This article is going to tell you what the top five best armor combinations are in Rust and what they are most suited for. Once you’ve read this list, you’ll have a better understanding of what armor sets to choose and work towards putting on in the irradiated world of Rust. While armor isn’t the end-all of PVP and survival in Rust, it certainly does make a difference.
5. Bone Armor: Best for early game PVP
Bone armor is and should be the go-to armor for any early game player who doesn’t have the materials to craft road sign armor and hasn’t found any rad suits yet. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve faced off against bone armor clad, bow and crossbow wielding raiding parties in the wastelands of Rust – and lost. The armor does provide some noticeable protection and will help your primitive team come out on top.
Armor Details
- 25% protection overall from projectiles.
- Use a wolf headdress for 30% protection on the head (and 35% with a bandana added).
- Handcrafted with bone fragments and cloth.
- Two pieces – just a helmet and body suit.
What This Armor Set is Good For
- Quickly throw it on if you don’t have anything better on hand and get to fighting.
- Easy to get the materials and craft these armor pieces.
- Relatively high damage protection for early game players.
- Looks pretty epic.
4. Rad Suit: Best for early to mid-game PVP and radiation protection.
The rad suit is the most common amor you will see anyone wearing in Rust. The reason for this is that it is relatively easy to find and craft given its benefits. It has the double bonus of providing excellent radiation protection combined with a notable armor protection over your whole body. Players across the spectrum of experience and in-game wealth can be found wearing this armor.
Armor Details
- One suit that covers the whole body.
- 30% overall protection against projectiles.
- Very high radiation protection.
- Found commonly in crates and boxes around the Rust landscape.
What This Armor Set is Good For
- The absolute must for looting and fighting in irradiated areas.
- Takes up little storage space
- Very quick to throw on.
- Noticeable damage deflection.
- Confidently travel the wasteland with one of these, knowing you are prepared for almost anything.
3. Road Sign Armor: Best for mid-tier PVP battles or owning the starting players.
Road sign armor is the middle level of armor protection and then some. With a full kit of this gear you can really feel protected against the less developed players and stand a reasonable chance against the higher tier ones. While relatively cheap and easy to craft, it is still a commodity for every player on the battlefield. Let’s hope your PVP skills can best your opponents!
Armor Details
- 35% overall projectile defense (with the right clothing).
- Crafted from road signs, leather and sewing kits.
- Needs a tier two workbench to craft.
- Three pieces – can include the coffee can, water bucket, or riot helmets.
What This Armor Set is Good For
- This is the upper-mid-tier of Rust’s armor.
- You can reliably take on almost any other player with this armor.
- Not very costly to craft, but you will need plenty of leather and road signs.
- Combine this armor set with a decent gun and you’ll truly be a dangerous player; unless you’re outmanned and outgunned.
2. Heavy Armor: Best for tanking damage while your teammates support you.
This is hands down the strongest armor in the game, but it comes with some serious downsides. First of all, you move extremely slowly when you have this armor on. Your max speed will be almost cut in half. In addition, wearing the helmet means you’ll have to look through a small slit, and wearing the jacket means you won’t be able to aim down sights. The tradeoff is a truly massive damage reduction.
Armor Details
- 70-90% overall damage reduction.
- Three pieces total.
- Crafted with high quality metal, sheet metal, and rope at a tier 2 workbench or higher.
- Extremely slow move speed and limited vision with no ADS.
What This Armor Set is Good For
- If you want to get hit more times than you thought was possible without dying, wear this.
- Will let you absorb a ton of damage while not being able to run.
- Keep this in your inventory and throw it on when it’s time to become a juggernaut.
- Have your teammates watch your back and cover you as you slowly advance in a steel cocoon of death.
1. Metal Armor: Best for end game PVP domination.
This is the top tier and single best armor in the game. It proves excellent protection without the drawbacks of the heavy armor set. It includes the metal facemask, metal chest plate, and road sign kilt. It also should be worn with the best clothing for added protection. The only drawback here is that this is an expensive and difficult armor set to craft, so you’ll need to be advanced in the server to do so.
Armor Details
- The chest plate and road sign kilt do not improve armor on the road sign kit much, but the facemask offers a sizeable increase on the protection of the other helmets (aside from the heavy armor helmet).
- Three pieces: the metal facemask, metal chest plate, and road sign kilt.
- Requires leather, sewing kits, and a lot of high-quality metal to craft this kit.
- You will need a tier two workbench as well.
What This Armor Set is Good For
- Best defensive ability without significantly impacting your movement speed or vision.
- This is the go-to for end game players and teams with a lot of HQ metal sitting around.
- Wear this during PVP and you will be the best equipped for the job.
- This is the best raiding kit as well as roaming kit. Nothing strikes fear in a player like seeing a team of metal armored players running towards them.
Now that you have all of this valuable information, you will be able to make more informed choices about what armor to wear in Rust and when. Next time you’re sitting in base naked, crafting away - and you start hearing those rocket explosions, you’ll know what armor set to grab out of your storage rooms. I wish you the best of luck during your survival endeavors in the oh so inhospitable virtual world that is Rust.
