Hytale currently has four zones in the world of Orbis, and this is the usual order to tackle them: Zone 1, Emerald Wilds (forests and meadows, the starting zone), Zone 2, Howling Sands (desert) and Zone 3, Whisperfrost Frontiers (snow and mountains), which you can do in either order, and finally Zone 4, Devastated Lands (volcanic), the most dangerous. Each zone has its own regions, creatures and main ore. To travel between distant places or enter temporary worlds, the game uses three types of portals: the Forgotten Temple Gateway, the Ancient Gateway with its fragment keys, and the teleporters you craft yourself. Update 7 (Chapter I, version 0.7), from October 12, 2026, adds Goblin Breaches, temporary portals that appear on their own, and a new biome, The Guttering Hollows.
Hytale is in Early Access. Since Update 7 the game has an official Spanish translation, but here we keep the English names used in the official notes so you can recognize them; if you play in Spanish, you may see them translated. If this is your first playthrough, start with our guide on what Hytale is and how to get started.
Hytale’s 4 zones at a glance
| Zone | Setting | Regions | Key ore | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Emerald Wilds | Forests, meadows and swamps | Drifting Plains, Seedling Woods, The Fens | Copper and iron | Early |
| 2. Howling Sands | Desert, savanna and canyons | Golden Steppes, Badlands, Desolate Basin | Thorium | Mid |
| 3. Whisperfrost Frontiers | Tundra, taiga and frozen mountains | Frostmarch Tundra, Boreal Reach, The Everfrost | Cobalt | Mid |
| 4. Devastated Lands | Ash, lava and scorched forests | Basalt Peninsula, Charred Woodlands, Cinder Wastes | Adamantite | Late |
In the early trailers, Zone 1 was called Emerald Grove. In the current game and in the official patch notes it’s called Emerald Wilds, so if you see both names, they’re the same zone.
What the map of Orbis looks like
The world is procedurally generated, but it follows a fixed pattern. According to the community wiki, the center of the map (about 2 x 2 km) is always Emerald Wilds. Howling Sands lies to the south and Whisperfrost Frontiers to the north, right next to the starting zone. The Devastated Lands aren’t adjacent: they appear as islands several kilometers away, in any direction, so you’ll have to cross the sea to get there. The ocean surrounds everything, with deep areas such as the Crystalline Depths.
The in-game map opens with the M key. Use the mouse wheel to zoom, drag to pan, and right-click to see coordinates and place markers. It only shows what you’ve already explored, and the number of markers is limited. If you want a map that remembers everything you’ve explored, with a cave mode and waypoints, check out the BetterMap plugin.
Zone 1: Emerald Wilds
This is the starting zone and the calmest one. It has meadows (Drifting Plains), many kinds of forest (Seedling Woods) and a swamp (The Fens). It’s home to the peaceful Kweebecs and their enemies, the Trorks, who have camps of various sizes. There are also goblin lairs, skeletons, spiders and predators like wolves and bears.
- Resources: copper and iron for your first gear, various woods and hides for light leather.
- Watch out for: the Fen Stalker in the swamp, fast and hard-hitting, and the large Trork camps.
- Key location: the Ruined Temple, home to the portal to the Forgotten Temple (we explain how it works below).
Zone 2: Howling Sands
South of the starting zone. It mixes barren red deserts (Badlands, Desolate Basin) with savannas (Golden Steppes) and oases. The factions are the Scaraks, insects that live in underground nests, and the Ferans. The dangerous wildlife includes sabertooth tigers, crocodiles, snakes and Cactees, cactus-shaped creatures.
- Resources: it’s the main source of thorium, which you need for the Arcanist’s Workbench and for tier 3 upgrades.
- Watch out for: the Scarak nests; the Scarak Broodmother lives at the very bottom.
Zone 3: Whisperfrost Frontiers
North of the starting zone. It goes from tundra with fir forests (Frostmarch Tundra) to cedar forests and frozen plains (Boreal Reach) and, in the coldest part, The Everfrost. This is where you’ll find the Outlanders, a Void-corrupted tribe that lives in villages, temples and underground dungeons. There are also yetis, polar bears and Frost Golems.
- Resources: cobalt and the Shadoweave Scraps dropped by Outlanders, essential for cobalt gear.
- Watch out for: Outlander villages, with several kinds of warriors, ranged hunters and priests, and Yetis, which throw chunks of earth at you.
Zone 4: Devastated Lands
The final zone: scorched stone, lava rivers and burned forests (Charred Woodlands, Cinder Wastes, Basalt Peninsula). Underground it hides a tropical jungle with dinosaurs. On the surface you’ll find burnt skeletons, zombies, wraiths (Wraith), the Emberwulf and undead animals; in the underground jungle, raptors and the Cave Rex.
- Resources: adamantite (you need at least a thorium or cobalt pickaxe, according to the official Update 2 notes) and Cindercloth Scraps.
- Tip: don’t come without a full set of thorium or cobalt gear and plenty of food.
You’ll find where each ore spawns in our Hytale ores guide, and cloth and leather in the Hytale materials guide. The most dangerous creatures in each zone and how to beat them are in our Hytale bosses and creatures guide.
Hytale portals: which ones exist and how to activate them
1. Forgotten Temple Gateway (the temple portal)
Each zone has a temple with a portal that leads to the Forgotten Temple, a temple on a floating island: the Ruined Temple in Emerald Wilds, the Drylands Temple in Howling Sands, the Snowlands Temple in Whisperfrost Frontiers and the Firelands Temple in the Devastated Lands. The portal is guarded by a golem (in Zone 1, the Earthen Golem). Defeat it, step into the portal and you’ll appear in the temple. To go back, use the exit portal.
