Darhlas

Seeker of balance.
But, most importantly, I simply just am.

[Darhlas @Darhlas]

There is no love without loyalty, and loyalty without love is meaningless. My love is not unconditional. It will always have one condition; loyalty.

[Connor @CDawgVA]

When you're on this hellscape of an app sometimes it can feel so suffocating the hate and vitriol.

Just remember in the real world, people are nice, people are happy and there's always a space for you, and places to connect with others.

Seeing people make fun of people's appearance on this app is depressing but don't stop putting yourself out there, fuck these miserable people who never achieve anything other than record levels of filth spewed online. ♥️

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

I'm honored to share that the official documentary Technoblade Never Dies is now in production!

You can submit testimonials, fan art, animations, and so on here: https://t.co/oZ652pV2yi

When I got the opportunity to be part of this documentary, I had one special request: involve the Technoblade community!

It's been a pleasure working with everyone involved to get this into production. After my first meeting with the director, Steven Lake, I knew he was the right person. He truly understands what Technoblade meant to all of us. Please check out the video on the website to learn more about his vision!

For Hypixel and me personally, it was important to help make this documentary happen as a thank you to Technoblade and his family, a thank you for all the great memories and opportunities he gave us. I don't think I'd be where I am today without him. Even before the fame, he helped shape Hypixel behind the scenes and was such a good person to be around.

It's also been a pleasure to work with one of Technoblade's artists, @jester_u, on the artwork for the website such a wonderful person!

Please note that all of Hypixel's profits from this doc will be going to charity. My honest goal is for my two young kids to see this documentary, learn who Technoblade was to all of us, and get inspired.

Again, thank you, Alex, for all the great memories. We miss you dearly.

Technoblade never dies.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

Pre-Release Patch Notes - Feb 5, 2026
Update 3 (Part 2 of 3)
Enable via Launcher -> Settings -> Pre-Release

HEADLINE FEATURES
- Added Avatar Presets
- Edit, save, and swap between up to 10 Avatar customizations
- Added new fire spread system (fluid ticker) and Goblin Flamethrower
- Can be used to unleash flames upon nearby foes
- Creative mode only for now
- Added Bed sleeping notifications
- Notifications and SFX now play when other players attempt to sleep
- Expanded Avatar customization options:
- 2 additional Eye Shapes
- 2 new Makeup Variations (Blush and Eyeliner)
- 5 new Haircuts:
- Spikey Mohawk
- Magical Pigtails
- Double Braided Ponytail
- Long Braided Ponytail
- Puffy Bubble Braids
- 4 new Facial Hair Styles:
- Split Moustache
- Pinstripe Moustache
- Anchor Beard
- Viking Beard
- Spiked Bracelets
- Hairband
- 2 new Skirts (Plaid and Punk)
- Shaped Sneakers
- Added Black and Red Iron color variation for metals
- Added Font Fallback Support
- Client now fetches glyphs from fallback fonts when missing
- Enables support for non-Latin languages
- Improved World Configuration Reliability
- Atomic file saving
- Updated backup handling
- Corrupted worlds now display warnings and modal dialogs

CONTENT
- Added complex spawn locations in the Taiga region, especially near rivers
- Added Lime block variants:
- Lime Gravel
- Lime Rock
- Lime Rubble
- Medium Lime Rubble
- Lime Stalactite (Large and Small)
- Improved weather VFX for Zone 1
- Standardized spawn marker deactivation range to 150
- Added T2 Furnace
- New model, textures, and animations
- Updated visuals for T1 Furnaces
- Increased max instance limit for Furnace opening sounds
- Refactored Rhino Toad attacks
- Improved Fluid, Mounts, and Crafting systems
- Improved multiple modules:
- Teleporter
- NPCReputation
- NPCObjectives
- Farming
- Memories
- Camera
- Bed
- Optimized client asset sizes
- Updated ranged weapon aiming ballistics
- Improved accuracy
- Added randomized hitbox offsets
- Added VisAiming debug flag
- Ophidiophobia mode now replaces Hatworm with Larva_Silk model
- Dough now produced using refillable Tankard
- Tankard now crafted via Farming Bench
- Klops Merchant no longer trades signs
- Integrated new Outlander village environment
- Refactored encounters across all zones
- Added new encounter environments:
- Zone 3 Trork
- Zone 4 Village and Forest
- Zone 4 non-Forest and non-Swamp biomes

