Monuments Guide

Monuments Guide

Last updated: May 18, 2026 (round-4 monument fact-check)

Every monument in Rust has a loot profile, a difficulty rating, and a set of requirements (keycards, fuses , puzzle steps). This file is a per-monument reference. Use it to pick which monument to run when and what to bring.

Difficulty ratings

• Low: no scientists, no radiation worth fearing. Safe pickup loot.
• Medium: some scientists or radiation. Bring meds and a gun.
• High: hostile scientists, significant radiation, frequent PvP contestation.
• Extreme: highest-tier scientists, Bradley APC or other event hazards, server-population PvP magnet.

Keycards and puzzle requirements

Puzzles gate the best loot. Three keycards exist (Green, Blue, Red), each one requiring the previous to access. Plus fuses to power doors. The progression at a typical puzzle monument:

1. Green Card found on dead scientists, in basic crates, or in Lighthouse/Supermarket/Oxum's loot. Not sold at Outpost (Outpost only stocks Blue Cards, 100 scrap)
2. Fuse (Electric Fuse ), found in basic crates or crafted (50 scrap, requires Workbench Level 3)
3. Blue Card behind a green-card door + fuse -powered terminal
4. Red Card behind a blue-card door + fuse -powered terminal

Always travel with at least 2 green cards, 1 blue, and 2 fuses . You'll burn through them at the bigger monuments.

Per-monument breakdown

Lighthouse

• Difficulty: Low
• Recycler: No
• Radiation: None
• Scientists: None
• Keycard: None
• Loot: 2–3 basic crates, ~4 barrels, occasional food crate. Sometimes a corpse.
• Avg scrap : 50–80
• Run time: 5 min
• Wipe day: Great for first 1–2 hours. Multiple lighthouses on most maps.
• Map: Coast — multi-biome, rocky headland. Multiple per map.

Pro tip: lighthouses spawn around the coast. Run 2–3 in a row right at spawn for free scrap and starting components.

Fishing Village (small / large)

• Difficulty: Safe Zone (NPC-protected, no PvP)
• Recycler: Yes (-20% yield in safe zones)
• Loot: shop, not lootable. Sells fishing rod, boats , bait, etc.
• Run time: 5 min
• Wipe day: secondary stop after Lighthouse to buy a rod and start fishing.
• Map: Coast — calm shore. 3 per map (2 small, 1 large).

Bandit Camp (safe zone)

• Difficulty: Safe Zone
• Recycler: Yes (-20% yield)
• Loot: shop (Scope arbitrage works here, see 07_Scrap_Farming.md)
• Notable: Wheel of Misfortune gambling table, fertilizer /scrap shop, Air Wolf (helicopter shop)
• Wipe day: visit when you have scrap to spend and want to buy basic gear or run the scope cycle.
• Map: Forest/swamp — inland, often near river or wetland.

Outpost (safe zone)

• Difficulty: Safe Zone
• Recycler: Yes (-20%)
• Loot: shop with basic-to-mid weapons, attachments, food, vehicle parts
• Notable: large open area, sometimes hosts roaming patrol scientists outside walls
• Wipe day: gas mask + radsuit purchase if you can afford. Workbench Level 1 available for use.
• Map: Multi-biome — typically near map center.

Junkyard

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes (baseline)
• Radiation: Low
• Scientists: A magnet crane drops barrels and crates that spawn scientists nearby
• Keycard: None
• Loot: ~6–8 basic crates + barrels via crane drops + scientist drops
• Avg scrap : 100–150
• Run time: 15 min
• Wipe day: hour 4+ once you have hazmat suit .
• Map: Desert/temperate — inland, near road. Look for car wrecks + crusher tower.

Sewer Branch

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes (baseline)
• Radiation: Low-Medium
• Scientists: 2-4 patrol scientists
• Keycard: Green Card + 1 fuse. Reward is a Blue Card (Sewer Branch is a green-card puzzle that pays out a blue)
• Loot: 2–3 elite crates (in puzzle area) + military crates + barrels
• Avg scrap : 100–200
• Run time: 10 min (no puzzle) or 20 min (with puzzle)
• Wipe day: hour 6+ once you have green cards.
• Map: Forest — inland. Small footprint, concrete drainage entry.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Harbor (small)

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: Low
• Scientists: 6–10
• Keycard: Green Card for some side rooms
• Loot: military crates on the ships + crates around the dock
• Avg scrap : 150–250
• Run time: 10–15 min
• Wipe day: hour 4+.
• Map: Coast — small dock with single crane.

