, however, especially in PvP servers.
You might think that running around with an assault rifle in the woods is a good idea, but other players can hear you firing your gun, and skilled ones can effectively track your location. Then again, the assault rifle is one of the best, most versatile weapons in the game, able to dispatch animals and players quickly. Regardless of your weapon of choice, you should consider a few things before picking a fight with some creatures.
6 Not Dangerous: Horses
Horses should not be thought of as prey while playing Rust. They already spawn with saddles equipped, making them the perfect companion for your journeys in the game’s biomes. Walking around is much worse than riding a horse, so avoid using these noble animals as your food resource.
Should you be in desperate circumstances, you can skin a horse with a bone knife to gather five horse meat, 10 animal fat, 25 cloth, 50 leather, and 50 bone fragments. Other animals drop higher quantities of meat and fat, so it’s better to hunt those rather than waste a precious horse you can use to travel faster.
5 Least Dangerous: Chicken
If you are going hungry and need to eat something fast, the safest animal you can look for is a chicken. You should be able to hunt one of these docile birds using just about anything that deals damage. They only have 20 health points, so you can use both your hatchet and pickaxe to source a decent meal on the fly.
Chickens are also easy to hunt because they can’t flee quickly enough. If a chicken spots you, it will begin running away at a slow pace. Harvest their parts using a hatchet or a bone knife to obtain a handful of cloth and bone fragments, along with two chicken breasts. Overall, chickens are the best resource for any casual multiplayer gamer in Rust.
4 Dangerous Only For Your Cardio: Stag
Stags can prove quite difficult to hunt, especially if you have just spawned in a world and lack ranged weapons. You can find these nearly harmless animals in most biomes. If you manage to cut them off during a chase, they might start fighting you with their antlers, so keep a distance to be completely safe.
In terms of useful resources, stags are not worth the effort to hunt them, since they are agile and can quickly escape. Otherwise, they drop four raw deer meet, 10 animal fat, 25 cloth, 50 leather, and 50 bone fragments. This is roughly the same as a horse’s drop, and not worth the hassle to run endlessly through a forest.
3 Can Hurt You Quite A Bit: Boar
This is your best bet for food and resource gathering. Boars are easy to hunt since they are slower than almost all other animals in the game, giving you the chance to use both melee and ranged weapons against them. You can generally hunt a boar regardless of your equipment if you need food in a pinch.
They drop eight raw pork, 10 cloth, 20 leather, 40 animal fat, and 50 bone fragments. These amounts are considerably more than the drop rates of harmless animals. You should only exercise more caution, since boars will begin fighting if you get too close.
2 Dangerous: Wolf
Wolves should be avoided by players who have recently respawned with nothing to defend themselves. You can easily become their prey if you are not careful or poorly equipped. They are fast, aggressive, and can significantly damage you. You should hunt wolves only when you are confident you can handle yourself. Some practice against them ensures you won’t be killed by one.
Despite being the second most dangerous animal in the game, wolves do not account for a bountiful source of food. If you manage to kill one, and skin it with a bone knife, you will receive five raw wolf meat, 10 animal fat, 35 cloth, 40 bone fragments, and 75 leather. Nonetheless, wolves are invaluable since they also drop a their skulls, which you can use to craft yourself a rudimentary helmet to protect against headshot damage from guns. A wolf headdress is one of the best early-game items to have.
1 Consider Running Away: Bears
Bears are, undoubtedly, the apex predator in Rust. They have 400 health points, making them the most resilient animal capable of damaging you. Speaking of serious injuries, bears can make quick work of new and skilled players alike. They are found in most biomes, but are especially widespread in forest ones.
You should avoid any bear you encounter until you have a reliable firearm at your side, like an assault rifle or, preferably, a bolt action rifle you can use from a long distance. Even once you are properly outfitted, it is best to engage a bear if you have a couple of friends to help you fight it. As always, you should use your trusty bone knife if you manage to kill one. Doing so will net you the best animal drop quantities in the game: 19 raw bear meat, 50 cloth, 100 leather, and 150 bone fragments.
NEXT: 10 Hidden Gems First-Person Shooter Fans Missed This Decade
