Rust Console Zones: Safe Zones & PvP Arenas

A zone is an area of your map with its own rules. Run /zone, stand where you want it, capture your position, pick the rules, and it exists — a safe trading area where PvP is off, an arena where it is on, a no-build ring around a monument, or a radiation field nobody should linger in.

Zones are free. They apply to everyone on the server, they show up in game as a coloured outline if you want them to, and they can announce themselves when a player crosses the boundary.

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What People Build With Zones

Zone	Settings that make it work
Safe trading area	Allow PvP off, Allow Building off, Building Dmg off, Show Area on
PvP arena or event ground	Allow PvP on, visible outline, enter message explaining the rules
No-build ring around a monument	Allow Building off, everything else left alone
Radiation deterrent	Radiation set above 0, Show Area on so it is not a nasty surprise
Newbie / spawn protection area	Allow PvP off, Allow Building off, enter and leave messages
Temporary event space	Whatever the event needs — then remove the zone afterwards

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Prerequisites

• A server connected to Helios.
• The Manage Server permission in Discord — /zone is an admin command.
• You in game on that server, if you want to capture the position by standing in it rather than typing coordinates.

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Open the Zone Panel

Run /zone, then select the server you want to manage.

/zone server:"US Main"

The panel lists existing zones and gives you Add, Edit, Remove, List and Manage All.

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Add a Zone

Click Add on the main panel to open the zone draft and configure its position, name, shape, size, rules, color, and messages.

Setup Flow

1. Run /zone server: and click Add.
2. Stand where the zone should be and click Position to capture it (or enter coordinates manually).
3. Name the zone and choose Sphere or Box, rotation, and size.
4. Toggle the zone rules you want (see the table below).
5. Click Create Zone.

Use Edit, Remove, and List on the same panel to manage existing zones afterwards.

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Zone Rules

Rule	What It Controls
Allow PvP	Player vs player damage inside the zone
Allow PvE	NPC damage inside the zone
Radiation	Radiation level inside the zone (0 for none)
Building Dmg	Whether buildings can take damage
Allow Building	Whether players can build inside the zone
Show Area	Draw the zone outline in game
Color	Zone outline color
Chat Msg	Announce when players enter/leave
Enter / Leave Message	Custom messages shown on entry and exit

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Manage All Zones

Click Manage All on the /zone panel to bulk-edit every non-ORP custom zone at once. You can set Show Area, Color, Show Chat Message, Allow PvP, Allow PvE, and Radiation across all zones — changes apply immediately. Radiation opens a simple value box; use 0 to remove radiation from every non-ORP zone.

The online dashboard also includes a Manage All Zones card for applying one radiation level across every non-ORP custom zone.

This is the fast way to flip a whole server to PvP for an event and back again afterwards.

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Validate Before You Announce It

1. Walk into the zone and confirm the enter message fires.
2. Test the rule you actually care about — try to build in a no-build zone, or try to damage a teammate in a safe zone.
3. Walk out and confirm the leave message fires.
4. Check the outline is where you think it is, not offset by the shape's rotation.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
/zone does not appear in Discord	Missing Manage Server permission	Zones are admin-only; check your Discord role
Zone rules do nothing	The zone was created somewhere else on the map	Re-check the captured position, or re-place it while standing inside
Zone is invisible in game	Show Area is off	Turn Show Area on and pick a color that contrasts with the terrain
Zones vanished after a wipe	Positions are map-specific	Re-check and re-place zones after every map wipe
Players still take damage in a safe zone	Allow PvP is still on, or the damage came from outside the boundary	Confirm the toggle, then check the zone is big enough to cover the whole area
Radiation applies where you did not want it	It was set through Manage All	Run Manage All again and set radiation to 0

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are zones free? Yes. The /zone panel is on the free tier.

Do zones survive a wipe? The zone records do, but positions are tied to the map — after a map wipe the terrain has changed underneath them, so re-check and re-place zones every wipe.

How do I make a safe zone? Turn Allow PvP off and Allow Building off, leave Show Area on so players can see where it ends, and add an enter message explaining the rules.

How do I make a PvP arena on a PvE server? Create a zone with Allow PvP on and a clearly visible outline. Everywhere outside it keeps your server's normal rules.

Can zones overlap? They can be placed overlapping, but the result gets hard to reason about and hard for players to predict. Keep them separate unless you have a reason.

Sphere or Box? Sphere is easier for round areas like a monument or a trading post. Box, with rotation, fits rectangular areas like a road, a bridge, or an arena floor.

How many zones can I create? There is no fixed limit in the panel. Practically, every zone is a rule your players have to remember, so a handful of well-explained zones beats twenty they will trip over.

Are ORP zones the same thing? No. Offline raid protection zones are a separate premium system created by players around their own bases — see Offline Protection.

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Related Guides

• How to Create and Use Zones — full walkthrough with examples.
• TP/Home & Zones hub
• Offline Protection — player-created ORP zones.
• Automation & Events — running scheduled events inside a zone.

Next Steps

1. Create one zone and walk its boundary before creating any more.
2. Publish your zone rules where players will read them.
3. Add "re-check zones" to your wipe-day checklist.