GUIDE Editing BetterNPC Data Files (rust)

[HavocWolf]

This guide explains how to edit the BetterNPC data files for any monument (example: Junkyard).

1. Where the files are located​

BetterNPC stores monument NPC data here:
oxide/data/BetterNPC/
Inside this folder you will find files like:

• Junkyard.json
• Airfield.json
• LaunchSite.json
• Trainyard.json

Each file controls the NPCs for one monument.

2. What is inside a monument file​

Each monument file contains:

• NPC groups (called “presets”)
• spawn amounts (day/night)
• NPC stats (health, speed, accuracy)
• clothing & weapons
• spawn positions
• loot tables

3. Editing NPC Amounts​

Inside each preset you will see:

"Minimum numbers - Day": 3,
"Maximum numbers - Day": 4,
"Minimum numbers - Night": 2,
"Maximum numbers - Night": 3,

Increase these values to spawn more NPCs.
Lower them to spawn fewer.

4. Editing NPC Strength / Behavior​

Inside "NPCs setting":

"Health": 100.0,
"Roam Range": 10.0,
"Chase Range": 50.0,
"Aim Cone Scale": 1.8,
"Speed": 7.5,

Meaning:

• Health → NPC HP
• Roam Range → walk distance
• Chase Range → player detection range
• Aim Cone Scale → accuracy (lower = better aim)
• Speed → movement speed

5. Editing Clothing (Wear items)​

"Wear items": [
{ "ShortName": "hoodie" },
{ "ShortName": "pants" }
]
Change the ShortName to any valid Rust item shortname.
Examples:

• metal.facemask
• hoodie
• burlap.gloves
• metal.plate.torso

6. Editing Weapons (Belt items)​

"Belt items": [
{ "ShortName": "shotgun.pump" },
{ "ShortName": "syringe.medical", "Amount": 10 }
]
To give an AK:
"ShortName": "rifle.ak"
Add attachments:
"Mods": ["weapon.mod.holosight", "weapon.mod.suppressor"]
Add ammo type:
"Ammo": "ammo.rifle.hv"

7. Editing Spawn Positions​

Spawn positions look like this:
"(50.8, 0.1, 26.4)"
You can add more lines to increase spawn points.
⚠ Important:
Make sure there are no extra parentheses.
Example mistake:
"(22.2, 0.0, -56.9))" ← wrong
"(22.2, 0.0, -56.9)" ← correct

8. Editing Loot​

Inside "Own loot table":
"ShortName": "scrap",
"Minimum": 5,
"Maximum": 10,
"Chance": 50.0
Add more items if you want the NPC to drop better loot.
Example:
{
"ShortName": "rifle.ak",
"Minimum": 1,
"Maximum": 1,
"Chance": 10.0
}

9. Respawn Time​

"Minimum time": 1500,
"Maximum time": 1800
This means the NPC respawns after 25–30 minutes.
Change these values to adjust respawn speed.

10. Reloading After Editing​

After you finish editing the file:
oxide.reload BetterNPC