Rust changed how you unlock blueprints again. Since the Printed and Polished update on November 5, 2026, the tech trees no longer cost scrap. Every node now costs a blueprint item instead: a Blueprint Fragment on the Workbench 1 tree, a Blueprint Page on Workbench 2 and a Blueprint Book on Workbench 3. Scrap does not disappear. It goes back into the workbench recipes, and the research table gets more expensive.
We first wrote this guide from Facepunch’s commit log while the change was on staging. It is now checked against the official Printed and Polished devblog and the live item data, including exact drop sources for pages and books. Facepunch says it does not expect to get it perfect first time and will adjust it sooner than last time, so we will keep this page updated.
- What Changed
- Fragment, Page, Book
- New Costs
- Where to Find Them
- Prototype & Salvage
- Old vs New
- Release Date
- Tips
- FAQ
What Changed With Blueprints in Rust?
The work lives on a Facepunch branch called blueprints_2, merged into the main development branch on October 27, 2026. The first commit (October 21) spells out the whole idea:
- Blueprints now pay for the tech trees instead of scrap, currently 1 per item. Workbench 1 uses Blueprint Fragments, Workbench 2 uses Blueprint Pages, Workbench 3 uses Blueprint Books, and the Engineering Workbench uses fragments.
- Blueprint fragments come out of the workbench recipes and the old scrap costs return.
- Items can still be researched at the research table for scrap, at higher prices.
- “More balancing and changes to come.”
Facepunch’s devblog explains why: the old fragment system “caused a lot of friction in the early game”, and because Basic Fragments came from puzzle rooms, a group that couldn’t compete at monuments was not just slowed down but locked out of Workbench 2. The lowest tier now drops from barrels and boxes and can be upgraded, while puzzle rooms and harder content are still the fastest way to progress. Facepunch also wants more trading: “There is a much greater emphasis on finding, trading for, or making allies to get items you need.”
In plain terms: before this update you spent scrap on almost everything. Now scrap pays for your workbenches and the research table, while the tech trees eat paper you loot. A big scrap stack on its own will not unlock a Workbench 3 tree any more. That makes looting matter much more in the first hours of a wipe, and it makes a group that farms monuments and boats pull ahead of a group that only recycles.
Blueprint Fragment vs Page vs Book
The item data shows how the old items map onto the new ones. The Basic Blueprint Fragment item is renamed Blueprint Fragment (shortname blueprintfragment), the Advanced Blueprint Fragment becomes the Blueprint Book (blueprintbook), and the Blueprint Page (blueprintpage) is a brand new item.
| Item | Pays for | Where it drops | Can you craft it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Fragment | Workbench 1 tree, Engineering Workbench tree | Barrels, boxes and other low-end loot | No |
| Blueprint Page | Workbench 2 tree | Where Basic Blueprint Fragments used to drop | Yes, 10 fragments into 1 page |
| Blueprint Book | Workbench 3 tree | Where Advanced Blueprint Fragments used to drop | No, pages cannot be upgraded into books |
Books are the bottleneck. You cannot craft them, so every Workbench 3 node (the Workbench 3 guns, rockets and C4 path) needs a book from high-tier loot. Expect groups that run oil rigs, locked crates and underwater labs to reach their endgame trees first.
New Research Table and Workbench Costs
The research table keeps working the way it always has (put an item in, pay scrap, learn the blueprint), it just costs more. The new prices hit about 100 items, for example the Auto Turret and Armored Door going from 120 to 300 scrap and 5.56 rifle ammo going from 60 to 100.
| Rarity | Old research cost | Research cost now | Tech tree node now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 15 scrap | 20 scrap | 1 blueprint item |
| Uncommon | 30 scrap | 40 scrap | 1 blueprint item |
| Rare | 60 scrap | 100 scrap | 1 blueprint item |
| Very rare | 120 scrap | 300 scrap | 1 blueprint item |
The workbench recipes drop their blueprint fragments and get their scrap back. The full live recipes:
| Workbench | Old recipe (Pivot or Die) | Recipe now (Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench 1 | 500 wood, 100 metal fragments | 500 wood, 100 metal fragments, 50 scrap |
| Workbench 2 | 500 metal fragments, 20 HQM, 5 Basic Blueprint Fragments | 500 metal fragments, 25 HQM, 500 scrap |
| Workbench 3 | 1,000 metal fragments, 100 HQM, 5 Advanced Blueprint Fragments | 1,000 metal fragments, 100 HQM, 1,250 scrap |
Where to Find Blueprint Fragments, Pages and Books
These are the live drop chances from the item data. Fragments come from everyday loot, pages from monument puzzles and harder content, and books only from the top tier.
| Item | Source | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Fragment | Barrels (yellow and blue) | 16.7% for 1 |
| Basic crate, jungle basic crate | 20% for 1 | |
| Normal (roadside) crate | 20% for 2 | |
| Gutting catfish, salmon, orange roughy, small shark (fishing) | 20% for 1 | |
| Upgrade path | 10 fragments make 1 page | |
| Blueprint Page | Underwater Lab puzzle | about 4 |
| Power Plant, Train Yard, Water Treatment Plant puzzles | 3 each | |
| Airfield, Arctic Research Base puzzles; every supply drop | 2 each | |
| Ferry Terminal, both Harbors, Radtown, Satellite Dish, Sewer Branch, The Dome | 1 each | |
| Treasure mission box | 50% for 1 | |
| Scientist PT boat and RHIB dryboxes | 20% for 1 | |
| Military crates, road scientists, outbreak sprayers | 10% for 1 | |
| Livestock Vendor (selling animals) | 1 to 4 | |
| Blueprint Book | Hackable locked crates (Chinook, oil rigs, ghost ships) | 2 every time |
| Launch Site, Military Tunnel, Missile Silo, Underwater Lab puzzles | 2 each | |
| Elite crates | 10% for 1 |
Blueprint Pages also show up with a metal detector along roads and rails (about 6%). The roaming scientist boats are new in the same update. They patrol the waters around the main island, and we cover how to take them in our PT boat guide.
