Launch Site is the single largest monument in Rust and one of its highest-tier loot locations. It is also the one that punishes showing up unprepared: heavy radiation inside the buildings, scientists patrolling the facility, and a Bradley APC that engages on sight and can end your run in seconds.
The payoff is the deepest loot pool of any monument — three elite crates behind the red door, a hackable crate, and the Bradley’s own drop.
Before you go
| Bring | Why |
|---|---|
| Hazmat suit (or full radiation protection) | Interior zones hit ~51 rads/s |
| Anti-radiation pills | Protection caps at 50%, so 1 rad/s always lands |
| 2 electric fuses | Two separate fuse boxes, each consumed on use |
| Green + red keycard | Bring your own red — the site does not reward one |
| Food, bandages, meds | Sustaining a long run in radiation |
| A Workbench 2 rifle and 200+ rounds | Nine-odd scientists plus counters |
The puzzle, in order
- Flip the timed power switch by the rocket scaffolding, then complete the jumping puzzle across the gantry and press the button at the far end.
- First fuse — at the green door by the fuel silos, insert the fuse and flip its switch.
- Second fuse — at the box near the two blue containers, which powers the red door.
- Swipe the red card at the main building to open the loot rooms holding the three elite crates.
The puzzle rooms are not in a straight line — expect to cross open, high-risk ground between steps, and plan your route to avoid the Bradley’s patrol path.
Bring spares. Fuses are consumed on use, and dying mid-run costs you the ones you already placed.
Radiation, and what actually blocks it
| Zone | Rads/s |
|---|---|
| Launch Site (strongest) | ~51 |
| Military Tunnels | 26 |
| Airfield | 11 |
| Missile Silo | ~81 |
The highest reported figure for the Launch Site interior is about 51 rads per second — comparable to the 52 reported elsewhere. The game caps radiation protection at 50%, so even a full hazmat suit leaves 1 rad per second getting through.
| Protection | Rads through |
|---|---|
| Hazmat suit (50%) | 1 |
| Common-clothes kit (~39%) | 12 |
| Nothing | 51 |
Anti-radiation pills remove 75 accumulated radiation, at a cost of 5 hydration — use them for whatever still gets through.
The Bradley APC
The Bradley has 1,000 HP, takes damage from explosives only, and has no weak spot.
| Method | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 HV rockets | ~1,400 sulfur | Cheapest reliable kill |
| 3 C4 | — | Fastest kill |
| Regular rockets | Far more | Works, but costs much more |
Every rocket after the first deploys a smoke screen and spawns heavy scientists, so burst it down fast to skip the later waves. Fight it from inside a building. When it dies it drops 3 APC crates of high-tier loot rather than dropping items directly.
If you are not geared to fight it, do not. Use the underground tunnels to avoid its patrol path entirely — they also offer lower visibility and a safer route across the site.
Loot and layout
| Area | What is there |
|---|---|
| Outer perimeter | Barrels and basic crates — radiation begins immediately, sightlines are long and exposed |
| Main yard and rocket area | Barrels and crates; Bradley patrols, cover is limited |
| Main building | Military and elite crates, the primary puzzle chain, multiple floors |
| Red keycard room | 3 elite crates and 2 advanced blueprint fragments |
| Underground tunnels | Crates and barrels, alternate movement routes |
| Bradley crates | 3 crates on destruction |
A full clear is worth roughly 568 scrap once you recycle what you do not want at the on-site recycler. (A lower figure of about 185 scrap reflects opening each container once on spawn, without the Bradley or the red room.)
The site also has a hackable locked crate — but that pings the whole map for 15 minutes, so only start it if you have the numbers to hold the site.
Source disagreement, flagged deliberately: reported scientist counts range from about 3 (at full population) to 9, and on-site recyclers are listed as one or two across sources. Treat both as ranges rather than fixed values.
CCTV codes
LAUNCHSITE1
LAUNCHSITE2
LAUNCHSITE3
LAUNCHSITE4
LAUNCHSITE5Common mistakes
- Forgetting a fuse. Two separate boxes, each consumed.
- Not bringing your own red card. The Launch Site spends one; it does not give one. Earn it at the Airfield first.
- Staying too long in the red room. It is the most camped room on the site.
- Lingering after the Bradley dies. The loot drop attracts the whole server.
- Crossing open ground while the Bradley is active. Use the tunnels.
Related guides
- Monument Loot Tables — every monument’s crate contents
- Oil Rig Guide — the offshore counterpart
- Best Early Game Weapons — what to bring
- Rust Tech Tree Guide — spending the fragments