# 5 things the Ice Lake settlement in Rust teaches about solo survival with a crew How a solo farmer, a PvP chad and a rat king built an Ice Lake settlement in Rust: roles, raid defence, crate loot and the Raycon discount link. Source: https://cymhrc.top/5-things-the-ice/ · based on the channel [Willjum](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzOfLNkiScJp3U_h_QlvHHg) · Video: [We built an Ice Lake settlement in Rust...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbaA1jjMtSE) · 2026-10-21 ![5 things the Ice Lake settlement in Rust teaches about solo survival with a crew](https://cymhrc.top/5-things-the-ice/5-things-the-ice.webp) ## Key takeaways - Willjum's vanilla Rust run pairs a solo farmer with PvP player Blooprint and qaixx, nicknamed the Rat King. - The settlement is built on an ice lake, giving open sightlines and a central position for crate loot runs. - Qaixx anchors the highlight reel: he whiffs several Eoka shots, then lands an instant one-tap and takes a base on the lake. - A larger clan fight becomes the video's centrepiece, with qaixx covering Willjum's retreat to base with stolen crate loot. - The Raycon sponsor link https://buyraycon.com/willjumOPEN gives 15% off the audio gear. - Willjum runs EU Casual Solo/Duo Monthly and solo-only servers in both EU and NA. Rust is a survival game where a solo player usually loses to numbers, but an Ice Lake settlement built by one farmer, one PvP specialist and one self-styled rat king shows the opposite: three players with clearly split roles can hold a central base, farm faster and fight a larger clan. In Willjum's vanilla run, the farmer handles resources and building, Blooprint brings the aim, and qaixx turns scavenging and dirty plays into a weapon. Viewers who want the audio gear from the sponsor segment can grab [15% off Raycon earbuds and headphones](https://buyraycon.com/willjumOPEN) with the creator's code. ## What the Ice Lake settlement actually is An Ice Lake settlement in Rust is a base placed on the frozen lake biome, where flat open ground gives long sightlines in every direction and the ice itself is a natural highway for moving loot. The trade-off is exposure: there is little natural cover, so walls, turrets and gatehouses matter more than on a forested or mountainous map. Willjum's group leans into the position rather than hiding from it — the lake base sits close to monuments and drop routes, which is what makes the crate loot runs in the video possible. For a solo player, the biome is a gamble on speed over stealth; for a trio with a dedicated builder it becomes a staging point. ## The three roles that made the run work Splitting jobs is the core lesson of the video, and each role has a clear job description: 1. **The farmer (Willjum)** — gathers wood, stone and components, places the main base and keeps the team supplied. Farming solo is slow, so a farmer backed by two fighters who bring home crate loot can skip whole tiers of progression. 2. **The PvP chad (Blooprint)** — pushes fights, holds angles and converts gear into kills. A dedicated fighter means the team does not lose its best loot in a panic defence. 3. **The rat king (qaixx)** — plays the cheap, opportunistic style: Eoka pistols, ambushes, stealing crates and slipping into bases other people built. His whiffed Eoka shots followed by an instant one-tap and a takeover of a base on the lake is the moment most viewers remember. ## How the big clan fight plays out A fight against a larger clan is the centrepiece of the run, and it is won on positioning rather than numbers. The ice lake base gives the trio a short retreat line, so when a crate run goes loud, qaixx can hold an angle and cover Willjum while he carries the stolen loot home. That cover play is the tactical highlight: one player suppressing, one player carrying, one player ready to re-engage. Against a clan, the trio cannot win a straight trade war, so the pattern repeats — hit, grab, fall back to the walls, reset. Viewers who have played Rust will recognise the frustration of the opposite outcome, where a loaded group rolls through a neighbourhood and cleans out solo farmers without even looting the naked ones. ## Typical questions from viewers about the run Most discussion around the video circles the same few points, and they are worth answering directly: - **Why is it only one episode?** The adventure is a one-shot rather than a multi-part series, which is exactly what disappointed viewers who wanted a full journey with the trio. - **Will there be a follow-up with all three?** Requests for a return of the same crew, and for a six-solo format, dominate the comments. - **Is the editing mistake a big deal?** A voiceover overlap in one segment became a running joke, including about the ad that praises careful sound design. It is a small blemish in an otherwise tightly cut video. - **Who out-fragged whom?** Willjum finishing ahead of Blooprint and qaixx in kills surprised a lot of people who expected the PvP specialist to top the board. ## Willjum's servers and where to play the same style The run is vanilla, and players who want a similar experience can join the servers Willjum advertises in the description. The EU Casual Solo/Duo Monthly server runs at 156.236.84.230:28014, while solo-only servers are available at willjum.eu for Europe and willjum.US for North America. A monthly wipe cycle on a solo/duo server is the closest match to the pace of this video: enough time to build a serious base, but frequent enough resets that a farmer is never permanently behind a clan. Full server details and updates are posted on the Discord at discord.gg/willjum. ## All links from the video - Raycon discount, 15% off: https://buyraycon.com/willjumOPEN - Willjum on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Willjum - Willjum on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/willjum - Willjum on Twitter: https://twitter.com/willjum1 - Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence for the music: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ## Conclusion The Ice Lake settlement works because three players accept three different jobs: farm, fight and steal. The lake's open ground is a liability for a lone builder but an advantage for a crew that can retreat to its own walls, and the clan fight shows how cover fire plus crate loot beats raw numbers. Willjum's breakdown of the run is worth watching for the qaixx sequence alone, and the channel's chilled solo survival format keeps the pace readable even in the middle of a raid. If you want the sponsor gear, use the [Raycon link for 15% off](https://buyraycon.com/willjumOPEN) and support the channel at the same time. ## Questions & answers **What is an Ice Lake settlement in Rust?** It is a base built on the frozen lake biome, where flat open terrain gives long sightlines and fast movement across the ice. The position is exposed, so it suits groups that can defend rather than solos who rely on cover. **Why did Willjum team up with Blooprint and qaixx?** The trio splits roles: Willjum farms and builds, Blooprint handles direct PvP, and qaixx plays the cheap scavenging style that steals crates and takes over bases. That division lets a small group compete with a larger clan. **Will there be another video with the same crew?** Nothing in the video confirms a sequel; it is presented as a one-shot adventure. Viewers have asked for a full journey with the same three players, so a follow-up would depend on the creator. **What is the Raycon discount from the video?** The sponsor link https://buyraycon.com/willjumOPEN gives 15% off Raycon audio products. It is the same link placed in the video description.