10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Survival Sim Hytale

Anyone who has ever played Minecraft at any point in its 17 years of existence already has a head start when it comes to playing Hytale . The two games are so similar that familiarity with one mostly sets you up for the other. However, this also means it can be easier to get tripped up by the smaller details that are different, those aspects of the cuboid survival game that aren’t quite where you might expect them to be. So to prepare you for the transition, here are 10 things I wish I’d known before I started. Don’t look for Hytale on Steam In a bold move, developer Hypixel has chosen not to release Hytale on Steam, nor indeed Epic or GOG. The early access game is only available to buy via the game’s own site , and then only loads through the game’s own installed loader. Why? Because of the fall of man? Or perhaps to avoid paying the 30-percent tithes? I dunno, but it’s annoying to have yet another bespoke loader to clutter up your desktop. The game’s also not yet on console, although that’s planned for the future. Before anything else, head for the Forgotten Temple Gateway The smartest thing to do at the start of a new game of Hytale is make your way to the Forgotten Temple Gateway. This is a magic portal under a ruined temple that will teleport you to the Forgotten Temple hub, a peaceful location in which you can register all the mobs you’ve encountered so far with a central statue. (As the game develops, it’ll also be the hub for a lot of new content.) Its location is marked on your compass at the top of the screen, and it should be pretty nearby. Every creature you meet for the first time, whether hostile or ambivalent, will send a blue spark called a Memory your way. The more of these you gather, the more unlocks you’ll get via the statue, gaining access to new craftable items on your workstations. You get sticks from trees and bushes I realize, out of context, that sounds like the stupidest piece of advice ever. “What next, John? You get bear shit from woods?” But the point here is in Minecraft sticks are crafted from wood blocks, and that’s not the case in Hytale . The ingredient, vital for crafting rudimentary tools, arrows and torches, instead falls when chopping down trees and whacking bushes. And they fall plentifully! However, given the speed with which crossbows go through arrows, you’re going to want stack after stack after stack of them, so get used to punching down every bush you walk past. And talking of which... Trees are affected by gravity “And Popes are affected by Catholicism?” Yes, cleverclogs, but if you’ve played Minecraft you’ll be familiar with the oddity that has blocks magically float in place if you remove those between them and the ground. Not so in Hytale , meaning chopping down trees for...

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