In Hytale, the avatar is much more than just a playable character: it is the living expression of your identity within the vast Alterverse. Drawn to Orbis by a cosmic phenomenon, these protean beings adopt forms, styles, and personalities that fully reflect each player’s creativity.
An identity shaped by the Alterverse
Avatars represent players as creative entities capable of shaping worlds.
This dual nature — fantasy adventure hero and digital incarnation of the player — ensures continuity between the different modes of play, whether it be exploration, creation or socialization.
At the heart of this experience is the capital , a shared space where avatars meet, showcase their style, collaborate, and build relationships.
A rich and expressive personalization system
Avatar creation in Hytale relies on a set of powerful, flexible and accessible tools, allowing everyone to compose a unique appearance, consistent with their story or play style.
Here is an overview of the main options available.
Visual customization
| Appearance | Possibilities |
|---|---|
| Body | Various morphologies, including playable races and creatures. |
| Skin | Wide range of shades. |
| Face | Various shapes, fantastic options (horns, pointed ears, tusks). |
| Eyes | Multiple styles and colours. |
| Hairstyles | Wide variety of cuts; modifiable via Blockbench . |
| Beards | Various styles to add character. |
| Accessories | Hats, helmets, ornaments separate from hairstyles. |
| Clothes | Multi-layered system (modern outfits, armor, costumes, cosplay). |
| Colors | Detailed adjustments thanks to gradient mapping. |
| Expressions | Animated faces, either naturally or controlled by the player. |
| Emotes | Social and expressive activities. |
This system allows everyone to embody a visual identity that is as simple, extravagant or immersive as they wish.
Gradient Mapping: a technology at the service of creativity
Gradient mapping is at the heart of Hytale’s visual customization. This technology allows for the generation of a wide variety of colors, materials, and patterns from a simple grayscale texture.
Three elements structure this system:
1. 3D Model
The voxelized structure of an element (clothing, accessory, hairstyle).
2. Greyscale texture:
This indicates which areas can change color.
3. Gradient file.
It associates grey areas with color and material palettes (fabric, leather, metal, natural tints…).
Thanks to this process, a single model can produce hundreds of visual variations, while ensuring good in-game performance.
Styles for every imagination
Hytale’s Avatars can adopt a wide range of aesthetics. Among the most iconic are:
🧥 Modern fashion
Contemporary outfits, perfect for social activities and the capital.
🛡️ Fantasy and adventure
Costumes inspired by Orbis culture, armor, factional clothing.
🎭 Cosplay and themed creations
Thanks to modding, players can design unique outfits for roleplaying or storytelling.
Layering clothes and accessories allows for the creation of complex silhouettes, coherent or totally unexpected depending on preferences.
Embody the world: playable races and alternative forms
Your avatar is not limited to a human appearance. Hytale allows you to embody:
- a wide variety of playable races ,
- shapes inspired by creatures from Orbis,
- or even entire mobs according to the server rules.
Thanks to the attachment system , equipment — such as capes, weapons or accessories — dynamically integrates into the character model and animations.
One avatar for each game mode
Your avatar’s appearance follows you everywhere:
- Adventure
- Exploration
- Creation
- Cooperative
- Mini-games
- Roleplay
- Community worlds
Editing your appearance is free and can be done at any time, enhancing your immersion and presence in the universe.
Some communities may even define visual themes or dress codes to ensure roleplay consistency.