MODDING AND TOOLS
- Added mod enable and disable support from UserData/Saves/<save>/mods
- Added server version checks for plugins and asset packs
- Added 3D audio source visualization for debugging
- Added NPC sensor and view debugging visualization
- Newly created asset packs are now enabled by default
- Added parameter to toggle replacing empty block materials
- Added option to skip mod validation in single player
- Mod validation issues now block server startup unless flagged
- MapEditor and ListEditor now use correct models
- Added Test NPC for showcasing multi-interaction setups

WORLDGEN V2
- Added exact rotation support for Materials
- Added Bound PositionProvider for Spawn Meshes
- Added YSampled Density node
- Performance optimization for WorldGen V2
- Added configurable spawn positions for portal biomes

UI AND UX
- Added Window Size option in video settings
- Updated feedback interface
- Bug reports separated from other feedback
- Warps are now sorted alphabetically in Teleporter UI
- Added /layer command
- Applies layering to selected areas
- Updated Paste tool:
- Hold-down key support
- Undo and redo
- Smoother multi-directional movement
- Reduced context menu background opacity
- Updated Player, Spawn, and Home icons
- Improved World Map marker text clarity
- Cleaned up text and fixed death messages
- Implemented HideFromTooltip in EntityStatType

BUGFIXES AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
- Fixed sharp biome interpolation
- Fixed localization issue with maximize window setting
- Fixed tooltip name wrapping issues
- Fixed spawn seeds initializing to zero
- Fixed multiple Null Pointer Exceptions
- Fixed crash when overriding read-only asset packs
- Fixed Volcanic Cobble incorrect spawning
- Fixed upside-down stair connections
- Fixed Slothian gradient mapping
- Fixed dropped item IDs for BottleTree and Crystal Trunk
- Fixed pickup items missing components
- Fixed WorldStructure spawn Y constraints
- Fixed cosmetic ordering issues
- Fixed EntityTrackerSystems validation gaps
- Fixed crop hitboxes and produce resource types
- Fixed incorrect mod list display
- Fixed Ocean Clay Brick typo
- Fixed interactions without entities
- Removed hardcoded keybindings
- Fixed manual spawn beacon command
- Fixed missing biomes on biome map
- Fixed Darkwood Decorative Block drops
- Fixed MaterialCache prefab loading
- Fixed V2 WorldGen environment saving
- Added duplicate plugin detection warnings
- Fixed plugin-related world crash handling
- Added startup exception handling for plugins
- Fixed Outlander house anchor offsets
- Fixed extreme audio panning with HTRF
- Fixed ambient and bench sound origins
- Fixed Teleporter name overrides and SFX
- Improved null and data-flow handling
- Fixed Machinima player teleport behavior
- Fixed Camera Translation Gizmo mode
- Fixed performance metrics affected by FPS cap and VSync
- Fixed advanced workbench model display
- Fixed directory traversal vulnerabilities in worlds and prefabs

[Slikey @slikey]

We have identified a bug that makes animals captured with the capture crate evolve against Darwin's laws.
Apparently chickens turns into cows, camels, turkeys and we have even seen a report of a T-Rex.
We received a very angry ticket from Charles Darwin and we'll get that fixed.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

When the players finally understand our modding vision for Hytale😍

[DevSlashNull (Eli) @DevSlashNulled]

@not_mynes

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

I love Hytale

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

We are delivering on our promise and releasing Hytale into Early Access on January 13, 2026, with all the consequences that come with that decision.

In just a few weeks, we merged roughly 300 branches, modernized a four-year-old code & asset base, scaled the team from 8 people to 50 core developers plus ~250 helping hands, tracked close to 1,000 bugs and fixed hundreds of them, added Mac and Linux support, and built an Exploration Mode that simply did not exist before.

When we started the mission to save Hytale, we made a clear promise: Launch without any delays, at any cost.

