Version 0.0.27-alpha

Helitra gameplay: a two-storey wooden base in the Grasslands, with a furnace and crafting stations inside and dark caves underneath

Build your home. Dig until you find a rift.

Helitra is a 2D sandbox action RPG. Settle the Grasslands, build your base, and dig down to rifts that lead into generated locations full of ore, enemies and loot. Now in alpha.

Enter the world
In-game screenshot · full size

The Grasslands, and what’s under it

You start in a bunker under the Grasslands, an endless world that stays yours: build your base, and it’s there when you come back. Deepwood forests are never far off, the Underworld lies far below, and the Skylands float high above, each a step up in danger and loot. Somewhere in the caves between, rifts open into generated locations.

  1. Build

    Settle the Grasslands with walls, platforms and crafting stations.

  2. Find a rift

    Dig down until you find one, and step into a generated location.

  3. Bring it back

    Mine, fight and loot, then carry materials and gear home.

  4. Grow stronger

    Turn what you found into better equipment, and reach further next time.

Grasslands

Open hills, lakes, huts and root cellars. Your starting bunker is underneath, with a Starter Chest of gear and locked doors to work toward.

Deepwood

A darker forest of tall trees. Spiders drop the Silk for the Scout Grapple, and vampire mansions hide a lord whose treasury holds Tier 1 Sanguine weapons.

Underworld

About 400 tiles down. Dungeons four to six levels deep, full of skeletons and the spawners that keep making them. At the bottom: a Skyland Key, a Booster Core and a Furnace Core.

Skylands

Floating islands 1,024 tiles up. Unlock the access tower with a Skyland Key, ride its gravity lift, then grapple between islands for Sky Birch, Grasslands Cores and a Flight Regulator.

Exploring

Most of the world lies underground, and it’s dark down there. You dig, climb and light your way through it, and a grappling hook gets you where your feet can’t. It catches on any solid terrain.

  • Swing across gaps and build momentum.
  • Reel in to climb a cliff face.
  • Let out cable to lower yourself into a cave.
  • Let go and keep your momentum.

Your first hook is the Copper Grapple. The Scout Grapple, made with Spider Silk from Deepwood spiders, reaches three times as far. Later, a jetpack lifts you higher. Drills carve through rock, and the map only fills in what you’ve seen, so bring torches or a flashlight.

Copper Grapple
Scout Grapple

Rifts: the Gloomwing Mine

Gloomwing Mine entrances turn up anywhere underground, all the way down into the Underworld. Step through into a mine of metal ore, lit by violet glowcaps and crawling with Gloom Moths. Once you’ve mined 150 blocks, the mine collapses and sends you back to the entrance with everything you’re carrying. Leave early and it waits for you; once it collapses, that entrance is spent. Friends can come along.

Helitra gameplay at night: a two-story wooden home lit by torches under the moon, with creatures outside and a tunnel underneath
A base in the Grasslands after dark. Full-size screenshot (4K)

Build your base

Craft a Workbench and place it to mark out your base. Switch to Build Mode to place walls, backing walls, platforms, doors and hatches around it; spare building pieces go back into the Workbench. Then set up your crafting stations, which use what you’re carrying first and pull the rest from nearby storage.

Upgrade the Equipment Bench with Copper and then Iron Ingots to craft metal weapons and armor; the Iron upgrade also needs a Furnace Core from the Underworld. Smelting, grinding and brewing keep running while you’re out exploring, and pick up where they left off after a save.

Combat

Pick your range and keep moving. Fight up close with blades and shields, trade shots with guns and bows, or bring magic and summoned companions. Every weapon has its own rhythm, so read enemy windups and use the terrain.

Equipment

Melee

Swords, axes, claws and spears, plus shields that guard toward your aim.

  • Guard’s Sword and Shield
  • Iron Axe
  • Iron Claw
  • Iron Spear

Firearms

Pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns, each with its own recoil and reload.

