The Launch Site is a type of Monument, the largest in the game, with the most loot. It can be found on procedurally generated large maps in Experimental Rust. It provides access to public utilities Infrastructure.
Not only is more loot generated here than at any other monument, this is also the area where the new El4 spawn points for them. Launch sites have a high amount of Radiation in the main area and an extreme amount in the factory building, requiring a Hazmat Suit to enter it safely. However, even players with Hazmat Suits will still gain gradually increasing levels of radiation poisoning from being inside or even too close to the factory building.
The Bradley APC patrols the Launch Site. It is the land-based counterpart to the Attack Helicopter and was designed specifically as a hazard to balance the value of the loot at the Launch Site.[1]
Guide Video[]
Rust Monument Guide - The Launch Site
Here's a guide video that explains everything contained on this wiki page and more. It includes information about loot, the Bradley APC, completing the puzzle, the services (infrastructure) and many more things.
Layout[]
The Launch site is a relatively open area with opportunities to openly approach it from any direction. A stone fence with gaps in it surrounds the Industrial area, separating it from the Launch area.
The Launch area contains a static rocket that can not be interacted with, a multi-leveled crane on rails that has two lifts going to the top of it, and 4 spotlight towers. The lifts were functional but buggy, but are now fixed and working properly. They will also automatically move back down once you are at the top.[1]
The Industrial Area comprises an entrance, storage area, office area and the factory. The factory is the largest building in the complex, and is often referred to as the "main building" by players.
Within the storage area are storage houses and containers, a watch tower and stacked worker houses.
Infrastructure[]
Indestructible versions of utilities that were once craftable and placeable by players can be found here, as they can at other monuments. Left of the entrance, a Recycler is outside, in between two storage houses. On the right, on the first floor of one of offices, is a Research Table. A Small Oil Refinery is located under one of the spotlight towers, just outside the launch area.
Loot[]
Loot spawns in the Launch Site are the richest of all monuments, though widely scattered all around the multiple areas.
There are a lot of Barrels, Oil barrels, Large Wooden Crates, Military Crates and Elite Crates. There are no food crates in the actual site but on the edges food crates and barrels spawn so food isn't an issue and medical crate monuments are also found here. A few of the military crates do not require jumping to access, but are instead hidden in the small houses around the site.
Oil barrels are located in the launch area on the surface near fuel tanks.
There are 3 different set locations for the elite crates to spawn.
- On the roof of the factory is a helipad with a destroyed attack helicopter; around the helicopter are 2 elite crates and at least 3 other random crates.
- Under the rocket, there is a hole; players can fall through it onto a catwalk. Alternatively, they can do a jump puzzle that starts near the crane to get to the catwalk. An elite crate is past the catwalk.
- On the roof of the Cobalt Space Center office building. This is the easiest to access, requiring only a fence jump.
Factory building has multiple floors that are internally divided into 6 levels and the rooftop that can only be accessed by the external ladder, roof access only from level 6 as the ladder is broken half way up. It still can be used to go down, skipping some puzzles on the way out. The factory has multiple different paths to the top, but still contains several choke points such as ladders and lifts. To collect all of the Military Crates, players must retrace their steps a few times.
On a full military run you can expect to collect a total of about 12 military crates and 4 elite crates: 1 Military Crate at launch crane, 2 Military Crates and 1 Elite Crate in the jump puzzle under the crane, 2 Military Crates in the industrial area, 1 Military Crate and 1 Elite Crate in the office area, 3 Military Crates inside the factory, 3 Military and 2 Elite Crates on the factory roof. The amount is very likely to give you one or multiple supply drop grenades, which is unarguably an unprecedented amount of higher tier components. It is worth collecting everything inside the factory as there is a recycler on the way out. The best way to get the most loot in least amount of time is to go up the rocket in the main building, collect the crate there, jump across the small jump and go right. Walk across the platform to the other side, then go right. On the small platform in a small “shed” will spawn a military crate. Go back up and go left until you see the other military crate on a platform lower than you. Go across until you see some scaffolding and follow it up onto the roof. Then go down the stairway (on stage 3 there is a drop) (on stage 1 there is a drop that you can avoid by running into the hole.)
Also, in the main puzzle building containing the cobalt rocket ship, there is an insane amount of radiation. It is recommended that you bring a hazmat suit and additional meds as the radiation will still go through your hazmat.
Trivia[]
- The hangar and launch pad designs are based on the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Baikonur was where the Soviets launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, and Vostok 1, the first human spaceflight with Yuri Gagarin. It's still a busy spaceport to this day. Today, the real life hanger houses the "Buran" space shuttle. The shuttle program was scrapped after the Soviet Union collapsed, having only completed one unmanned spaceflight. The launch pad looks like a mix of the "Energia" and "Gagarin's Start" pads.
