BREACH AND CLEAR
The Breach and Clear update introduces a new upkeep tax for large groups, destructible monument blockers for red keycard rooms, and a massive physics engine overhaul for improved performance.
Key Changes
- 1Upkeep Group Scaling: New tax for bases with 5+ players (up to 300% tax)
- 2Monument Blockers: High-health obstacles now guard red keycard loot rooms
- 3Physics Engine Overhaul: New BVH structure doubling performance on some servers
- 4Attack Heli & HAB Armor: Destructible panels now fall off to expose occupants
- 5Marketplace Power: Drones now require Power Plant operation to function
- 6Vehicle Pooling: New system to eliminate stutters when roaming near vehicles
- 7HQM Nodes: New scarce resource nodes added to the world, primarily in Jungles
- 8Medical Honey Bandage: New Tier 1 healing item added to the workbench
- 9Semi-Pistol Nerf: Increased crafting cost and higher damage falloff at range
- 10Memory Optimization: Reduction of ~0.5GB in memory usage across the game
All Changes
⚙️Gameplay Systems(4)
- nerfTool Cupboard: Tool Cupboards now apply an upkeep tax based on player count: 0% for first 4 players, 2% per player for the next 6, and 4% per player thereafter (up to 300% max).
- changeMarketplace: Drone marketplace now requires the Power Plant to be active; requires 4+ fuses to charge and 1+ fuse to maintain operation.
- buffRadwater: Radwater used in Sprinklers now seeps through more armor types, dealing significant radiation to players in full kits.
- newSkin System: Added a 'random' skin option to the crafting UI that applies a random unlocked skin to each crafted item.
🏗️Monuments(3)
- newMonument Blockers: Added destructible obstacles to red keycard rooms that require high damage to destroy and do not respawn; they begin to decay after 24 hours.
- changeWater Treatment Plant: Water Treatment Plant rework: Gearboxes now provide 3 hours of water flow (6 hours max) and production scales linearly with tank pressure.
- buffWater Treatment Plant: Increased the number of water pipes and improved their IO output and placement consistency.
🔫Weapons & Tools(8)
- newMedical Honey Bandage: New Tier 1 healing item that utilizes honey reserves.
- nerfSemi-Pistol: Damage falloff increased and crafting cost increased.
- buffHoming Launcher: Lock-on duration reduced, allowing for faster firing.
- changeHeavy Plate Helmet: Now suppresses noise when worn, but crafting costs have been increased.
- nerfHeavy Plate Armor: Now makes audible noise when the player is moving.
- nerfGrenades: Stack sizes reduced for F1, Bee Grenade, Molotov, Flashbangs, and Beancans.
- buffLarge Medkit: Now removes radiation to match Medical Syringe behavior.
- changeComponent Loot: SMG bodies are now slightly more common, while Rifle bodies are slightly rarer.
🚁Vehicles(4)
- nerfAttack Helicopter: Cockpit armor now falls off in stages at 80% (680hp), 70% (595hp), and 60% (510hp) health.
- nerfArmored HAB: Armor panels now fall off at 90% (2250hp), 80% (2000hp), 70% (1750hp), and 60% (1500hp) health.
- buffModular Cars: Added a handbrake mechanic (CTRL key) and improved steering, turning, and suspension physics.
- buffSAM Site: Missiles now fly faster and have a larger detonation fuse area against drones.
⛏️Resources(4)
- newHigh Quality Metal Node: New scarce resource nodes and collectables added; most common in the Jungle biome.
- buffSwamp Trees: Wood harvest yield significantly increased to match other tree types.
- newComposter: UI now displays how long items will take to turn into fertilizer.
- buffPies: Various pies have extended durations and adjusted recipes; Hunter's pie bleed reduction increased.
💻Performance(5)
- fixPhysics Engine: Customized PhysX engine with a new BVH broadphase mode to improve scaling with collider counts.
- fixVehicle System: Implemented vehicle pooling to reduce stutters when vehicles enter or leave network range.
- fixMemory Management: Reduced VRAM and system memory usage by ~0.5GB through texture and object optimization.
- fixNetworking: Audited 300+ entities (signs, mushrooms, etc.) to use 'close' network range, reducing network overhead.
- newNavmesh: Enabled a new navmesh on select servers to improve NPC navigation and server boot times.
🎨Visuals(5)
- newWorld Models: Introduced over 70 new world models to replace the generic burlap sack for dropped items.
- changeFlashlight: Complete visual remake with high-quality models, textures, and new animations.
- changeArrows: Updated wooden arrow models with new fletching and visual details.
- changeSalvaged Hammer: Refreshed model with high-resolution textures and new animations.
- newPainting UI: Added a paintbrush visualizer that projects the brush onto the object being painted.
🌐Servers(3)
- fixServer Events: Improved state saving for Oil Rigs, Cargo Ship, Patrol Heli, Bradley, and Satellite crashes to persist through restarts.
- removeFacepunch Servers: Retired EU Primitive 2, CAN Primitive 1, and US West Primitive 1 servers.
- changeHardcore Servers: Map size reduced from 4250 to 3750 on EU Hardcore 1 and US East Hardcore 1.
Summary
Major Gameplay Shifts
This update targets large group progression with the introduction of Upkeep Group Scaling, applying a tax of up to 300% based on the number of players authorized on a Tool Cupboard or code locks. Additionally, Monument Blockers now guard red keycard rooms, requiring significant damage to clear during the first 24 hours of a wipe. The Drone Marketplace now requires power from the Power Plant to function, adding a new layer of strategic maintenance for players relying on deliveries.
Combat and Balance
Vehicles received a significant balance pass; the Attack Helicopter and Armored HAB now feature conditional armor panels that fall off as they take damage, exposing the occupants. The Semi-Pistol has been nerfed with higher costs and increased damage falloff, while the SAM Site has been buffed to more effectively track and destroy drones. A new Medical Honey Bandage provides a mid-tier healing option for beekeepers.
Technical Overhaul
Under the hood, Rust has received a customized PhysX engine update using a BVH structure, which the developers report has doubled performance on some servers. Memory usage has been reduced by approximately 0.5GB through texture optimizations, and a new Vehicle Pooling system aims to eliminate stutters when moving between network ranges.