  • Calder M45
  • Calder R500
  • Varek R47
  • Bellano 312

Bows, throws and explosives

Draw a bow, fire a crossbow, or bring grenades and launchers.

  • Alder B1 Recurve Bow
  • Alder X1 Crossbow
  • Improvised Frag Grenade
  • Harth R1 Rocket Launcher

Magic and summons

Elemental staffs, grimoire spells and companions that fight beside you.

  • Flame Staff
  • Frost Staff
  • Cinder Folio
  • Storm Prism

Armor and gear

Mix head, chest and leg pieces from any set, then add trinkets, a backpack and a tool belt.

  • Winterhide, Helix and Nullwarden sets
  • Siphon Heart
  • Military Backpack

And much more

Beyond these examples, Helitra already holds hundreds of items.

  • 334weapons, from blades to launchers
  • 174armor pieces across 58 sets
  • 52trinkets, backpacks and tool belts
  • 64glyphs and runes
  • 955items in all

Build your fighting style

Your loadout is your role. Weapons, armor, trinkets, affixes and runes let you specialize or mix styles.

  • Melee fighter

    Blades, heavy weapons and claws, built for speed and damage.

  • Shield defender

    Guard toward your aim and outlast the hits.

  • Gunslinger

    Precision and sustained fire, with faster handling and reloads.

  • Archer

    Time your bow draws and line up crossbow bolts.

  • Staff caster

    Channel elemental attacks and recharge faster.

  • Grimoire wielder

    Invoke spells and repeat a successful cast.

  • Summoner

    Field more companions at once.

  • Hybrid

    A shield, a gun and a summon on one toolbar.

What you’ll face

Every layer of the Grasslands has its own threats.

Surface

Natural predators by day, and the undead after dark.

Deepwood

A webbed, twisted forest where giant spiders and beetles hunt.

Caverns

Dark tunnels home to burrowers, armored crawlers and things on the wing.

Underworld

Ancient crypts far below, guarded by the restless dead.

Loot

Defeat enemies for equipment and materials, or search underground chests for your next upgrade. A good find can strengthen your current build or give you a reason to try another weapon.

Armor comes in separate head, chest and leg pieces, so you can mix sets to suit how you play. Some full sets add a bonus of their own. Glyphs and runes let you keep shaping a promising item.

Helitra gameplay at night: a player in a red late-game armor set holding a gun, next to a glowing revolver dropped on the ground
A later-game armor set. The glowing revolver on the ground is a drop. Full-size screenshot

Gear that grows with you

Every tier up hits harder and protects better. At the top sits Tier 7: legendary gear, the most powerful in Helitra.

  1. Bone HelmTier 1
  2. Rook N45 NailgunTier 2
  3. Helix HelmTier 3
  4. Ice Fang CrossbowTier 4
  5. Nullwarden HelmTier 5
  6. Bastion Sword and Kite ShieldTier 6
  7. PrismheartTier 7 · Legendary

Make it stronger with glyphs

Finding a good item is only the start. Glyphs build on it. Use one on a piece of equipment, and it rolls a random result. Sometimes it’s exactly what you wanted. Sometimes you roll again.

  1. Prefix Glyph

    Adds a random prefix that fits the item. Weapons and body armor hold two.

  2. Suffix Glyph

    Adds a random suffix that fits the item. Weapons and body armor hold two of these as well.

  3. Glyph of Duality

    Adds a prefix and a suffix, then raises each by one tier, up to the item's tier and Tier 6. The item needs an empty slot of each kind.

  4. Cleansing Glyph

    Strips every prefix and suffix so you can roll again. Quality, sockets and runes stay put.

  5. Glyph of Improvement

    Adds 1–3 quality points, up to 25%. Quality raises a weapon’s base damage or armor’s base protection. Gruelers, Gravewings and Carrion Gliders sometimes drop one.

  6. Glyph of Chaotic Improvement

    A gamble: a 60% chance to add 1–3 quality points and a 40% chance to lose them, anywhere from 0 to 50%.

