The State of Hytale Modding in Late 2025: Java Plugins, Visual Scripting, and the "Server-Side" Future

The silence has finally been broken. On November 20th, 2025, Hytale’s Technical Director, Slikey (Kevin Carstens), released a candid, transparent, and technically dense status report regarding the future of Hytale modding.

For years, we’ve speculated about languages, client-side limitations, and asset creation. Now, we have answers. The verdict? Hytale is going "Server-Side First," and while the tools are powerful, the team admits they are currently "uneven" and in an early-access state.

At HyForge, we’ve analyzed the entire report to break down exactly what this means for aspiring server owners, mod creators, and the future of the Hytale ecosystem.

1. The "Server-Side First" Revolution

The most critical takeaway from Slikey’s post is the confirmation of a "One Community, One Client" philosophy.

Unlike Minecraft, where players often struggle with version mismatches and complex modpack installations, Hytale removes the friction entirely.

• No Client Mods: You will not need to download external mods to join a server.
• Automatic Sync: When a player joins your server, the game automatically serves them the necessary assets, UI, and logic.

What this means for you: As a server owner, you have total control. You don't need to teach your players how to install mods. You just set up your server (or use a platform like HyForge to do it in one click), and players can jump straight in.

2. The 4 Pillars of Hytale Content Creation

Slikey categorized the current modding capabilities into four distinct technical buckets. If you are planning to develop for Hytale, here is your toolkit:

Server Plugins (Java .jar)

This is for the heavy lifters. Hytale allows programmatic extension of the server using Java. This is where you will build complex economies, custom commands, and minigame logic. It is extremely powerful but requires programming knowledge.

Data Assets (JSON)

The DNA of the game. Blocks, items, NPCs, drop tables, and world generation are all driven by JSON files. This means a significant portion of "modding" can be done simply by editing text files, without writing complex code.

Art Assets (Blockbench Integration)

Good news for 3D artists: Hytale officially supports Blockbench. You can create models, textures, and animations in the industry-standard tool and import them directly into the game.

Save Files & Prefabs

You can share entire worlds or specific "Prefabs" (pre-built structures like houses or dungeons) that can be utilized by World Generation tools.

3. The End of "Text-Based Scripting" (Lua is Out)

Perhaps the most controversial part of the update is the decision not to include text-based scripting languages like Lua.

Instead, Hytale is going all-in on Visual Scripting. Drawing inspiration from Unreal Engine’s Blueprints, the team believes this bridges the gap between designers and programmers.

• Designers can build logic visually without syntax errors.
• Programmers can write high-performance nodes in Java/C# that designers can then use in the visual graph.

"We avoid fragmenting logic across multiple 'half-languages'. We believe this is the most empowering approach." — Slikey

4. The "Rough Edges" and Stability Risks

Slikey was brutally honest: The game is essentially in Early Access for modders. They are missing years of development time, and the tools reflect that.

• Crashes & Data Loss: Stability is a priority, but currently, data integrity cannot be guaranteed. Backups are mandatory.
• Documentation: A GitBook is in progress, but currently, documentation is scarce.
• Shared Source Server: To combat the lack of docs, Hytale commits to releasing the server source code 1-2 months after release so developers can "read the code" to understand how it works.

5. How HyForge Solves the "Distribution Friction"

In the update, Slikey mentioned a specific pain point:

"Expect friction when bundling creations into clean, sharable packages... managing dependencies between plugins and asset packs."

This is exactly why we are building HyForge.

While the Hytale team focuses on making the game engine powerful, we are focusing on making the ecosystem accessible. Hytale’s native tools for sharing and installing mods are currently "messy." HyForge aims to be the bridge that cleans up that mess.

For Creators

We are building the marketplace structure that Hytale currently lacks, allowing for proper version control and monetization.

For Server Owners

We are eliminating the "dependency hell" Slikey warned about. Our goal is to make installing a complex Modpack as easy as clicking a single button.

Conclusion

The road ahead is bumpy, but incredibly exciting. Hytale is giving us the keys to the kingdom—server source code, powerful Java plugins, and a unified client experience.

At HyForge, we are ready to build on this foundation. If you want to stay updated on the latest Hytale server hosting news and modding tools, make sure to join our community.

Ready to start your journey? Join the HyForge Waitlist and be the first to know when our tools go live.