Electricity in Rust!

An exciting new dynamic is making its way in game this month - electricity has struck the staging branch. A work in progress, many electricity related items have been added, and the base of this new functionality is taking shape.

This article summarizes the core components of electricity in Rust as it stands now. Keep in mind, this is still in active development, and much is subject to change prior to going live in the game. Given this, I’m not delving too deep into specific costs and numbers, as they are likely not finalized.

Wire Tool

The fundamental connection between all these new items, the Wire Tool is a core component of electricity. To use it, simply equip, right click on an electrical object, select your choice on the wheel, and then connect to another object. You can also left click while dragging the wire to pin it to that part of the wall or floor.

Small generator

The first step to powering anything is to find a source of electricity of course! That’s where the small generator comes into play. Placed on the ground or a shelf, the small generator produces power for up to 3 external sources. At the moment, it doesn’t require any fuel, but I expect that to change prior to this functionality going live.

Large Solar Panel

Another source of power, Large Solar Panels can be placed around and used to provide items electricity. As you probably guessed, this only provides power when the sun is actively hitting the panels. For example, if you attach a solar panel directly to a door controller, it’ll keep the door open during the day, then shut it at night.

You can also connect solar panels to rechargeable batteries, to store the power for a later time (although that functionality may not be totally working as intended at the moment).

Small Rechargeable Battery

Next on the list is the Small Rechargeable Battery. Connect it to a solar panel to charge up over time. You can then connect this to a switch or other electrical component to provide it with power.

Simple light

One obvious use of electricity is to keep the lights on in your base. Enter: the Simple Light. Mounted on a wall, the simple light provides a nice source of illumination when power is flowing.

Laser detector

Stepping into the realm of base defense, the laser detector is a gate which allows power to flow when someone has stepped in the beam.

Pressure pad

If you’ve always wanted a way to make doors less of a hassle, the Pressure Pad will surely interest you. Placed on the floor, this pad will allow power to pass though when a player is standing on it. This can easily be hooked up to door controllers to open doors automatically.

Door controller

Speaking of, the Door Controller allows for doors to open and close based on the source of power. When power is received, the door controller will open the attached door. When power is lost, it’ll close said door.

Switch

There have also been a number of switches and logic gates added for electricity. Most simplistic, the switch allows for power to pass through when in the on position and stops the flow of electricity when in the off position.

And switch

A slight variation of the simple switch, the And Switch will allow electricity to pass through only when both inputs receive power.

Or switch

Similar to the And Switch, the Or Switch also has two power inputs. It, however, will allow electricity to pass through if either of the two inputs receives power.

Timer switch

There is also a Timer Switch. As you probably can imagine, this switch will allow power to pass though for a period of time (around 10 seconds at the moment) and can be activated manually or via an active power input.

Splitter

Need to spread the electricity around a bit? The splitter will be the tool of choice for you. With this device, you can split an electrical signal into 4 outputs. Keep in mind, this can only split power from a generator once, and can not split power coming from a splitter.

Blocker

As the name implies, the Blocker can be used to block power. With 1 output and 2 inputs, the Blocker stops electricity from flowing if it’s receiving power from the other input. This can be utilized to set up some interesting situations, such as having lights turn on only when the sun has set.