Rust‘s highly anticipated livestock update is now live, which means it’s time for players to start setting up their farms. Sheep and cows are the center of this update, so players better get out their shears and milk bucket. Besides dung, these animals produce milk and wool, which will come in handy each wipe.
Rust’s livestock update turns you into a farmer
There is a lot to do with sheep and cows in Rust. Like any wild animal in-game, you can butcher them for meat, bones, leather, and animal fat. However, with the new fence and gate blueprints, you can build a farm and breed them for dung, milk, or wool — all useful in their own way.
Dung was already a resource in Rust; it is used to make fertilizer, which helps plants grow but can also be traded in for scrap. Milk can either be consumed or turned into cream or skimmed milk, which boosts the duration and potency of pie and tea recipes.
Wool can be sold to vendors at Stables, just like the animals themselves. Vendors will make a random offer when players attempt to trade wool or livestock. Players can reject the offer up to three times. After this, the vendor won’t be available for a trade deal for another 15 minutes.
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Image: Facepunch -
Image: Facepunch
Breeding animals is a big part of the update, as each creature has its own set of genes, similar to plants. The offspring’s genes will depend on the parents’ genes. For animals to reproduce, players keep them safe and take care of their needs. Animals with better genes will be more valuable at vendors and produce goods more efficiently. Eventually, you might find yourself butchering some breedjects. Thankfully, with the new biofuel generator, you can turn their meat — spoiled or raw — into low-grade fuel. The higher the calorific value of the bio-matter you put into the generator, the more low-grade you’ll get. Essentially, Rust now lets you make fuel from your dead animals — you don’t see that in many farming sims.
This update also adds decorative wildlife. Depending on the biome they’re in, players will spot frogs, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, and squirrels. Besides all of these gameplay additions and environmental improvements, there is also a new cosmetic DLC: the Plague Doctor skin for the Hazmat Suit. This creepy outfit will fit right in with October’s spooky vibe. You can get the new Plague Doctor DLC on Steam for $9.99.