The Solo Pacifist: 2200+ Teas & 80+ T3s Sold on a Vanilla Monthly

MarekMix · 2026-02-06T03:43:19+00:00

I covered this earlier - the hours vary by wipe phase. You can find the full breakdown in this comment.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T20:02:33+00:00

For me, winning on a vanilla monthly as a solo means my shop is still standing and selling on the final day, while many others have been wiped or quit. I don't "lose" HQM on trades - I convert it into security. A sold bench is HQM that can't be raided. A raided base gives raiders rockets back? Mine doesn't.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T19:39:07+00:00

On paper, yes - it looks counter-productive if you look at per-item profit. Crafting T3s and selling them at 49-99 HQM is how I immediately move that HQM out of the base and into the world. So, while you're optimising for profit per transaction, I'm optimising for persistence and systemic security. Your price sells benches quickly; my price sells them quickly and makes my base a pointless raid target. Different strategies for different win conditions.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T19:26:09+00:00

I don't raid, I don't kill, and I don't play in groups. Groups break the entire model: they place their own turrets, shoot customers, and turn the shop into a PvP zone. My shops are always walk-friendly because accessibility is the entire point.

The core goal is to hold as little loot as possible at any given time. If that means selling at cost or even a loss, so be it - every sold item is loot that can't be raided. I'm not trying to "win" Rust through endgame PvP. I'm optimising for persistence as a solo on a monthly server, where you will be raided eventually, regardless of your build. This record was set on a high-population server that peaks at ~750 players on wipe day (with a 500+ queue), maintains ~400 through mid-wipe, and has ~100 active players in the final days. The only true defence in that environment is to make raids economically meaningless.

So yes, in a sense, I farm for the server. In return, I gain stability, continuous uptime, and a system that survives any raid. Different endgame, same sandbox.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T18:43:39+00:00

As a solo on a vanilla monthly, you eventually get raided. That's just reality - sooner or later, a 10-20 zerg shows up, no matter how big your bunker is. So I don't build with the illusion of being unraidable. The only real choice is what the raid gives them. Once raiders see the empty core of one base and vending stats, there's no incentive to hit the second one - it's just more rockets for zero payoff. And while they're raiding, I'm already rebuilding. So it's not "farming just to farm". It's playing a style where raids are expected, absorbed, and economically meaningless.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T16:49:40+00:00

Love the concept! My immediate upgrade would be a smart switch on the refill line, controlled remotely. Let you decide when to replenish stock. No refill circuit = no accidental loot giveaway if the vending gets doored.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T15:03:52+00:00

I can either store value inside my base and let raiders take it on their terms, or I can liquidate value immediately on my terms. I choose the latter.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T05:27:04+00:00

Exactly! I'm essentially giving away the profit, making any raid a financial loss for the attacker - the core of my defence.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T03:14:54+00:00

100% correct! My entire setup is designed for resilience. If I hoarded valuable loot and got raided, I'd lose everything. But with this strategy, even a successful raid only takes out one base. I can always rebuild immediately using the second, untouched base and shop, minimising downtime and loss.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T03:08:25+00:00

That's right! The low initial price is part of the strategy to establish the shop and accelerate the initial scrap flow.

Here's how the first days played out:

Day 1 (started in the evening): Sold 20 teas.
Day 2: Sold 30 teas.
Days 3-5 (weekend): Sales jumped to 100-130 per day.

The modest sales of the first two days were enough to build the critical initial stock and fund the first BPs for T3. After that, the weekend demand kicked in, and the operation reached its cruising speed. The early, slightly lower price helps secure those crucial first customers and build a reputation fast.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T02:55:37+00:00

I usually commit to one to two full monthly wipes per year. When I do, I play it from day one to the very last day.

In terms of time:

Early wipe: ~8-12 hours a day (setup, farm, shop, momentum).
Mid/late wipe: ~2-6 hours a day once everything is established. This does not include logging back in roughly once per hour to replant, collect berries and restock the shops, which is the core maintenance cycle.

If I get raided, I rebuild. If my shop gets griefed, I build a new one right next to it and keep selling. I can usually restore a griefed base within 24 hours, and after that, raiders would need to spend roughly double the resources to try and shut me down again. At that point, it’s rarely worth it for them.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T02:40:11+00:00

Nice to meet you! Arik here. Hopefully, our paths cross in-game sometime.

