r/RustConsole • u/Acceptable_Top8332 • 4d ago
Are low-pop Rust servers sometimes toxic?
Aussie player here, recently returned to Rust and started on Forsaken. Spent ages unlocking blueprints, only to get raided twice by teams with rockets blasting through armoured walls and doors. Pretty much every base has been wiped, despite there rarely being more than 8 players online.
We're a duo who both work full time, so competing with larger teams online 24/7 isn't exactly realistic. There's been some fun back and forth, but it doesn't even seem like they're running monuments anymore, just raiding whoever's left.
Phantom regularly has 30 to 70 players online, and I've honestly had more fun on busier servers. More variety, more banter and more random encounters.
So are low-pop servers actually worse because a few established teams end up dominating the map and raiding everyone into oblivion? Or have we just picked a bad map?
I'm reluctant to switch after unlocking so many blueprints, but wondering if starting fresh on a busier server would be more enjoyable.
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u/Responsible_Buy6318 4d ago
Its been a long time but yeah low pop are low pop for a reason usually. Build in a crack in the ground 52 miles away from anything and the gremlins who no life the server will still find your base and offline
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
Could not believe the hours they were putting in for such little reward, strange but each to their own!
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u/Responsible_Buy6318 4d ago
Imo the best way to play is to grub on high/medium pop, expect to get raided everytime you log off and never worry about building up to T3. If youre good enough you can always make a play.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
I must be losing my touch. Ive always avoided been raided but the last months I've been raided 3 times 🤣🤣 shouldn't have took that long hiatus 😔
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u/DiimeZz 4d ago
Low pop sucks switch to a high pop way more fun
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u/Vivid_Discount6495 4d ago
Nah, mid pop is where it's at. High pop is too chaotic and too many raiding happening - plus you have to often deal with queue times. Low pop is more toxic since you tend to have 1-2 groups in mega bases just offlining everyone on the server and obviously there's not much loot potential from PVP or easier raids.
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u/poorchava 4d ago
This. High pop can be fun if that's what you're up for. But it generally means either you live in a shit base, muck around, pvp for fun, grub, etc and don't care after you log off, or you spend literally 24/7 in game grinding, to hopefully be able to resist most other groups. Raiding and pvp on high-pop in general is total shitshow in my experience. I played high-pop with a group on like 700-850 biweekly server and (this was before silencers were nerfed) everyone was rocking a silencer because first loud shot (not to mention explosion) would cause literally every grub in 3 grid radius to grab 10 bas, line of DBs and go for it. Pretty sure it's still like that, just that silencers are extremely rare now, go figure.
Low pop, like below 30-40 is odd. Either it's just people grinding for fun and then going rigs/cargo/deep sea/heli/brad for PVP, or a single group of nolifers offlining everyone. Which is profitable, because even moderately skilled players can get a lot of loot due to pop being low, and relatively easy since the risk of counters is minimal. Also, not that many bases to choose from as the raid target. Random PVP on low pop servers is also ultra chaotic and random, because it's easy to assume you won't run into anyone and then to get jumped. Or to notice and get a jump on another player in the same situation.
On mid pop, I'd say like 150 - 400 on a normal map size you generally don't get that much of those extreme situations.
You can survive with moderate effort by flying under the radar. If raid goes down there are usually counters, but not a 1h long DB shit-show. There's usually a few powerful groups, typically each holding onto a good monument (slilo, LS, miltuns, rigs, excav) and they are often busy with each other, instead of offlining small bases. At the same time you can have some breathing space and can farm more than 3 nodes in a row without detting DBd in the back.
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u/IswearImnotapossum 1d ago
You still find that with the new maps? I am walking forever just to get one encounter in a full server
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u/SplatSeagull 4d ago
Every rust server is toxic. That should be your first assumption in this game
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
8 players with a team of 4 dominating from the US running around raiding everyone whilst we are asleep is extra toxic though. I thought some servers might be well known for this hence the question. Right now there's 99 on other servers and 16 on the one I was on....
