The first thing I noticed when I opened Rusty's Retirement was that I had no idea how to play this game. Opening a new save file was the easiest thing to do, and then there was just a cool, Stardew Valley-esque game sitting at the bottom of my screen. With no instructions or introduction to the game, I just started clicking. After a few hours though, I figured out the five things to do first in Rusty's Retirement to help you out.
What to do first in Rusty's Retirement
The HELP section found under Settings (the cog in the menu on the right that you can open by clicking on any of the tabs) was not very helpful to me as I tried to figure out where to start and how to actually play the game. . So here are five things you need to do first to get your farm up and running while you enjoy the soothing music that Rusty's Retirement plays.
1. Plant your first crop
When you start your farm, you will have three crops to choose from under the tab that looks like a strawberry. These are wheat, radishes and cabbages. You want to start by planting some wheat. To do this, click on the wheat with your mouse, slide to the empty crop field, and click to plant it. You can click and drag your mouse to save time.
Once you've planted your first crop and earned more Spare Parts, you can continue planting radishes and cabbages. You will need all three for your farm to function properly.
2. Dig a new crop patch
You won't get too far planting one type of crop at a time in your single field, so it's time to invest in a new crop patch. There are three sizes to choose from (4×4, 3×3, 2×2), but I stuck with the 4×4 crop patch because I wanted a uniform farm. You know, like most farming game players do.
Click on the crop you want to buy and move your mouse to the area you want. The game will outline the edges in white so you can see where it goes. If the corners are red, it means something is in the way and you can't build your crop there.
After Rusty finishes building the crop, plant more crops!
3. Build your first bot
After getting a few crops with the generator, you should have earned enough Spare Parts and Biofuel to build your first helpful robot. Click the menu tab that looks like a house to open the Buildings and Houses menu. There are three bots that can be found on the second line: The Water Bot, Harvest Bot and Biofuel Bot.
Each of these robots plays an important role in your idle farm, allowing Rusty to relax more during his retirement. Start with the Water Bot and then go down the line just because of the difference in cost. Everyone will help Rusty, so it doesn't really matter if you buy the most expensive robot first.
4. Unlock more crops
Your farm looks great and I'm sure Rusty is enjoying his retirement. But, planting the same three crops is boring. Next on your list is the task of unlocking more crops so you don't have to worry about that as your farm progresses.
You have to hit certain targets to unlock each crop. The fourth crop available is a leek, which you'll find yourself unlocking fairly early on as you work your farm. I honestly didn't even realize I unlocked it (there are only four wheats and four radishes).
After leeks, you can unlock carrots by having 10 radishes and 18 cabbages available. Each crop in the game gives you a different amount of Biofuel and Spare Parts, so if you're trying to maximize the return on your farming efforts, make sure you invest in the ones that give you the most bang for your buck as you unlock more. .
Celery needs a little more work. You will need 18 wheat, 33 radishes and 17 leeks to unlock this crop.
5. Build the House of Haiku
You have all three bots, you've started unlocking crops, and Rusty's Retirement farm is looking pretty good. That was all easy stuff compared to what you should focus on next.
In the Buildings and Houses menu tab, I'm sure you've noticed various houses you can build that have helpful features. The cheapest house to build in Rusty's Retirement is 50 Biofuel and 1000 Spare Parts. This is Haiko's House. Haiku helps with some of the same tasks that Rusty does, but not all of them. The most important thing is that Haiko can help build, which is something that none of your three funky robot friends can do.
At this point, you will run out of room. Your starting farm in Rusty's Retirement isn't huge after all. To the left and right of your property, you may have noticed areas that look like a dump. The first of these on either side of your idle farm costs 6000 Spare Parts to unlock and add extra space to your farm. From there, the price increases quite dramatically, but these first two are good targets to aim for.
What are Spare Parts and Biofuel for?
Both Spare Parts and Biofuel work as currency in Rusty's Retirement. They are a byproduct of you producing crops and putting them into the Biofuel generator. You will get less Biofuel, but it is worth more than Spare Parts. You won't be able to plant crops, build houses, or do much of anything without having these two items. Similarly, you cannot get Biofuel and Spare Parts without having crops.
You can use the converter in the menu to convert excess Biofuel into Spare Parts. This is useful because you will consistently earn Biofuel once you have three different crops to put in the generator, and things you can unlock cost less Biofuel than Spare Parts.
Now that you understand more about Rusty's Retirement, enjoy having a nice idle farming game at the bottom or side of your screen while you work on something else. It will pretty much take care of itself, you just need to come back and plant more crops or build new things every now and then.
Looking for more pro Game guides from idle game content? Check out our guide to Best Idle Mobile Games and Best Heroes in Idle Heroes.