  7. Socketing Glyph

    Opens a socket for a rune.

Prefixes and suffixes

Weapons and body armor hold two prefixes and two suffixes. Prefixes add power, like more damage or armor. Suffixes add effects, like faster attacks or chain lightning. Better gear can roll stronger bonuses, and quality and a rune socket stack on top. Pick a step to follow one weapon through a lucky set of rolls.

Morningstar

WeaponTier 3

Stats
Attack 1 damage
18.76
Attack 1 duration
0.85 s
Attack 2 damage
23.45
Attack 2 duration
1.05 s
Damage type
physical

Deadly Morningstar

WeaponTier 3

Stats
Attack 1 damage
22.51
Attack 1 duration
0.85 s
Attack 2 damage
28.14
Attack 2 duration
1.05 s
Damage type
physical
  • Deadly +20% direct damage

Deadly Morningstar of Haste

WeaponTier 3

Stats
Attack 1 damage
22.51
Attack 1 duration
0.75 s
Attack 2 damage
28.14
Attack 2 duration
0.93 s
Damage type
physical
  • Deadly +20% direct damage
  • of Haste +13% attack speed

Deadly Morningstar of Haste

WeaponTier 3Quality 3%

Stats
Attack 1 damage
23.19
Attack 1 duration
0.75 s
Attack 2 damage
28.98
Attack 2 duration
0.93 s
Damage type
physical
  • Deadly +20% direct damage
  • of Haste +13% attack speed

Deadly Morningstar of Haste

WeaponTier 3Quality 3%

Stats
Attack 1 damage
25.44
Attack 1 duration
0.75 s
Attack 2 damage
31.8
Attack 2 duration
0.93 s
Damage type
physical
  • Deadly +20% direct damage
  • of Haste +13% attack speed
  • Minor Might Rune +10% physical base damage

Runes

A Socketing Glyph opens a socket, and a rune fills it. Every rune does two jobs: one effect in a weapon, another in armor, trinkets or a backpack. Each weapon and worn piece holds one rune, and replacing a rune destroys the old one. Effects shown are for Minor runes; Major runes are stronger.

Minor Might Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% physical damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+10 armor

Minor Ember Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% fire damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% fire resistance

Minor Frost Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% cold damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% cold resistance

Minor Storm Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% electrical damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% electrical resistance

Minor Venom Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% poison damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% poison resistance

Minor Void Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+10% void damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% void resistance

Minor Vitality Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Can’t go in weapons

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+2 max health

Minor Fury Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Melee weapons attack 10% faster

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% melee damage

Minor Precision Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Non-magic ranged weapons deal 10% more damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+5% ranged attack speed, including bow draw

Minor Arcane Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Magic weapons cast 10% faster

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Staffs recharge 10% faster

Minor Command Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

+1 maximum summon

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Weapons only

Minor Siphon Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Heal for 2% of the direct damage you deal

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Regenerate health after four seconds without taking damage

Minor Cleave Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Melee hits also strike one nearby enemy for 30% damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Take 10% less knockback

Minor Piercing Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Projectiles pierce one more enemy

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

10% less projectile spread

Minor Stride Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Hits grant 5% movement speed for two seconds

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+3% movement speed

Minor Echo Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Every fourth magic bolt echoes for 35% damage

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Burn and Poison on you wear off 10% faster

Minor Exposure Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Elemental hits weaken the target’s resistance for three seconds

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Burn and Poison you inflict last 10% longer

Minor Concord Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Your summons deal 15% more damage to targets you just hit

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Take 2% less damage with a summon nearby

Minor Swarm Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Your summons attack 10% faster

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

Summoning casts finish 15% faster

Minor Leap Rune

RuneMinor

In a weapon

Can’t go in weapons

In armor, trinkets or a backpack

+20% jump height, on legwear

A few of the bonuses you can roll

Most rolls are Standard. Epic and Legendary bonuses are rarer and change how a weapon plays. Exact strength varies with every roll.

