Facepunch’s Rust Combat Update is live now, and it’s the biggest change to Rust’s combat since the multiplayer survival game first released in 2013. One of the most significant changes in the combat update makes recoil more bearable and less like you’re fighting the gun instead of your enemies.
“Ultimately, being good at first person shooters and having the drop on someone wasn’t good enough,” Facepunch says in the patch notes. “This was fun for people who could spend thousands of hours training their aim, or morally bankrupt individuals who would choose to use scripts to gain an advantage. This was not fun for 99% of the population, and it’s time for a change.”
With the new update, automatic weapons gradually become more inaccurate the longer you hold the trigger down, so you’re not struggling with intense recoil the moment you start firing anymore. Facepunch adjusted the bullet weighting as well. Approximately 20% of the bullets fired will land in the center of the spread, which means automatic weapons are now less useful at a distance – something Facepunch said should help encourage players to think about the best weapon for each situation.
Another new feature that should help give players an idea of which weapon to use is the crosshair, finally making its way to Rust after almost a decade of players improvising and using mods. Rust’s crosshairs offer you a rough idea of how accurate your shots may be based on where you’re standing and what weapon you’re using, and Facepunch said they’re planning more crosshair customization options for the future.
Rust’s combat update also tweaks view models so they align more closely with the actions you take, including stronger punchback while firing weapons and head bobs during sprinting. You can adjust these and even shut them off if they’re a problem, though.
There’s a myriad of other improvements and adjustments in the patch. Horses move faster on rail tracks now, because of course they do, while bows are more durable, and you can actually see how many cars you have on your train display. The new graffiti pack from the item store lets you spray paint the world of Rust to your heart’s content, and Hapis Island is back at long last, with a few new additions and hopefully a lot fewer bugs.
All this comes just a month after Facepunch’s extensive rail network update in Rust and the addition of pets earlier in 2022. Rust might still be a work in progress, but it’s clear Facepunch has big plans for its future.