Rust – How to Fly a Hot Air Balloon

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Some players may not even know this, but you can fly the Hot Air Balloons that randomly spawn around the map in Rust. And you can actually control which direction this flying behemoth can go.

The first time you probably used the Hot Air Balloon, you probably thought that it just followed the wind, which, for some reason, changed directions a lot.

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Well, the Balloon actually has a flying mechanism in place that will allow you to properly guide it and make it reach incredible locations, such as the Cargo Ship or dropped Locked Crates, with amazing accuracy and faster than the other players.

To fly a Hot Air Balloon in Rust, you will need to feed it Low Grade Fuel, turn it on, and then keep it at specific heights to control the direction it is going.


Table of Contents


How to Find and Start a Hot Air Balloon in Rust

Before we start on the exact way you can fly a Hot Air Balloon in Rust, let’s go through how to get it started and where to find it.

First of all, you will need Low Grade Fuel to start it. To be exact, you need 4 to start flying and 5 every 30 seconds while the fire is burning.

You can place the fuel inside the Hot Air Balloon by entering its basket, looking directly up, and pressing E.

The amount of health a Hot Air Balloon has in Rust determines its speed. This is why you will also need to come prepared with a Hammer and a lot of Cloth.

To fully repair a Hot Air Balloon, you will need 150 Cloth.

Since the Hot Air Balloon constantly loses health and decays from the moment it spawns, it can be almost impossible to find one at full health.

Hot Air Balloons spawn all over the map in Rust, usually on flat lands where they have space. The Balloons work in a similar manner to boats and cars, as they spawn to keep their number the same on the map.

If someone manages to keep a large collection of Balloons in their base, then all of the other players on the server won’t be able to find any. However, this is very hard to do and almost impossible.


How to Fly a Hot Air Balloon in Rust

Hot Air Balloons in Rust decide which direction they are going based on the height they are flying at. To fly a Hot Air Balloon properly in Rust, you will need to control the height of the aircraft at all times.

To make the Balloon fly, you just need to press the red button that says Burn when you look at it. As you get higher and higher, you will see that the flag and sock connected to the button will show you which direction the wind is blowing.

That is the same direction your Hot Air Balloon will fly. The flags will start moving clockwise as you get to higher altitudes. Once you reach the maximum altitude, the fire will stop by itself, and you will start to free fall.

Control the Fire

To control and fly the Hot Air Balloon in Rust, you will have to constantly turn on and off the fire that brings the Balloon higher. The best way to do this is to get to a higher altitude and then start this process, as you can otherwise easily hit the ground and lose control.

Here is the best way to fly a Hot Air Balloon in Rust:

  1. Press the Burn button and let the Balloon rise to a relatively high altitude.
  2. Once you see the flag next to the button pointing in the direction you want to go, press the button and stop Balloon from getting any higher.
  3. There will be a delay until the flag will stop moving to the right. When you see it almost stopping, press the Burn button again.
  4. Try pressing the button in a 5 second interval to keep the flag from going too far to the left or right.

Following those instructions should help you reach any destination you want in record time. However, it will still be relatively hard to land exactly where you want.

You will have to let the Balloon fall lower and then maybe control the directions again. In general, you can just let it free fall as it won’t move too much when it falls.


Risks of Flying with a Hot Air Balloon in Rust

Though the Hot Air Balloon is very fast and could even be considered easier to fly than a Helicopter in Rust, it is extremely dangerous.

It is a very easy target for most players, and you won’t have any real defenses if there. It is also relatively hard to shoot at targets as you have to constantly control the altitude of the aircraft.

Solo players get the biggest disadvantage from using the Hot Air Balloon due to the fact that they will be stuck staring at that button the whole flight.

SAM Sites are also extremely lethal. Flying close to monuments such as the Launch Site will get you shot down.


That’s everything you need to know about how to fly a Hot Air Balloon in Rust!

Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.

Adrian Oprea

Based in London, United Kingdom, Adrian Oprea is a Guides Writer. As a professional single-player RPG player, Adrian has often been stigmatized. He has decided to pour his frustration into writing guides!

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