Terms of Service

HWS is a Rust community server network, supported by this HWS Frontier website and the in-game servers we operate. It is the Rust branch of the wider HWS community.

The original HWS Empyrion server and the HWS brand are operated by W3DG. HWS Rust services are owned and operated independently by André Nielsen Digital. The two operators cooperate closely, share a community Discord, and may offer connected community features, but André Nielsen Digital is the party responsible for this website, the HWS Rust servers, and the obligations under these terms.

The detailed community rules, including PvP/PvE rules, raiding rules, and conduct rules, live in the wiki and on our Discord. They form part of these terms.

At a minimum, you agree not to:

• cheat, use unauthorised third-party software, or exploit bugs to gain an unfair advantage;
• harass, threaten, dox, or discriminate against other players or staff;
• attempt to disrupt, attack, overload, or reverse-engineer the service;
• impersonate staff, abuse the report system, or evade bans by creating new accounts;
• use the service for anything illegal, or to distribute illegal content.

Admin decisions on rule enforcement - warnings, mutes, kicks, temporary bans, and permanent bans - are final. You can appeal a moderation decision via Discord, but the final call rests with us. For serious cheating, abuse, fraud, or ban-evasion matters, we may coordinate with W3DG and the wider HWS moderation team so that the shared HWS community can be protected consistently.

We use automated moderation, anti-cheat, and server standing tools to help staff keep the service fair. These tools may warn or mute players, prevent muted chat messages from being posted, flag suspicious activity for staff review, and show staff relevant behaviour history when sanctions are considered. Do not attempt to probe, bypass, or interfere with those systems.

You can optionally purchase a supporter package to receive in-game perks. Supporter packages are processed by Polar.sh, acting as the merchant of record. Polar handles the checkout, the payment, the invoice, and any applicable VAT, on its own terms. We receive only the information we need to grant your perks.

Perks are granted automatically as soon as the payment clears, and in normal circumstances within minutes. If you have not received your package within 24 hours of a successful payment, please open a ticket on our Discord - that is our primary support channel and the fastest way to get your perks delivered.

Supporter packages are not transferable between accounts. Promised perks are tied to the platform account that made the purchase. Some perks, such as Discord roles or cross-server HWS benefits, may require you to link Discord or otherwise let us match your HWS Frontier account with the relevant external service. Those optional integrations are only provided where the required platform or partner service supports them.

HWS Rust and HWS Empyrion operate as close community partners, but they are separate services with separate operators. Cross Game Rewards, shared Discord features, joint events, or common moderation workflows may depend on cooperation between André Nielsen Digital, W3DG, Discord, and the relevant game platforms.

We may change, pause, or remove shared HWS features if a partner service changes, if a technical integration stops working, or if a moderation or security issue makes it necessary. Where a benefit is part of a paid supporter package, we will make a reasonable effort to provide an equivalent HWS Rust benefit if an external shared feature is no longer available.

As an alternative to a direct supporter-package purchase, you may buy one or more gift codes. A gift code is a single-use bearer token: anyone holding the plaintext can redeem it on the Activate Code page to receive the supporter tier-time or pack it represents. We do not record who you intend to give a code to and we do not require you to nominate a recipient at checkout.

Codes are valid for three (3) years from the date of issue, in line with the limitation period of section 3 of the Danish Limitation Act (forældelsesloven) as applied to gift cards. After three years a code can no longer be redeemed for perks.

For codes purchased via Polar (i.e. paid in money), if you have not redeemed the code and you wish to receive its remaining monetary value back in cash before the three-year period ends, you may request a payout under lov om betalingskonti §11. Contact us at [email protected] with the purchase reference and we will refund the unredeemed balance to a method of your choice within a reasonable time.

Codes that we issue free of charge as compensation, goodwill, or promotional rewards (admin-issued codes) carry no monetary value. They are non-refundable and cannot be cashed out, but they remain redeemable for the perks they describe for the same three-year period.

Gift codes are bearer tokens - once a code has been redeemed, the perks belong to the redeeming account and cannot be reversed or re-assigned. Treat your codes like gift cards: anyone who can read them can redeem them. We are not responsible for codes that you share publicly or that are intercepted before you redeem them.

Supporter packages consist of digital content that is delivered immediately on payment. Under section 18(2)(13) of the Danish Consumer Contracts Act (forbrugeraftaleloven), implementing Article 16(m) of the EU Consumer Rights Directive, the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to digital content that has begun to be delivered with your prior express consent and your acknowledgment that you thereby lose your right of withdrawal. By completing the checkout, you give that express consent and acknowledgment.

As a result, supporter packages are non-refundable once they have been granted. We will of course put things right if something goes wrong on our side: if a payment was charged but the perks were not delivered, if you were charged twice, or if a purchase was clearly fraudulent, contact us within a reasonable time and we will refund or re-deliver as appropriate.

For all refund-related questions, open a ticket on Discord or write to [email protected].

The HWS Frontier branding, website, plugin code, and configuration are protected by copyright and other intellectual-property rights. You may use them as part of normal play of the service; you may not copy, modify, redistribute, or commercialise them without permission. Rust itself, including the game client and its assets, is the property of Facepunch Studios.

Anything you post - chat messages, in-game builds, ticket content, forum posts, and so on - remains yours. By posting it on our service you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, and moderate that content for the purpose of running the service. You are responsible for the content you post and confirm that you have the right to post it.

The service is provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by Danish law, we disclaim all implied warranties that are not mandatory under applicable law.

To the fullest extent permitted by Danish law, our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to the service is limited to the amount you have paid us, if any, in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, lost profits, or lost in-game progress.

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability that cannot be limited or excluded under Danish law, including liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud. Mandatory consumer-protection rights you have under the law of your country of residence remain unaffected.