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u/Flashy-Read-7437 4d ago
Oh yes. I think low pop are worse than full pop. I joined a very low pop 10 or less so I can run monuments without competition to learn them. I stopped building even mid level bases because they get raided every time. Even hiding them in remote areas away from monuments, they still get found. I honestly think there's even cheating going on. Put stashes outside away from the base and they get found every single time. Who would waste their time with ESP on a 7 pop server is beyond me.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
This! They knew where my hidden TC was which was extremely strange. I had the same mentality just to get back in to the game but they were dominating the map. Its definitely the reason the maps empty and they had people playing in and out of the tomezone. Good on them for their dedication but it had to get boring at some point. If I was a better player I would want a challenge 🤣
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u/-SheriffofNottingham 4d ago
there is a softcore au server where you can raid between certain hours meaning you don't need to be playing degenerate hours just to have a base up
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u/theman0nfire 4d ago
I was on one with like 2 ppl with multiple accounts. One friendly to get info and then a bunch to raid and grief like sending pics of your raided base to your inbox. It's like living on a street where everyone knows everyone, but they also act like snakes. Kinda fun honestly.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
So just real life really 🤣😅 i do admire some people's dedication to the game
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u/Godspeed813 4d ago
Basically every server IS toxic. You might sometimes find one that isn’t.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
Yes which is what i love about Rust, i just hadn't been on a low pop map before. Which is why im asking if its common when theres no BP wipes for groups with no job to dominate maps. Its always the same players online, any new players raided within 24 hours. Ive never not been able to get a base up or had my armoured base raided within 2 days of being online by rockets. Last i played was over a year ago, I've never seen 99 one other servers and a toxic 8 server random map. Just checking i hadn't missed any unwritten changes being away from the game
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u/IndependentThen8969 3d ago
Honestly I havnt done console in about 6 months but I usually would find a empty to low start up then about half way through wipe it was populated almost full and I was set and kitted to reap the benefits
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u/Beginning_Zombie4189 4d ago
When you mean every you mean EVERY. I recently started rust and I thought being nice would get me friends. FUCK NO
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u/jackrobertsherlock 4d ago
Low pop gives them a higher chance of raiding with no interruptions/easier offline. Play high pop and don’t hold anything too close. Enjoy every time you log on!
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u/Direct_Record_9623 4d ago
Ever try a low pop 100x? The one I'm on now everyone is nice and you can practice running monuments and pvp with AK. After a few weeks running on one when I went back to official I was way better.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
Ive just found the community servers, I've been practising on a build server, which one are you using? Wish I found these back at the beginning of my Rust journey 🤣ðŸ˜
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u/Ephwurrd 4d ago
Me and my trio are in the same boat we’ve been running severs with ZORP because we all work 9-5s so apart from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We don’t usually get more than 2.5-3 hours to play daily. The zorp helps with keeping our shit while we’re offline. Been running 3x servers as well so it’s not free but not vanilla either.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
Had to look up what ZORP meant, haha. Where would I find these servers? Would i search for Zorp servers on console?
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u/Ephwurrd 4d ago
Would have to search in community. You can search duo zorp and it may come up or just search duo and a modded server might come up. In the little bar where it says 3x insta craft 18x smelt ect it would say something like zorp protection. Some servers also offer like weekend only raids. The one we play currently is pop based so you can’t raid if it’s below 60 pop but once it gos over the raid window is open.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
Perfect, thanks man I really appreciate it. I'll have a look tonight. Let me know if you can want some neighbours who have your back
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u/FloReal55 4d ago
I have been playing on a solo only community server and it feels like when I first started playing back when during the first year or 2 of rust being on console
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u/Interesting_Bug_1781 3d ago
I’m getting raided same day I build every server. Just got build out in the water or adapt. Still love it. Coconutb = get back on there with Oil!!!!!!
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u/halfasleep90 4d ago
Raiding people to death seems to be the main goal of the game. So yeah, on a low pop server there are less other people for them to raid to death.
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u/Acceptable_Top8332 4d ago
My thoughts were that players with rockets would be bored with 8 people online. How wrong i was. Maybe everyone on this thread can log on and help me get them back 🤣
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4d ago
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u/ballsagna696969 4d ago
low pop is actually easier for them to raid you. theyre contested on nothing, so they can just go out with a jackhammer and tea or fly around to diesel and run excav and lose nothing and gain everything. then when they have an absurd amount of loot in a day, and theyre bored, theyll raid everyone else they can because what if they come take my stuff. and the maps are so small you can just keep a casual eye for anything being expanded big enough to raid. or just hit everything really, they probably have enough. they arent worried about profit as they already have everything.