We are keeping that promise, even though it is a herculean task. In an alternate timeline, the most intelligent production decision would be to delay launch by 3-4 months, complete the obvious work in front of us, and avoid the overhead and distractions of maintaining a live product. The game would objectively be better on day one. That is not what we are doing.

Moving this fast also comes with very real downsides, and you have already seen them. We make visible progress every week, sometimes so much that key community members work overtime to keep up with the news - but you have also seen us drop the ball.

Some concrete examples:

1- Name reservations were intended to reward longtime fans. Still, we lacked sufficient time and information to verify the email list's integrity, and some longtime fans were missing from it.
2- The username generator produced unintended results, and our name filters failed to catch some unacceptable cases.
3- The payment system continues to report issues.
4- Communication regarding avatar customization, Steam release, modding, and pricing was insufficiently detailed, leading to misinterpretation or confusion.
5- Blog posts and technical write-ups have landed on an unpredictable schedule.
6- Game server providers, server owners, creators, and business inquiries are not receiving responses as quickly as we would like or as they deserve.

This is the tradeoff we all have to accept: You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. We wish we had more time to double-check every step and spend more time on communication, but that time comes at a steep opportunity cost. Extra polishing reduces the overall impression of Hytale on January 13. Our primary focus is the game.

The team is in a constant release cycle. Every week until launch is tightly scheduled, and we are doing this with a core team of around 50 people assembled in weeks, not a massive AAA organization. That means we are taking hundreds of calculated risks every day. Most pay off. A small fraction doesn’t - and when they don’t, the impact is very evident.

If I could ask for one thing from the community, it’s this: Please keep reminding each other what this pace implies - especially newer players who were not around for the #SaveHytale moment and may not know what the Early Access experience is meant to be for us.
Some people will not be able to get their desired username. Some will run into payment issues. Some information will arrive later than it ideally should. This is not because we don’t know better; it’s because we are choosing to keep a promise.

For us, Early Access success looks like this: you start a world, and the first impression and immersion leave you thinking, “This is much better than they said.” After more time, you also start to see the rough edges - and still end your first day thinking, “This game has a lot of potential. I’ll come back and keep up with updates,” or get you inspired to get into making maps, content, mods or a minigame server.

As you will be playing through the first week of Hytale, we will already follow up with the first patch. We will release updates rapidly in the first few weeks, with pre-releases available more frequently. You start on the 4-year-old archeology project, but within months, you will find yourself in a flow of rapid development, previously unthinkable.

We appreciate that the community has high expectations for Hytale, but please remember that we are fulfilling a promise we made early on: to release as soon as possible. That is what the core community asked for. Our biggest fear right now is not criticism - it’s that the story of #SaveHytale gets forgotten during Early Access, and the team ends up wishing we had simply delayed those extra four months instead of keeping our word.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

Once again, please don't pre-purchase or buy the game if you're not comfortable with early access!

Support us only if you believe in the long-term plan to make Hytale a great game of its own; we are not trying to be like any other game out there, we are making Hytale.

The future of Hytale
Some of the things we are planning to do, subject to change of course.

- Add more living world features and interactions
- Add more combat content, dungeons/bosses, and more challenges
- Finish World Gen v2 to restore Orbis
- Support modders along the way, add missing features for them and add modding discovery in-game and allow players to install mods from in-game. 1 click install and auto-install on server joins.
- Support server owners by developing our own minigames and giving them access to assets/code and features, and let them outcompete us.
- Add social features like friends list, guilds, prox voice chat and more. Increase user retention by creating a good, safe space.
- Complete our adventure mode by introducing quests and other systems that make a great adventure, possibly voice actors, in-game cinematics and more!
- The game is funded as a passion project, and I want to have proper parental controls so that when my kids are playing, I feel comfortable with it.
- Add automation systems at some point and other systems that extend the game's appeal for players who love to tinker.
- Add accessibility options (including controllers)
- Level up the visuals across the whole game, lighting improvements and much more
- Listen and interact with the community

and much much more.

[Darhlas @Darhlas]

@Hytale Dwarven halls under the mountains.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

When I say Hytale is not good enough, I genuinely mean it. It's not some reverse psychology trick!

