Hytale’s Update 7 Part 1 patch notes, posted September 3, 2026, lead with a mining tool: the Scrap Drill breaks multiple blocks in a single swing instead of one at a time, cutting into the game’s most repetitive chore for the first time since Early Access launched. Alongside it comes the Rune Ability System — five combat Runes (Enrage, Fireball, Imbue Poison, Ground Slam, Wind Strike) that slot into a Runebinder’s Effigy to add new attacks — and six reworked Goblin types (Scrapper, Miner, Guardian, Lobber, Burner, Feastmaster) that become Chapter 1’s core antagonists. The wave also adds a Spyglass, a Scrap Glider, Rocket Boots for double jumps, a Hookshot with Hook Anchors, reworked gliding, and three new block sets. Hytale calls this “the first of several waves landing over the coming weeks” — a full Chapter 1 live date still isn’t announced.
The Scrap Drill Changes Hytale’s Slowest Chore
Every mining tool in Hytale up to this point breaks one block per swing, no matter the tier. The Scrap Drill is described in the official patch notes as a mining tool that “can break multiple blocks at once,” the first gadget to change that base rule rather than just mine faster within it. The patch notes don’t state an exact block count or range, so treat the scale of the effect as unconfirmed until players get hands-on with a build. What is confirmed: this drill isn’t a Part 1 surprise. Hytale first showed it off in a July 16 “First Look” post that grouped it with the other goblin-built gadgets landing in Chapter 1, so its arrival now means the studio is shipping roughly on the schedule it set two months ago.
Five Runes, One Effigy: How Combat Abilities Work Now
The Rune Ability System works through a single object, the Runebinder’s Effigy: collect Runes in the world, then place them in the Effigy to unlock the ability. Part 1 ships five:
- Enrage — channels primal rage to increase damage both dealt and received
- Fireball — launches a fireball that explodes on impact
- Imbue Poison — imbues your weapon with poison, applying a stacking poison debuff on hit
- Ground Slam — sunders the earth, erupting a spike that launches foes upward
- Wind Strike — imbues your weapon with wind, so the next three attacks fire piercing arcs
Five is likely not the finished roster. Hytale’s July reveal said the full Chapter 1 release is aiming for “roughly six ability runes and a similar number of modifier runes,” plus elemental interactions between them — the same post gives shocking a wet target as an example combo. Part 1’s five cover the ability-rune side only; no modifier runes or elemental-combo mechanics appear in these notes yet, so read this as a partial preview rather than the system’s final shape. If you’re relearning Hytale’s base combat loop before adding Runes on top of it, our combat fundamentals guide still applies unchanged.
Six Goblins Take Over as Chapter 1’s Enemies
The Goblin faction rework gives Chapter 1 its combat identity — six distinct roles instead of one generic enemy type:
| Goblin Type | Role | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Scrapper | Light melee | Swarms in groups rather than fighting solo |
| Miner | Heavy melee | Powerful leap attack closes distance fast |
| Guardian | Heavy melee | Heavily armored, defends with a shield |
| Lobber | Ranged | Bomb-based explosive arsenal |
| Burner | Ranged | Flamethrower, dangerous at close-to-mid range |
| Feastmaster | Large melee (role not detailed) | Physically massive, described as a gargantuan gobbler; patch notes don’t specify its attack pattern |
The July First Look post framed the faction as intentionally mixed: “not every goblin wants you dead,” and Chapter 1 includes friendly goblin NPCs such as a shopkeeper alongside these six combat types. None of that softens the Guardian-plus-Lobber pairing the patch notes hint at for group encounters — a shielded tank backed by bomb throwers is a standard “tank and ranged” setup, and it’s worth expecting goblin camps to combine roles rather than spawn one type at a time.
New Gadgets: Rocket Boots, Hookshot, Scrap Glider and Spyglass
Beyond the Scrap Drill, Part 1 adds four more traversal and utility tools:
- Rocket Boots — grant a double jump
- Hookshot (with Hook Anchors) — a grapple-style traversal tool for reaching otherwise inaccessible points
- Scrap Glider — lets you glide across the world; the existing glider was also reworked so you can now dive and ascend by pressing or releasing the Sprint key, and it keeps your momentum the moment you deploy it
- Spyglass — zooms your view in on anything happening at a distance
Together with the Scrap Drill, that’s five new or reworked tools in one wave. For context on how the last major wave landed, see our Update 6 patch notes coverage.
New Block Sets Round Out the Update
Part 1 also ships three new building sets — Enkindled Copper, Enkindled Iron, and Goblin Iron — plus a Goblin decorative set, and the existing Gold block set got new models and a texture polish pass. None of these change mechanics, but they’re the first blocks tied directly to the Goblin faction’s visual identity rather than a generic material tier.
When Chapter 1 Actually Launches — Still Not Announced
Hytale is explicit that this is Part 1 of “several waves landing over the coming weeks,” not the finished Chapter 1 release, and the patch notes carry no release date. The closest thing to a timeline estimate is Hytale’s own July 16 post, which projected Chapter 1 arriving “within the next 2-3 months” of that date — a window that points toward September or October 2026, and one Update 7’s on-schedule arrival doesn’t contradict. Treat that as a rough estimate the studio gave itself, not a commitment — see our 2026 roadmap tracker for how Hytale’s development timeline has looked so far. Expect weekly Part 2, 3, and beyond notes to add the modifier runes, elemental combos, and any remaining Chapter 1 dungeon content the July reveal promised but Part 1 hasn’t shipped yet.
Verified against Hytale’s Update 7 Part 1 pre-release patch notes, posted September 3, 2026. Values and features may change before the notes finalize or Chapter 1 goes live.
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.
