Rust Third Person Camera and Extraction Raids: Hackweek Commits

Facepunch's developers spent the week of November 10 on hackweek branches, and one of the biggest ideas is an over-the-shoulder third person camera on F3 plus a full extraction raid mode run out of Outpost. Both live on a branch called hackweek_thirdperson_camera.

This is hackweek work. It has no date, it is not on the main branch, and it may never ship in this form. Treat everything below as an experiment you can read about, not a promised feature.

What is a Rust hackweek?

During a hackweek, the developers try ideas outside the normal plan for a few days. The branch names in this batch all start with "hackweek". Some hackweek ideas land in a later update after more work, and many never leave their branch. Our daily digest saw many of these branches between November 10 and 12, from new grenades to camera tapes.

The shoulder camera

The first commit, on November 10, says it plainly: add an over-the-shoulder third person camera on F3. Rust has always been first person for normal players, so this is a big change in how the game would feel.

The same day, Pilgrim added more to it:

• Free run, free look, camera weight and a throw arc. The throw arc should show where a thrown item will land.
• A reload bar beside the weapon, since you can't see your hands as well from behind.
• A slide when you duck during a sprint.

On November 11 the camera got its own, narrower field of view, and there is now a server setting that keeps everyone in the shoulder camera. That last one matters. It means a server could choose third person for all players, so nobody gets an edge from peeking around corners while others can't.

Extraction raids with hot air balloons

The other half of this branch turns Rust into an extraction game. The first commit adds extraction raids with hot air balloon extraction points. Then the idea grew fast over two days:

• Outpost becomes the hub. Pilgrim put Outpost on the extraction map and turned it into the extraction hub with a stash, unlocks and saves. Players who are not in a raid stay inside Outpost, and raid fights don't make players hostile at the hub.
• Balloons are the way out. A lift-off countdown shows near a lit extraction balloon, and balloons are marked on the map with a timer and close one after another. So you have to reach an open one in time.
• Less room to carry loot. The main inventory is halved on the extraction map, and backpacks set the size of the inventory and the safe pocket.
• A safe pocket. It has its own place on the inventory screen and shows while the stash is open. This is our guess from the name: items in the safe pocket are kept even if you die in a raid.
• What you carry is at stake. The game keeps what players carry between sessions, at stake once they deploy. Dead players are brought straight back to the hub.
• Loot has a value. Items get a scrap value, and the game shows what loot is worth. After a raid you get a raid summary page with more of what happened.
• Hub unlocks cost resources. Unlocks are paid in wood, stone and metal, and paying takes a held key.
• No respawn tricks. Sleeping bags, beds and beach towels are kept out of extraction, and you can't deploy while crafting.

On November 11 the branch turned the extraction hub and shoulder camera on by default. That is a branch default for testing, not a change to the real game.

Will it come to normal Rust?

Nobody knows yet. Facepunch has not said anything about it outside the commits. Our guess: the shoulder camera is easier to bring over than the extraction mode, since extraction changes how loot, death and Outpost work. The server setting suggests Facepunch is at least thinking of it as an option servers can turn on, not a change for everyone.

If any of it lands, it would most likely show up in a monthly update on the first Thursday. Our post on how Rust updates and forced wipes work explains that schedule.

FAQ

Is third person coming to Rust? There is a working third person shoulder camera on a hackweek branch, on F3. It has no release date and may not ship.

What is the Rust extraction mode? A test mode where Outpost is a safe hub, you deploy into raids, and you leave by hot air balloon before the balloons close. Your loot is at stake once you deploy.

Can servers force third person? On this branch, yes. A server setting keeps every player in the shoulder camera.

When is it coming? There is no date. Hackweek branches are experiments.

Sanguine Rust

Sanguine Rust is a PVE server with zombies, bosses and skill levels. We test every Rust build before moving our islands, so we will look at this camera closely if it ships. Read what Sanguine is, or see more Rust news on the blog.

Source: Facepunch commits for hackweek_thirdperson_camera, November 10 to 12, 2026.