Hytale Chapter 1 is finally starting to take shape.

With Update 7 Part 1, available in pre-release since September 3, Hypixel Studios is introducing the first wave of content directly tied to the game’s next major chapter. And unlike the latest mostly technical updates, this one immediately brings several highly visible additions: new Goblins, Runes capable of changing combat, a completely reworked gliding system, Rocket Boots, a Hookshot and even a massive Goblin drill.

And this is only the beginning.

The Hytale team officially presents this update as the first of several Chapter 1 content waves planned over the coming weeks. The features are still in development, and some of them—especially the new Rune system—are expected to change significantly before the chapter’s final release.

For now, much of this new content is mainly accessible through Creative Mode.

To access Update 7 Part 1: enable the Pre-Release version from Launcher → Settings → Pre-Release

Update 7 Part 1 gives us a first glimpse of CHAPTER 1

Update 7 Part 1 is especially important because it does more than improve systems already present in Hytale.

It begins to introduce content designed specifically for Chapter 1.

The Goblins clearly take center stage in this first wave. Their arsenal, new fighters, blocks, and even some new ways to get around already give us a much clearer sense of what lies ahead.

This update therefore offers a glimpse of what Hytale could become once its different systems truly start working together: exploration, combat, factions, special equipment, abilities, and more elaborate encounters.

And we should probably treat what we are seeing today as an early version.

Hypixel Studios notably warns that the new Rune Ability System is expected to undergo major changes before Chapter 1 releases.

The new Goblins are probably the stars of this update

If there is one visually striking thing to remember from Update 7 Part 1, it is probably them.

Source: @Stray_The_Dev

Six Chapter 1 Goblins have been reworked, with combat styles different enough to start forming genuinely complementary groups of enemies.

THE Goblin Scrapper

The Goblin Scrapper is a light melee fighter.

Its defining trait is its behavior: it likes to attack in groups and overwhelm its target rather than rely on individual strength.

THE Goblin Miner

Much bulkier, the Goblin Miner is a heavy fighter equipped with a powerful jumping attack.

It should bring a much more brutal threat to close-quarters fights.

THE Goblin Guardian

The Goblin Guardian is heavily protected and uses a shield to defend itself.

Adding a defensive opponent like this could make groups of Goblins far more interesting to fight when paired with offensive units.

THE Goblin Lobber

The Goblin Lobber brings the explosive element.

It fights from range and uses a bomb-based arsenal, potentially forcing the player to stay mobile during combat.

THE Goblin Burner

Probably one of the most spectacular: the Goblin Burner is equipped with a flamethrower.

It is a ranged unit that can apply pressure in a very different way from archers or other enemies using conventional projectiles.

THE Goblin Feastmaster

Finally, it is hard to miss the Goblin Feastmaster.

This gigantic creature is presented as a particularly imposing Goblin and immediately stands apart from the faction’s more conventional units.

With these six archetypes, Hytale is above all beginning to show how a single faction can offer much more varied fights.

A group with a Guardian protecting Lobbers or Burners while several Scrappers surround the player, for example, would be nothing like a simple group of identical NPCs.

The NPC charge system is also receiving improvements that let creators control acceleration, deceleration, stopping distance, and various environment-related behaviors more precisely.

Hookshot, Rocket Boots and glider: exploration becomes much more dynamic

The other huge part of this Update 7 is all about movement.

Several new items directly change how the player can move through the world.

And some of them are frankly hard to ignore.

The Hookshot arrives in Hytale

Yes, Hytale now has a Hookshot.

Paired with Hook Anchors, this grappling hook lets the player launch toward certain points and use the environment to move much faster.

On paper, that is already interesting. In motion, it is probably one of the additions that best demonstrates the potential of this update.

Rocket Boots let you double-jump

The Goblins have also brought Rocket Boots.

Once equipped, they allow the player to perform a double jump.

It is a simple mechanic, but one that could have a huge impact on exploration, parkour, combat, and especially how future environments can be designed.

Gliding has been completely reworked with a new Scrap Glider

The gliding system is changing substantially with Update 7 Part 1.

The player can now dive and then regain altitude using the sprint control, making the glider much more dynamic to control than before.

Another important change: deploying the glider no longer artificially resets movement to zero. The player’s velocity is now preserved, making it possible to transition more naturally from a fall, jump, or burst of speed into a glide.

The technical system behind gliders has also been extensively reworked to support this new handling of diving, climbing, and momentum.

And to go with this overhaul, the Goblins now have their own model: the Scrap Glider, perfectly matching the faction’s improvised industrial aesthetic.

Between the Hookshot, Rocket Boots, and this new gliding system, Update 7 Part 1 clearly seems focused on making movement far more expressive than before.

Runes add a new layer to the combat system

Another major Chapter 1 addition: the Rune Ability System.

The idea presented in this first version is to collect Runes, then place them in a Runebinder’s Effigy to improve or modify the player’s combat abilities.