Harbor (large)

• Difficulty: High
• Recycler: Yes
• Scientists: 10–15
• Keycard: Green + Blue for puzzle area
• Loot: 2 elite crates inside ship + military spread + 3+ basic crates
• Avg scrap : 250–400
• Run time: 20 min
• Wipe day: hour 8+ with friends or stealth.
• Map: Coast — large crane and shipping containers visible from sea.

Satellite Dish

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: Medium (red zone in center, manageable with gear)
• Scientists: 4–6
• Keycard: None
• Loot: scrap + elite crate accessible on the dish via ladder (sometimes contested)
• Avg scrap : 100–200
• Run time: 10 min
• Wipe day: hour 3+.
• Map: Forest — inland, often elevated (hill/plateau). Three dish arrays.

Power Plant

• Difficulty: High
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: High in core area
• Scientists: 8–12
• Keycard: Green + Blue for puzzle (one of the highest-value blue card monuments)
• Loot: elite crates × 2–3 in puzzle, plus ~6 military, plus barrels
• Avg scrap : 300–500
• Run time: 25–30 min
• Wipe day: hour 8+ with hazmat and decent guns. Multiple cards needed.
• Map: Forest — coast or inland. Twin cooling towers are the cue.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Water Treatment Plant

• Difficulty: High
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: High
• Scientists: 6–10
• Keycard: Green + Blue for puzzle
• Loot: elite crates + military crates
• Avg scrap : 200–400
• Run time: 20 min
• Wipe day: hour 8+.
• Map: Forest — coast or inland. Circular settling tanks.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Train Yard

• Difficulty: Very High
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: Low–Medium
• Scientists: 8–15 (high-tier loadouts)
• Keycard: Green + Blue for central puzzle, sometimes Red for high-value rooms
• Loot: 2–3 elite crates + many military + the parked train cars sometimes loaded
• Avg scrap : 250–400 base + train if loaded
• Run time: 25 min
• Wipe day: hour 10+, ideally with team. Trains arriving at the yard add another loot layer.
• Map: Forest — inland/central. Tall water tower and locomotive cars.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Military Tunnels

• Difficulty: Very High
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: High
• Scientists: ~15 (high-tier, accurate, M249s drop here)
• Keycard: Red Card at the puzzle door (you obtain Red elsewhere; Mil Tunnels itself is a red-card-only puzzle)
• Loot: 4+ elite crates + tons of military + M249 drops from the M249-wielding heavy scientists here
• Avg scrap : 300–500
• Run time: 25 min
• Wipe day: hour 12+ with team. Tight corridors make it a PvP funhouse.
• Map: Multi-biome (desert/forest border) — inland, built into hillside.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Airfield

• Difficulty: Very High
• Recycler: Yes (+20% bonus location)
• Radiation: Low
• Scientists: 8–12 around hangars and tower
• Keycard: Green + Blue for some buildings
• Loot: 3–4 elite crates + many military + the locked crate respawn
• Avg scrap : 400–700
• Run time: 25–30 min
• Wipe day: hour 12+. Open field PvP is brutal. Worth the bonus recycler.
• Map: Desert — inland. Flat plateau, hangar + control tower.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Arctic Research Base

• Difficulty: High
• Recycler: Yes (+20% bonus location)
• Radiation: Low
• Scientists: heavily armed and in cold-weather gear, more accurate, hit harder
• Keycard: Blue Card at the puzzle door. The reward IS a Red Card (no Green or Red needed to enter)
• Loot: elite crates + the chinook crate spawn here
• Avg scrap : 300–600
• Run time: 25 min
• Wipe day: hour 12+ with cold-weather gear. The +20% recycler makes loot conversion sweet.
• Map: Snow biome interior — orange/red prefab buildings, helipad.

Abandoned Supermarket

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes (+20% bonus location)
• Radiation: None
• Scientists: None
• Keycard: None
• Loot: 2–3 basic crates + food crates + scrap pile
• Avg scrap : 50–100 raw, but the +20% recycler is the real prize
• Run time: 5 min
• Wipe day: any time. Easy stop for recycling without PvP risk.
• Map: Multi-biome — roadside. Single building with red SUPERMARKET sign.

Abandoned Cabins

• Difficulty: Low
• Recycler: No
• Scientists: None
• Loot: 4–6 basic crates spread across cabins
• Avg scrap : 30–60
• Run time: 5–10 min
• Wipe day: hour 1–4 easy farm.
• Map: Forest — inland, often near road. Wooden cabins scattered.

