Understanding the Small Stash
You’ve just spawned onto the beach. You’re scrambling for resources – wood, stone, anything to give you a fighting chance. But your inventory is filling up fast, and that persistent fear of being raided before you even have a base is gnawing at you. What do you do? Enter the unsung hero of early-game Rust: the small stash.
This unassuming, easily crafted item can be the difference between losing everything and establishing a foothold in the harsh world of Rust. But what is a small stash, exactly? This guide will delve into everything you need to know about using the small stash effectively, from crafting and placement to concealment tactics and its inherent limitations. We’ll cover how to acquire the blueprint, where to place it, how to hide it, and ultimately, whether it’s the right choice for your survival strategy. Consider this your complete primer on mastering this vital early-game tool.
At its core, the small stash is a buried container designed for discreetly storing your hard-earned resources. Imagine it as a miniature, underground safe that you can deploy almost anywhere. The small stash offers a limited number of slots for your items, giving you space to hide away valuable resources during the early game.
Visually, the small stash resembles a small mound of dirt, often partially covered with grass or small plants. This natural camouflage is intentional, designed to help it blend seamlessly with the environment, making it harder for other players to spot. When buried, it’s subtle, easily overlooked if you don’t know what you’re looking for. As a one inventory slot item the small stash has a fixed capacity of twelve slots. These can be filled with any item that you like.
Crafting Your First Small Stash
Before you can start hoarding your precious loot, you’ll need to craft a small stash. This process begins with acquiring the blueprint. Typically, you’ll find the small stash blueprint inside crates or barrels scattered throughout the map. You might also have a chance to research it at a research table if you are struggling to find it.
Once you’ve learned the blueprint, crafting a small stash is remarkably straightforward. The primary resource required is cloth. You don’t need a workbench to craft it; you can do it directly from your inventory. The crafting time is relatively short, making it a quick and convenient option when you need immediate storage.
Placement and Usage Guidelines
Strategic placement is paramount when using a small stash. Unlike boxes or lockers, small stashes have specific placement restrictions. First and foremost, they can only be placed outdoors. You won’t be able to bury them inside your base, a cave, or any other enclosed structure. The ground needs to be relatively flat. Avoid excessively uneven terrain, as this can make the stash more visible.
Once you’ve found a suitable location, simply place the small stash from your inventory. After placing it, you’ll need to bury it. To do this, approach the placed stash and hold down the interact key (typically ‘E’). You’ll see a brief animation of your character covering the stash with dirt and foliage. When buried, the stash becomes significantly harder to spot.
To access your stored items, you’ll need to unbury the stash first. Approach the buried stash again and hold down the interact key. Your character will unearth the stash, revealing the inventory interface. Remember, an unburied stash will despawn after a certain amount of time. Be mindful of this timer, and rebury your stash promptly after accessing its contents.
The Art of Stash Concealment
Concealment is where a simple small stash can truly shine. Effective concealment turns your stash from a vulnerable container into a practically invisible resource depot. The key is to blend your stash seamlessly with its surroundings.
Look for areas with dense foliage, such as bushes, tall grass, or forested areas. These natural features provide excellent cover, making it difficult for other players to spot your buried stash. Avoid placing stashes in open areas or near obvious landmarks, as these are prime locations for other players to search.
Consider using terrain features to your advantage. A small dip in the ground or the base of a slope can provide additional concealment. Experiment with different locations and observe how the stash looks from various angles. The goal is to make it blend in so well that it becomes virtually invisible.
The Perks and Pitfalls of Small Stashes
The small stash offers several key advantages, particularly in the early stages of the game. It provides a crucial layer of security before you have the resources to build a secure base. It’s incredibly cost-effective, requiring only cloth to craft. You can also use small stashes to decentralize your storage, creating small resource caches near valuable resource nodes, like a stash near a sulfur mine to store sulfur for future use. These can also be helpful in storing supplies if you are planning a raid on someone’s base.
However, the small stash also has its limitations. Its storage capacity is relatively small, meaning you won’t be able to store vast amounts of resources. The risk of discovery is always present, as other players can stumble upon your stash if they’re diligent enough. And because stashes are not permanent, they will despawn after a while.
The security of the stash is also limited. It can be dug up by a player with a pickaxe or other tool. This means that while it can slow down a would-be thief, a determined player will eventually be able to access your goods.
Overall, the small stash is best utilized in the early game, before more secure storage options become available. As you progress, you’ll likely want to transition to more robust methods of safeguarding your resources.
Beyond the Small Stash: Alternative Storage Solutions
As you progress through Rust, you’ll unlock more sophisticated storage options. These offer increased capacity and improved security compared to the humble small stash.
The locker offers a significant upgrade in terms of storage capacity and security. Lockers require a base to be placed, however the cost and crafting time is much more than the small stash.
Another option is the wooden storage box. These boxes can be placed inside a base or hidden outdoors. They offer more storage space than the small stash and are more secure, although they are still vulnerable to being raided.
For more advanced players, hiding crates within rocks or terrain is sometimes possible. This involves exploiting glitches in the game’s terrain to conceal crates in places that are difficult or impossible for other players to access. However, it’s important to note that these techniques are often patched out by the developers.
In Conclusion: Mastering the Early Game with the Small Stash
The small stash is a vital tool for survival in the early stages of Rust. Its low crafting cost, ease of placement, and ability to be hidden make it an invaluable asset for new players. While it has its limitations, particularly in terms of storage capacity and security, its advantages far outweigh its drawbacks, especially when you’re just starting out.
Don’t underestimate the power of a well-hidden stash. Mastering stash placement and concealment is a skill that will serve you well throughout your Rust career. Experiment with different locations, learn the art of blending in with your surroundings, and use terrain features to your advantage. You’ll be surprised at how effective a simple small stash can be.
In the unforgiving world of Rust, every advantage counts. And sometimes, that small stash is all you need to get your base started and to survive the dangers that lurk around every corner.