Five Runes are available to start with.

Enrage

Enrage increases the damage dealt by the player, but also increases the damage they take.

A risk/reward mechanic that seems particularly well suited to highly aggressive builds.

Fireball

Fireball lets the player launch a fireball that explodes on contact with its target.

Imbue Poison

Imbue Poison imbues the player’s weapon with poison.

Attacks then apply a poison effect that can stack on the target.

Ground Slam

Ground Slam strikes the ground and creates an earth spike that launches enemies into the air.

Wind Strike

Finally, Wind Strike imbues the weapon with the power of the wind.

The next three attacks then generate piercing arcs of wind.

These five Runes mainly give a first idea of the role the system could play over the longer term.

This is not simply about changing a weapon’s stats: some Runes introduce new attacks or directly change how the player behaves in combat.

But one thing is important to keep in mind: Hypixel Studios explicitly says this system is expected to change significantly before Chapter 1 releases.

So we are clearly looking at an early experiment rather than its final form.

The Goblins also bring a whole arsenal of new gadgets

The Hookshot, Rocket Boots, and Scrap Glider are not the only items being introduced.

Scrap Drill

The Scrap Drill is a new mining tool capable of destroying several blocks at once.

It is probably one of the most satisfying items to show in a video.

Spyglass

The Spyglass lets you zoom in to see what is in the distance.

Less spectacular than the Hookshot, but especially fitting with the importance Hytale wants to place on exploration.

As a side note, the Watering Can loses its offensive abilities with this update.

Yes, the battle watering can is now a thing of the past. :)

New Goblin blocks are coming with CHAPTER 1

This Goblin identity is not limited to creatures and items.

Update 7 Part 1 also adds several new block sets:

• Enkindled Copper

• Enkindled Iron

• Goblin Iron

• new Goblin decorations

The gold block set also receives new models and additional texture work.

For builders, these additions should offer new possibilities for creating Goblin camps, industrial environments, or structures that make greater use of metal.

Several block-related behaviors are changing as well. Instance editing worlds now allow blocks to be broken, picked up, and placed again even when the normal instance disables those interactions.

Server rule changes affecting health bars, combat text, armor display, or the ability to place and destroy blocks are now applied immediately too, without having to leave and rejoin the server.

Explosions now correctly respect worlds where block destruction is disabled.

Finally, the Void event in Hedera's Lair has been reworked so that its escalation occurs at fixed time intervals.

Hytale mods can now contain entire worlds

It is a less spectacular addition on video, but it could become extremely important for content creators and the Hytale modding ecosystem.

A mod can now include an entire world.

Once the mod is installed, the world appears directly in the list of available worlds.

If the player then creates their own world from the one provided by the mod, that copy remains available even when the original mod is uninstalled.

A confirmation prompt is also shown before creating a world that comes from a mod.

This opens up a huge range of possibilities:

• adventure maps;

• minigames;

• scripted experiences;

• demos;

• parkour maps;

• custom campaigns;

• building templates;

• complete experiences distributed directly as mods.

This is probably one of the Update 7 Part 1 changes whose importance will only become truly apparent once creators start taking advantage of it.

Hytale significantly optimizes its World Map and performance

Update 7 Part 1 also brings several important technical improvements.

The World Map has notably been reworked.

Instead of loading the map as one huge image, Hytale now loads it in several smaller pieces. According to the team, this approach greatly reduces memory usage and eliminates the stutters previously caused by displaying it.

Entity collision handling has also been optimized to avoid unnecessary repeated searches for the same blocks for every moving creature or player.

Server-side block destruction no longer needs to pause its processing to load chunks solely to determine what was just broken.

And in multiplayer, Hytale now prioritizes a direct connection when available, rather than an alternative network route that could unnecessarily increase ping.

These changes are much less visible than a Hookshot or a Goblin with a flamethrower, but they directly help make Hytale smoother as the game and its servers become more complex.

Several improvements for the Mod Browser and interface

The Mod Browser also continues to evolve after its arrival with Update 6.

Categories now use readable names:

• on mod cards;

• in filters;

• on detail pages.

An issue that could sometimes prevent a mod from being installed when a copy had already been manually placed in the corresponding folder has also been fixed.

Errors caused by two files with the same name are no longer incorrectly presented as connection problems.

Also read: Hytale Update 6: Mod Browser is here

The Online Play screen is also clearer. It now explicitly shows whether the player’s friends can join their game and explains why when they cannot.

A Copy Network Report button also generates a short network diagnostic report that can be sent to support without including the player’s addresses.

The Report ID generated after submitting a bug can now be copied with one click.

The portal panel in Portal Worlds has a new design for the countdown, portal names, and progress bar.

Finally, Hytale can now display full-screen announcements after the splash screen to occasionally highlight new content.

Creative Mode: even more tools for building complete experiences

Creators are also getting several important improvements.

The Trigger Volumes can now:

• set a respawn point;

• move the world spawn;

• remove existing respawn points.

