Roadsign Horse Armor

Riding a horse with equipped armor will reduce the amount of damage dealt to the rider.

• You can take this off when its safe and put it back on when its not e.g. getting fired at, or dismounting.
• Therefore benefitting from both speed and protection.

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The armored horse is currently very broken. And can be abused throughout Tier 1 & 2, or atleast until players start getting proper weapons. (Horse players often leave the server at the beginning of Tier 3)

The issues with the horse;

• The riders abuse player hitboxes by looking down at the ground and rotating their heads fully left and right while riding, making them harder to hit. Combined with a teammate and both riders using shields, they become nearly impossible to hit.
• The horse takes no damage from barricades or spikes, and it is neither damaged nor slowed by fire from incendiary shells, ammunition, or arrows. The incapacitate dart and hammerhead bolt also have no effect on the horse.
• Horse equipment can currently be removed while the horse is moving, allowing the riders to switch between a very tanky horse and a very fast horse in under a second
• Players can wield one handed firearms with a shield when on a horse. (which designed for medieval mode where the highest grade of weapon is a revolver)

Countering being harassed by two competent horse riders during Tier 1 & Tier 2.

• Their playstyle relys on surprise attacks. Horses are extremely fast, over 3x faster than players. It takes a player 30 seconds to run 1 grid, while a thoroughbred horse with hqm shoes can do it in under 10 seconds. So always stay aware of your surroundings.
• If you see two horse riders in distance, you could be dead in 10 seconds, you are in trouble, depending on if they want to take the fight or not (they almost always do), But you can still make the best out of a bad situation
• When you spot a horse in the distance with two riders, immediately move to high ground, rocky area, or take cover inside a monument. Alternatively, you can place many barricades in a wide, maze-like pattern to force the rider to dismount due to the obstacles.
• They want to get close and kill you using short-range weapons like DB, nailgun, and P2. The riders often carry multiple of the same weapon, so they dont have to reload during a fight.

Main strat; Fire Arrows + mini crossbow

• Horse riders take significant damage from fire arrows. A shield and mini crossbow combo with fire arrows poses a serious threat to riders.
• They have to be very accurate with their shots because of your shield, while you can simply hit the horse a few times with fire arrows.
• Hitting the horse deals around 20+ damage to the riders, and even more when directly hitting the player. Even hitting the ground below them deals around 15 damage. The explosion radius of the fire arrow is very forgiving, allowing you to hit both two riders and the horse at the same time, draining their medical supplies and forcing them to retreat. Think of it as carrying a small grenade launcher. If you coordinate with a few teammates shooting fire arrows at the rider, they will be in serious trouble.
• However, this strategy becomes nearly ineffective if the horse riders are using shields, as the fire arrow explosion damage is negated even without actively blocking. A metal shield completely removes the explosion damage. My testing suggests this is the only explosion in the game that is reduced by a shield. (I’m not sure if this is a bug.) All other explosion damage seems unaffected. So if the riders are using shields, you must rely on direct hits.

With just this strat, my trio group and I were able to force the group to disconnect, freeing the server from their reign of terror and their questionable, broken playstyle.

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More strategies and info

• These players often live close to large barns so they can easily obtain horses. They also build small stable bases to store spare horses in case their main horse dies. These stables also function as fertilizer farms, which they sell for scrap and use to buy saddles for additional horses. You could go door camp and harass them, the longer they remain inside the better. Making them fall behind in the very fast progression pace of modern Rust.


• Building an extremely tall wooden roof-camp tower, with a teammate stationed at the top using a semi, high-cal revolver, M39, or any other long-range weapon with a variable zoom scope and binoculars for spotting and pinging, helps keep watch for incoming horse riders. This allows you to farm peacefully in your area. The scope is quite expensive during the first hours of a wipe, but it may be necessary if the group is a constant problem.


• Incendiary shotgun ammo deals less damage, so it is not recommended as it performs worse against both the horse and the rider.
• Incendiary rifle ammo deals more damage and is a very good choice, as it increases damage to both the horse and the rider.
• Incendiary pistol ammo deals a tiny bit less damage to the horse but more to the rider. Use cautiously.


• A custom SMG with a muzzle boost, extended magazine, and incendiary ammo melts riders and the horse pretty effectively.


• The SPAS shotgun is quite effective against both the horse and the rider, dealing significant damage at close range, and its fire rate is also very good. A single magazine from close range will kill a full health armored horse


• Direct grenade under the rider deals around 150 damage to the horse and about 80 damage to the player. Not a one-shot, but it still deals a significant amount of damage.


• Rocket launcher with HVs is great, deals around 330 damage to the horse and about 80 damage to the players when wearing burlap. (Think about this for a second.)


• Turrets are extremely effective against horses, forcing riders to stay away from areas where they are placed.


• Players always dismount from the left side of the horse, unless terrain or buildings block them. Making them dismount from the right. Keep this in mind while fighting