Food is vital in a survival game like Rust. If you don’t eat, you die. It’s a simple mechanic, but one that motivates you to explore and interact with the world. When you first arrive in the game and are desperate for food, your best bet is Ration Boxes. Ration Boxes can be found where you find barrels, so if you see some barrels, make sure to investigate the error to try and find the Ration Boxes.
Ration boxes can contain the following loot, all of which are very useful early in the game:
- Apple
- Chocolate Bar
- Granola Bar
- Pickles
- Tin of Beans
- Tin of Tuna
- Small Water Bottle
- Water Jug
- Anti-Radiation Pills
The tins of food are especially useful, as they can be broken down into metal fragments for crafting. If you come across a town, commonly called a Radtown, then you may be lucky enough to find food crates. These will contain high quantities of food, but you will need to risk the radiation from the town, and potentially other players, to loot it.
Food crates can contain the following loot:
- Chocolate Bar (1-3)
- Tin of Beans (1-3)
- Tin of Tuna (1-3)
- Granola Bars (1-3)
- Apple (1-3)
- Raspberries (1-3)
- Pumpkin (1-3)
- Blueberries (1-3)
Once you get settled into the game, hunting will become an important part of how you get food. You will be able to hunt wild animals like deer and boar, or even wolves. It is normally a good idea to cook the food before you eat it, as this will improve how beneficial it is to you.
If things ever get really bad, you can resort to cannibalism by killing other players and harvesting meat from them. We would suggest you try to find a deer first, however.
