4:55pm EST - A hotfix is on the way to fix placement of deployables and some other things. Given the huge changes in gameplay with high quality metal, and the abysmal server FPS issues as entities rise, we will be wiping our main 200 slot, dev branch and hapis servers when the hotfix goes live.

3:30pm EST - The update stream is live! twitch.tv/rustafied

3:00pm EST - Even though the update is already out, we're still going to be doing our live update stream. Unlike the update, it'll start a bit late today. Tune to our Twitch channel in half an hour.

11:00am EST - Garry pulled a fast one and released the update a lot earlier than usual. Devblog is out too!

3:30am EST - Holy fucking shit, this update is insane! Crossbow, longsword, cleaver, mace, tier 2 furnace, oil jack and refinery, exterior walls, new digs, oh, and did I mention? The entire dynamic of weapons has shifted with the advent of high quality metal. The team at Facepunch has come through big time this week, providing some of the biggest game-changers in recent memory.

Our update stream goes live at 3pm EST (7pm GMT) and follow @Rustafied throughout the day for updates. Let’s get into it...

Update summary video

Here's a video which summarizes this update.

High Quality Metal

It all starts here. Now the main ingredient for firearms, high quality metal is mainly gathered from quarries. That’s right folks, making guns just got a whole lot harder (with the exception of eoka, waterpipe and revolver - which still just require frags). Here are the details:

Get high quality ore from quarries (or rarely 2 from a node)
Smelt in a furnace to create high quality metal (1 for 1)
Use high quality metal to craft firearms
Costs are 10 frags to 1 hqm (meaning, AK costs 50 hqm, bolt costs 30)
Metal facemask and chestplate also require high quality metal to craft now

Tier two furnace

With a new resource, a new way to smelt; the large furnace has been added. With 18 slots, this monster not only looks awesome, it means business. Here are some pictures:

Quarry changes

With the addition of high quality ore, quarries just got a lot more important. With their added priority, some changes in how they are placed come too. Survey charges now leave craters (if where they are placed yields resources). Quarries (and oil jacks) now snap to and may only be placed on these craters.

Black gold

High quality metal isn’t the only new resource, say hello to crude oil. Pumped from oil jacks, crude oil can be placed in an oil refinery to make low grade fuel. Use survey charges to find the best place to place your jacks (wait till you see crude oil pop out), place wood and crude oil in your refinery, use the low grade fuel to run your quarry (1 crude oil yields 5 low grade fuel). Both the oil jack and refinery are non-default blueprints. Here are some pictures and info:

Crossbow

Move over hunting bow, arrows just got a new best bud. The crossbow has been added and it is pretty badass. Doing 20% more damage while firing arrows 20% faster, this non-default blueprint will be pretty common in barrels. Here are some screens and a quick video:

Longsword

The two handed sword is in. This herculean beast has great distance and yields some devastating blows, however, it’s pretty rare in loot drops.

Salvaged cleaver

Continuing the influx of new melee weapons, the salvaged cleaver is now in. Described as, “a powerful 2-handed melee weapon with good range and high damage,” the cleaver will surely provide great joy as it slices through your opponents. Also not a default blueprint, cleavers will be slightly easier to find than the longsword.

Mace

Rounding out the recent additions to the Rust arsenal, the mace enters as a fierce new contender. A large, spiked metal ball sits atop a baseball bat, creating a, “powerful 2-handed melee weapon with high damage.” This non-default blueprint is about as rare as the salvaged cleaver.

Exterior walls

The next level of base protection is here… sort of. High external walls have been added. This default blueprint cost 50 paper (that’s right, paper) and snaps together around the exterior of your property, ideally keeping people the fuck out.

Great in theory, however, people can easily get over them with one ladder. If I’m going to spend 5k wood on one small hunk of wall, that motherfucker better take more than one measly ladder to get over. Speaking to Garry, he told me they plan to add barbed wire and such to future iterations. In the meantime, high external walls may not be worth the paper.

Interesting note: you can place these in the quarry blocked zone.

Update: These have been made admin only for the time being.

Inventory stats

A new addition to the inventory UI, clothing statistics have been added next to the character model. Get used to dragging your clothing item down because 11 new categories of damage protection have been added.

New digs

Hold on to your steam wallets, a bunch of new clothing variations are on their way to the market. This week we see new hoodies, beanies, pants and boots. Here are some pictures: