How to wipe a Rust server: map wipe vs blueprint wipe

Rust servers are wiped regularly so everyone can start fresh. The game also forces a wipe on the first Thursday of each month when a major update releases, so plan for that.

Types of wipe

• Map wipe: removes the map and bases but keeps blueprints, so players keep what they learned.
• Full wipe: also resets blueprints, so everyone starts from nothing.

How to do it

1. Announce the wipe to players ahead of time.
2. Stop the server in the Console tab.
3. Open the Files tab and go to the server identity folder, under server/ and then the name of your server.
4. Download a backup of the folder if you want one.
5. For a map wipe, delete the map file (ending in .map) and the save file (ending in .sav). Do not delete blueprint files.
6. For a full wipe, also delete the player blueprint database files, which are named like player.blueprints followed by a number and .db. Player deaths and other player data files can also be removed if you want a clean slate.
7. Change the world settings if you want a new map, then start the server.

New map settings

Set a new server.seed to get a different map. You can also set server.worldsize, with larger maps needing more RAM and storage. Check your panel startup settings, since these are often set there.

Tips

• Wait for the server to finish generating the map before announcing it is open. A new map can take a few minutes.
• Back up before deleting anything.
• Large worlds raise RAM use and can make joining slower.
• After a forced wipe update, update the server before wiping, or players on the new version cannot join.
• Custom plugin data may also need clearing, such as kit usage or teleport homes. Check each plugin data folder.