Submarines are the quietest way to move in Rust. You can slip under the waves, sneak onto an Oil Rig through its moonpool, raid an Underwater Lab nobody else is watching, or sink a rival’s boat with a torpedo. They are also easy to lose: run out of fuel or air, or leave one bobbing at the shore, and that scrap is gone.
This submarine Rust guide covers both subs, the Solo and the Duo: what they cost, where to buy them, how to drive them, how fuel, air and decay work, how to craft torpedoes, and exactly what it takes to destroy one.
Solo vs Duo Submarine: Which Should You Buy?
Both subs arrived in the Going Deep update in August 2021, alongside Underwater Labs, sharks and the speargun. They drive the same way and use the same fuel. The differences are crew, armour and what you can see from the seat.
| Stat | Solo Submarine | Duo Submarine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 200 scrap | 300 scrap |
| Seats | 1 | 2 (driver and passenger) |
| Health | 500 HP | 700 HP |
| Storage | 12 slots, mounted outside next to the fuel tank | 12 slots, a box between the seats |
| Fuel tank | Outside, up to 500 low grade | Inside at the rear, up to 500 low grade |
| Instruments | None | Sonar, speed, depth, air, fuel and torpedo count |
| Torpedoes | Up to 100, fired by the driver | Up to 100, fired by the driver |
| Torpedoes to sink it | 1 | 2 |
Buy the Solo if you play alone and want a cheap, quick sub for diving trips and Oil Rig runs. Buy the Duo if you have a teammate, or if you want the extra 200 HP and the sonar, which shows Underwater Lab moonpools and other submarines as red dots. A solo player can drive the Duo on their own; you just swap to the passenger seat to reach the fuel.
How to Get a Submarine in Rust
You cannot craft a submarine. Every sub is bought from the Boat Vendor at a Fishing Village, one of the coastal safe zones where nobody is allowed to shoot you.
- Farm the scrap. 200 for a Solo, 300 for a Duo. Our Rust scrap guide covers the fastest ways to get it.
- Pick the right village. Large Fishing Villages reliably stock both subs. Some small ones only sell a kayak, rowboat or RHIB.
- Buy it from the Boat Vendor. The sub spawns in the water behind the vendor’s dock.
- Claim it within 5 minutes. Only you can enter it at first. If you do not get in within about 5 minutes, the vendor takes it back with no refund.
The sub comes with 50 low grade fuel already in the tank, enough to get you clear of the village. Prices use Rust’s dynamic vendor pricing, so the exact number can drift up or down a little on your server. The same Boat Vendor also sells the RHIB and rowboat. The tugboat is not for sale, and its harbor spawns were switched off in the Naval Update in February 2026.
Rust Submarine Controls
The Solo and Duo use the same controls. These are the default PC keys.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| E | Enter the submarine |
| W | Accelerate forward |
| S | Slow down and reverse |
| A / D | Turn left / right |
| Shift (hold) | Rise towards the surface |
| Ctrl (hold) | Dive |
| F | Toggle the headlights |
| Left mouse | Fire a torpedo (driver seat) |
| Space | Exit the submarine |
To load torpedoes, sit in the driver seat and look down and to the left to open the torpedo storage. Surface before you press Space unless you are wearing a diving tank, because you will pop out underwater.
Fuel, Air, Repair and Decay
More subs are lost to empty tanks, empty air and decay than to torpedoes. Keep an eye on all three.
- Fuel. Both subs burn low grade fuel and hold up to 500. Expect roughly 3 to 4 fuel per map grid, so a full tank covers a long trip. On the Solo the tank is outside; on the Duo it is inside at the back, reached from the passenger seat.
- Air. You get about 10 minutes underwater before the sub runs out of air and you start taking slow damage. Surface, or come up inside a moonpool, to refill. A diving tank keeps you breathing if you stay down too long.
- Repair. Hit the sub with a hammer while carrying metal fragments to patch it back up.
- Decay. A sub left alone decays from full health to zero in about 3 hours on the surface and 2 hours underwater. Parking it under a roof, in a boathouse or a dock built into your base, stops the decay.
