Monuments
Guide to Launch Site in Rust
The hardest monument in Rust. Bradley APC, extreme radiation, 3 elite crates, and a red card puzzle deep inside the VAB.
The hardest monument in Rust. Bradley APC, extreme radiation, 3 elite crates, and a red card puzzle deep inside the VAB.
Launch Site is the highest-tier monument on the map and the single most demanding PvE experience in Rust. The facility sits in the desert biome, dominated by a towering rocket structure and the Vehicle Assembly Building. Inside you will find 3 elite crates, 15 military crates, and roughly 568 scrap per full clear. Getting to that loot means dealing with Bradley APC, navigating a multi-stage puzzle with parkour sections, and surviving radiation levels that will kill you even inside a hazmat suit if you stay too long. Teams run Launch Site. Solo players can do it, but the margin for error is razor thin.
| Item | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green Keycard | 1 | First puzzle stage. Obtainable at Satellite Dish, Sewer Branch, or Oxum's |
| Red Keycard | 1 | Final loot room. Get one at Power Plant, Airfield, Train Yard, or Water Treatment |
| Electric Fuse | 2 | Both consumed during puzzle |
| Hazmat Suit | 1 | Mandatory. Radiation level 52 in the VAB |
| Anti-Rad Meds | 3+ | You take damage through the suit in the hottest zones |
| Medical Syringes | 8+ | For scientist fights, Bradley, and rad recovery |
| Rifle + 200 rounds | 1 | For 8 scientists and potential PvP |
| HV Rockets or C4 | 4-5 / 3 | Only if engaging Bradley APC |
You can check approximate loot values before committing a run using our Monument Loot Simulator, and plan your sulfur budget if you intend to fight Bradley with explosives.
Launch Site covers a massive footprint. The rocket and VAB dominate the center, surrounded by administrative buildings, silos, and open courtyards. Bradley patrols the main courtyard on a predictable loop. The recycler is located in a small building on the perimeter. Eight scientists patrol the compound exterior and interior, most of them near the VAB entrances. The puzzle route takes you through several buildings on the outskirts before eventually reaching the main structure.
The VAB itself is a multi-story building with maze-like corridors. The upper floors contain the worst radiation and the best loot. Elite crate spawns are concentrated on the top levels, but reaching them requires surviving both the puzzle timer and radiation exposure that eats through your health even with full hazmat protection. Know where you are going before you go in.
Before committing, watch Bradley complete one full patrol cycle from a rooftop. Learn the timing and pick a position where you can fire rockets without getting caught in the open. A Bradley that surprises you ends your run.
Launch Site has one of the longest puzzles in Rust, involving switches, fuses, parkour, and timed doors. The full sequence takes 8 to 12 minutes if you know where you are going.
Find the green building near the rocket. Enter and locate the first switch on the left side. Pull it to begin the sequence.
Move to the stone building with the elevated entrance. Head downstairs and pull the second switch.
Approach the hole next to the rocket structure. This section requires careful jumping across beams and platforms. A fall here is fatal. Take it slow and commit to each jump fully.
At the doorway past the parkour section, activate the timer. You now have a limited window to complete the beam traversal ahead.
Cross the narrow beams before the timer runs out. Stay centered, do not rush, and keep moving forward. Falling is death.
After crossing, press the red button to unlock the next section.
Navigate to the building adjacent to the silos. Insert your first electric fuse into the fuse box and flip the switch to open the green card door.
Swipe your green keycard. This opens access to the container building area.
Inside the container building, find the second fuse box. Insert your second fuse and activate the switch.
Both fuses are now active. Head to the main building and approach the red card reader. Swipe your red keycard to enter the final loot rooms.
Bradley has 1,000 HP and patrols the main courtyard with a machine gun and rocket launcher. You have two options: fight it or bypass it entirely. Fighting it costs explosives but drops high-value crates. Bypassing saves resources but you miss that loot.
If you choose to fight, position on rooftops overlooking the patrol route. High Velocity Rockets are the standard method, requiring 4 to 5 hits. C4 works with 3 charges but requires getting close. Fire from cover, reposition between shots, and never stand in the open. When Bradley dies, it drops 2 to 3 loot crates containing military-grade gear. Be aware that the entire server hears the fight, so expect company within minutes.
Exterior areas have manageable radiation that a hazmat suit handles completely. The problem is inside the VAB. Upper-level rooms hit radiation level 52, which damages you through full hazmat protection. You will take health damage the entire time you are in these zones. Anti-rad medication reduces the accumulation, and medical syringes recover the health lost. The mechanic is designed to prevent camping. Move through hot zones fast, grab loot, and get out.
Plan your route through the top floors before entering. Know which crates you want. Grab the highest-value items first and extract. Spending an extra 30 seconds browsing crates in a radiation hotspot can cost you your life and everything you are carrying.
| Container | Count | Notable Drops |
|---|---|---|
| Barrels | 64 | Components, scrap, crude oil |
| Basic Crates | 49 | Tools, clothing, basic weapons |
| Military Crates | 15 | Rifle bodies, SMG bodies, attachments |
| Elite Crates | 3 | AK, LR-300, L96, MP5 blueprints |
| Locked Crate | 1 | Top-tier weapons and components |
A full clear yields roughly 568 scrap on average. The single recycler on-site lets you process components immediately. If you are farming for blueprints, Launch Site is one of the best sources of tier 3 items in the game. Use the Recycler Calculator to plan which components to recycle and which to keep.
Launch Site is a PvP magnet. The monument is visible from far away, Bradley explosions are audible across the map, and the loot is too valuable to leave uncontested. Expect other players. Always assume you are not alone. The best approach is speed: get in, complete your objectives, and extract before another team arrives. Have your vehicle parked at the perimeter with a clear exit route planned before you start. Brief your team on the extraction point. A smooth exit saves your loot. A chaotic one loses it.
Run Launch Site during off-peak hours if you want a clean PvE experience. The puzzle is long enough that even a 5-minute head start over another team matters. Memorize the puzzle sequence so you can execute without stopping to orient. Bring more meds than you think you need. Designate roles if running with a team: one person handles Bradley, one runs the puzzle, one watches for PvP threats.
If this is your first time, consider doing a dry run without keycards just to learn the layout and parkour sections. Losing a green card and 2 fuses to a fall is frustrating. Losing a red card is worse. Practice the beams on a quiet server before committing your best gear.