If you play Rust, the mere sight of a horse shield likely has you cursing the players who rely on it. The tactic is simple: ride a horse, equip a shield, and leave on-foot players with almost no chance of survival. While Facepunch is already addressing this in the game's staging branch, the issue remains a major problem in vanilla Rust.
Countering the Horse Shield Meta
Enter YouTuber Fyx, who has decided to fight fire with fire by introducing "horse baiting." In Rust, horses can be tamed with saddles or purchased at a Ranch to obtain the fast Thoroughbred variety. Because horses are highly valuable assets, an unattended animal is far too tempting for most players to pass up.
Four Lethal Baiting Methods
Fyx exploits this greed using several deadly traps. While many horses were unfortunately harmed in the making of this video, the results are incredibly effective at catching unsuspecting players:
- Landmine Disguise: The simplest method involves hiding landmines around the horse to kill players before they can even mount up.
- The False Floor: A rigged floor beneath the horse is loaded with shotguns that trigger the moment a player steps inside.
- Pressure Pad Ambush: The horse sits on a pressure pad; once the player moves forward, a hidden door opens to unleash a hail of shotgun fire.
- C4 Detonation: A sleeping bag is placed near the horse with remotely triggered C4, allowing Fyx to watch from a distance before detonating.
This display showcases the incredible variety of tools available in Rust and how much effort one player will exert to dismantle the horse shield meta. As Fyx puts it: "if you're tired of getting destroyed by the horse shield meta, consider this a public service."
