1. Rank more than kills
If the only board is PvP kills, the same handful of players win every wipe and everyone else stops looking. Give different kinds of players their own board:
- Combat — PvP kills, K/D, headshots, longest shot, per-weapon boards.
- PvE — NPC kills, Bradley and Patrol Helicopter takedowns, events completed.
- Builders and farmers — resources gathered, items crafted, animals tamed, crops harvested.
- Time — hours played this wipe. It's the board that rewards loyalty.
2. Reset with the wipe — but keep history
Wipe boards should reset when the map does, so a new player has a real chance. Keep all-time totals and lifetime achievements too, so your regulars have something that lasts.
3. Keep admins off the boards
Staff testing commands or spawning items will distort every board. Exclude staff from leaderboards and rewards — but you can still count their activity toward server-wide goals.
4. Show them where players already are
- In-game, with a chat command like
/lbthat opens a menu — this is where players check most. - On a public web page your players can share and new players can find.
- In Discord at the end of each wipe, with a podium — it's free advertising for next wipe.
5. Reward carefully
Rewards make boards matter, but big item rewards at wipe start can snowball into one group running the server. Prefer cosmetic or modest rewards — chat titles, kits that don't break early game, server points — and pay them at the end of a wipe rather than the start.
How PlayerAnalytics does this for you
/lb (or a command you choose), see them on your server's public page, and get a wipe recap with podiums in your Discord. Staff can be exempted, and achievements can pay ServerRewards points, Economics money, items or commands.Questions
Do I need a plugin for Rust leaderboards?
Yes — vanilla Rust doesn't track or display leaderboards. You need a plugin (Oxide or Carbon) that records stats and a way to show them.
Should leaderboards reset every wipe?
Wipe boards should, so new players can compete. Keep all-time totals separately for your regulars.
What leaderboards are most popular on Rust servers?
PvP kills and playtime get the most attention, but PvE, gathering and farming boards keep a much wider group of players engaged.
Your server, without the guesswork.
Everything in this guide — tracked, flagged and handled for you by PlayerAnalytics.