Rust: Breach and Clear is live — upkeep now scales with group size

Facepunch released Rust: Breach and Clear on September 3, 2026. Alongside the latest monthly wipe, this update introduces new obstacles inside major monuments, changes the economy of large bases and adds several improvements aimed at server performance and stability.

Red-keycard monuments are harder to access early in the wipe

The update adds new Monument Blockers to monuments featuring red-keycard puzzle rooms. Players can encounter them at locations such as Launch Site, Military Tunnels, Missile Silo and the Oil Rigs.

These obstacles require a significant amount of damage to destroy. Some weaker blockers can also be removed using melee weapons. Once destroyed, they do not respawn, meaning the first players to reach a monument can permanently open the route for the rest of the server.

If a blocker has not been destroyed within the first 24 hours of the wipe, it will begin to decay. The goal is not to prevent access to high-level loot, but to make the first day of a wipe less predictable and give early monument progression an additional layer of risk.

Tool Cupboard upkeep now depends on the number of players

Rust’s new upkeep system applies an additional tax to Tool Cupboards based on the number of players connected to a base. The first four players are not affected, but the cost increases progressively beyond that point.

For example, a Tool Cupboard with six players associated with it receives a 4% upkeep increase. With twelve players, the additional tax reaches 20%. The maximum tax is capped at 300%.

The system does not only count players currently online. Facepunch also takes into account:

• Players directly authorized on the Tool Cupboard;
• Players removed from the Tool Cupboard during the previous 24 hours;
• Players authorized on a code lock, including guest codes;
• Players removed from a code lock during the previous 24 hours.

This detail will be particularly important for large clans. Sharing a code or temporarily authorizing a player can now have a direct impact on the upkeep cost of the entire base.

High Quality Metal nodes and a powered Drone Marketplace

High Quality Metal nodes and collectables can now be found across the island. They are deliberately rare, with the Jungle offering better chances of finding them.

The Drone Marketplace is also now linked to the Power Plant system introduced in the previous update. The Power Plant must be kept operational for drone deliveries to work:

• The marketplace battery charges when at least four fuses are active;
• Purchases become available once the battery reaches 50%;
• With at least one fuse inserted, the battery will not decrease;
• If the charge falls below 50%, the marketplace becomes unavailable again.

This creates a new reason for players to maintain control of the Power Plant, especially during the early stages of a wipe.

Vehicles, helicopters and server events receive several improvements

Modular vehicles have received handling improvements affecting steering, turning and suspension. The update also adds a proper handbrake, activated with the CTRL key, allowing players to take tighter corners, perform hairpin turns and drift more easily.

The Attack Helicopter and Armoured HAB now lose their armour panels progressively as they take damage. This exposes the pilot and gunner in stages, giving defenders more opportunities to counter these vehicles.

Facepunch has also improved how important server events are saved and loaded. Oil Rigs, Cargo Ship, the Patrol Helicopter, Bradley and Satellite Crash Sites should now better preserve their state during server restarts. This should reduce situations where loot or locked crates disappear after an interruption.

Performance improvements for clients and dedicated servers

Breach and Clear also includes a broad set of technical optimizations:

The update also improves server event saving and loading, while Facepunch continues work on a new navigation mesh for NPCs.

Facepunch reports early memory savings of more than 0.5 GB in some configurations, although the exact results will vary depending on the hardware and server environment.

Facepunch reorganizes some official servers

As part of the September wipe, Facepunch is retiring the following official servers:

• EU Primitive 2;
• CAN Primitive 1;
• US West Primitive 1.

Primitive servers will remain available in these regions. Facepunch is also reducing the map size from 4250 to 3750 on EU Hardcore 1 and US East Hardcore 1.

What community server owners should check

Administrators running a community Rust server should pay particular attention to the new upkeep rules. Before the next wipe, it is worth checking the following points:

• Verify that the server is running the latest Rust version;
• Review plugins that modify Tool Cupboards, authorizations or base upkeep;
• Decide whether group-based upkeep should remain active, be adjusted or disabled;
• Explain the new rules clearly to clans and regular players;
• Test the Power Plant and Drone Marketplace on custom maps;
• Check restart schedules and event persistence after the update.

The new system gives server owners an additional balancing tool. On a large PvP server, it can help limit the economic advantage of massive groups. On a small community server, administrators may prefer to reduce or disable the tax to preserve a more relaxed progression system.