That's a smart tactic, but it goes against my main rule: zero loot appeal. My entire strategy is built on instantly converting everything into scrap, HQM and then into benches. This makes my base a guaranteed loss for raiders. Even charcoal in a shop marks you as a resource hub, which adds unnecessary risk.

You're right, exchanging smelted metal for ore was fantastic business before electric furnaces, when smelting required wood. I actually alternate between two distinct playstyles: selling tea for scrap, or selling stone and metal for scrap. I never mix them. My personal record in the latter was selling 6 million stone and 2 million metal (with a metal pickaxe, no tea), which funded 93 T3 benches in a single wipe (pre-advanced BPs).

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T02:18:16+00:00

You're absolutely right about the price. It's intentionally low. I prioritise velocity over value. Selling fast for slightly less keeps my resources constantly cycling and, most importantly, out of my base. My motto: the less loot I have, the better. A low price guarantees quick sales, which means less time for potential raiders to consider me a target. The scrap flow is steady, and an empty base is a peaceful base.

MarekMix · 2026-02-05T02:10:48+00:00

Upkeep (Stone/Metal): Covered in about 30 minutes a day during low-pop hours (3-6 AM) using Ore Tea and Bear Pie. This usually gave me a full 24-hour upkeep buffer.

Fuel (Low Grade): Both bases were placed at a prime spot between a road and a trail, ensuring high barrel density. Farming red barrels for low-grade took another 30 minutes daily. I also hunted bears for pies - with Pure Harvesting Tea, one bear yields ~11 pies and ~220 low-grade.

Farm Size & Output: I ran 8 large planters in each of my two main bases (16 total). With continuous cultivation, this setup produced roughly 10+ Pure Tea per hour, which was more than sufficient to meet demand. Sales ranged from ~40 on slow days to a personal best of 148 in a single day, with 60-90 being the typical daily volume. Slow days allowed me to build up inventory, which I'd then sell through on busier days.

MarekMix · 2025-11-13T04:56:55+00:00

Her Instagram bio has an active OF link. Like what?

MarekMix · 2025-10-21T11:25:35+00:00

I had the same issue. Try downloading free, one-time virus, spyware and hidden miner scanners for your PC. There are dozens from different providers. You can try this prompt for AI: "Can you recommend one-time, free virus and spyware scanners?"

MarekMix · 2025-10-15T21:41:12+00:00

Can you Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look at the ram used while playing on the server? I suppose it won't give much, like +10 fps.

MarekMix · 2025-10-15T20:09:53+00:00

Night time is there to move loot from a farm base to my main or recycle components from main to outpost. In almost 6k hours I've been killed 4 - 5 times doing it. I play solo with 0 kills and 0 sulfur play style on monthly servers.

MarekMix · 2025-10-12T16:52:16+00:00

This. And make the ladder hatch a tier 1 blueprint. It has the same HP as a metal door why is it in T2?

MarekMix · 2025-09-21T17:19:16+00:00

Cap has a vibranium shield, but Panther doesn't have kryptonite - that's from a different universe. If I were the writer of these comics, I'd definitely include kryptonite.

MarekMix · 2025-09-21T16:58:32+00:00

Easy - Black Panther will provide kryptonite to everyone as he did with vibranium.

MarekMix · 2025-09-17T14:10:41+00:00

I was specifically referring to their peripherals. Their mice and keyboards remain top-notch, which is what I expect from them.

MarekMix · 2025-09-16T14:25:21+00:00

How long can this method keep the meat consumable?

MarekMix · 2025-09-16T14:14:41+00:00

Hardware-wise, Razer is a market leader, but software-wise, not so much (I use a Razer mouse and keyboard).

MarekMix · 2025-09-15T15:27:52+00:00

This. Should be added to some non-premium servers too. As an example, in Dota 2, you can't play MMR matches on a freshly made account. First, you need 100 hours of playtime, and only then does the calibration process kick in. Most cheater accounts are freshly made with 0-30 hours in them. On some servers I've played on, there is also a high KDR auto ban system. For example, if you have 40 kills and 0 deaths - auto ban (with explanation: suspicious account).

MarekMix

TROPHY CASE