What's New in Rust's May 2026 Update: Workbench Upgrades and the Mortar
A new deployable siege weapon, a genuine workbench upgrade system, and a redesigned vending machine UI headline this update.
Rust's May 2026 update leans into base defense and raiding specifically, introducing a new upgrade system for workbenches and a brand-new deployable siege weapon, alongside a batch of quality-of-life fixes.
Workbench Upgrades
Workbenches can now be upgraded with nine distinct improvements, each granting a specific bonus effect. This adds genuine depth to what was previously a simple "place it and forget it" structure, giving players a reason to invest further in their crafting setup rather than treating the workbench as a one-time placement.
The Mortar
A new deployable weapon aimed at both anti-personnel use and raiding. Its exact niche will depend on how it performs relative to existing options covered in our raiding methods post, but it adds a genuinely new tool to the raiding toolkit rather than a reskin of an existing one.
Tin Can Alarm Gets More Dangerous
The humble Tin Can Alarm can now be rigged with various explosive and utility items — turning a passive noisemaker into an active deterrent, relevant to anyone planning around offline raid protection (see our post on that specifically).
Vending Machines and the Server Browser
The Vending Machine UI got a full redesign with better administration tools, useful for anyone running the kind of trading setup covered in our shopfronts and vending machines post. Separately, the server browser now maps servers by country to prevent ping spoofing — a fix aimed at server-selection fairness rather than in-game mechanics.
Balance Adjustments
- The Computer Station now requires power to function, rather than working passively.
- Deep Sea loot quantities were brought down to be more in line with other monuments.
- Scientist-crewed boats now carry fewer guns overall.
- Boat drag physics were adjusted based on hull shape.
Cosmetics and Smaller Fixes
The Salvaged Cleaver got a full model and animation remake, Binoculars received an overhaul (including a lower crafting cost), and road sign spawns were restored at the Outpost, Junkyard, and Water Wells after apparently going missing. A Discord Shop sale on pre-2026 DLC items ran alongside the update as well.
Are all nine workbench upgrades available immediately at Tier 1?
The official patch notes are the authoritative source on exactly which upgrades require which workbench tier — check the linked devblog post below for the specifics before planning around a particular upgrade.
Is the Mortar meant to replace rockets or C4?
It's a new addition to the raiding toolkit rather than a direct replacement — see our raiding methods post for how mixing different explosive types is generally the more effective approach anyway.
Why does the Computer Station needing power matter?
It ties the Computer Station into the same electrical planning covered in our electricity guide — you'll need a working power source and connection for it to function, rather than it just working out of the box.
Where's the full official changelog?
Facepunch's complete write-up is at rust.facepunch.com/news/upgrade-hard-raid-harder.