Soft Refresh – Rust becomes a little less brutal (Softcore renewal)

Rust is notorious for its merciless struggle for survival – in Rust, getting killed and looted is about as common as it is Tuesday. That's why Facepunch introduced a special Softcore game mode back in 2021 to give new players a more forgiving start. With the Soft Refresh update in April 2025, the Softcore experience will become even softer and more accessible to newcomers, while experienced players will have new mechanics to play with. The update also brings a sneak peek at future content.

Broken crates and items now leave behind repairable wreckage in Rust's Softcore mode (Soft Refresh - News — Rust). This change makes it easier to rebuild your base after a raid.

Here are some of the key changes in Soft Refresh and Softcore game mode that could have a big impact on your gameplay:

• Repairable Base Items (Deployable Debris): When a deployable item (e.g., crates, cabinets, stoves, etc.) in your base is destroyed in Softcore mode, it now leaves behind a broken "wreck" that the owner can repair. Even better, only half of the contents are lost on the ground; the other half is safely stored inside the wreckage and can only be retrieved by the owner. This feature applies to Large/Small Wooden Box, Furnace, Tool Cupboard, Workbench, and more, making it much easier to get back on your feet after a raid. A raid no longer means total ruin—now you only lose about half of your stuff if you can recapture your base!

• Safer storage: As an extra layer of protection, enemies can no longer open your chests and other containers outside of the building privilege (without TC access) on Softcore servers. This means that intruders can't just sneak in and loot your stuff unless they also take over your Tool Cupboard. Another helping hand for defense, especially for new players.
• Better respawn (50% inventory upon respawn): The Reclaim terminal at the Outpost has been removed in Softcore. Instead, you now automatically get 50% of your inventory with you upon respawn if you die outside your base area. This means you don't have to sprint to the Outpost in the hope of recovering lost items – the system does it for you, faster and more fairly. In addition, the distribution of the 50% has been improved so that you keep about half of each resource stack rather than a random selection – no more situations where you are left with useless junk while all your ammo is gone. This makes dying less frustrating and gives new players a gentler start (and a fair chance to get back into the game).

• Higher door maintenance (upkeep change): To curb giant bunker bases packed with doors, Softcore has now significantly raised the maintenance requirements for doors (Soft Refresh - News — Rust). A larger base may now find that doors require up to 90% of upkeep, whereas in normal Rust it is only ~30% (Soft Refresh - News — Rust). Building blocks are unchanged, but many doors = big bills. The goal is to discourage the enormous door mazes that can remain untouched for weeks and make it more attractive to raid even without a huge zerg team (Soft Refresh - News — Rust). In other words: think twice before putting up that 38th garage door "just in case" — it will be expensive to maintain!

• 25% less PvP damage: PvP in Softcore should be less brutal. Damage from bullets between players has therefore been reduced by 25% (Soft Refresh - News — Rust). This gives the battles more breathing room – you will no longer be instantly knocked down by the first shot from an enemy with a semi-automatic rifle. Instead, you have a little more time to react, take cover, or shoot back. This measure is intended to create longer, more intense battles where you actually get to participate in the fight instead of just dying immediately. New or casual players in particular will benefit from this milder PvP, while veterans will have to hone their aim for the decisive kill.

• Sleeping bags with extra lives: If an enemy destroys your sleeping bag, bed, or beach towel in Softcore, you now get one extra chance. When a sleeping bag is destroyed, it is replaced by a damaged version (marked with a small skull and crossbones) where you can still respawn one last time. After you are revived, the bag disappears completely. This gives attacked players one last chance to fight back from their base, even if their bed was destroyed during a raid.

Soft Refresh also includes several minor improvements and exciting additions. For base builders, a brand new Adobe External Wall & Gate skin DLC has been introduced, allowing you to give your outer wall a cool mud-brown look. Quality changes include refrigerators now being able to store bota bags and honeycombs (from bees), the ability to place rugs even under already placed loot, and crossbows/towers now visibly showing which arrow type they are loaded with. Speaking of bees: the new bee system from the last update has received a much-needed adjustment – bees sting less hard (damage now scales with armor) and produce slightly less honeycomb than before. Finally, we get a glimpse of the future with a teaser for the upcoming Jungle biome: a lush new area with new early-game weapons and deadly wildlife such as crocodiles and snakes. Public testing of the Jungle biome will start soon, so even the most experienced survivors have something to look forward to on the horizon!

