Rust gets even more cutthroat by adding its own version of apartment rentals

It's been a while since I played Rust but I always look forward to its monthly updates because—what even is Rust these days? The latest feature sounds like the least likely thing you'd find in a hardcore PvP sandbox: apartments for rent.

"The apartment complex is a new monument that allows players getting started with a wipe to find a place to call home," says Facepunch Studios. "Simply talk to the receptionist in the lobby to get started and rent a room. There are options for every budget, from the basement to the penthouse. Different room types come with different perks, like more storage, furnaces and more."

OK, you can rent apartments in Rust now. That might as well be a thing. At any rate, the cutthroat traditions of Rust still endure even in the temporary housing market:

"Once you've rented a room you'll need to insert scrap into the slot next to your door, otherwise you'll be evicted and all of your possessions will be seized," Facepunch says. "There is a master key available somewhere on the island - find it and you can unlock access to any occupied room in the apartments for 5 minutes. Need a hint as to what room to burgle? There might be a guard in the basement who has more information."

Ah, that's more like it. If you're a second late with your rent you'll lose everything, plus someone might find a key and ransack your flat based on information spilled by a slimy basement stoolie.

Apartments aren't the only things you can occupy in the new update: there are commercial opportunities as well as residential ones:

"The new apartment complex monument features a small marketplace of shops. Each shop can be purchased and run by players, allowing you to sell your wares to the residents of the apartment building," says Facepunch.

Sounds sweet except for all the peril: someone may buy your shop right out from under you simply by paying more for it in scrap. And that master key that lets you pilfer from apartments? It also works on stores, so you're probably gonna get robbed by some jerk player, too. Hey, it's not personal. It's only business.

The update also brings changes to Rust's "softcore" mode, like 2x multipliers to resource gathering and raid windows that only allow base raids to occur between the hours of 6:00 and 9:00 pm local server time. There's also a new clan system, improved animations, Twitch drops, and more. Check out all the details of the new update here.

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