LIVESTOCK
Cows and sheep arrive in Rust with breeding and resource mechanics, alongside a communal repair requirement for the Air Wolf helipad and a new custom rendering pipeline.
Key Changes
- 1Introduction of Cows and Sheep with breeding, genetics, and resource production (Milk/Wool)
- 2Air Wolf Helipad now requires communal resource repairs before selling air vehicles
- 3New custom Rust Render Pipeline (RRP) introduced for improved performance and visuals
- 4Powergrid loot rooms added to 11 monuments, requiring Heavy Fuses to unlock
- 5Client-side prediction added for Grenades, C4, and Satchels to reduce throw delay
- 6Biofuel Generator added to convert organic matter into low grade fuel
- 7Sandbags reworked into a 4-stage stacking system with a pillbox final stage
- 8Heavy Fuse decay now scales with server population, lasting 4x longer on low-pop servers
- 9Significant memory optimizations saving up to 550MB of RAM across viewmodels and the store
- 10New environmental critters (Frogs, Rabbits, Turtles, etc.) added as set dressing
All Changes
🐄Creatures(11)
- newCows: Introduced Cows as a new domestic animal for farming.
- newSheep: Introduced Sheep as a new domestic animal for farming.
- newDung: Cows and sheep now produce dung for fertilizer use.
- newMilk: Cows now produce milk as a harvestable resource.
- newWool: Sheep now produce wool as a harvestable resource.
- changeLivestock: Livestock can be harvested for meat, bones, and leather.
- newNPC Vendor: Added ability to sell grown livestock to NPCs at the Ranch/Stables for randomized resource offers.
- newLivestock Genetics: Implemented genetics and breeding systems for livestock to allow for 'god clone' hunting.
- changeNPC AI: Updated NPC AI to allow them to enter player structures and respect door states.
- fixNavigation System: Optimized the navigation system, doubling its performance since the last patch.
- newCritters: Added small environmental critters including Frogs, Rabbits, Squirrels, Sea Turtles, Crabs, and Jellyfish.
⚙️Gameplay Systems(8)
- changeAir Wolf Helipad: Air Wolf helipad now starts in disrepair and requires communal resource investment to enable vehicle sales.
- changeSandbags: Sandbags reworked into a 4-stage stacking system, with the final stage forming a pillbox.
- buffSandbags: Reduced crafting cost for sandbag deployables.
- buffSandbags: Increased sandbag stack size in loot to 4 and inventory stack size to 20.
- newMonuments: Added new power-locked loot rooms to Airfield, Ferry Terminal, Harbour, Junkyard, Launch Site, Military Tunnels, Nuclear Missile Silo, Radtown, Sewer Branch, Trainyard, and Water Treatment Plant.
- buffHeavy Fuses: Heavy Fuse decay now scales with population; fuses last 4x longer on servers with 10 or fewer players.
- changePower Plant: Relocated the small heavy fuse box at the Power Plant to be accessible via an outside window.
- changeExplosives: Implemented client-side prediction for Grenades, C4, and Satchels to improve feel on high latency.
🛠️Items & Crafting(6)
- newMilk: Milk can now be refrigerated for 4 hours to allow skimming into Skimmed Milk and Cream.
- buffCream: Cream can be used in crafting to increase the potency of tea effects.
- newFencing: Added new animal gate and fence deployables for livestock containment.
- newBiofuel Generator: Added Biofuel Generator that converts organic matter to low grade fuel via manual stirring.
- newBiofuel Generator: Biofuel Generator supports IO connections to notify players when stirring is required.
- changeMachete: Refreshed the Machete with a new high-quality model, textures, and animations.
💻Performance & Technical(5)
- newRust Render Pipeline: Introduced the Rust Render Pipeline (RRP) as a custom, high-performance scriptable render pipeline.
- fixPerformance: Optimized viewmodel memory by using a standardized hand mesh, saving approximately 100MB of RAM.
- fixPerformance: Implemented dynamic store asset loading, saving 250MB-450MB of RAM depending on store usage.
- fixPerformance: Moved Animation IK Jobs to be multithreaded, saving approximately 1ms of frame time with 100 players.
- newStability: Enabled automatic crash report uploading to the developer backend.
🛡️Anti-Cheat(1)
- changeSecure Servers: Expanded TPM + Secure Boot requirements to additional Facepunch official servers.
📅Coming Soon(1)
- newHalloween Event: Halloween Update scheduled for release on October 22nd at 18:00 BST.
Summary
The LIVESTOCK update introduces a significant expansion to Rust's survival mechanics with the addition of domestic animals, breeding genetics, and new resource chains involving milk and wool. Beyond farming, the update implements a major meta shift for air vehicles, requiring server-wide communal efforts to repair the Air Wolf helipad before sales begin. Technically, this patch marks the debut of the Rust Render Pipeline (RRP), a custom scriptable pipeline designed to replace Unity's built-in system for better performance and visual control.
Livestock & Farming
Players can now capture, breed, and care for cows and sheep. These animals feature a genetics system similar to plants but with unique behaviors. Cows provide milk—which can be refrigerated and skimmed into cream—while sheep provide wool. Both animals produce dung and can be sold to NPCs at the Ranch for randomized resource offers.
Monument & Gameplay Changes
The Powergrid system has expanded with new loot rooms across 11 major monuments, accessible only when the Powerplant is active. To assist low-population servers, Heavy Fuse decay now scales with player count, lasting up to 4x longer. Additionally, sandbags have been completely reworked into a 4-stage stacking system that culminates in a pillbox fortification.
Technical Overhaul
The new Rust Render Pipeline (RRP) is now available as an experimental toggle, offering reduced overhead and future graphical improvements. Performance is further bolstered by a 100MB reduction in viewmodel memory, multithreaded IK jobs, and a dynamic asset loading system for the in-game store that saves up to 450MB of RAM.