Rust Torpedoes: Recipe and Damage
The torpedo is the only weapon a submarine has. It fires straight ahead from the driver seat and each sub carries up to 100.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 1 Metal Pipe and 30 Gun Powder, makes 5 |
| Workbench | Level 2 |
| Sulfur per torpedo | About 12 |
| Research cost | 30 scrap at a research table |
| Stack size | 100 |
| Recycler | 4 gun powder, 12% chance of a metal pipe |
| To sink a Solo / Duo | 1 / 2 torpedoes |
Torpedoes were built for fights under the water. Facepunch toned down surface attacks soon after launch: accuracy falls off with distance and the aim cone widens when you fire at surface targets, and the old surface torpedo was removed. You can still surface and fire a normal torpedo at a boat, but at close range only.
How to Destroy a Submarine in Rust
Subs are cheap to kill if you can hit them. A Solo has 500 HP and a Duo 700 HP, so a single HV rocket or torpedo sinks a Solo outright. These are the numbers from full health.
| Weapon | Solo Submarine | Duo Submarine |
|---|---|---|
| Torpedo | 1 | 2 |
| High Velocity Rocket | 1 | 2 |
| Rocket | 2 | 2 |
| Timed Explosive Charge (C4) | 1 | 1 |
| MLRS rocket | 1 | 2 |
| Satchel Charge | 2 | 3 |
| F1 Grenade | 5 | 7 |
| 40mm HE Grenade | 10 | 13 |
| Beancan Grenade | 19 | 26 |
| Explosive 5.56 Rifle Ammo | 26 | 36 |
Torpedoes and HV rockets are the cheap answer, at around 12 and 200 sulfur per shot. An explosive round or grenade is fine if you catch a sub at the surface. For more on explosives and their sulfur costs, see our Rust explosives guide or the raid calculator.
Rust Submarine Tips
- Run Underwater Labs. Most servers have a few labs on the seabed and few players visit them. Dock in the moonpool, climb out and loot. Our Rust monuments guide covers what they hold.
- Hit the Oil Rig from below. Both rigs have an underwater moonpool entrance, so a sub lets you skip the dock where everyone looks first. See our Oil Rig guide.
- Always wear a diving tank. If your sub sinks or runs out of air at depth, the tank is what gets you to the surface.
- Carry a hammer and frags. A quick repair between trips keeps you out of one-torpedo range.
- Park it under a roof. A sub left at the shore decays in a few hours and is easy to steal or sink.
- Save torpedoes for subs. They lose accuracy fast against surface targets, so a rocket launcher is the better tool against boats.
Rust Submarine FAQ
How much is a submarine in Rust?
The Solo Submarine costs 200 scrap and the Duo Submarine costs 300 scrap at a Fishing Village Boat Vendor. Dynamic vendor pricing can move these numbers a little on your server.
Where do you get a submarine in Rust?
From the Boat Vendor at a Fishing Village. Large villages reliably stock both subs. You cannot craft a submarine, and it spawns in the water behind the vendor after you pay.
What is the difference between the solo and duo submarine?
The Solo seats 1, has 500 HP and no instruments, with its fuel tank and storage on the outside. The Duo seats 2, has 700 HP, keeps its fuel and storage inside, and has sonar plus speed, depth, air and fuel gauges. Both carry up to 100 torpedoes.
How long can a submarine stay underwater in Rust?
About 10 minutes. After that the air runs out and the crew start taking slow damage. Surface or come up in a moonpool to refill the air.
What fuel does a submarine use in Rust?
Low grade fuel. The tank holds up to 500 and comes with 50 when you buy the sub. Expect roughly 3 to 4 fuel per map grid travelled.
How do you make torpedoes in Rust?
Craft them at a Workbench Level 2 from 1 metal pipe and 30 gun powder, which makes 5 torpedoes. The blueprint costs 30 scrap to research.
How many rockets does it take to destroy a submarine in Rust?
1 HV rocket or 2 normal rockets sink a Solo Submarine. A Duo Submarine takes 2 HV rockets or 2 normal rockets. 1 C4 or 1 torpedo also sinks a Solo, and a Duo takes 1 C4 or 2 torpedoes.
Who fires the torpedoes in the duo submarine?
The driver. Torpedoes are fired with the left mouse button from the driver seat in both subs. The Duo’s passenger seat gives access to the fuel tank.
Do submarines decay in Rust?
Yes. A sub left alone decays to zero in about 3 hours on the surface and 2 hours underwater. Keeping it under a roof stops the decay.
Sources and Further Reading
- Health, decay times, raid costs and torpedo data: rustlabs item data
- Release and features: Facepunch, Going Deep
- Storage, seats and launch details: Rustafied, The Rust Aquatic
- Controls, fuel and air: Corrosion Hour, Rust Submarine Guide