Respawn points can also determine the direction the player faces using a rotation value.

Tag Conditions are becoming more flexible: a tag can now be compared with another tag, rather than only with a fixed value.

Event Titles now have a more flexible styling system and can choose which players should receive the display.

Text used in Trigger Volumes can also make greater use of values stored in tags.

Finally, a new Activate Trigger Volumes setting lets creators move through their own volumes without triggering their effects while they work.

These features are much less impressive in a trailer, but they gradually strengthen Hytale’s ability to support complex adventure maps and custom experiences without having to build everything by hand.

More dynamic combat and bosses for creators

Several changes aimed at modders also go much further than simple API fixes.

Encounters can now force specific weather for their participants.

The example provided by Hytale shows a boss that can trigger a Blood Moon when it enters its first phase, then restore normal weather when it dies.

Creators also get much more precise controls for charging NPCs: acceleration, deceleration, speed curves, stopping distance, and how they react to water, falls, obstacles, and different block types.

Encounters can also directly award Rewards.

A new built-in module dedicated to rewards is also appearing for plugins, with an initial EntitlementReward system based on Reward Assets.

For creators of bosses, dungeons, or custom campaigns, these changes create new possibilities for building more scripted and spectacular encounters.

Hytale is also preparing a Beams system

Update 7 also introduces a new technical Beams.

system. Creators can notably generate beams:

• between multiple entities;

• between an entity and a specific part of another entity’s model;

• between an entity and a fixed point in the world.

A /beam command is also available to make development easier.

Even though it is mainly a creator tool for now, the potential is obvious for spells, boss attacks, puzzles, technological effects, or various custom visual systems.

The music system becomes much more dynamic

On the audio side, the changes are especially interesting for creators.

Hytale notably introduces the MusicTransition and Stinger systems, providing more precise control over how music evolves during an experience.

A transition can, for example, happen:

• immediately;

• on the next beat;

• at the next bar;

• at an exit marker;

• at a specific musical marker.

The system also handles crossfades, fade-outs, and musical phase changes tied to different game states.

In practice, this should eventually make it possible to create music that reacts much more naturally to combat, a boss, exploration, or a scripted event.

For players, Update 7 also adds different sounds when an ability cannot be used, making it clearer whether the cause is a cooldown, a lack of charges, or the wrong weapon type.

Numerous bug and stability fixes

Update 7 Part 1 also includes a long list of fixes.

Among the most notable changes:

• Memories collected during a session are no longer lost when it ends;

• several block update issues have been fixed;

• teleporters now work correctly even at extreme heights;

• some NPCs should no longer get stuck near liquids;

• the animations and appearance of upgraded workbenches have been fixed;

• NPCs once again cast their shadows correctly;

• several portrait and friends-related bugs have been fixed;

• the notifications menu opens faster for accounts with many friend requests;

• several Machinima Editor issues have been fixed;

• several memory and graphics leaks have been eliminated;

• ambient sounds now stop correctly when leaving a world.

Stability has also received significant work.

Hytale notably fixes several crashes that could occur:

• when leaving a world or switching servers;

• with several large custom skins;

• when refreshing certain interfaces;

• with certain incorrectly configured items;

• during some explosions;

• on older NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards from the 400 to 700 series.

A particularly disruptive issue where a single player connecting could interfere with the entire server’s network has also been fixed.

The World Map should no longer freeze permanently at high view distance on some GPUs.

Finally, a saved view distance that is too high no longer prevents a world or server from launching: the maximum value is now capped at 32 chunks.

A few additional changes to know about

After the initial patch notes were published, Hytale added several items that had been left out.

On controller, abilities now use a system based on RB + button:

• RB + Y: Signature Move

• RB + X: Skill 1

• RB + B: Skill 2

• RB + A: Ability 4

BlockyModels can also define individual faces as transparent, while blocks now have a new setting for managing alpha blending by block type.

Several additional fixes related to generation tools have also been included.

Update 7 is mainly starting to show what CHAPTER 1 can become

Update 7 Part 1 is still only a first wave.

And yet, it is already starting to give Chapter 1 a real identity.

The Goblins are no longer just a few extra creatures. They arrive with their own fighters, technology, materials, tools, and means of transportation.

The Rune system, meanwhile, is beginning to show how Hytale could gradually deepen its combat with abilities that can genuinely change gameplay.

And between the Hookshot, Rocket Boots, and the new gliding system, exploration is also gaining much more dynamic mechanics.

Add to that the ability for mods to distribute complete worlds, the new tools for creating encounters, the Creative Mode improvements, and the ongoing performance work, and Update 7 Part 1 feels more like the beginning of a new phase for Hytale than a simple interim update.

Perhaps the most interesting part is that we are only at the beginning.

Hypixel Studios is already announcing several more waves of Chapter 1 content in the weeks ahead.

And if this first part sets the tone, there is likely to be a great deal to follow.