Best Ways to Get Gears in Rust

Gears are an essential component in Rust, used in crafting various advanced items like garage doors, traps, turrets, and more.

Whether you’re building a secure base or gearing up for PvP, having a steady supply of gears can make or break your survival chances. While gears can sometimes feel rare or difficult to find, there are several efficient and reliable methods to acquire them.

This guide outlines the best ways to get gears in Rust, from early-game scrapping to strategic monument runs.

1. Recycling Looted Items

One of the most consistent and beginner-friendly ways to get gears is through recycling specific items that contain them. The following items can be broken down at a recycler to yield gears:

• Road Signs
• Gears themselves (if found)
• Propane Tanks
• CCTV Cameras
• Targeting Computers
• Sewer Branch loot items

Some items like CCTV Cameras and Targeting Computers provide gears along with high-value components. These can be found at mid-to-high-tier monuments like Launch Site, Oil Rig, or Military Tunnels.

Always keep an eye out for these components, especially when you don’t need them for other crafts.

Pro Tip: Check the loot tables on websites like Rust Labs to see which items break down into gears and what monuments have the highest chances of spawning them.

2. Looting Monuments

Monuments are a major source of loot, and some are particularly good for acquiring gears directly or through recyclable items. Here are the most gear-rewarding monuments:

• Train Yard
• Military Tunnels
• Launch Site
• Oil Rig (Small and Large)
• Water Treatment Plant
• Airfield

These monuments offer either direct gear spawns or valuable components like CCTV Cameras and garage doors that you can recycle. Of course, these areas are often contested and may require radiation protection or PvP readiness.

If you’re in a smaller team or solo, prioritize mid-tier monuments like Train Yard or Water Treatment where the risk is lower but the potential for gears is still decent.

3. Killing Scientists and Elite Crates

NPCs known as Scientists can be found at various monuments and outposts, such as Oil Rigs, Military Tunnels, and sometimes around Chinook crates. Killing them can yield gear-bearing loot like Targeting Computers and CCTV Cameras.

Elite crates (usually found in high-tier monuments) also have a chance of dropping gears directly. Look out for these distinctive red crates in areas like:

• Launch Site
• Military Tunnels
• Cargo Ship
• Oil Rig

These locations are high-risk but high-reward, especially if you have backup or good gear.

4. Roaming and PvP Loot

PvP isn’t just for fun—it’s also a strategic way to stock up on rare items, including gears. By killing other players, especially ones farming monuments or traveling with loot, you might score several gears in one go.

Tip: Wait near recyclers or known monument paths to intercept unsuspecting farmers. While this method requires risk, skill, and decent gear, the payoff can be huge.

5. Buying Gears from Outpost

If you’re low on time or luck, you can always fall back on trading. The Outpost vending machines sell gears for scrap—a relatively abundant currency in Rust. As of most updates, a single gear costs 125 scrap.

While this may seem expensive, it’s a guaranteed method when you’re in a pinch. Farm roadside barrels and recyclables to generate scrap, then trade it in.

Tip: Combine this with a scrap run through monuments and roads to double your efficiency—scrap from barrels, and potentially gears from crates.

6. Raiding and Base Looting

Last but not least, raiding other players’ bases often results in finding stacks of gears, especially if they’ve been farming monuments or hoarding components. You’ll often find them in tool cupboards (TC), loot rooms, or even in boxes near workbenches.

However, this is a late-game strategy requiring explosives, scouting, and usually a team. Still, if your raid is successful, you could walk away with dozens of gears in one go.

Final Tips

Here are some additional tips for obtaining gears in Rust:

Use a good recycler route

Pair smaller monuments like Supermarket, Gas Station, and Sewer Branch into one circuit for efficient loot and recycling.

Keep extra gears safe

They’re used in crafting essential base defenses. Don’t risk carrying them around unnecessarily.

Don’t recycle everything

Some items like CCTV Cameras may be better saved for turret crafting, depending on your base setup.

Summary

Getting gears in Rust is a balance of exploration, combat, and recycling. Whether you’re grinding scrap to buy them or battling your way through Oil Rig, persistence pays off. Master these methods, and you’ll never find yourself short on gears again.

Frequently Asked Questions