Rust's highly anticipated Crafting Update has arrived, dramatically expanding the game's crafting and survival mechanics. A culinary workbench introduces a new layer of depth, allowing players to grill chicken legs and even enjoy them with Siberian vodka! Recipes are required for successful cooking, and the resulting meals offer valuable stat boosts and gameplay modifiers.

Domesticating chickens has also been added. Players can now build coops to house chickens and chicks, each with individual needs (hunger, thirst, love, and sunlight) that must be met to ensure their survival. Chicken meat spoils over time, necessitating refrigeration for long-term storage; food spoilage is now clearly indicated by in-game timers.

For those with a sweeter tooth, wild beehives now appear in trees. Honeycombs can be harvested and relocated to player-built hives crafted from wooden boxes, but beware! Bees are aggressive and require protective suits, water, or flamethrowers to avoid painful stings. A new weapon, the Bee Grenade—a jar of honey that releases aggressive bee swarms upon impact—adds a unique and chaotic element to combat.

The engineering workbench has undergone a significant overhaul, now featuring separate tech trees for plumbing and electricity. This allows for the construction of complex automated systems and even entire factories. Finally, premium servers have been introduced, accessible only to players with a Rust inventory valued at $15 or more. This aims to create a more positive environment for dedicated players by filtering out cheaters and disruptive behavior.