Rust's Livestock Update is live, and it does much more than put cows and sheep behind a fence. Animals can be bred, harvested and sold, while milk, wool and spoiled food now feed into new crafting and trading systems.

The update also adds a Biofuel Generator, repairable helipads, stacked sandbag defenses and Powergrid loot rooms across major monuments. This is a monthly patch, but the number of connected systems makes it proper content rather than routine maintenance.

Cows and sheep have genetics, needs and a market

Wild livestock can be captured and kept inside player structures. Cows and sheep have genetics and needs, giving players a reason to breed better animals instead of treating them as moving resource crates.

Both animals produce dung. Cows provide milk, while sheep provide wool. Mature animals can also be sold to a new Stable vendor, with randomized offers based on their genetic quality. Players can reject two offers before the vendor refuses further negotiations for 15 minutes.

Wool uses the same offer system. The value depends on the amount delivered at once, up to 400 wool, so carrying a larger haul creates a better payday and a much uglier loss if another player catches you first.

Milk and spoiled meat now have jobs

Milk can be consumed immediately or refrigerated for four hours, after which it can be separated into skimmed milk and cream. Milk extends tea effects, while cream improves their strength.

The Biofuel Generator gives raw and spoiled meat another purpose. It converts organic material into low grade fuel, with better inputs producing more fuel. The generator must be stirred roughly every 30 minutes, although it can connect to Rust's electrical system to warn players when it needs attention.

Powergrid loot reaches more monuments

Powergrid loot rooms now appear at monuments including the Airfield, Launch Site, Military Tunnels, Nuclear Missile Silo, Trainyard and Water Treatment Plant. They remain locked until enough Heavy Fuses are inserted at the Power Plant.

Fuse decay now scales with server population. At 10 or fewer active players, fuses last four times longer, gradually returning to normal duration by 100 players. That should stop quiet servers from losing trade and loot access simply because nobody can keep the grid alive.

Early air vehicles require a shared repair job

The Air Wolf helipad at Bandit Camp begins each wipe broken. Players must contribute resources with a hammer before its vendor will sell aircraft. Once repaired, it remains available for the rest of the wipe and opens for everyone, even if one clan paid the bill.

Sandbags have also been rebuilt into four stackable stages, ending in a pillbox. Grenades, C4 and satchels now use client prediction for smoother throwing at higher latency, and the experimental Rust Render Pipeline begins a larger performance and graphics transition.

Facepunch has set October 22 at 18:00 BST for a separate mandatory Halloween update. The official Rust Livestock Update devblog contains the full feature list, performance notes and server controls.