Facepunch Studios has officially launched its highly anticipated livestock update for Rust, bringing full scale animal farming to the survival title. This major content drop centers on cows and sheep, giving players the tools to build secure enclosures, manage animal genetics, and generate power from organic materials.

Building farms, gathering resources, and managing animal genetics:

• Players can construct farms using new fence and gate blueprints to keep their livestock safe from wild predators and other players. While wild animals can still be killed and butchered for basic survival items like raw meat, bones, leather, and animal fat, keeping livestock alive provides a steady flow of resources across an entire server wipe.

• Farmers can harvest milk using milk buckets, which can be consumed immediately or processed into cream and skimmed milk. These dairy products enhance the potency and duration of pie and tea recipes. Sheared wool and dung also serve clear purposes. Players can sell wool to vendors at Stables for scrap, while dung can be converted into fertilizer to accelerate crop growth or traded directly for extra scrap.

• Breeding forms a core part of the new gameplay loop. Animals feature complex genetic codes similar to the plant farming mechanics in the game. Offspring inherit traits from both parents, and animals with superior genes produce resources faster while commanding higher prices at vendors. Players must keep their animals fed and safe to encourage reproduction.

Biofuel generators, wild creatures, and new Plague Doctor DLC:

• To deal with excess or unwanted animals from breeding programs, Facepunch Studios introduced the biofuel generator. Players can place raw or spoiled meat into the machine to produce low grade fuel, with higher calorie meat yielding greater amounts of fuel.

The update also adds small decorative wildlife across different biomes, bringing extra life to the environment with frogs, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, and squirrels. Alongside the new gameplay mechanics, players can purchase the Plague Doctor cosmetic skin for the Hazmat Suit on Steam for $9.99, offering a dark look just in time for the autumn season.