Prefixes

  • DoublingStandardWeapon

    Fires twice the projectiles, each at 70% damage, for the same ammo.

  • Executioner'sEpicWeapon

    Double damage against enemies at 35% health or below.

  • TitanicLegendaryWeapon

    Double direct damage and +50% knockback.

Suffixes

  • of MomentumStandardWeapon

    Each hit speeds up your attacks, up to +20%.

  • of Chain LightningEpicWeapon

    Hits can arc to two more enemies for 50% damage.

  • of CataclysmLegendaryWeapon

    The first hit of every attack explodes.

Fresh drops

Example drops from Tier 0 to Tier 5, each with a prefix and suffix rolled the way the game rolls them.

  1. Brutal Adjudicator Revolver of Chain Lightning

    WeaponTier 5

    • Brutal T1 +23% direct damage
    • of Chain Lightning T2 14% chance to arc to 2 more enemies for 34% damage

  2. Desperate Morningstar of Static

    WeaponTier 3

    • Desperate T3 +34% damage while you are at half health or below
    • of Static T0 3.5% chance to shock

  3. Voidwarded Nullwarden Helm of Force

    HeadTier 5

    • Voidwarded T2 +5% void resistance
    • of Force T4 +7.6% knockback

  4. Overwhelming Primitive Bow of Momentum

    WeaponTier 0

    • Overwhelming T0 +31% direct damage
    • of Momentum T0 hits stack +1% attack speed, up to 5 times

  5. Deadly Sludge Injector of Venom

    WeaponTier 4

    • Deadly T3 +17% direct damage
    • of Venom T0 6% chance to poison

  6. Opportunistic Sludge Injector of Pandemonium

    WeaponTier 4

    • Opportunistic T2 +24% damage to enemies already suffering a status
    • of Pandemonium T2 10% chance to ignite, poison or shock

  7. Deadly Cinder Disc of Haste

    WeaponTier 5

    • Deadly T4 +23% direct damage
    • of Haste T2 +10% attack speed

  8. Voidwarded Berserker Hood of Force

    HeadTier 2

    • Voidwarded T2 +4.9% void resistance
    • of Force T2 +6.7% knockback

  9. Fireproof Bone Helm of Quickloading

    HeadTier 1

    • Fireproof T0 +3.7% fire resistance
    • of Quickloading T0 2.3% faster reloads

  10. Reinforced Frostbound Helm of Haste

    HeadTier 4

    • Reinforced T0 +3 armor
    • of Haste T0 +2.9% attack speed

  11. Overwhelming Sludge Injector of Embers

    WeaponTier 4

    • Overwhelming T0 +29% direct damage
    • of Embers T2 8% chance to ignite

  12. Opportunistic Ice Fang Crossbow of Momentum

    WeaponTier 4

    • Opportunistic T0 +15% damage to enemies already suffering a status
    • of Momentum T1 hits stack +1.6% attack speed, up to 5 times

Also in the game

Potion making

Combine ingredients at the Potion Bench to brew potions that restore health, bolster your defenses, increase speed and damage, soften falls or help you see in the dark.

  1. Minor Health Potion

  2. Minor Defense Potion

  3. Minor Speed Potion

  4. Minor Rage Potion

  5. Minor Featherfall Potion

  6. Night Sight Potion

Nexus Beacon

Multiplayer

Place a Nexus Beacon to open your world to friends, or run a dedicated server so your group has a world that stays up when you log off.

On a dedicated server, players can head into rifts alone or as a group while everyone else stays put. Rift locations open as players need them, and server owners choose how many can run at once, as many as their hardware can handle. Player damage can be Off, Light or Full, and bunkers stay safe either way. Chat with players nearby as you play.

Roadmap

Where Helitra is headed. Plans can change along the way.

