The jungle air hung thick and heavy as I crept through the undergrowth. A low growl rumbled nearby, and the ground vibrated with each heavy step. My heart pounded – the patch notes mentioned dinosaurs, but nothing prepares you for meeting one face-to-face. Hytale’s first major update is here, and it’s bringing more than just prehistoric predators; it’s a signal that the adventure is just beginning.
Hytale Update 1: Dinosaurs, NPCs, and Everything New
Remember the thrill of discovering a hidden cave in Minecraft, not knowing what awaits around the corner? Hytale’s Update 1 aims to recapture that magic. Beyond the headlining additions of dinosaurs and new NPCs, this patch is about refining the core experience and addressing early player feedback. Here’s a breakdown of the changes, designed to improve your gameplay.
World & Environment
Think of your favorite open-world game. What brings it to life? The atmosphere. Hytale’s world gets a significant boost in Update 1, with enhanced biome details and fixes to world layout. To experience these changes fully, exploring newly generated areas is a must.
- Dinosaurs and other NPCs now roam the underground jungles. Their behaviors are still being developed.
- Important: These NPCs spawn in newly generated areas. Existing areas will not be affected.
- Devastated Lands sewers now have atmospheric effects and creatures.
- Volcanic environmental effects are now present in areas beneath volcanoes.
- Feran villages have corrected entity placements, textures, and interiors.
- The Forgotten Temple has had an invisible filler block removed from behind the bench.
NPCs & Creatures
NPCs can make or break a game. Consistent behavior is key. Update 1 focuses on this, adjusting creature behavior in combat and exploration. Plus, several quirks have been ironed out.
- NPCs now have knockback resistance, where previously missing.
- Fire-themed NPCs and creatures are now immune to fire damage.
- The Crystal Earth Golem’s combat behavior and spin attack are improved.
- Skeletons no longer take drowning damage.
- Kweebecs are now immune to cactus and bramble environmental damage.
- The Trork Shaman placeholder summon animation has been replaced.
- Kweebecs and Trorks in the Whisperfrost Frontiers now have loot tables.
- Livestock will no longer climb on top of the Chicken Coop.
- Wildlife predators like Foxes will only attack players when provoked.
Crafting, Items & Farming
Progression should feel smooth, not grindy. Hytale’s crafting systems have been adjusted to reflect this. Early friction is reduced, and clarity is improved across the board. Farming values have also been tweaked.
- The Base Backpack now requires a Tier 1 Workbench and 8 Medium Leather instead of 16.
- The First Backpack upgrade now requires a Tier 2 Workbench instead of Tier 3.
- Processing Light, Medium, and Heavy Hide into Leather now takes 10 seconds less.
- Crafting benches can now pull materials from nearby chests within a larger range.
- Processing benches now display item tooltips in upgrade requirement panels.
- Raw fruits and vegetables now only grant Health Regen I, while cooking provides extra benefits.
- Dropped items should no longer get stuck on block edges.
- Handheld light sources can now be placed while using tools if equipped in the Utility Slot.
- Pickaxes and hatchets now only swing when using the primary action.
- Corn now gives 1 Essence of Life instead of 4 when exchanged at the Farming Bench.
- Fully grown Cauliflower, Pumpkin, and Eternal Crops no longer drop seeds when broken.
- Wood Logs now display their correct wood type in tooltips.
- “Trunk” has been renamed to “Log” across crafting recipes for consistency.
- Log tooltips now list which trees drop that log type.
- The Woodcutter’s Block is now a decorative craftable furniture item.
How does Hytale compare to Minecraft in terms of modding support?
While Hytale is new, its architecture is built with modding in mind. Like games such as Garry’s Mod, it aims to empower creators with accessible tools, unlike Minecraft’s more complex Java-based modding.
Audio & Visual Effects
Feedback is crucial in games. Responsive combat, mining, and interaction all rely on sound and visuals. Update 1 introduces improvements to these areas.
- New hit and break sounds have been added for stone and ores.
- Horses now correctly play running sounds while mounted.
- The Torch burn loop has been replaced with a softer ambient sound.
- Volumes have been adjusted for creature and interaction sounds.
- Pitch variation on sword swings has been reduced.
- New ore breaking and fruit eating particles have been added.
- A new particle effect has been added when absorbing NPC memories.
- Health potion visuals have been updated with new glow and spiral effects.
- Rope offset and hand positioning have been fixed for various held items.
UI, Performance & Quality of Life
These changes focus on usability and stability. Frustration is the enemy of fun. Several systems now better explain themselves, particularly to new players.
- Players can now sleep starting at 7:30 PM.
- A Memories system information panel has been added when first interacting with the Heart of Orbis.
- Fullscreen, HUD toggle, and screenshot actions can no longer be bound to mouse buttons.
- Warnings have been added when launching pre-release builds or mismatched worlds.
- Sprint FOV is now capped at 160 degrees.
- LAN server discovery canceling now works correctly.
- Interaction handling has been improved during server lag spikes.
Character Customization
Express yourself! Customization options have been expanded with new choices and visual fixes. This allows for even greater personalization.
- New eye types: Cat, Demonic, Goat, and Reptile.
- New mouth options: Large Mouth and Tiny Lips.
- Lavender hair color has been added.
- The Bangs hairstyle has been reworked, and the Dark Brown hair color brightened.
- The Featherbound Hood now displays correctly in the Supporter Edition.
Combat & Balance
Combat should be fair and predictable. Update 1 tightens combat behavior to prevent unintended hits. Environmental hazards now behave consistently.
- Weapon attacks now properly check for line of sight.
- Burn damage has been reduced, excluding lava-based burns.
- Cactus and brambles now deal Environmental damage.
Will Hytale feature cross-platform play like Fortnite or Rocket League?
Hytale is designed to be cross-platform compatible, meaning you can play with friends on PC, mobile, and potentially consoles. The exact details are still being finalized by Hypixel Studios.
Commands & Server
Server tools have been improved for reliability and admin control. Network performance has also received a notable backend upgrade. Think of it as the engine getting a tune-up.
- Argument order has been fixed for teleport commands.
- The Give command now supports item durability values.
- Whitelist and ban commands now support offline UUIDs.
- The server now uses BBR congestion control for QUIC.
- Authentication and session token error handling have been improved.
Bug Fixes & Stability
This patch addresses a range of crashes, exploits, and logic errors. Several fixes target rare but disruptive issues reported since launch. This is all about smoothing out the experience.
- Stamina consumption issues with Charged Attacks have been fixed.
- Signature attacks no longer trigger without energy.
- Crashes related to avatars, hairstyles, screenshots, and plugins have been resolved.
- Farming growth issues have been fixed, and chunks save correctly on updates.
- Chunk loading, teleport stability, localization handling, and session refresh behavior have been improved.
Update 1 is just the first step in Hytale’s journey. These changes address initial concerns and lay the foundation for future content. It’s a digital rebirth of sorts. What part of this first major overhaul excites you the most?