✅ Main Features

• Full Blueprint wipe: All blueprints are reset, restarting progression from zero.
• Reduced research costs:
  • Common: 15 (instead of 20)
  • Uncommon: 30 (instead of 75)
  • Rare: 60 (instead of 125)
  • Very rare: 120 (instead of 500)
• Scrap cost removed for crafting via workbenches.
• New items/features:
  • Mini Fridge — 18 slots, requires 3 electricity, can be placed under half-height floors.
  • Automatic container sorting — sorting by alphabet, condition, category, or snapshot; works on Wooden Boxes, Coffins, barrels, and DLC skins.
  • Color wheel and favorites in the painting menu — up to 10 saved colors.
  • “Vehicles” tab added to the F1 menu for vehicle spawning (admin).
  • CCTV cameras added to Cargo Ship and Ferry Terminal.
  • Medical syringes can now heal horses (with a speed boost).

🔧 Improvements and Optimizations

• UI performance: update time reduced (~1.40 ms → ~0.17 ms).
• Entity optimizations (slot machines, pumps, arcade machines, etc.).
• Wind turbines: skinning removed to improve performance in dense areas.
• Elevators: now powered floor by floor; increased speed (3 m/s → 5 m/s).
• Diving tanks can now be refilled for free at the repair bench.
• Improved server occlusion handling and computation threading.

🐛 Notable Fixes

• Fixed incorrect pricing or symbols in the Steam store.
• Fixed display and placement issues for objects in certain monuments.
• Fixed an exploit allowing access to the tech tree via a static workbench on Oil Rig.
• Improved stability of spectator mode on modded servers.

🧭 Why these changes?

Facepunch Studios explains that the goal is to restore natural progression in Rust. Many servers no longer wiped blueprints after a wipe, giving long-time players an unfair advantage. By reducing research costs and removing some crafting barriers, the developers aim to restore a real sense of progression and reward, without artificially extending the learning curve.

📜 Official source

Full original article: rust.facepunch.com/news/pivot-or-die