What to know
- Magical items in Hytale are pre-alpha systems and may change significantly before release
- Current magic focuses on elemental staves and necromancy-style summoning
- Crafting and combat both rely heavily on rare essences
- Power differences between items strongly affect playstyle choices
Right now, magic in Hytale is compact but surprisingly deep. Even in pre-alpha, magical gear introduces alternative combat styles that feel very different from melee or ranged builds. Crystal staves reward positioning and resource planning, while the Grimoire leans into crowd control and numbers over raw damage. If you are experimenting with magic early, understanding these systems saves time and wasted materials.
All current magical items in Hytale
| Item name | Type | Primary role | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flame Crystal Staff | Offensive staff | Sustained fire damage | Crafted at Arcanist Workbench |
| Ice Crystal Staff | Burst / control staff | High single-target damage | Crafted at Arcanist Workbench |
| Grimoire | Summoning item | Minion-based combat | Dropped by Praetorian Skeletons |
Magical crafting and the Arcanist Workbench
All crafted magical weapons currently begin at the Arcanist Workbench. This station is essential for staff users, as neither elemental staff can be found directly as loot. Instead, you gather gemstones, refined metals, biome-specific materials, and elemental essences to assemble them yourself.

Crafting magic items is intentionally more demanding than standard gear. You are expected to explore multiple biomes, defeat elemental enemies, and invest time into essence farming before magic becomes viable as a primary combat option.
| Staff | Key materials | Notable bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| Flame Crystal Staff | Ruby, silver ingots, gold ingots, essence of fire | Essence of fire farming |
| Ice Crystal Staff | Sapphire, silver, azure logs, essence of ice | Essence of ice rarity |
Essence availability is the biggest limiter. While essence of fire can be farmed consistently with the right enemies and locations, essence of ice is significantly rarer and slows progression for ice-focused builds.
How crystal staff combat works in practice
Both elemental staves follow the same core design philosophy. You get a long-range magical projectile for consistent damage and a close-quarters secondary attack that trades safety for higher output. Unlike many magic systems, basic staff attacks do not consume energy, which makes them reliable for prolonged fights.

Each use, however, consumes one unit of its respective elemental essence. This means your damage potential is tied directly to how efficiently you farm and manage resources rather than mana alone.
| Staff | Primary attack | Secondary attack | Combat identity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flame Crystal Staff | 10 damage per hit | 12 damage per tick | Damage-over-time pressure |
| Ice Crystal Staff | 20 damage per hit | 5 damage per tick (rapid fire) | Burst and control |
The Flame Crystal Staff excels when you can maintain distance and keep pressure on enemies over time. Its secondary attack is particularly effective against targets that stay within range, making it strong in enclosed spaces.

The Ice Crystal Staff, on the other hand, hits much harder per projectile. It is better suited for picking off dangerous enemies quickly, but its reliance on rare essence makes sustained use harder to maintain early on.
How to obtain the Grimoire reliably
Unlike staves, the Grimoire cannot be crafted. It is a drop from Praetorian Skeletons, one of the more dangerous undead enemy variants currently available. These enemies are rare, aggressive, and capable of heavy melee damage through a lunging attack, so preparation matters.

You will mostly encounter Praetorian Skeletons in the Emerald Lands of Zone 1, where they spawn infrequently in the open world. There is, however, a reliable guaranteed spawn near a Forgotten Temple Gateway, making this location the best farming route early on. They also appear in the Devastated Lands in Zone 4, where enemies are generally more dangerous but spawn rates can be higher.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Drop item | Grimoire |
| Drop quantity | 5 per successful drop |
| Approximate drop rate | Around 50% |
| Recommended gear | Mid-to-high tier melee or ranged |
Because each drop yields multiple Grimoires, successful farming sessions scale quickly once you can defeat Praetorian Skeletons consistently.
How the Grimoire changes combat flow
The Grimoire introduces a completely different combat style compared to staves. Instead of direct damage, you raise undead minions using piles of skulls scattered throughout the world. Each pile consumed creates one skeleton ally, and activating five piles in succession results in a small undead squad.
These skeletons behave like basic NPC fighters. They attack enemies that engage you, block incoming damage, and serve as mobile distractions in larger encounters. Their power does not come from durability or raw damage, but from sheer numbers.
| Skeleton behavior | Details |
|---|---|
| Duration | 5 minutes |
| Movement limits | Cannot swim, will drown |
| Survivability | Low individual health |
| Control | Automatic targeting |
| Summon limit | No known cap |
Skeletons despawn if they get stuck or if you move too far away, which encourages slower, more methodical exploration when using necromancy. While each individual minion is weak, large groups can overwhelm enemies simply by dividing attention and absorbing hits that would otherwise reach you.

Choosing between elemental magic and necromancy
At this stage of development, magical items in Hytale feel intentionally specialized. Crystal staves reward precision, positioning, and resource efficiency, while the Grimoire favors preparation and battlefield control. Neither approach fully replaces traditional weapons yet, but both add meaningful variety to combat encounters.
If you prefer direct control and predictable damage, elemental staves are the safer investment. If you enjoy chaotic fights and indirect power, the Grimoire offers a unique playstyle that scales with planning rather than stats.
Hytale’s magic system so far
Hytale’s current magical items may be limited in number, but they already hint at a flexible and evolving magic system. As development continues, expect balance changes, additional spell types, and more complex interactions. For now, learning how each item works gives you a strong foundation and prepares you for future expansions to magic-focused gameplay.
Farming Essence of Ice is actual pain tho. Spent like 2 hours in Zone 3 and only got enough for maybe 50 shots. They really need to buff the drop rates.