Stables

• Difficulty: Safe-ish (no scientists, occasional bandits)
• Recycler: No
• Loot: shop selling horse -related gear + horses
• Wipe day: when you want to buy a horse (75 scrap typical).
• Map: Multi-biome — roadside. Wooden corral + barn roof.

Ranch

• Difficulty: Low
• Recycler: No
• Loot: basic crates + farming-themed loot
• Avg scrap : 30–50
• Run time: 5 min
• Map: Multi-biome — inland. Large red barn on open ground.

Mining Outpost

• Difficulty: Safe Zone
• Recycler: Yes (-20%)
• Loot: shop + 1 recycler
• Wipe day: emergency recycler stop. Convenient on most maps.
• Map: Multi-biome — inland. Wooden lookout tower + single shed.

Oxum's Gas Station

• Difficulty: Low
• Recycler: No
• Scientists: None
• Loot: basic crates + food + sometimes higher-tier in the back room
• Avg scrap : 40–80
• Run time: 5 min
• Wipe day: hour 1–6. Drive-by stop.
• Map: Multi-biome — directly on the ring road. Orange Oxum's sign.

Underwater Labs (multiple per map)

• Difficulty: High (radiation + scientists + PvP at top)
• Recycler: Yes (baseline)
• Radiation: High
• Scientists: 4–8 per lab
• Keycard: Green + Blue for some areas, sometimes Red for the top-tier card room
• Loot: 5–15 crates per lab (mix of basic, military, elite)
• Avg scrap : 400–600 per lab visit
• Run time: 20 min
• Wipe day: hour 10+ with boat , hazmat, decent gear. The respawn timer (~30 min) lets you cycle through 3–4 labs in an hour.
• Map: Seabed — offshore, accessed via moonpools. Requires submarine.

Cargo Ship (event)

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Recycler: Yes (on deck)
• Spawn: random, every 1–2 hours, sails for ~40 min
• Loot: ~5 elite + ~10 military + ~10 basic + 3 hackable locked crates (15-min hack timer at end of voyage)
• Avg scrap : ~1,293 per successful run
• Run time: full event 30–50 min
• Wipe day: any time once you have a boat . PvP magnet.
• Map: Event — appears on schedule, sails offshore on a looping route.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Patrol Helicopter (event)

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Spawn: random, multiple per wipe day
• Loot: 4 burning heli crates at crash site (sometimes 3). No locked crates — locked crates come from Chinook, not Heli.
• Avg scrap : 500–1,200
• Cost to kill: ~10,000 effective HP. 8–20 rockets, or focus the tail (~500 HP) with ~25 AK headshots to crash it.
• Wipe day: only worth engaging if you have rockets stockpiled.
• Map: Event — airborne, no fixed location, flies over monuments.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Bradley APC (at Launch Site)

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Spawn: Launch Site, respawns ~1 hr after kill
• Loot: 2–4 high-tier crates + named gear from APC
• Cost to kill: 7 HV rockets, or 3 Timed Explosive Charges, or ~50 F1 grenades. (Patrol Heli has armor zones; Bradley does not — pure HP pool.)
• Avg scrap : 200–400 from crates
• Wipe day: once you have rockets .
• Map: Permanent patrol at Launch Site + event spawns at Arctic Base.

Launch Site

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Recycler: Yes
• Radiation: Very High (rad suit mandatory)
• Scientists: 10–20, high-tier
• Keycard: Red Card required for end loot
• Loot: 6+ elite + military + the locked crate at the silo + Bradley APC roaming
• Avg scrap : 600–1,200+
• Run time: 45 min
• Wipe day: hour 18+ with team. The PvP magnet of the wipe.
• Map: Desert — inland/central. Massive flat plain with rocket gantry.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Train Tunnels (underground network)

• Difficulty: Medium–High depending on which junction
• Recycler: Yes at several stations
• Radiation: Medium in deeper tunnels
• Scientists: 6–10 at junctions
• Keycard: green/blue at puzzle stations
• Loot: crates at stations + barrels + work cart loot
• Avg scrap : 100–300 per junction
• Run time: variable, can loop for hours
• Wipe day: mid-wipe, when you have a workcart fuel supply.
• Map: Underground — accessible via subway entrances at multiple monuments.

