Hytale has launched its first content update only a week after release.
Hytale has launched its first game update only a week after the game’s official release, adding new content, fixing numerous bugs, and introducing widespread quality-of-life improvements.
In Update 1, Hytale’s developers added dinosaurs to the world and introduced more NPCs to populate underground jungles. These NPCs are still a work in progress and currently use placeholder behaviors. To encounter them, players must generate newly-unexplored areas.
Lots of new changes arrive in Hytale's first update
The update also introduces additional options for character customisation. New eye types include Cat Eyes and Demonic Eyes, along with new mouth options, a Lavender hair color, and more.
This first update primarily focuses on extensive quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. These include preventing livestock from climbing onto Chicken Coops and allowing specific immunities to be applied to NPCs, such as Kweebecs and Skeletons. There are also small but impactful changes, such as preventing dropped items from getting stuck on the sides of blocks.
Significant adjustments were made to utilities as well. The Backpack’s crafting cost has been reduced from 16 to eight Medium Leather, and upgrades now only require a Tier 2 Workbench. Farming has also been rebalanced: raw fruits and vegetables now only grant Health Regen I, while cooking them provides additional benefits, among other changes.
Hytale’s developers also improved various sound and visual effects, including new hit and break sounds for stone and ores. Players can now hear horse running sounds while mounted, and pitch variation on sword swings has been reduced.
In addition to standard fixes, the developers added a mysterious new category called “Extras,” featuring only a paw-print emoji. Some players speculate this hints at upcoming animal taming or breeding mechanics, while one commenter on Reddit suggested it could tease the addition of cats in a future update.
Read the full Hytale Update 1 patch notes here.
A bolstering start for Hytale
Hytale is currently in Early Access, and its developers are clearly hard at work improving the game’s current state while adding new content. The arrival of this first update so soon after launch was unexpected. The game has been highly-anticipated since its announcement in 2018–nearly a decade ago–with many dubbing it the “Minecraft killer.”
So far, Hytale has seen overwhelming success, with its launch-day reception propelling it to the top of Twitch’s most-viewed games. The developers also revealed that pre-orders have generated enough funding to support two years of development.
Hytale is available to download from its official website, with prices ranging from US$19.99 to US$69.99 depending on the edition.
