Understanding the HUD

New to Hytale? This guide breaks down the Heads-Up Display (HUD), explaining your health, hotbar, directional indicator, and more. Get familiar with your in-game interface!

Alright, let's get you familiar with what you'll be seeing on your screen in Hytale. It's called the HUD, or Heads-Up Display, and it's basically your main info panel while you're playing. Think of it like your car's dashboard, but for adventuring! ### Display The HUD shows your [health](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Health "Health"), hunger, and experience bars. You'll also see your [hotbar](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Hotbar "Hotbar") and a crosshair right in the middle of your screen. That crosshair is super important – it shows exactly what you're aiming at or interacting with. Your health bar is usually red and sits at the bottom, just above the hotbar. Your hunger bar is there too, but it only shows up when it's not completely full, so keep an eye on that! #### Hotbar This is your main inventory quick-access bar at the bottom. It has nine slots, numbered 1 through 9. You can put your favorite [blocks](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Block "Block") and [items](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Item "Item") here. Just press the corresponding number key on your keyboard to select a slot. You'll see a thin yellow outline around whichever slot is currently active. If you're using tools or [weapons](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Weapon "Weapon"), you might see a durability meter appear when they've taken some [damage](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Damage "Damage"). And if you've got more than one of the same item in a slot, a count will pop up in the bottom-right corner of that slot. ##### Radial menu Besides the main nine slots, you've got two extra slots controlled by the `Z` and `X` keys. Holding down either of these keys brings up a radial menu, letting you swap out different items for these special slots. The item in the left slot is what your [player](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Player "Player") will hold in their off-hand. This is handy for quick item switching! This radial menu can show up to four items, making it easy to select what you need without digging through your full inventory. #### Directional indicator Look up to the top of your screen, and you'll see a directional indicator. This acts like a compass, showing you which way you're facing. It's also where any waypoints you set will show up, which is super useful for navigating. #### Objectives popup When you're on a quest or discover something new, an [objective](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Objective "Objective") popup will appear in the top-right corner. It's like a little notification telling you what's going on or what you need to do next. #### UI navigation Down in the bottom-right, you'll find a few icons that give you quick access to different parts of the User Interface (UI). The third icon opens your [map](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Map "Map") (usually by pressing `M`), and the fourth opens your [inventory](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Inventory "Inventory") (usually by pressing `E`). #### Crosshair As mentioned before, that little dot in the center of your screen is your crosshair. It's your aiming point, showing you exactly what you're looking at. Keep it centered on your target! ## History Here's a quick look at how the HUD has been shown off during Hytale's development: | During development | | --- | | 27 November 2019 | The HUD appeared in a gameplay video of the [Emerald Grove ruins](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Emerald_Grove_ruins "Emerald Grove ruins") in a [blog](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Blog "Blog") post. | | 12 December 2019 | The HUD was shown again in a blog post focusing on [objectives](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Objective "Objective"). | | 24 February 2020 | The HUD was visible in an image of the [Devasted Lands](https://hytale-game.fandom.com/wiki/Devasted_Lands "Devasted Lands") featured in a transcript of an _Edge_ magazine showcase. | | 16 April 2020 | The HUD was shown once more...