Nuclear Missile Silo

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Recycler: Yes (in the surface building)
• Radiation: Very High (~25 surface, ~50+ underground — full hazmat hood required)
• Scientists: 4 surface + 23 underground NVG scientists (150–300 HP) = 27 total
• Keycard: Red + Blue (Red for the silo hatch + button, Blue for internal doors), 1 fuse
• Loot: ~30 normal/military crates + 4 elite crates + 1 locked crate + 3 diesel barrels + advanced BP fragment + red keycard spawn
• Avg scrap: 800–1,500+
• Run time: 40 min
• Wipe day: hour 18+ with a full team. Strap weapon flashlights — NVG scientists laser you in pitch-black corridors.
• Map: Multi-biome — inland. Small surface footprint with fenced silo door.

Loot table (crate counts corroborated across multiple community sources; exact drop rates unverified):

Oil Rig — Small

• Difficulty: Hard
• Recycler: Yes (on deck)
• Radiation: None (cold exposure instead — coast gets chilly)
• Scientists: ~15 standard blue + ~6 heavy on the locked-crate event
• Keycard: None directly — Heavy Scientists spawn when you start the timed locked-crate hack
• Loot: blue card crates + military crates + named heavy-scientist drops + 1 locked crate (4-min hack)
• Avg scrap: 400–800
• Run time: 25 min (15 min if you skip the heavy event)
• Wipe day: hour 12+ once you have a boat or RHIB. Easier than Large Oil; ideal duo target.
• Map: Ocean — offshore deep water. Three-leg platform, no helipad tower.

Oil Rig — Large

• Difficulty: Extreme
• Recycler: Yes (2 on deck)
• Radiation: None
• Scientists: ~24 standard blue + ~10 heavy on the locked-crate event
• Keycard: None directly — heavies spawn on hack trigger
• Loot: 2× blue card crates + 8+ military crates + heavy scientist drops + 1 locked crate (4-min hack)
• Avg scrap: 800–1,500
• Run time: 30–40 min
• Wipe day: hour 18+ with a duo/trio. The big elevator chokepoint defines the engagement — clear the bottom floors before triggering hack.
• Map: Ocean — offshore deeper water. Multi-level with helipad.

Cargo Plane (Airdrop)

• Difficulty: Variable — easy if you reach the drop alone, extreme if it lands in a contested area
• Recycler: N/A (event drop)
• Spawn: random across server cycle (~1–2 hours), flies a single pass, drops 1 supply crate
• Loot: 1 supply crate — high tier guaranteed (often: explosives, components, named weapon, ~200 scrap, 1–2 rockets)
• Avg scrap: 200–400 from crate + items
• Cost to engage: spot the plane, sprint to projected landing zone, fight off contestants
• Wipe day: any time after you have a rifle. Listen for the plane drone — it announces drops 30 sec before drop.
• Map: Event — airborne flyover, drops a single supply crate at random spot.

Chinook (CH47) Locked Crate Drop

• Difficulty: Extreme (delivers locked crate to a monument; whoever holds the monument wins)
• Recycler: N/A
• Spawn: random across server cycle, drops a hackable locked crate at a randomly chosen monument
• Loot: 1 locked crate — 15-min hack timer (elite tier loot, ~5 elite + several military items)
• Avg scrap: 200–500
• Cost to engage: defend the monument the Chinook drops onto for 15 minutes through the hack
• Wipe day: hour 12+. Listen for the dual-rotor sound; the drop monument is announced in chat.
• Map: Event — drops hackable locked crate at a random monument.

The Dome

• Difficulty: Easy
• Recycler: No (only major monument without one)
• Radiation: ~9 rads
• Scientists: None
• Keycard: None — no puzzle
• Loot: 3 military crates on top deck + ~6 basic crates on internal catwalks + heavy barrel cluster underneath
• Avg scrap: 80–150
• Run time: 8 min
• Wipe day: hour 2–6. Parkour the inner spiral catwalks rather than the outer struts — much harder to be sniped.
• Map: Forest — inland. Spherical white storage tank, visible across map.

Radtown

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes (in the recycler room, sheet-metal building)
• Radiation: 10+ rads inside buildings; 0 on the road area (hazmat suit required for full clear)
• Scientists: None
• Keycard: Blue Card + Green Card + 2 fuses (full puzzle chain inside the main building)
• Loot: solid mid-tier crates + military crates + radioactive water barrels + red keycard in desk after blue puzzle
• Avg scrap: 200–400
• Run time: 15 min
• Wipe day: any time — best solo red-card farm in the game (no scientists, just rads + possible PvP). Best on fresh wipes before squads gear up.
• Map: Forest — coast/inland. Small industrial yard with stacked containers.