At the center of the Forgotten Temple is The Heart of Orbis, a statue of Gaia. Interacting with it activates Memories, the game’s bestiary: every new creature you encounter is a Memory, and registering them at the statue unlocks recipes. Since Update 7, some creatures have to be defeated to earn their Memory. You can only carry a limited number of unregistered Memories, so head back every now and then.
With Update 7, the Forgotten Temple is also where Chapter I begins: exploring the new Goblin Lab unlocks the chapter content, and that’s where the Runebinder’s Lattice is, used to equip runes. Heads up: its bed can no longer be used to sleep.
2. Ancient Gateway and fragment keys
The Ancient Gateway opens portals to Fragments: temporary worlds with more danger and better loot. When time runs out, the game sends you back to your world. Here’s how to get one:
- Activate Memories at the Forgotten Temple and register 100 Memories. That unlocks the recipe for the Ancient Gateway and the keys.
- Craft the Arcanist’s Workbench at the tier 2 Workbench (it takes thorium bars, Linen Scraps and Essence of the Void).
- At the Arcanist’s Workbench, craft the Ancient Gateway: 30 Cobblestone, 10 thorium bars, 10 Essence of Life and 10 Essence of the Void.
- Craft a fragment key (Fragment Key), hold it in your hand and interact with the Gateway to open the portal.
- Go in quickly: the portal disappears if nobody goes through within about 90 seconds, and each key is used up when you use it.
| Fragment | Key (Arcanist’s Workbench) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Windrider Valley | 10 thorium bars + 30 Essence of Life | 6 min |
| Dragonspire Weald (frozen forest) | 10 cobalt bars + 30 Essence of Ice | 7 min |
| The Dread Wade (swamp) | 10 adamantite bars + 30 Essence of Fire | 7 min |
There are two other fragments, Silent Henges and Tal’Kesi Refuge, but you can’t get them by playing in normal mode. These recipes and timers were checked in Update 6; the Update 7 notes don’t change them, but they do rename the commands: /fragment becomes /portal and /leave becomes /portal leave (more in Hytale commands).
3. Teleporters
These are portals you build yourself to travel quickly between your bases. You craft them at the Arcanist’s Workbench with 8 Azure Log, 2 Azure Kelp and 10 stone blocks, and the recipe gives you two. Place them, name them and interact with one to choose its destination. At first you can only have a few; the limit goes up as you register more Memories.
Goblin Breach and The Guttering Hollows (Update 7)
Update 7, «Chapter I: Out of the Breach», came out on October 12, 2026 and, according to its notes, doesn’t add a new zone, but it does add a biome, two new portal worlds and an event that changes how you explore Orbis.
Goblin Breach: the temporary portal
A Goblin Breach is a temporary portal that appears in the world, and the notes warn that it arrives with force, so stand back. It leads to an unstable fragment of Orbis overrun by goblins, with the Void pressing in from the edges.
- When they appear: in the main world (the Echo of Orbis, as the notes call it) after a few nights, or sooner if you investigate the disturbance at the Forgotten Temple.
- They change every time: the fragment regenerates on each entry.
- Limited time: the Void eventually kicks you out. You gain time by fighting the Void and upgrading the Goblin Breach Console in the Goblin Lab.
Since Update 7, world events can be turned on or off in the world settings or with the /worldevent command (they’re off in Creative). According to the community wiki, breaches are one of those events; the official notes don’t say so explicitly.
The Guttering Hollows: the new biome
The Guttering Hollows is the biome that debuts with Chapter I. It has predators you can track and trap, Void assassins, trapped chests that release waves of enemies, and puzzles. For hunts on the other side of a breach you need a Voidheart, and hunting spots have their own icon on the map. The notes present it alongside the reworked goblin faction: goblins of many shapes and sizes that fear the Void and flee from its creatures unless they’re in a group.
The chapter dungeon, The Deepworks, with the Elite Goblin Feastmaster and Gobliterator bosses, is covered in Hytale bosses and creatures, and the rest of the new content in our Hytale Update 7 guide.
Other world changes
- Void creatures no longer spawn at night in the Echo of Orbis. They also have a new look and have been rebalanced.
- The Zone 4 caves and sewers have their own music, and there are new tracks in Zones 2, 3 and 4.
- The world map has been rebuilt to use much less memory.
- Rain is heavier.
Frequently asked questions
How many zones does Hytale have?
Right now, four: Emerald Wilds, Howling Sands, Whisperfrost Frontiers and Devastated Lands, plus the ocean. According to its notes, Update 7 doesn’t add new zones, but it does add The Guttering Hollows biome and Goblin Breaches. Hypixel hasn’t announced names or dates for new zones.
What is the hardest zone in Hytale?
The Devastated Lands, Zone 4. It has the strongest enemies, like the Emberwulf and the Cave Rex, and you can’t mine adamantite without a thorium or cobalt pickaxe.
How do I get to the Forgotten Temple?
Find your zone’s temple (in Emerald Wilds, the Ruined Temple), defeat the golem guarding the portal and go through it. There you activate Memories at the statue of Gaia.
Why can’t I craft the Ancient Gateway?
Because the recipe unlocks when you register 100 Memories at The Heart of Orbis, and it’s crafted at the Arcanist’s Workbench. If you’re short on Memories, explore other zones and biomes, and try both day and night: some creatures only appear at certain times.
Where do Goblin Breaches appear?
In the world, after a few nights or after investigating the disturbance at the Forgotten Temple. They’re temporary portals and each time they lead to a different fragment, with limited time.
Do you have to go in order from Zone 1 to Zone 4?
It isn’t required, but it’s the most sensible route. You need thorium (Zone 2) and cobalt (Zone 3) to upgrade the Workbench and get tools that can mine adamantite in Zone 4.