New Player Guide

Everything you need to know for your first session on Tarnished Crown.

Joining the Server

Open Rust, press F1, and type:

client.connect 20.57.139.45:28015

Or use the connect page for a Steam direct link.

Pick Your Faction

When you first join, a menu will appear asking you to choose one of three factions. This is permanent for the wipe — choose carefully.

Crimson Legion

+8% melee damage. Offensive raiders.

Iron Covenant

-5% incoming damage in territory. Defensive.

Verdant Order

+15% gather rate. Economic powerhouse.

Read the full faction breakdown →

Choose Your Class

After picking a faction, you'll choose one of 8 classes. Each has a unique skill tree, spell bar, and playstyle. Your class determines your weapons, abilities, and role in group fights.

Don't stress about it. You can change your class later, but your skill points and level are tied to the class you earned them on.

Pyromancer
AoE / Siege
Cryomancer
Crowd Control
Ranger
Ranged DPS
Vanguard
Melee Tank
Cleric
Healer
Ninja
Assassin
Beastmaster
Pet DPS
Buccaneer
Pirate / All

Explore all 8 classes with full skill trees →

Your First 5 Minutes

Once you've picked your faction and class, do these immediately:

  1. 1
    Type /kit

    Gets your class starter kit — weapons, tools, and meds matched to your class.

  2. 2
    Type /st

    Opens your skill tree. You start with 2 class points — spend them to unlock your first ability.

  3. 3
    Build a small base

    Twig and wood only to start (stone+ requires resources). Stay near your faction's territory for protection.

  4. 4
    Kill NPCs for XP

    NPCs near your faction base are easy (Tier 1). You gain class XP from kills. Each level = 2 class points for your skill tree.

  5. 5
    Equip your spells

    Once you unlock abilities in /st, they appear in your spell bar (bottom of screen). Hold the note item to select a spell, then left-click to cast.

Command Cheat Sheet

Command What It Does
/kitGet your class starter kit
/stOpen your skill tree
/classView or change your class
/factionView your faction info
/statsView your attributes (STR/DEX/INT/CON)
/questView available quests
/popSee online player count by faction
/infoFull command reference

Survival Tips

No Modern Guns

This is a medieval server. No AKs, no M249s, no rifles. Bows, crossbows, swords, and spells. The one exception is the Buccaneer, who gets access to primitive firearms (waterpipe, eoka, double barrel).

NPC Difficulty Scales by Distance

NPCs near faction bases are Tier 1 (easy). The further you go toward the center of the map, the harder they get — up to Tier 5 Dread Lords. Don't wander into the middle at level 1.

Enchanted Loot is Real

Weapons and armor drop with random enchantments — fire DoT, lifesteal, thorns, armor shred. Check every piece of gear you loot. Epic-tier items are significantly stronger than base items.

Your Progress Survives Wipes

Class level, skill tree unlocks, faction membership, and attribute points all carry over between wipes. Only your base, inventory, and map reset. See the wipe schedule →