Changelog & Release Notes
Update 2 brings substantial new content and improvements to Hytale Early Access, including a complete magic system with necromancy, expanded character customization, refined mining progression, improved farming mechanics, and extensive quality-of-life enhancements. This update also prepares the groundwork for WorldGen V2 public documentation to support modders.
The development team plans to release this update to stable during the weekend and is requesting community testing and bug reports. Update 3 is already in development with plans for an extended pre-release period, allowing modders and server operators additional time to update their content and maintain ecosystem stability as the community grows.
Magic System
- ▸Necromancy grimoire introduced as a new magical ability
- ▸Drops from Skeleton Praetorian enemies
- ▸Allows summoning up to 5 skeletal minions from bone piles
- ▸Minions persist for 5 minutes or until the summoner is defeated
- ▸Represents the first implementation of the magic system in Early Access
Character Customization
- ▸Face accessories expanded with new mask options (available across all editions)
- ▸Armor slot visibility can now be toggled, with host enforcement for PvP balance and immersion
- ▸New mouth variants: Vampire, Cute, and Orc expressions (all editions)
- ▸Visual improvements to Berserker haircut tiling
- ▸Refinements to haircuts, cape animations, petals, and cloth physics
Mining & Progression
- ▸Adamantite ore now requires Thorium or Cobalt pickaxes to harvest
- ▸Complete pickaxe progression overhaul with mining speed scaling based on pickaxe quality
- ▸Major ore placement refactor implemented across all zones
- ▸Increased ore density, particularly in underground Devastated Lands
- ▸Changes require generating new chunks in existing worlds to take effect
Farming & Crops
- ▸Eternal crops now resist weapon damage and will not break
- ▸Tilled soil lifetime extended for more forgiving farm management
- ▸All crops can now place their produce directly in the world as decorative items
- ▸Fixed soil decay issue affecting fully grown crops
World Generation
- ▸WorldGen V2 system prepared for public documentation to support modders
- ▸New world templates: Default_Flat and Default_Void using WorldGen V2
- ▸Hub Portal now spawns with V2 flat worldgen featuring clear weather and limited fog (new worlds only)
- ▸Zone 1 dungeon environments corrected with new soundtrack triggers
- ▸Additional environment fixes applied throughout the world
Gameplay Balance
- ▸Rail karts receive speed improvements (still under iteration)
- ▸Tower exploit resolved: NPCs can now throw projectiles at elevated players
- ▸Combat rebalancing for polar bears and multiple skeleton variants
- ▸Magma Rhino Toad attack patterns updated
- ▸Hide drop adjustments: Light to Medium for certain NPCs like cows
- ▸Permission system expanded to include world map teleportation
- ▸Missing decorative light blocks added to furniture crafting bench
User Interface
- ▸FPS counter overlay added as an optional display
- ▸Improved block tooltips in the editor
- ▸Clothing color information now visible in tooltips
- ▸Enhanced hotbar active-slot contrast with diamond indicator (particularly helpful in Howling Sands)
- ▸Memory categories sorted alphabetically for easier navigation
- ▸Scripted Brush quality-of-life improvements
- ▸New keybind to pull all items from chests at once
- ▸Player markers added to compass for better navigation
Audio & Creatures
- ▸Rex sounds implemented
- ▸Additional audio fixes and improvements
Accessibility
- ▸Ophidiophobia mode added for players with snake-related phobias
Technical Improvements
- ▸Server self-updater functionality implemented
- ▸Shadow rendering improvements
- ▸Pick block now functions even when hotbar is full
- ▸Asset editor documentation corrected
- ▸Mantling system refinements
- ▸Keybind persistence issues resolved
- ▸Weather transition smoothness improved
- ▸Teleporter offset bug fixed
- ▸Rail kart consumption and placement mechanics corrected
- ▸Bed respawn in unloaded chunks now works properly
- ▸Food particle tint rendering updated
- ▸Major server stability, validation, ECS, localization, and timeout improvements