'You'll now be at the mercy of what loot you can find': Rust's latest update brings back hardcore mode tougher than ever, removing the ability to craft guns entirely

Rust has been playing with its parameters a lot lately (which mum once told me can make you go blind). Back in February, developer Facepunch introduced a medieval-themed Primitive, while April saw Rust's softcore mode become even softer. But just in case you suspect Rust is losing its edge in its advancing years, the survival sim's latest update goes in the complete opposite direction. Hardcore mode is back, baby, and it's less forgiving than ever.

The aptly named "Hardcore update" heralds the return of Rust's most extreme manifestation, bringing several big changes to the mode that'll ensure players truly feel the burn. For starters, it reintroduces fog of war to the in-game map, meaning you can only discover the lay of the land by exploring it in person (always a risky business in Rust). On top of that, the map won't display your location until you craft a compass. Even then, it'll only show your position, not the direction you're facing.

Other changes include a general increase in respawn cooldowns—15 minutes for sleeping bags and 10 minutes for beds—and a doubling of base upkeep costs intended to encourage "tighter, more efficient base designs." The most dramatic change, though, I've saved for last. From now on, hardcore mode no longer allows players to craft guns at all.

You can still acquire firearms in hardcore mode, but only by discovering them as you play. "You'll now be at the mercy of what loot you find in the world," Facepunch explains in the update's Steam post. Weapons can be repaired manually once acquired, while ammo can still be crafted, albeit at a much higher cost than in other modes. I like this change for its authenticity. Guns are not exactly easy for a layman to fashion by hand. But Facepunch has its own reasons for the alteration. "We hope these changes will make you think twice before engaging and promote a more thoughtful style of play."

Facepunch also stresses these changes do not signal any kind of direction for the game more broadly. "Our goal with game modes, such as Primitive and Hardcore, is to offer a fresh way to experience Rust, see how players respond, and try out different ideas," the studio explains. "We don’t expect them to stay popular for long, usually just a couple of months. They’re not a major development focus or time sink, as most of the team is working on bigger features behind the scenes."

It's also worth noting the hardcore update doesn't focus exclusively on refreshing this specific mode. The update also brings a general menu redesign that has been "built from the ground up" optimised loading times that Facepunch claims makes the journey from desktop to loading into a server up to 65% quicker, a tweak to metal detectors enabling them to detect weapons dropped by other players, and some visual changes including new volumetric clouds and directional self-shadowing for trees and bushes.

To coincide with the update, Facepunch has slashed Rust's price in half, bringing it down from $40 (£35) to $20 (£17.50). Hence, if you're looking for a sterner survival challenge, yet somehow haven't invested in Rust already, now might be the time to do so.