Quarry (HQM / Sulfur / Stone)

• Difficulty: Low (PvE) / High (PvP — open terrain, fixed location)
• Recycler: No (none on-site)
• Radiation: None
• Scientists: None — player-defended only
• Keycard: None — requires Diesel Fuel (20 scrap at Outpost or looted)
• Loot: No crates. Output is ore (HQM Quarry: 50 HQM ore/Diesel; Sulfur: 1,000 sulfur ore/Diesel; Stone: ~10,000 stone/Diesel)
• Avg scrap: ~0 directly, but a Diesel of HQM ≈ 150–200 scrap equivalent
• Run time: 2 min 10 sec per Diesel cycle; ~23 HQM ore/min when fueled
• Wipe day: day 2–5 once you have a Diesel pipeline. Set a TC nearby — quarries run while you're offline but raiders can loot them.
• Map: Biome hints resource (snow=HQM, desert=sulfur). Small mining pits.

Giant Excavator Pit

• Difficulty: Medium-High
• Recycler: Yes (inside control building, standard rates)
• Radiation: Minimal (~5 in dump areas, none at controls)
• Scientists: None on-site by default
• Keycard: None to operate — costs 1 Diesel per engine start + 2 Low Grade for the requester terminal
• Loot: Output is the mined resource (HQM, sulfur ore, metal frags, or stones — pick one). A 20-Diesel run yields ~10,000 sulfur ore OR ~500 HQM ore OR ~30,000 stones OR ~25,000 metal frags
• Avg scrap: indirect — 20 Diesel of sulfur ≈ enough sulfur for ~25 rockets
• Run time: 1 Diesel ≈ 1 min 56 sec; full 40-min cycle on 20 Diesel
• Wipe day: day 2–3 sweet spot. Pick sulfur over HQM — better scrap-per-Diesel ratio.
• Map: Desert/inland — central. Massive bucket-wheel excavator visible from afar.

Ferry Terminal

• Difficulty: Low-Medium (post-2026 puzzle update raised contest level)
• Recycler: Yes (on the external dock area, near a public modular car lift)
• Radiation: None
• Scientists: None in vanilla; some servers spawn 2–3 patrol NPCs after the 2026 puzzle pass
• Keycard: Green Card for the departures-lobby puzzle room (added in 2026 puzzle pass)
• Loot: 12 crates + 22 barrels across warehouse, loading dock, alleyway, and rooftop. Puzzle room adds 2 basic + 1 military crate
• Avg scrap: 100–180 per full clear
• Run time: 4–6 min solo; 2–3 min duo splitting routes
• Wipe day: Day 1 priority — recycler + car lift + no rads = best early-game value monument.
• Map: Coast — flat shoreline. Loading ramp + ticket building (2026 monument).

Listening Station (Hapis / custom maps)

• Difficulty: Low
• Recycler: No on most variants
• Radiation: None to minimal (~5 inside the comms shack)
• Scientists: None
• Keycard: None
• Loot: ~4–6 barrels + 2–3 basic crates around the dish/antenna and the small comms shack
• Avg scrap: 20–40 per run
• Run time: 1–2 min
• Wipe day: day 1 transit stop. Note: not on vanilla procedural maps — only appears on Hapis Island and custom maps. Skip if your server uses a procedural map.
• Map: Hapis Island/custom maps only — not on procedural maps.

Abandoned Military Base

• Difficulty: Medium
• Recycler: Yes (inside the central administrative tent area)
• Radiation: Low (~10–25 inside loot rooms; hazmat optional)
• Scientists: Up to 8 standard scientists patrolling with LR-300s and MP5A4s
• Keycard: None — no keycard rooms, just clear and loot. Cargo Plane drops crates near it (trail restored Nov 2025 console patch)
• Loot: ~6 military crates + ~4 basic crates + 1 elite crate in inner vault + ~15 barrels around perimeter. Consistent component drops + weapon attachments + occasional T2 BP fragments
• Avg scrap: 250–400 per full clear
• Run time: 6–10 min if clearing scientists; 3–4 min smash-and-grab
• Wipe day: day 2–4 optimal — by then you have a bolty/SAR + meds to handle 8 scientists.

Monument run priority by wipe time

Hour 0–2: Lighthouse, Abandoned Cabins, Oxum's Gas Station. Easy crates to bootstrap.

Hour 2–6: Junkyard, Sewer Branch , Satellite Dish, Harbor (small). Mid-tier with green card.

Hour 6–12: Power Plant, Water Treatment, Harbor (large), Train Yard. Need green+blue, rad gear.

