While Rust is famous for its brutal player-versus-player combat, it also offers official alternative game modes to suit different playstyles. Whether you want a more forgiving experience or a peaceful environment to build with friends, changing your game mode is incredibly simple.
Let us walk through the four available modes and the best ways to configure your MintServers host for a PVE experience.
The Four Rust Game Modes
Before making any changes, it is important to understand what each official mode actually does:
- Vanilla (Survival): The default Rust experience. Full PVP, full loot drop on death, and standard mechanics.
- Softcore: A more forgiving mode. Players keep a portion of their inventory upon death, and can reclaim lost items at safe zones. Team sizes are also restricted.
- Hardcore: Designed for veterans. The in-game map, compass, safe zones, and death markers are completely disabled. Local chat is heavily restricted.
- PVE: The official built-in PVE mode. It disables player-versus-player damage, allowing everyone to survive together against the environment.
Method 1: Using Official Server Settings
Switching your server to a completely different game mode usually requires wiping your current map and player data to prevent glitches. Ensure you back up your files first!
You can easily swap between Survival, Softcore, Hardcore, and the basic PVE mode using your control panel.
- Log into your MintServers panel and select your Rust server.
- Navigate to the Game Settings tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- Scroll down to the Additional Arguments field.
- Type +server.gamemode followed by your choice. For example: +server.gamemode softcore
- Save your changes.
- Wipe your map files and restart the server to apply the new mode.
Method 2: Setting Up True PVE (Recommended)
The official Rust PVE mode is very basic. For a truly customizable experience, server owners rely on the TruePVE plugin from uMod.
TruePVE requires you to have the Oxide framework installed on your server. Once Oxide is running, this plugin offers massive improvements over the default mode.
By default, TruePVE completely disables player-versus-player damage while keeping NPC and animal damage active, meaning scientists and bears are still a threat! Furthermore, the configuration file allows you to create custom exclusion zones. This means you can have a completely peaceful PVE map, but designate specific areas (like a raid arena or a monument) where PVP damage is temporarily turned back on.
Simply install Oxide, drop the TruePVE plugin into your oxide/plugins folder, and restart your server to enjoy the ultimate peaceful Rust experience.