1:00pm EST - Our update preview stream is live showing off all the Abyss update content! twitch.tv/rustafied

12:00am EST - A preview of the July 6th Abyss update is live on Aux2, and it’s chock full of new content! This article summarizes what we’re seeing now on staging. Note: This is all still a work in progress and subject to change.

We’ll show all of this off on our update preview stream that goes live at 1pm EST. Follow @Rustafied for news throughout the week.

Tugboat: the floating base!

Rust’s newest water vehicle is almost here! The Tugboat is a huge vessel with multiple levels, big exhaust fumes, various lights, capable of holding a ton of people, and craziest of all, you can build on it (sort of). No, you can’t bust out a building plan and start plopping walls down, but you can place doors in the doorways (3 total), locks, and various other deployables on the floors - making this essentially a floating base!

There are some limits on placement, however. Along with no building parts being allowed, you cannot put a cupboard down to block building. There’s also a bunch of other deployables which won’t go down including stone fireplaces, vending machines, electric furnaces, large furnaces, and a couple more. As it stands, you can put Turrets on which auto-power up when the boat is on. I have confirmed with the devs that this will be changed.

All that said, you can place benches, boxes, small furnaces, bags, beds, and other amenities not only in the main hull (which is behind a door which can be locked), but also on the back, front, and other decks of the ship.

Not available for purchase, these are currently found at Harbors around the map (2 per harbor, 4 total on the map to start). As with all Rust vehicles, it runs on low grade fuel, added right up at the helm. Operate the boat with the usual controls, and keep track of fuel and nearby subs with the handy dashboard UI with sonar included.

This might also be related to the nexus (server to server transfer) functionality coming in the future - see ‘nexcom’ on the dash UI - but that remains to be seen. More details on this boat next week with our update summary article -- keep in mind, all is subject to change!

Edit: Turrets no longer can be placed.

Diver Suit DLC

A new Hazmat Suit DLC is on the way! Like its predecessors, the Diver Suit DLC includes a skinned hazmat suit, along with a couple other related item skins. This bundle will go live on the item store on July 6th with the update and forced wipe - no word on price point yet. Here is what we see so far…

Diver Suit
Centerpiece of the DLC, the Diver Suit is a detailed, awesome looking new skin for the Hazmat suit. True to the Rust aesthetic, and featuring a funky helmet with viewing portals and big tanks with a twirling fan on the back — this skin is certainly up to snuff.

Looks aside, it does not offer any extra benefits from the normal Hazmat Suit at the moment. It’s got the exact same damage stats and doesn’t provide oxygen or any benefits underwater.

Diver Torch
Next, the only item of the bunch which currently has any benefit over their vanilla counterparts, the Diver Torch. With the unique ability to stay lit underwater, the Diver Torch stands to provide a bit of extra illumination for any divers equipped with it.

Diver Assault Rifle
Next is the Assault Rifle skin, the Diver AK. With seaweed, hooks and netting on it, the Diver AK certainly fits the vibe of the Abyss update. That said, it has no special features or sounds.

Diver Hatchet
The Diver Hatchet features a cool hand-crafted look with some barnacles to boot - and it drips! Also, just a skin of the regular Metal Hatchet.

Diver Pickaxe
And for the final skin, the Pickaxe is a cool anchor with some rope and barnacles. A skin of the Metal Pickaxe.

Ferry Terminal

The newest monument to grace the shores of Rust, the Ferry Terminal has also been added. Potentially the future hub of server to server transfers (nexus), at the moment it is a cool looking new point of interest to check out (with 1 spawning per map). Accessed via the road or underground tunnels (to which it has an entrance to), the Ferry terminal features a main building to explore, a bus depot building (no inside), various cars and trucks, a lighthouse, and a loading dock of sorts. There’s even a functional car lift, which is also nice.

There is also some loot (a couple wooden crates and 1 military crate at the moment) and likely NPCs to be added. We’ll keep you posted as more gets added.

New water

As you explore the Rust landscape with all this cool new water related content, you’ll be happy to notice the whole water system in general got a face-lift. This fresh, bluer than ever version of water has great looking animations, vibrance, and reflections. The wave effects are sweet and transitions across the various biome shores look beautiful. It also looks nice underwater with fresh sunrays and the like, which is nice.

Other stuff

Combat knife can now rapidly untie underwater crates
Fixed underwater effects not appearing for local player if head is also underwater
More work on global networked bases (base optimization)
Fixed conveyor screen not showing item transfers if the item is being stacked in the output container
More shader improvements

Introducing: Rustafied.com - 2x!

I’m excited to announce the soft launch of our new modded server! Rustafied.com - 2x is an EU-based server focused on accelerated gameplay to maximize PvP action! The server goes live Friday, June 30th at 3pm BST for a week of testing. Full launch of the server will be at forced wipe on July 6th (blueprints will carry over from soft launch as incentive for those who help us test).

Here are the details:

Population: 200 players
Map size: 3k
Map wipe schedule: on Tuesdays and Fridays at 3PM BST
Blueprint wipe: Monthly at forced wipe

Specific server modifications:

2.5x gather for sulfur
2x gather for non-raiding resources
1/2 craft and smelting for non raiding resources (normal speed for raid materials)
Workbench covers entire base
Junk removed from loot tables
Blueprints for building, electricity, and other basic tier 1 items are default

Connect info

connect 2x.rustafied.com
Or find on the modded list