Hour 12+: Military Tunnels, Airfield, Underwater Labs, Arctic Research. Need red card, full kit, often team.

Hour 18+: Launch Site, Patrol Heli, Cargo Ship. End-game scrap -to-time ratios.

Cards I recommend always carrying

• 2× Green Card (loot from Lighthouse/Supermarket/Oxum's — NOT sold at Outpost)
• 1× Blue Card (drop from blue-card puzzles)
• 1× Red Card (drop from red-card puzzles)
• 3× Fuse (craft for 50 scrap at WB3, or find at monuments)
• Bonus: 1× Mining Hat with light (for tunnels)

Common monument mistakes

1. Running Launch Site at hour 4 without rad suit. You'll die to radiation alone.
2. Skipping the on-site recycler. Always recycle on-site before leaving. Components weigh down inventory.
3. Solo-running a contested monument at peak hours. Move at off-peak (early morning server time) for less PvP.
4. Bringing your best gear. Run monuments in mid-tier gear. If you die, you didn't lose the wipe.
5. Hoarding green cards in your inventory. Stockpile at base, only bring 2.
6. Looting clockwise habit. Loot order matters because crates have respawn timers . Hit highest-tier first.

Pro tips

• Map memorization is the biggest skill upgrade. Spend 30 minutes wandering each monument early-wipe to learn the crate locations.
• Backpack early in your gear loadout. A few hours of scrap farming requires hauling capacity. Tactical or LR300-tier pack worth getting.
• Pair monument runs with travel. Don't go to Lighthouse → home → Junkyard. Go Lighthouse → Junkyard → Recycler → home. Save the travel time.
• Time of day matters. Monuments at server-night have fewer PvP players but more difficult vision. Server-morning is the sweet spot.
• Some monuments share spawns with NPCs. Bandit Camp scientist roamers can wander into nearby roads. Don't get pulled into PvE while you're trying to PvP rotate.

The puzzle system explained end to end

Most mid- and high-tier monuments are gated behind a puzzle — a sequence of keycard swipes, fuse placements and switch flips that opens the loot rooms. Understanding the puzzle system as a whole, rather than memorising one route at a time, lets you walk into any monument and reason out the path.

The puzzle toolkit has three components:

• Keycards come in three tiers — green, blue and red. Green cards are cheap and found at low-tier monuments; blue cards are bought with scrap or found behind green puzzles; red cards are the prize at the end of blue puzzles inside the hardest monuments. You consume nothing by swiping — a card is reusable until you lose it on death.
• Fuses (Electrical Fuses) are consumable. They are slotted into a fuse box to power a section of the monument, and they burn out after use, so every fuse-gated monument costs you one fuse per run. Buy a stack from Outpost or loot them from crates and barrels.
• Switches are free but order-dependent. A puzzle is essentially a flowchart: power on with a fuse, flip switches in sequence, swipe the card the switches unlocked, repeat at the next tier.

The card hierarchy creates a natural progression loop: use a green card to run green-tier monuments, which reward blue cards; use blue cards to run blue puzzles, which reward red cards; use red cards to open the most valuable loot rooms at the top-tier monuments. A wipe's monument progression is really a card-collection ladder.

Puzzle routes — the big three land monuments

Three monuments form the backbone of mid-wipe scrap and component farming. Their routes share a common shape — flip switches, swipe up a tier, claim the red card — so learning them together is efficient.

The general route logic: enter near the recycler or main switch, place a fuse to power the section, flip the switch sequence, swipe your green card to open the green door, then progress inward and swipe blue to reach the final loot room which contains the red card. Airfield demands two fuses because it has two separately-powered sections; budget accordingly. The strategic point: run a green-card monument first to bank a blue card, then run blue monuments to bank red cards, and you arrive at the top-tier monuments already equipped instead of farming scrap to buy in.

Elite monuments and the heavy-scientist threat

The most rewarding monuments — the Oil Rigs, Cargo Ship, and the locked-crate events — are guarded by scientist NPCs, and the highest-value loot is locked behind a timer that summons reinforcements.

• The Locked Crate timer. On the Oil Rigs, activating the locked crate starts a roughly 15-minute timer and triggers yellow sirens. Partway through, a Chinook flies in and drops heavy scientists onto the helipad. You must survive them and hold the rig until the timer completes to claim the crate.
• Heavy scientists are not regular NPCs. They wear far more armour — surviving multiple body hits and demanding several headshots to kill — and carry powerful weapons including the M249. Treat them like kitted players: take cover, fight from angles, and prioritise headshots.
• Their drops are worth it. Heavy scientists can drop genuinely rare items — rocket launchers, night-vision goggles, high-tier medical and weapon loot — which is the real reason to contest the rigs beyond the crate itself.

