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Why is Upgrade Blocked in Rust? How to Fix It

Why is Upgrade Blocked in Rust? How to Fix It

Rust is a dynamic game that allows the players to create their own structures in order to protect themselves from potential threats. These threats include player-controlled enemies that are eyeing your loot. Such buildings can also be upgraded to increase their durability.

Doing so can protect you from different kinds of attacks that might be lethal for you otherwise. One can upgrade the structure using a hammer. However, there have been times when the upgrade has been blocked for the players of Rust. If you are experiencing this issue then you have come to the right place. 

The main reason for the upgrade being blocked in Rust is because the Tool Cupboards, boxes, or any placeabless on the other side of the wall can block buildings. This is because of it being close to the wall or foundation. 

You can still upgrade the structures if your placements are up to the mark. This guide will be showing you the proper way to upgrade structures in Rust. While the upgrade mechanic in Rust is fairly simple and easy to grasp, it can still get confusing if your placements are not accurate.  

How Do Upgrades Work in Rust?

In order to upgrade structures in Rust, you will need a Hammer. Once you equip the hammer, simply face the structure that you wish to upgrade. For your ease, Rust automatically highlights the upgradeable structures. Simply hold the right click to open the available upgrade paths for the said structure. 

Related: How to Efficiently Demolish Your Own Walls in Rust

Just make sure you have the materials necessary to initiate the upgrade. You can check the material count in your inventory. There are different tiers in Rust that dictate the strength of your building. Once upgraded, these buildings can jump a tier to become stronger than before. Here are all the building tiers available in Rust:

Twig Tier

The components in this tier usually serve as the foundation of a building. They cost wood to build and are extremely fragile compared to other tiers. The Twig tier is normally used to build a prototype of the main structure. They have around 10 health per object and are extremely susceptible to all sources of damage.

Wood Tier

This tier cannot be built directly, rather it requires a twig tier structure to be upgraded once. The components in this tier have decent health compared to the twig structures but are still no match for higher tiers. A single component in this tier has around 250 health and is still susceptible to damage. The main way to take down a building of this level is by the use of explosives. 

Stone Tier

The components in this tier also require either wood or twig tier bases to be upgraded directly. They have good health and are less susceptible to damage than the lower tiers but there are still better options around when it comes to absolute defense. Each component here has around 500 health and is invulnerable to fire damage.

Sheet Metal Tier

These components can be built upon upgrading any existing Twig, Wood, or Stone bases. This tier is considered one of the most optimal and viable options when it comes to building bases. This is not the peak however but it is extremely close to it. One downside to them is their lack of opacity. 

Players can potentially view what’s inside and plan accordingly. Therefore it is better to build the exterior with something else while keeping the interior sheet metals for defense.

Armored Tier

Hailed as the strongest tier in Rust, armored is the final tier available. While it is extremely costly to build armored structures, it can still prove to be worthwhile due to the defense these components provide. Each object in this component possesses 2000 health and is extremely resistant to all sources of damage. The only way to potentially take down armored buildings is through explosives.

How Does Upgrade Block Work in Rust

Your upgrades can get blocked in Rust due to a box or the Tool Cupboard being too close to the wall. While this may seem annoying, it only makes sense. The reason for this is that you cannot be below a wood foundation while upgrading it to stone. 

Every building having the same component size is a good measure to lessen the bugs and errors you might face when it comes to upgrading your structures in Rust. Whether this approach is implemented consciously by the developers or if it is just a random bug is a question that remains unanswered. However, if you do not want your upgrades to be blocked then make sure to not have objects in close vicinity.

A lot of players would have ended up with glitched boxes through walls if this measure wasn’t set in place. Therefore, you should simply place your boxes according to the instructions, you can always pick them up later if you need to.

How to Place Walls Properly in Rust

Rust gives you the option to optimize your wall placements.Simply place your walls so the smooth part is facing inwards. Note that the textured side is stronger than the smooth side of the wall and should provide you with decent defense. This does not apply to sheet walls since they lack a smooth side. Instead, you can place them so that the crossbar is facing inwards. 

Once placed, the walls can be rotated with a hammer. So even if you have misplaced a wall, you can still rotate it. However, there is a certain time limit to rotate the walls. Once passed, the only way to rotate them is either to build a new one or to upgrade the wall to a higher tier and rotate it again. 


The upgrade mechanic in Rust can be confusing to understand. However, with the help of the tricks we’ve mentioned above, it’s not very hard to get the hang of it. Upgrading is a core mechanic in Rust and is therefore essential to know.

There are several ways to improve your building in Rust. This guide has mentioned some of them. Be sure to implement what you find useful for a better building experience! If you are still having trouble dealing with the upgrade blocked issue, then restarting your game might end up fixing your woes!