The best loot in Rust is often behind puzzles or locked doors. Solving these challenges generally requires the right keycards. So, learn about the different keycards in Rust, along with their locations, as you continue reading this guide.

Rust Keycards: An Overview

Keycards are your passport to incredible loot in Rust. Use these keys at the consoles next to powered doors in various monuments. However, some doors don’t have electricity, which means you must use fuses before the keycards can be of any use. Next, the power in these doors isn’t unlimited. An on-screen timer appears once you flip the switch after using a keycard. The door loses its power once the timer hits zero, and you must use another keycard and perhaps another fuse to reopen it. It’s also possible for players to be locked inside a room if the on-screen timer reaches zero and the door closes on them. So, swipe the card, open the door, get the loot, and get out. All keycards have a limited number of swipes. Additionally, swiping a keycard on an unpowered door counts towards its usage. Always place a fuse first, or ensure a door is powered before using a keycard, to prevent unwanted swipes. Finally, consider having other teammates hold different keycards. That way, other allies in the same Rust server can continue the looting run if one or two members die from enemies.

Different Types of Keycards in Rust

At the time of writing, after the launch of the Naval Update, three keycards exist in Rust: Green, Blue, and Red.

Green Keycards

Green Keycards in Rust have a maximum of four swipes before they disappear from the inventory. Locations that require these early-game keycards often hold beginner-friendly loot. Monuments and other POIs that don’t require Green Keycards often mean that higher-tiered doors don’t exist in those locations.

Possible Locations

• Purchase from a Bandit Camp for 20x Scrap per unit.
• Chance to drop from roaming scientists.
• At the back office of the supermarket.
• In the office next to the counter in the gas station.
• In the upstairs rooms of abandoned cabins.
• At the bridge office of the junkyard.
• In the locker rooms or puzzle chains of underwater labs.

Blue Keycards

Use Blue Keycards to access mid-tier loot. Like their green variants, Blue Keycards in Rust have a maximum of four swipes before they disappear from the inventory. Also, Blue Keycards generally spawn every 45 minutes in monuments. So, it’s important to time keycard-looting runs. Otherwise, purchase from the outpost for emergency use.

Possible Locations

• Purchase from the outpost for 100x Scrap per unit.
• Chance to drop from scientists in oil rigs.
• Chance to appear in random rooms at underwater labs.
• Low chance to acquire from gutting a caught fish.
• Activate the recycler at the satellite dish, and then run to the puzzle shack. Requires 1x Green Keycard and 1x Fuse to access.
• Bring power to the small side shack at the harbor, and loot the keycard within. Requires 1x Green Keycard and 1x Fuse to access.
• Find inside the sewer branch. Requires 1x Green Keycard and 1x Fuse to access.

Red Keycards

Doors that require Red Keycards often hide endgame loot. These rare keycards also disappear after two swipes. Players who wish to use Red Keycards should prepare for combat, as others would most likely be camping to get their hands on precious loot.

Possible Locations

• In the center building of the water treatment plant. Needs 1x Blue Keycard and 1x Fuse to access.
• Travel underground after accessing the recycler building at the airfield. Requires 1x Green Keycard, 1x Blue Keycard, and 2x Fuse to access.
• Travel to the power plant's main building after using a Green Keycard. Requires 1x Green Keycard, 1x Blue Keycard, and 1x Fuse to access.
• Toggle the tower switch, and then access the main building of the train yard. Needs 1x Blue Keycard to access.
• In the garage at the arctic base. Needs 1x Blue Keycard to access.
• At the underwater labs, but the layouts change every run. Route may need 1x Green Keycard, 1x Blue Keycard, and 1x Red Keycard.