The Large Oil Rig holds 13 possible military and elite crate spawns across its upper levels plus the locked crate, guarded by up to roughly 16 scientists total — making it one of the densest loot sources in the game and, predictably, one of the most contested. Never run a rig without a plan for the heavy-scientist wave and for the rival players the sirens advertise your presence to.

Monument PvP — turning loot runs into map control

Every monument is a PvP magnet. The loot draws players, which means a monument run is never purely PvE — it is a contested objective. Meta players treat monuments as positions to be controlled, not just boxes to be opened.

• Hold the high ground and the exits. Most monuments have a dominant elevated position and a small number of entrances. Controlling them lets you loot in peace and ambush anyone who arrives to contest you.
• Time your runs. Server-morning is the sweet spot — fewer players awake than peak hours, but better vision than server-night. Early-wipe monuments are loot-rich and lightly defended; late-wipe they are camped by geared groups.
• Chain monuments by geography. Plan a loop — for example Lighthouse, then a nearby Harbor, then a roadside recycler — so travel time doubles as a farm route instead of dead backtracking.
• Read the noise. Gunfire, the locked-crate sirens, and the Patrol Helicopter all advertise activity. If you hear a monument being fought over, you can third-party the winner — or avoid the area entirely if you are carrying loot.

The deeper meta point: monuments are where the map's wealth concentrates, so they are where the map's conflict concentrates. A group that consistently controls two or three nearby monuments controls the component and scrap economy of that region of the map, which funds everything else — better guns, faster bench progression, and the explosives to raid the groups who could not.

Recyclers and the component economy

Monuments are not only about crates — they are about recyclers. The recycler converts components and unwanted items into raw materials and scrap, and it quietly underpins the entire progression economy.

• Components into scrap and parts. Tech trash, gears, springs, sheet metal and other components recycle into scrap, metal fragments, high quality metal and more — turning monument trash into bench-progression fuel.
• Scrap is the universal currency. It buys keycards and items at Outpost and Bandit Camp, and it pays for blueprint research and workbench experiments. A monument run that fills a backpack with components is really a run that fills your scrap reserve.
• Recycle on-site, not at home. Most monuments have a recycler; using it before you leave means you haul lightweight scrap and raw materials home instead of bulky components, and you are not carrying a juicy component backpack through PvP.
• The full loop. Loot crates and barrels, recycle the components into scrap and metal on-site, spend scrap on keycards and blueprints, use the keycards to run higher-tier monuments for better loot. Every step feeds the next — this loop, run efficiently, is the fastest legitimate path from a stone-age base to a fully-kitted raiding group.

Monument puzzle solutions

The keycard, fuse and switch system is explained in full under “The puzzle system explained end to end” above — this section gives the concrete per-monument routes. One number worth carrying with you: Green and Blue cards survive 4 swipes each, but a Red card lasts only 2 swipes, so plan Red-card runs carefully.

Green card monuments

Green readers are the entry tier and are found at low-radiation monuments. They generally need 1 fuse and a Green keycard, and reward Blue keycards plus mid-tier loot.

• Supermarket / Oxum's Gas Station / Mining Outpost: single fuse box near the back room, one switch, swipe Green. No radiation, no scientists — the safest place to spend a Green card and pick up a Blue.
• Sewer Branch: place a fuse in the box by the entrance ramp, flip the switch, drop down and swipe the Green reader. Light radiation — bring boots and a hazmat piece or two. Scientists patrol the lower level.
• Satellite Dish / Junkyard: single fuse, one or two switches, Green swipe. Useful early-wipe Blue-card farms with manageable scientist counts.

Blue card monuments

Blue readers gate the Red keycard. Carry a Green and a Blue card (a Green reader almost always sits on the route), the listed fuses, and decent radiation protection.

• Water Treatment: the cheapest Red farm if you already hold a Blue card — 1 fuse and a Blue card only. Place the fuse in the office building, flip the switch, swipe Blue, grab the Red card from the room behind. Light-to-moderate radiation.
• Train Yard: needs a Blue card and 1 fuse. Climb the tower and flip its switch, place the fuse in the main warehouse, flip the warehouse switches, swipe the Blue reader and loot the Red-card room. Moderate radiation, heavy scientist presence.
• Power Plant: needs a Green card, Blue card and 1 fuse. Flip the three exterior switches to route power, swipe the Green reader, throw the final switch inside the main building, then go upstairs and swipe Blue for the Red card. Heavy radiation — full hazmat strongly advised.
• Airfield: needs a Green card, Blue card and 2 fuses. Start at the recycler switch, head underground and swipe Green, place the second fuse to power the inner circuit, then swipe Blue for the final room. Moderate radiation in the tunnels.