Real talk: We are using a 4-year-old game build with over 300 versions (branches) of prototypes that we Frankenstein together in record time into a single branch. None of it was meant to be released this quickly and in this way.
There are barely any game progression mechanics configured, and we have to implement them all in record time to make it somewhat enjoyable.
Of course, I'm confident it's going to be "ok" for release. However, this is the current situation we are dealing with, on top of all the bug fixes, refactors, clean-ups and other ongoing issues that we are facing. We inherited a true hardcore engineering and design challenge, and we are on the clock to deliver early access.

The exploration of the game is fun, don't get me wrong, but man, I wish we had more time to get a few more features or configurations in to enhance that experience, but no, we break the curse of release and fix later. This will come at a significant cost; some people will be permanently convinced the game is doomed to remain in this state, unaware that this is an authentic early access experience. I hope that people who share the game will explain the situation we are in and how we got here. Keep in mind, the gameplay video doesn't show much of the gameloop because, well, there isn't much of it. Combat, game vibe, and exploration are great fun, but there needs to be mechanics to keep it going over time.

One thing I have learned over time is to enjoy the painful feedback. It is the most critical part of making games and improving yourself as a game designer. Of course, you have to be filtering out the ones that want to steer you in their own vision of what the game should be, so it's a balancing act.

When I read negative feedback on the gameplay video, I don't get defensive or hurt. I'm literally like, "Yep, they are not wrong" or "Why do they think like this? How can I solve their problem?" This has taken me years to get to that point. Our community, over the last 14 years on MC, has not been shy about giving us their feedback.

The one thing I can promise is that the game is owned by someone who cares and understands the situation, and I will do my best to empower my team to make a great game, however long it takes. This time, with all of you along for the ride, if you wish to be a part of it.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

@kaleylovesyuri Don’t worry we are working on accessibility options for the visually impaired! Thanks for your report

[Thomas Frick @ThomasFrick]

HYTALE IS BACK!!!

And I'm back working on it too🥹 - New key Art ready for announcement. I love you all!

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

We did it. Hytale is saved. We have acquired Hytale from Riot Games.

[Hytale @Hytale]

Hytale is saved.
New Blog Post LIVE -&gt; https://t.co/N7oc2Mw8Yv

[Darhlas @Darhlas]

Daarhla Website v0.8: Login - Out now!

This update introduces a login system. An approved members only system.

No passwords exist as we generate one time use passcodes instead.
Authentication will be used in the future for our developers to access future project tools etc.

[Simon @Simon_Hypixel]

It has a soul for sure, I’m simply worried not much gameplay was done when I was not there for the past 6 years. I see many system rewrites and engine rewrite.. years worth of time that could have been gameplay features.

The difference here is this would be my « final work » and spend years to fix it up. I already have generational wealth via other ventures in my life and I’m not looking for a quick cash grab here. I did very well in the past 5 years. Even 10M or 100M wouldn’t change a thing in my life. This is a legacy project, a passion project and I want my kids to play Hytale in the future.

The guys who made « the day before » used unreal engine assets to make it look good and just gave up after initial feedback launch.

For me Hytale would be something I would commit many years. I don’t collect cars, boats or expensive art IRL, I’m just a guy that play games and enjoy making games. You know what I do with money? Buy time so I game with my childhood friends and family😅

Do you see me want to be famous online? No, I live a private life despite being known online.

I don’t need money, fame or power. I live a good life and have great friends. I would simply love a passion project like this where I know I can bring it to the finish line.

[Lee @CrimzonKrow]

I’m sorry this post is a little more personal than usual, I don't usually share my feelings online. Maybe this is my way to grieve what's lost, or to hope there's something different for its future. I'm not sure yet, but I know I wanted to write something for #SaveHytale

[Darhlas @Darhlas]

Daarhla Website v0.7: Home page - deployed.

The home page consists of a search area - currently not functional due to the lack data. It will, however, become the central point of finding our projects, tools, wiki pages etc. once more populated.

https://t.co/QGnrGaiJv1

[Darhlas @Darhlas]

Daarhla Website v0.4.1: Header and light mode - deployed.

This update introduces a header available throughout all pages. It will have navigational controls and other useful buttons.

One of these buttons is the dark/light mode toggle!

https://t.co/W1Jy59jKaW