Skip to main content

​
Expanding the Horizon: Custom Topography

One of Rust’s greatest technical strengths is its active community of cartographers. From 1:1 recreations of real-world landscapes to high-detail post-apocalyptic zones, custom maps can breathe new life into a stagnant server. Deploying these environments involves more than a simple file transfer; you must implement the RustEdit Extension to support custom prefabs and use a Level URL to facilitate high-speed content delivery to your players. This guide walk you through the professional deployment of custom map assets on the FREAKHOSTING platform.

Difficulty

Advanced

Time

10 Minutes

​
The RustEdit Technical Extension

The majority of premium-quality custom maps (such as those from Lone.Design) use specialized assets that the vanilla engine cannot initialize natively. The RustEdit DLL provides the necessary bridge for the engine to recognize custom monuments, Bradley APC paths, and complex automated electrical puzzles.
1

Acquire the DLL

Download the latest version of Oxide.Ext.RustEdit.dll from the official community repository. Ensure the version matches your current server architecture.
2

Initialize Directory

In the Game Panel File Manager, navigate to: RustDedicated_Data/Managed/
3

Deploy and Verify

Upload the DLL file into the Managed directory and restart your server. The extension is now active and ready to interpret custom map data.

​
Deployment: The Level URL Methodology

While you can host .map files locally, the most reliable technical method is using an external Content Delivery Network (CDN) to maximize player download speeds and prevent server-side bandwidth saturation.
1

Stage the Asset

Upload your .map file to a high-availability host such as Dropbox or Discord.
2

Generate Direct Link

Retrieve the share link. If using Dropbox, you must change the URL conclusion from dl=0 to dl=1 to instruct the game client to download the binary data directly.
3

Configure Startup

Navigate to the Startup tab in your Game Panel. Locate the Level URL field and paste your modified direct download link.
4

Initialize the World

Restart the server. The engine will programmatically retrieve the map from the URL and initialize the custom topography.

​
Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

​
Save on Your Hosting

Ready to get a new server? Use code KB20 at checkout for 20% off your first month!
Last Updated: January 2026 | Rust: Custom topography active.