Red card monuments

Red readers protect the best non-event loot in the game. Bring a full hazmat suit, a Red keycard, and remember the card only survives 2 swipes.

• Launch Site: the flagship Red puzzle. Place fuses across the multi-box circuit, work the switch sequence through the warehouse and control building, then swipe the Red reader for elite crates and the military crate room. Heavy radiation throughout; Bradley APC patrols the central road — clear or avoid it before committing.
• Military Tunnels: needs a Red card and 1 fuse. Place the fuse, flip the switch, and swipe Red. Extremely dangerous — heavily armed scientists (including a chance of an NVG/Heavy scientist) and tight corridors. Bring a full kit, not just a hazmat.
• Excavator: not a card puzzle — it is fuel-and-switch operated, but treat it as a Red-tier risk monument because of its open sightlines and frequent contested traffic.

Puzzle run checklist

1. Confirm the card tier and fuse count for the target monument before you leave base.
2. Carry a spare fuse — a misfired switch order can waste one, and fuses are cheap insurance.
3. Bring radiation protection scaled to the monument: a few hazmat pieces for Green tier, full hazmat for Blue and Red tier.
4. Clear scientists first where possible; a swipe animation locks you in place and makes you an easy target.
5. Loot the card room fast — other players watch puzzle monuments specifically to third-party the swipe.

Bradley APC & Patrol Helicopter takedowns

The Bradley APC and the Patrol Helicopter are the two roaming monument bosses. Both reward Elite crates — the highest non-locked loot tier — but they punish bad positioning instantly. Below are current 2026 health values, explosive counts, and the positioning that keeps you alive.

Bradley APC

The Bradley APC patrols Launch Site — in vanilla it spawns nowhere else. It has 1,000 HP and will self-heal if it takes no damage for 5 minutes, regaining full health over about 60 seconds — so commit fully or not at all. It respawns roughly 1 hour after death.

Weak spot: the APC takes full damage anywhere on the hull — there is no armor multiplier — but its turret has a limited traverse and cannot depress fully. The reliable counter is a rooftop or elevated ledge directly above or behind it: the turret cannot elevate high enough to hit you, and you get a clean downward angle for rockets. From ground level, hug its rear blind spot — the turret tracks slowly, so move with it and stay off its forward arc.

Crate timer: on death the Bradley drops 3 crates (a mix of Bradley/Elite crates) inside a burning wreck. The fire must die down before you can loot — about 3 minutes. Expect other players to contest the burn; hold the high ground you killed it from rather than rushing the fire.

Group tactics: two players on opposite rooftops split the turret's attention — it can only track one target at a time. One fires while the other reloads, alternating HV volleys so damage never stops long enough to trigger the 5-minute heal.

Patrol Helicopter

The Patrol Helicopter is an event that spawns periodically and patrols monuments, strafing players and buildings. It has 10,000 HP on the main body, but you almost never need to chew through that whole pool — it has two destructible rotors that act as weak points.

Destroying the main rotor downs the helicopter outright, ignoring its remaining body health — the tail rotor is an optional softening target, not required for the kill. The fastest takedown is to focus the tail rotor (lowest HP), then the main rotor. An Assault Rifle or LR-300 with full-auto fire works, but the most ammo-efficient kill is rockets/explosive ammo onto the rotors.

Positioning & blind spots: unlike the Bradley, the helicopter can see and hit targets anywhere in its range — there is no true blind spot. It fires its guns in bursts with roughly a 3-second gap between them. Use that rhythm: take cover or break line of sight during the burst, then lean out and fire your shots in the pause. Fight from a building with a hard roof so its rockets cannot collapse your cover, and never stand in open ground — a single rocket burst is a one-shot kill.

Crate timer: the downed heli leaves a wreck with multiple crates engulfed in a fuel fire. Once the heli is dead and the crates have stopped burning it takes about 5 minutes before you can salvage the gibs with a tool. As with Bradley, expect contested loot — hold the high ground.

Group tactics: a group splits fire across both rotors simultaneously so each drops faster, and posts one player as a spotter calling the burst timing. Spreading out also prevents the heli's rocket strafe from catching the whole team in one pass.