(Bottom line: Softcore mode in Rust has become much more forgiving and beginner-friendly with Soft Refresh, without cheating hardcore players out of new toys and challenges. It may be "Rust with training wheels," but it's also an exciting experiment that Facepunch is considering bringing into regular (vanilla) Rust in the future. We'll have to see if the semi-friendly Rust style catches on with the player base!

Easter 2025 in Rust – Egg hunts, costumes, and crazy ideas

Rust's Easter event features sparkling Easter eggs scattered across the wasteland, ready to be collected for delicious rewards. Every in-game day from April 10 to April 24, an intense Easter egg hunt begins, where players have 3 minutes to collect as many colorful eggs as possible (Easter 2025 - News — Rust). The 3 players who collect the most eggs will be rewarded with special Easter eggs filled with extra good loot – everything from a pile of scrap to an M249 machine gun can be found in these prize eggs!

But even if you don't make it into the top 3, there is hope: the painted Easter eggs you collect can be upgraded step by step. If you get 10 regular (painted) eggs, they can be exchanged for a bronze egg; 10 bronze eggs can be turned into a silver egg, and if you collect 10 silver eggs, you can create the coveted gold egg (Easter 2025 - News — Rust). So everyone has a chance to work their way up to the golden goodies, even without winning every round – persistence pays off in the Easter event.

To help you in your hunt, Facepunch has added a few fun tools. The Easter Basket lets you collect eggs instantly from the ground, saving you precious seconds in the middle of the race. And with the complete Bunny outfit – a delightful Bunny Onesie and bunny ears – you get a kind of "egg radar" (Egg Vision) that makes it easier to spot the eggs in the grass around you. So jump into the bunny costume and get ready for the egg hunt!

The Easter update isn't just about eggs, but also about costumes and decorations. This year, we welcome the brand new Horse Costume – a humorous horse outfit for your survivor! 🐴 The Horse Costume is a new DLC outfit that is worn on the lower body and can be crafted with fabric and wood. The suit comes in three variants (perhaps one for each of your horse friends?) and is only available for a limited time via Rust's Item Store. In addition, you can decorate your base with a special Easter egg: the aquatic Rust Egg. This decorative item depicts a large Easter egg decorated with Rust's cargo ship and a RHIB boat – a fun way to celebrate Easter in the game. The Rust Egg is also only available for a limited time through the item store, so if you want a unique egg for your collection, you'll have to act fast during the Easter period.

Of course, the Easter Store will return in 2025, so you can dress yourself (or your friends) up in crazy outfits. Previous Easter hits such as the Egg Hat, Bunny Hat, and the legendary Chicken Costume will be available again. Yes, you read that right—you can still run around as a giant chicken and spread Easter cheer (and maybe terror) on the battlefield. Easter in Rust is always a crazy time, where serious survival gets a touch of humor and fun. The event is a perfect opportunity for new players to get some free loot and have fun, while experienced players can enjoy a break from the intense competition and collect fun cosmetic items. Everyone can join in the fight for eggs or trade up for gold-plated rewards – and maybe laugh at the sight of a fully armed survivor in rabbit ears.

Get the most out of the updates on your own Rust server

The latest updates really show the breadth of Rust – from gameplay balancing in Softcore to crazy seasonal events like Easter. To get the very best experience with these new features, it really pays to have your own Rust server. Why is that? Here are some good reasons for both new and experienced players:

• Play your way: With your own server, you decide the rules of the game. New players can turn down the difficulty level – perhaps run a Softcore server or adjust loot amounts – so they can learn the game in a safer environment. Experienced players, on the other hand, can tailor the server to a hardcore experience or something in between. The choice is yours, whether you want to practice base building, experiment with the latest features, or just have a place where only your friends (or your clan) participate.
• Always up to date and events on command: As a server owner, you can ensure that your Rust server is always running the latest version, so you can immediately enjoy updates such as Soft Refresh. At PineRiver, servers are automatically updated to the latest patch, so you and your fellow players don't miss out on anything. Want to celebrate the Easter event in peace and quiet? With your own server, you can make sure the event is activated and maybe even adjust the frequency of egg hunts if you want. Overall, a private server gives you full control over how and when you play the new content.
• Better performance and fewer trolls: Public official servers can be crowded and laggy, especially right after a major update or during events where everyone flocks in. At the same time, you risk cheaters or toxic players ruining the experience. With a dedicated Rust server from a good provider, you get high performance, low latency, and the ability to manage who plays. You can whitelist your friends, install anti-cheat plugins, and moderate as you wish. The result is a smoother, more enjoyable gaming experience without frustrating lag or troublemakers.

