This week, Hytale shifted into the next gear. Proximity Voice Chat is in Pre-Release - and it literally sounds different depending on whether you're underwater or standing in a cave. Add a $100,000 Modding Contest with 65 winners, CurseForge as the official mod hub, and already 20 million downloads. Eight weeks of Early Access. I can barely process it.
🎙️ PROXIMITY VOICE CHAT - Update 4 Part 3 (March 5, Pre-Release)
The community has been waiting for this since it was announced. And now it's here - and better than expected.
What Makes It Special?
📏 Distance-Based Audio
The further a player is, the quieter their voice becomes. Standing right next to someone? Normal volume. 50 meters away? Barely audible. This suddenly makes stealth tactics and ambushes far more interesting!
🌊 Environmental Effects - The Killer Feature!
- Underwater, your voice sounds muffled and distorted
- In caves, there's real reverb - your voice echoes
- In open areas, everything sounds clear and direct
This isn't a simple push-to-talk chat. This is spatial audio that brings the game world to life.
⚙️ Disabled by Default
No worries if you prefer silence: Voice Chat must be actively enabled under Audio Settings. Well thought out!
🗣️ Avatar Reactions
When you speak, your avatar reacts - small animations show who's currently talking. Perfect for roleplay servers!
How to Enable:
Launcher → Settings → Enable Pre-Release
🧪 ALCHEMY OVERHAUL - The Crafting System Grows!
Alongside Voice Chat came a complete overhaul of the Alchemy system:
🌿 New Farming Progression
- Blood, Storm, and Azure seeds are now crafted at the Alchemy Bench
- New material: Crystal Fertilizer - required for the rarest crops
- Clear progression instead of random recipes
⚗️ Alchemy Bench Extended to Tier 3, 4 and 5
More tiers = more possibilities. Endgame crafting finally gets real depth!
💊 Potions Rethought: Heal-over-Time
Health Potions now work differently:
- Immediate healing when consumed (burst)
- Second healing wave 5 seconds later (HoT)
This makes combat more tactical - timing your potions matters now!
🎨 Bonus: 7 New Hairstyles!
Small but lovely detail for all character customization fans.
🏆 $100,000 MODDING CONTEST: "NEW WORLDS"
Announced: March 3, 2026
Duration: March 3 - April 28, 2026
Prize Pool: $100,000 | Winners: 65
This is the biggest modding competition in Hytale's history - and Hypixel Studios is actively scouting new talent through it!
The 3 Categories in Detail:
🌍 WorldGen V2 - Build New Worlds
Create a completely new biome, region, or entire world for Hytale.
- Unique theme, strong landmarks, great exploration
- Hytale style or something entirely standalone
- 🥇 $10,000 | 🥈 $7,500 | 🥉 $2,500 | Ranks 4-10: $1,000 each
🤖 NPCs - Bring Characters to Life
Create new creatures, enemies, or epic boss fights.
- Memorable AI behaviors
- Push the asset configuration system to its limits
- 🥇 $10,000 | 🥈 $7,500 | 🥉 $2,500 | Ranks 4-10: $1,000 each
🎮 Experiences - Invent New Ways to Play
From adventure maps to minigames to complete skill tree systems.
- PvP and multiplayer explicitly welcome!
- 🥇 $10,000 | 🥈 $7,500 | 🥉 $2,500 | Ranks 4-10: $1,000 each
Bonus Prizes:
- 🌟 5x $2,000 for community favorites
- 🎁 30x $300 as mid-contest drops during the competition
The Key Takeaway:
According to PCGamesN, this is the first of "many more" contests. And the studio explicitly sees the contest as a recruitment tool - winners might end up joining the Hypixel Studios team!
📊 CURSEFORGE STATS: 20 MILLION IN 7 WEEKS!
On March 3rd, the official CurseForge launch day, a milestone was reached:
| Date | Downloads |
|---|---|
| January 13 (Launch) | 0 |
| March 1 | 11.5 million |
| March 3 | 20 million 🎉 |
In just 2 days, downloads jumped by 8.5 million. The CurseForge launch activated the entire modding community. For comparison: most games need years for numbers like these.
💭 My Take After 8 Weeks of Early Access
I have to be honest: I didn't expect to be writing about these things after 8 weeks.
Proximity Voice Chat with real environmental audio. This sounds like a feature that normally comes after a year - if at all. Hytale has it in Pre-Release after 7 weeks.
$100,000 Modding Contest. This isn't a small studio throwing a few dollars around. This is a serious investment in the community. And the signal that Hypixel Studios sees modders as equal co-creators of the game.
20 million downloads in 7 weeks. Numbers don't lie.
I'll say it: Hytale is on its way to becoming one of the most significant games of this generation. Not because of graphics or mechanics alone - but because of the way the studio works with its community.
Am I optimistic? Yes. Too optimistic? Maybe. But the data speaks for itself. 🌟
🤔 Your Thoughts!
- 🎙️ Have you tried Proximity Voice Chat yet? What does it sound like in the cave?
- 💰 Are you entering the $100K contest? Which category?
- 🌍 What would you build for the WorldGen category?
- 📊 20 million downloads - did you see that coming?
Write it in the comments! 👇