Patch notesUpdate date Thursday 3 September

Breach and Clear

The September update adds monument blockers, group-scaled upkeep, rare HQM nodes and breakable armour on attack helicopters. It also changes Power Plant-linked systems, item balance and server performance.

Checked against Facepunch's official notesUpdated 4 Sept 2026

Written with AI. How this page is made

Breach and Clear header art: the update title on torn tape over raiders in heavy armour breaking in
Image: Facepunch Studios, official post

In this article

  1. Red keycard routes now have monument blockers
  2. Large groups now pay extra base upkeep
  3. Attack helicopter armour now breaks away
  4. Rare HQM nodes now spawn on the island
  5. Drone deliveries now depend on Power Plant
  6. Honey gets a new healing recipe
Browse 8 more stories and 25 smaller changes
  1. Modular cars gain a handbrake
  2. Radwater and SAM Sites are stronger
  3. Server event saving now handles restarts better
  4. Water Treatment maintenance is simpler
  5. Physics, memory and vehicle stutters were reduced
  6. Dropped items and tools receive new artwork
  7. The new NPC navmesh starts a limited rollout
  8. Painting and skin selection are easier to preview
  9. Everything else25 smaller changes

Red keycard routes now have monument blockers

Selected red keycard routes now include destructible blockers that delay early access to high-tier loot.

Layout of Launch Site

Most blockers need significant damage and stay destroyed once opened. Some weaker blockers can be broken with melee weapons.

A blocker that remains intact begins to decay after 24 hours.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Large groups now pay extra base upkeep

Tool Cupboards add upkeep tax when more than four recent players are authorised on the base.

The count includes current TC and code-lock users, guest-code access, and players removed during the previous 24 hours.

More details & sources
  • The first four players add no tax.
  • Players five to ten add 2% each.
  • Every player after ten adds 4%, up to a 300% cap.

sourceFacepunch post

Attack helicopter armour now breaks away

Cockpit armour on the Attack Helicopter and armoured Hot Air Balloon now falls off in stages as the vehicle takes damage.

The Attack Helicopter loses its left, right and front panels at 80%, 70% and 60% health. Those thresholds expose the pilot and gunner in stages.

The armoured Hot Air Balloon loses its left, right, back and front panels at 90%, 80%, 70% and 60% health.

Equipping Hot Air Balloon armour now plays an effect and takes three seconds.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Rare HQM nodes now spawn on the island

High Quality Metal ore now has its own scarce node and collectable; the node is more likely to appear in the Jungle.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Drone deliveries now depend on Power Plant

The Drone Marketplace must charge from the restored Power Plant before it can accept purchases.

Layout of Power Plant

Four or more active fuses charge the marketplace battery. Deliveries become available at 50% charge.

One active fuse stops the battery draining. The marketplace switches off again if charge falls below 50%.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Honey gets a new healing recipe

The Medical Honey Bandage is a new Workbench Level 1 item placed between the Bandage and Medical Syringe.

The item gives bee farms another use for stored honey.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Modular cars gain a handbrake

Steering, turning and suspension have been retuned, with a new handbrake on the Control key.

The handling changes also target more consistent driving for players with higher latency.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Radwater and SAM Sites are stronger

Sprinklers push Radwater through more armour types, while SAM Sites intercept hostile drones more reliably.

Hazmat suits remain an effective Radwater counter. SAM missiles fly faster against drones and have a larger detonation-fuse area.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Server event saving now handles restarts better

Oil rigs, Cargo Ship, Patrol Helicopter, Bradley and satellite crash sites now preserve more of their state through a restart.

Layout of Small Oil Rig

Facepunch improved how those five events save and load. It cites Oil Rig loot and its hackable crate disappearing after a restart as the concrete problem.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Water Treatment maintenance is simpler

The pressurised tank and gearboxes now provide predictable water-flow time and scale pipe output with pressure.

Layout of Water Treatment Plant

Each fully turned gearbox provides three hours of flow, for six hours with both. Facepunch describes one water pipe as roughly equal to two pumps, with stronger IO output.

When tank pressure is exhausted, pipes across the map start losing water. More pipes now spawn, with more consistent placement.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Physics, memory and vehicle stutters were reduced

The update changes physics scaling, trims memory and VRAM use, and pools vehicles to reduce recreation stutters.

Facepunch measured twice the physics performance on one test server, but results vary with server load.

Early memory testing showed savings above 0.5 GB on some machines. Vehicle pooling targets 20 to 30 ms spikes when vehicles leave and re-enter network range.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Dropped items and tools receive new artwork

More than 70 dropped items now use dedicated world models, alongside refreshed Flashlight, arrow and Salvaged Hammer art.

The Flashlight also gains new animations and right-click toggling. Four Wood Armour pieces can now receive Workshop skins.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

The new NPC navmesh starts a limited rollout

Facepunch is enabling the newer navigation system on selected official servers before deciding whether to make it the default.

Server owners can opt in with -useNewNavmesh. The system saves navigation data to disk and shifts more NPC navigation work to background threads.

Facepunch warns that the changed paths may let some animals enter player bases or monuments.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Painting and skin selection are easier to preview

The painting UI can project the current brush onto an object, and crafting can choose a random unlocked skin per item.

The random-skin choice is saved separately for each item, so other items can keep a specific selected skin.

View sources

sourceFacepunch post

Everything else: 25 smaller changes

Monuments

  • Dome fuel pumps now store 1,000 crude oil instead of 10,000.official post

Events

  • The satellite control room gains a red siren during descent.official post

Gear

  • The Heavy Plate Helmet now muffles game audio and costs more to craft.official post
  • Heavy Plate Jacket and Pants movement now makes a sound other players can hear.official post
  • Large Medkits now reduce radiation.official post

Electricity

  • Rentable shops refrigerate food while the Power Plant is active.official post

World

  • Procedural maps have improved rock and cliff placement.official post

Balance

  • Swamp trees now give wood yields in line with other tree types.official post
  • The Semi-Automatic Pistol loses more damage at range and costs slightly more to craft.official post
  • Several pies have longer effects and adjusted recipes; Hunter's Pie reduces more bleeding.official post
  • F1, Bee, Molotov and Flashbang stacks are now three; Beancan Grenades stack to four.official post
  • The Homing Missile Launcher locks on sooner.official post
  • SMG bodies are slightly more common and rifle bodies slightly less common.official post
  • Rugs and Bear Rugs provide full comfort from farther away.official post
  • The Longsword now swings slightly more accurately with less time between attacks.official post

Quality of life

  • The Composter UI now shows processing time.official post
  • Clans gained new achievements.official post
  • Boat Planner research is cheaper; unlocked Garage Doors can be picked up without building privilege, and Chinese Lanterns can be picked up with fuel inside.official post
  • Firework icons were refreshed and the Large Fireworks Pack gains a white boomer.official post
  • Demo tools received UI, dolly-camera and sandbox improvements.official post

Performance

  • Hundreds of small entities now use shorter network ranges to reduce traffic.official post

Fixes

  • Fixed instant aiming and firing while blocking with the shield, a Siege Tower Launch Site puzzle skip, and entry through high external stone walls placed on ice sheets.official post

DLC and skins

  • A Crystal Assault Rifle skin is available in five colour variations.official post

Modding and admin

  • Server owners can enable deep-sea terrain across the main island with a convar.official post
  • EU Hardcore 1 and US East Hardcore 1 map size fell from 4,250 to 3,750; EU Primitive 2, CAN Primitive 1 and US West Primitive 1 were retired.official post
How this update was written

Written from Facepunch’s Breach and Clear post.

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