In short, your own Rust server gives you the freedom to enjoy Rust exactly the way you want – especially when new updates come out that you want to explore under controlled conditions. And that's where PineRiver comes in: we make it incredibly easy to get started as a server owner, even if you've never tried it before.

The benefits of PineRiver Rust server hosting

When you choose PineRiver as your Rust server hosting partner, you get a wide range of benefits included in the package. Our solution is designed for both casual players and large community administrators who demand the best. Here are some of the key benefits of hosting your Rust server with PineRiver:

• High performance and stability: PineRiver runs on state-of-the-art hardware and networks to ensure lag-free Rust gameplay. Our dedicated servers have high CPU frequencies and lightning-fast NVMe SSDs, giving you stable FPS and fast load times, even with many players online. The connection has low latency and 99.99% uptime, so your server is always available (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). Advanced DDoS protection is included as standard, so your game remains unaffected by attacks (Rust Server Hosting - Fast & Stable | PineRiver). In short: your players will have a smooth experience – even during large base raids or wild Easter egg hunts.
• Easy setup and full control: You don't need to be an IT expert to run a Rust server with us. Our user-friendly control panel makes it easy to get started and manage servers (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). The server is automatically set up in minutes after ordering (no waiting!), and via the panel you can easily adjust settings, run one-click mod/plugin installations, and start/stop or wipe the server as needed (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). For advanced users, we offer full FTP access and the ability to fine-tune configuration files, giving you 100% control over your server. Need to install Oxide/uMod plugins? No problem – it's easily done through the panel, allowing you to customize the game with unique mods and features.
• Customize your Rust world: With PineRiver, you can tailor the experience completely to your (and your players') wishes. You can adjust gather rates and loot amounts, change construction rules (building restrictions, who can build, etc.), configure PvP/PvE settings, determine map size/seed – yes, pretty much everything can be customized (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). Want to experiment with new game modes or events? You can create events, play with server mods, or even run a special roleplay or minigame server. The possibilities are endless, and you hold the keys to the kingdom.
• Top-notch security, backup, and support: We know how frustrating it is to lose progress. That's why PineRiver includes daily backups of your server, so your data is always safe (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). If something goes wrong, you can quickly restore the server to a previous state. Our professional support team is available 24/7, all year round – which means you can always get help, whether it's 3 a.m. or Christmas Day. If you have questions about setup, mods, or performance, we'll respond quickly via chat or support ticket. We're here to ensure that your server runs smoothly and that you succeed as an administrator.
• Scalability and flexibility: PineRiver's Rust servers suit your needs, whether you want to host a small group of friends or a large community. You can easily upgrade the server's CPU/RAM if you need more power (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver), and there are no artificial player slot limitations – you decide how many can join. Our flexible plans and robust infrastructure mean that your server can grow along with your player base. And if, contrary to expectations, you are not satisfied, we offer a satisfaction guarantee (money back within 72 hours) – we believe in our product and only want happy customers.

In short: PineRiver provides a complete Rust server hosting solution that takes performance, security, and user-friendliness into account. That's why we are among the leaders in Europe and have thousands of satisfied customers who trust us every day (Rust Server Hosting | PineRiver). When you play Rust, you should be able to focus on the game itself – surviving, building, and having fun – rather than worrying about the technical aspects. We take care of that part!

Get started today – Begin your Rust adventure with PineRiver

Rust's Soft Refresh and Easter 2025 updates show how cool the game can be when you have the right setup. So why not take the plunge and experience it all on your own server? Here's what you can do right now:

• Create your own Rust server now: Don't miss out on the new content – at PineRiver, you can order your Rust server hosting and get it online in minutes. The sooner you get started, the sooner you and your friends can enjoy the new updates to the fullest on your own terms.
• Get a superior gaming experience: Choose PineRiver and feel the difference right away. Get rid of lag and server problems and focus on exploring the Softcore changes and winning the Easter egg race. With PineRiver, you get the best possible Rust server experience – stable, fast, and completely customized for you.
• Contact us and get off to a good start: Are you unsure about something or have special requests? Our customer service is available 24/7 to help you get started. We guide you through every step, so even if it's your first time hosting a server, you'll get off to a flying start. Your journey to becoming the ultimate Rust server admin starts here! 🚀

Take control of your Rust experience today with PineRiver. The choice is yours: Do you want to just follow along on other people's servers, or do you want to create your own world in Rust? We are ready to help you build that world. So jump on board, create your Rust server, and let the adventure begin! See you online in Rust—maybe on your own PineRiver-hosted server 😉

Have fun and good luck out there in the wilderness – both in surviving the new challenges and finding all the Easter eggs!