Prototype and Salvage Workbench Upgrades
The workbench upgrades from the May 2026 update had to be reworked for blueprints:
- Salvage upgrade: used to take 20% off tech tree unlocks. Now it has a 20% chance not to use up a blueprint, which Facepunch calls “effectively the same as before”.
- Prototype upgrade: lets you unlock a node without its path. It now has a flat 25% success rate and the old cost doubling is gone, so a prototype unlock costs about 4 blueprints on average. Failing plays a sound.
- Primitive servers: the Primitive tech tree tax is gone, because with 1 blueprint per node it always rounded up to 2.
Old System vs New System
| Before (Nov 2025 to Nov 2026) | Now (since Nov 5, 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tech tree node | 15 / 30 / 60 / 120 scrap by rarity | 1 Fragment, Page or Book, by workbench tier |
| Research table | 15 / 30 / 60 / 120 scrap | 20 / 40 / 100 / 300 scrap |
| Workbench 2 and 3 | Need Basic / Advanced Blueprint Fragments | Need scrap (500 / 1,250), no fragments |
| Blueprint items | Basic and Advanced Blueprint Fragments | Fragment, Page (new) and Book |
| Crafting blueprints | None | 10 fragments into 1 page |
When Did the Blueprint Update Come Out?
It shipped with the Printed and Polished update and force wipe on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at about 2 PM Eastern (19:00 UTC). The basic and advanced fragment items were removed in the same patch. Facepunch says adjustments will come when needed, so the next chance for changes is the December 3, 2026 update, which our force wipe countdown tracks. Everything else in the patch is in our November 2026 update hub.
Official servers and almost every community server wiped blueprints with this update, so everyone started the new system from zero.
Tips for the New Blueprint System
- Run barrels and roads early. Fragments come from low-end loot, so a road run now builds your Workbench 1 tree as well as your scrap.
- Don’t waste fragments. Ten make a page, and pages unlock the Workbench 2 tree, which holds most of the mid-game weapons and armour.
- Use the research table for single key items. If you loot one copy of what you need, research it for scrap and save your blueprint items for the tree.
- Plan the Workbench 3 path. Books cannot be crafted, so pick the exact nodes you want (rockets, C4, the AK) before you spend.
- Build the Salvage upgrade if you find it: a 1 in 5 chance of a free node adds up over a wipe.
- Hunt the new scientist boats if you have a boat and some ammo: RHIBs and PT boats carry pages.
Use our Rust blueprints guide for how research and the trees work in general, and the loot tables for where each crate spawns.
Rust Blueprint Update FAQ
Is Rust removing scrap from the tech tree?
Yes, since the November 5, 2026 update. Tech tree nodes cost 1 blueprint item instead of scrap: a Blueprint Fragment for Workbench 1, a Blueprint Page for Workbench 2 and a Blueprint Book for Workbench 3. Scrap still pays for workbenches and the research table.
What is a Blueprint Page in Rust?
A new blueprint item that pays for nodes on the Workbench 2 tech tree (90 for the whole tree). Monument puzzles give 1 to 4, supply drops 2, and scientist boat dryboxes, mission boxes and the livestock vendor give more. You can also upgrade 10 Blueprint Fragments into one.
What is a Blueprint Book in Rust?
The top tier of blueprint item, used for Workbench 3 tech tree nodes (20 for the whole tree). Hackable locked crates always hold 2, the Launch Site, Military Tunnel, Missile Silo and Underwater Lab puzzles give 2, and elite crates have a 10% chance of 1. Pages cannot be upgraded into books.
How many blueprint fragments make a page?
Ten. You upgrade 10 Blueprint Fragments into 1 Blueprint Page.
Can you still research items with scrap?
Yes. The research table still uses scrap, but prices went up: 20 for common items, 40 uncommon, 100 rare and 300 very rare (it was 15, 30, 60 and 120).
How much do workbenches cost after the blueprint update?
Workbench 1 is 500 wood, 100 metal fragments and 50 scrap. Workbench 2 is 500 metal fragments, 25 HQM and 500 scrap. Workbench 3 is 1,000 metal fragments, 100 HQM and 1,250 scrap. No blueprint fragments.
When did the Rust blueprint update come out?
It went live with the Printed and Polished update on November 5, 2026, at about 19:00 UTC.
Do the Prototype and Salvage workbench upgrades still work?
Yes. Salvage gives a 20% chance that a node costs no blueprint, and Prototype unlocks a node off-path with a 25% success chance, about 4 blueprints per unlock on average.
Sources
- Facepunch Commits: rust_reboot main/blueprints_2 (Oct 21 to 30, 2026)
- Facepunch Commits: main branch changes #169289, #169462, #169529, #169726
- Facepunch: Pivot or Die update (November 2025)
- Facepunch: Printed and Polished devblog (November 5, 2026)
- RustHelp: Blueprint Fragment, Page and Book drop data