12:00am EST - A big mix of quality-of-life upgrades and new gameplay systems are shaping up for next week’s update. From a fully revamped console UI to new base defense options and a player-powered electricity source, there’s a lot in motion as the patch comes together.

Armored Ladder Hatch

A long-requested upgrade is finally on the way with the addition of the armored ladder hatch. This new top-tier variant offers the same durability as an armored door, coming in at 1000 HP and taking roughly five rockets to break. It’s crafted at a Tier 3 workbench and has already seen a balance pass, with reduced HQM and gear costs compared to earlier iterations, making it a bit more accessible while still firmly in endgame territory.

Beyond the raw durability, this is a meaningful addition to base design and defense. The armored ladder hatch gives players a much stronger option for securing vertical access points, and recent tweaks ensure it sits properly in progression without unlocking lower tier hatches. With ongoing polish to placement, visuals, and interactions, this is shaping up to be a staple upgrade for any serious base.

Console UI Overhaul

A major overhaul of Rust’s console is on the way, bringing a much more modern and usable interface to both players and admins. The new system introduces a full command list UI with search, favorites, history tracking, and even loadout saving, making it far easier to find and reuse commands without memorizing everything. Command descriptions are now being filled in using AI, and a full localization pass has been underway to clean up presentation across the board.

On top of that, usability has been significantly improved. Nearly everything in the console is now clickable and copyable, autocomplete has been reworked to behave more reliably, and the entire interface has seen layout, scrolling, and performance fixes. You can even resize the console dynamically, and logs are now color-coded more clearly to separate user input, errors, and system messages. It’s still being polished, but this is shaping up to be one of the biggest quality-of-life upgrades for power users in a long time.

Easter 2026 Event Content

Rust’s Easter event is back this year with a fresh batch of themed content, including new bunny suit variations, wallpapers, and updated store assets. Players will be able to craft bunny outfits that randomly roll one of three different styles, alongside a set of decorative wallpapers to dress up their bases. The event also comes with new music and sound effects, giving it a bit more personality compared to previous iterations.

Water Wheel Power Generation

A brand new power source is on the way with the introduction of the water wheel, and it’s seeing rapid iteration as it approaches release. This compact generator is designed to fit neatly into a 1x1 and is being integrated directly into the IO tech tree, positioning it as a practical early-to-mid game option for players looking to get power up and running quickly.

Recent balancing has split its output between passive and active use, with water providing up to 30 power and manual use generating up to 60. It now drains calories and hydration while in use, includes restrictions if your stats are too low, and has seen crafting cost adjustments to better fit progression. On top of that, ongoing polish continues with improved placement, new water-based particle effects, and updated sound design, making this one of the more actively tuned additions heading into the update.

Visual & Model Updates

A wide range of visual improvements and model updates are in the works, with refreshed items, ongoing monument development, and multiple passes on lighting, rendering, and overall visual consistency.

New syringe model with updated third-person animations and polish
Salvaged axe model refresh with workshop support and improved visuals
Salvaged cleaver model briefly added, still being worked on
Female head and hair UV updates, including LOD and cap improvements
Additional polish to lighting, fog, and sky rendering (including fixes for flickering and compositing issues)
Water rendering fixes, including cases where water could disappear or break visually
New FX prefabs and ongoing lighting tweaks across multiple assets
Apartment complex monument continues development with added structures and set dressing
Rentable shop/kiosk prefabs expanded with shutters, materials, and layout improvements
Industrial wall lights and variants added
Various decal, wear, and material passes across assets for improved visual consistency
Fixes for LOD rendering issues and dynamic object visibility (including disappearing props)

Stretch Goals

Facepunch has also outlined a wide range of potential future features under a new stretch goals section of the roadmap, giving a glimpse at what could be coming further down the line.

Programmable robot companion (camel/dog-like unit with task-based behavior)
Heat spreading mechanics through bases
Global networked base systems
Cobalt guard towers
Dead whale world event/monument
Player basement building blocks
Base renovation system for modifying existing builds
Bridges for improved traversal
Improved river generation and visuals
Bounty system
Updated mission system
BDU/Kevlar gear set
M79 grenade launcher
Uzi 9mm SMG
G3A3 rifle
Railway handcar
Expanded world environments and variety
Farming 2.5 (including plantable trees)
Additional endgame power generation options
Interior base culling optimizations
Advanced crafting systems
Dot matrix screens
Switchboard / circuit board systems
Cobalt hovercraft
Dogs and frogs (new wildlife)

Bug Fixes

Fixed terrain clipping and margin issues when using geoclip terrain
Corrected missing ocean topology around certain rivers
Fixed projectile effects sometimes spawning under the map
Resolved multiple deployable inconsistencies (HP, repair costs, pickup behavior, variant mismatches)
Fixed items incorrectly changing variants when picked up (including fireworks and deployables)
Addressed issues with reactive targets being picked up while building blocked
Fixed various lighting and rendering issues, including fog flickering and sky compositing regressions
Resolved cases where water would disappear due to null mesh issues
Fixed LOD validation problems causing rendering inconsistencies
Fixed UI issues:

Search bars not closing or clearing properly
TMP color conflicts when selecting text
Input errors in vending machine UI

Fixed store and inventory UI regressions (text layout, variant display, icons)
Fixed admin UI issues:

Player list masking and scrolling
Missing or incorrect data display

Fixed network profiling inaccuracies with packet tracking
Fixed navigation and AI issues:

Animals getting stuck or behaving inconsistently
Navmesh update issues on moving platforms

Fixed sound occlusion and missing audio triggers
Fixed multiple NullReferenceExceptions across terrain commands, UI, and gameplay systems
Fixed deep sea notification and sleeping bag UI issues
Fixed asset loading and bootstrap sequence issues causing missing data or delays
Fixed safe zone issue where loot bags from destroyed containers couldn’t be looted
Fixed/adjusted safe zone toast messaging for corpses and player remains
Fixed boat deployable looping sounds
Fixed combat knife rotation on weapon racks
Fixed door knocker placement guides being incorrect
Fixed additional AI issues (animals getting stuck / pathing improvements)

Other Changes

New colored button system expanded with additional options and fixes for saving and consistency
Added loadout system improvements, including better handling when no presets exist and fixes for non-debug builds
A new overfishing system is also being introduced, limiting how much players can fish in a single area before yields drop off (with added convars)
Added new achievements tied to boats and deep sea gameplay
Improvements to gameplay notifications system:

Unified world event notifications
Added configurable sound/toast preferences
Cleaned up monument notification logic

Admin and moderation improvements:

Additional logging for websocket connections
Improved server browser filtering and command handling

Networking and backend optimizations:

Reduced packet spam and improved data handling
Improvements to network group visibility checks

Terrain and world systems:

Continued improvements to terrain generation and sampling systems
Fixes and optimizations to world position generation (major performance gains in some cases)

Animation and player systems:

Continued work on player rig, gestures, and animation blending
Improvements to mount/dismount behavior and pose handling

Audio system work:

Continued backend improvements for streaming audio (MP3/AAC support, experimental)
Expanded inventory and ambient sound coverage

Industrial and deployable systems:

Ongoing work on industrial props and lighting
Additional deployable validation tests to catch inconsistencies

General codebase and tooling:

Large scale unit test expansion and restructuring
Continued cleanup of legacy systems and refactoring across multiple systems
Unity engine upgrade work in progress (moving toward newer versions)

Tech tree improvements: Multi-unlock speed standardized (faster node unlocking flow)
Clan name colors now properly apply to map tags
Patrol helicopter improvements: Better collision handling for gibs after destruction (more accurate and stable behavior)