‘Rust’ adds brutal hardcore mode with September update

The latest September update for Rust will introduce a game-changing hardcore mode that will strip away the base game’s features.

Arriving today (September 1) in the survival game, Facepunch Studios is adding a brand new hardcore game mode that is described as  a “trimmed down, raw Rust experience.”

Hardcore mode will feature no teams or team system, and contacts will be disabled. There will be no safe zones to take refuge in, peacekeepers and sentries have been removed, and local chat has been limited to a 100m radius – with no global option.

Additionally, crawling while wounded has also been removed, and sleeping bags have been limited to five per player. Maps, compasses and map seeds will also be disabled, and both maps and blueprints will be wiped each month.

According to PCGamesN, Rust streamer ShadowFrax, who was allowed access to the live test version of the new update, said that the developer is reportedly taking steps to ensure you can’t access the in-game map at all.

The update will force a map wipe and is expected to go live at 7PM BST / 2PM EST. Facepunch is provisionally launching a hardcore server in the EU, which can be found on the community list under ‘Rustafied EU Hardcore.’ The developer is also considering opening more in other regions if hardcore mode takes off.

Alongside hardcore mode, the September update also includes a plethora of UI changes, storage buffs, bug fixes, combat log improvements, and more. You can check out the full list of patch notes here.

In other news, Endnight Games has announced that its upcoming first-person survival horror game Sons Of The Forest has been delayed to February 2023. In a new Twitter post, the developer explained that the team needs more time “to complete the polish we feel is needed.”