This is similar to the scrounging mechanics in plenty of other survival games, but what makes Rust different is how deep that tech tree goes. You quickly figure out that, by banging your rock on a few environmental doodads, you can harvest a few basic resources (stone, wood, and cloth) which you can parlay into a few prehistoric instruments, like a spear or a hatchet. You wake up on a map armed with only a rock and a torch. If you're somehow unfamiliar with the premise, think of Rust as a dumber, more nihilistic Minecraft. The game was first released in Early Access in late 2013 by developers Facepunch Studios, and it's been a mainstay of goofy YouTube send-ups ever since. If it feels like we've been living with Rust for a long time, that's because we kinda have.
