An economy system adds depth to your Rust server. Players earn currency through gameplay and spend it on items, kits, and privileges. Done right, it keeps players engaged between raids.
Currency Options
Points-Based
Players earn points for actions (killing, gathering, playtime). Points are stored server-side. No physical item - purely virtual.
Pros: No duplication risk, easy to manage, works with shops and rewards Cons: Less immersive, no physical trading
Item-Based (Scrap)
Use Rust's existing scrap as currency. Players trade scrap at NPC vendors.
Pros: Immersive, no plugins needed for basic trading, players already understand scrap's value Cons: Subject to duplication exploits, lost on death, economy tied to gather rates
Custom Currency
Create a custom item as currency using plugins.
Pros: Unique server identity, controllable supply Cons: More complex setup, players need to learn the system
Essential Plugins
Economics
The foundation plugin for virtual currency:
{
"StartingMoney": 100,
"ShowCurrency": true,
"CurrencySymbol": "$"
}
Players check balance with /balance, send money with /pay PlayerName amount.
ServerRewards
Earn points through gameplay:
{
"PointsPerKill": 5,
"PointsPerHarvest": 1,
"PointsPerMinuteOnline": 2,
"PointsForHeadshot": 3
}
GUIShop
Visual shop interface where players browse and buy:
{
"Shops": {
"Weapons": {
"ak47": { "Price": 500, "Stock": -1 },
"thompson": { "Price": 250, "Stock": -1 }
},
"Resources": {
"wood": { "Price": 1, "Amount": 1000 },
"stones": { "Price": 2, "Amount": 1000 }
}
}
}
Vending Machine Integration
NPC vending machines at monuments selling items for currency:
{
"MonumentShops": {
"Outpost": {
"Items": ["medical.syringe", "bandage"],
"PriceMultiplier": 1.0
}
}
}
Balancing Your Economy
Income Sources
Calculate how much currency enters the system per hour per active player:
- Kill rewards: ~10-20/hour for active PVPers
- Gathering: ~5-10/hour for farmers
- Playtime: ~120/hour (at 2 points/minute)
Total average: ~50-80 currency/hour per player
Price Setting
Set prices so meaningful purchases require 2-4 hours of gameplay:
- Basic items (food, meds): 50-100 currency
- Mid-tier weapons: 200-500 currency
- High-tier items (rockets, C4): 1000-2000 currency
- Special privileges (kit access, teleport): 500-1500 currency
Inflation Control
Without sinks, currency accumulates and prices become meaningless:
- Death tax: Lose 10-20% of currency on death
- Wipe reset: Currency resets each wipe
- Expensive vanity items: High-cost items that remove currency from circulation
- Clan taxes: Clans pool currency for shared purchases
Testing
- Set up your economy on a test server
- Play through a full wipe cycle
- Track currency accumulation
- Adjust rates based on how quickly players reach "rich" status
- Deploy to live server
A well-tuned economy on a Space-Node Rust server keeps players logging in daily - not just for PvP, but for economic progress.
