Bandit Camp
Bandit Camp is one of Rust's two safe-zone monuments (the other is Outpost). No radiation, no keycard puzzle, and no PvP inside the zone — which makes it the map's marketplace: vending machines that buy and sell scrap-based items, a weapons shop, the casino's gambling wheel, a recycler, and the Air Wolf vendor selling helicopters for scrap.
How to Enter & Safe Zone Rules
There's no puzzle and no keycard — you walk in. The rules inside are the thing to respect: turrets and the camp's guards shred anyone who pulls out a weapon or wears a hostile item inside the zone, so keep everything holstered and shop in peace. The safety ends exactly at the boundary — players camp the roads out with bolt-actions, so don't wander home with a full inventory and your guard down.
What You Can Buy at Bandit Camp
| Item | Price | Vendor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Keycard | 40–160 scrap | Scrap 4 Sale | The only keycard sold anywhere in the game |
| Hot Air Balloon | 150 scrap | Air Wolf | Comes with 75 low grade (~6 minutes of burn) |
| Scrap Transport Helicopter | 1,250 scrap | Air Wolf | Comes with 100 low grade in a 500 tank (20+ min of flight) |
| Attack Helicopter | 2,250 scrap | Air Wolf | Pilot plus a gunner seat with turret and rocket pods |
The Red Keycard is the standout: it's the only keycard sold anywhere in the game, so 40–160 scrap at the Scrap 4 Sale vendor buys you straight into red-card loot rooms without running the puzzle chain — our keycards guidecovers when that trade is worth it. Alongside the named vendors, Bandit Camp's vending machines are where you buy and sell scrap-based items, and the town runs its own weapons shop. One thing it does notsell is boats — that's the Fishing Village's trade (Solo Submarine 200 scrap, Duo 300).
Air Wolf: Helicopters for Scrap
Air Wolf is Bandit Camp's aircraft dealer and the reliable way to get airborne without finding a heli in the world. The Hot Air Balloon is the budget option at 150 scrap and comes with 75 low grade — about 6 minutes of burn, and fuel only burns while the burner is lit, so coasting costs nothing. The Scrap Transport Helicopter costs 1,250 scrap and arrives with 100 low grade in a 500-capacity tank — 20+ minutes of flight for a squad and its loot. Top of the range is the Attack Helicopter at 2,250 scrap, with a gunner seat carrying a turret and rocket pods. Full flight stats for each are on our vehicles pages — datamined, not guessed.
The Casino & Gambling Wheel
Bandit Camp's casino is built around its scrap-betting gambling wheel — prominent enough that one of the camp's two CCTV cameras (CASINO) points straight at it. We only publish numbers we've datamined from Rust's own files, and the wheel's payout table isn't in our dataset, so we won't quote odds — qualitatively, the bigger payouts land less often, and the sensible rule is to spin only with scrap you can afford to lose. If the wheel pays out, the recycler and vendors are conveniently a short walk away.
Recycler & Utilities
The on-site recycleris half the reason to visit: break components down into scrap without radiation or the risk of being shot mid-recycle. Facepunch also placed a free Clan Table by the staircase, so groups can found a clan here on wipe day before they've built anything. And the camp has two CCTV cameras you can watch from any Computer Station — CASINO over the wheel and TOWNWEAPONS over the weapons shop. The full station list is in our CCTV codes reference.
Radiation & Gear Needed
None. Bandit Camp has zero radiation, so spawn clothes are fine — no hazmat, no rad pills. The only gear rule that matters is the safe-zone one: keep weapons holstered and hostile items off while you're inside.
Map Location
Bandit Camp is a named monument, so it's labelled directly on the in-game map. On our interactive server mapsit's marked under the Safe zones layer alongside Outpost and the Fishing Villages, so you can plan a route before you commit to the run — and plan the route home too, since the exits are the dangerous part.
Tips
- Recycle before you leave — banking components as scrap on site beats hauling them past the road campers.
- Farming scrap is often faster than running the green–blue–red puzzle chain: 40–160 scrap at Scrap 4 Sale buys the Red Keycard outright.
- The camp's guards are a low-odds backup source of green keycards — worth knowing, not worth farming.
- Cheapest way into the air on any budget: the 150-scrap Hot Air Balloon, which only burns fuel while the burner is lit.
- On wipe day, use the free Clan Table by the staircase to found your group before you've built a base.
- Never draw a weapon inside — the turrets don't warn twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a keycard for Bandit Camp?expand_more
No. Bandit Camp has no keycard puzzle — you can walk in and loot it with no cards or fuses.
Is there a recycler at Bandit Camp?expand_more
Yes, Bandit Camp has a recycler on site. That matters more than it sounds — you can break components down into scrap before you leave instead of hauling them home, which cuts what you're carrying if you die on the way back.
Do you need a hazmat suit for Bandit Camp?expand_more
No. Bandit Camp has no radiation, so you can run it in whatever you're wearing.
What can you buy at Bandit Camp?expand_more
The two signature purchases are the Red Keycard (40–160 scrap at the Scrap 4 Sale vendor — the only card sold anywhere) and aircraft at the Air Wolf vendor: the Hot Air Balloon for 150 scrap, the Scrap Transport Helicopter for 1,250 scrap and the Attack Helicopter for 2,250 scrap. Beyond that, Bandit Camp's vending machines are where you buy and sell scrap-based items, and the town has its own weapons shop.
How much is the scrap helicopter at Bandit Camp?expand_more
1,250 scrap from the Air Wolf vendor. It arrives with 100 low grade fuel already in its 500-capacity tank — good for over 20 minutes of flight before you need to top it up.
What are the odds on the Bandit Camp casino wheel?expand_more
We only publish numbers we've datamined from Rust's own files, and the wheel's payout table isn't in our dataset — so no invented percentages here. Qualitatively: you bet scrap on the wheel, the higher payouts hit less often, and you should only wager scrap you're prepared to lose.
Is Bandit Camp a safe zone?expand_more
Yes — it's one of Rust's two safe zones (the other is Outpost). PvP is disabled inside: turrets and guards open fire on anyone who pulls out a weapon or wears a hostile item in the zone. The protection ends at the boundary, and the roads out are a favourite camping spot, so leave with a plan.
Does Bandit Camp sell boats?expand_more
No — watercraft are the Fishing Village's trade. Its vendors sell the Solo Submarine for 200 scrap and the Duo Submarine for 300. Bandit Camp's vehicle vendor is Air Wolf, which deals in aircraft — the Hot Air Balloon, Scrap Transport Helicopter and Attack Helicopter are its documented stock, and minicopters also spawn free along roads if the counter doesn't have what you want.
Related guides
A Rust monument tier list ranked from beginner-safe to end-game: radiation levels, keycard puzzles, recyclers, and the gear you need for each.
How to get Green, Blue and Red Keycards in Rust, which monuments need which color, and the fastest route from your first Green card to a Red one.
The best Rust scrap farming sources ranked: recycling, road barrels, monument crates, diving crates, cargo and oil rig. Plus a fastest-scrap early routine.