First milestone · planned for 2027

Public alpha playtest

A cut-down version of Helitra so anyone can try it. The Grasslands will be finished by then, so you can explore all of it. You can host your own games and dedicated servers, but there won’t be official servers at the start. Some may go up during the playtest, without any promise they’ll always be available.

Later milestones

Changelog

Highlights from each alpha release: new possibilities, discoveries, and improvements to your adventure.

Helitra is in alpha, so features and save compatibility can still change between versions. Full change lists are included with the game download.

Published alpha

0.0.27-alpha

Oct 25, 2026 · Build 1205

Highlights

  • Ride gravity elevators into Skylands.
    • Reach islands 1,024 blocks above spawn through separate ascent and descent chambers, with a jump and jetpack boost to enter the ascent field.
  • Explore a rebuilt Underworld.
    • Follow a continuous craggy cavern, discover lit dungeon entrances, and harvest new stone outcrops along the way.
  • Choose how players can fight each other.
    • Select Off, Light or Full player damage, while protected biomes and entry bunkers remain safe from player attacks.
  • Keep chest storage beside your inventory.
    • See all 48 slots without pages, with Take and Deposit All below the grid and clear access to the top controls.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.26-alpha

Oct 24, 2026 · Build 1133

Highlights

  • Explore floating Skylands.
    • Grapple between mountain islands and unlock their 400-tile access tower with a Skyland Key from an Underworld crypt.
  • Raid larger vampire mansions.
    • Explore furnished Gothic halls and hidden cellars, then claim Vampire-set weapons and a key that permanently opens the balcony exit.
  • Build up your workshop arsenal.
    • Upgrade Equipment and Ammunition Benches, craft copper and iron gear, and mine with a fuel-free Copper Hand Drill.
  • Reach farther with grapples and jetpacks.
    • Build swing momentum, reel toward ledges, and climb with longer-lasting vertical jetpack thrust.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.25-alpha

Oct 22, 2026 · Build 1012

Highlights

  • Explore furnished vampire mansions.
    • Discover Gothic artwork, warmly lit rooms and connected wings where vampires patrol and pursue through unlocked interior doors.
  • Descend through branching Underworld dungeons.
    • Explore four to six levels of winding corridors, side chambers and changing ladder and platform routes.
  • Watch Grasslands predators compete.
    • Gruelers hunt prey and predators, while wolves and bears fight back against gruelers.
  • Find a secret challenge in Rabbit Jumper.
    • Survive a hidden minute-long space stage to reach a shower of diamond strawberries.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.24-alpha

Oct 22, 2026 · Build 981

Highlights

  • Keep cave lighting steady around the starter bunker.
    • Entering or leaving the bunker no longer changes the darkness of surrounding caves.
  • Get back into the world after a multiplayer respawn.
    • Guest respawns now move the camera and load destination terrain correctly when the same character returns.
  • Use linked portals without a Workbench claim.
    • Reachable return portals now work for guests while storage and building permissions stay protected.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.23-alpha

Oct 21, 2026 · Build 961

Highlights

  • Explore grander crypts and vampire mansions.
    • Descend through sprawling Underworld crypts or climb six-floor mansions in Deepwood, with personal treasure rewards.
  • Feel the jump to better equipment.
    • Upgrading comparable melee weapons or material bows gives a clearer damage boost, with stronger armor and trinket benefits too.
  • Restock a chest in one step.
    • Use Deposit All [Shift+E] in an open chest to store matching item types from your inventory and backpack while protected slots stay untouched.
  • Fit doors and hatches into your builds.
    • Install doors in built walls or three-tile hatches in floors, recover replaced materials, and dig shafts beneath opened hatches.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.22-alpha

Oct 20, 2026 · Build 926

Highlights

  • Explore underground as you go.
    • Underground terrain starts undiscovered; explored areas stay known, while lights and glows hint at what lies ahead.
  • Collect from chests with a single key.
    • Press F or use Take [F] to collect everything that fits, leaving excess items behind.
  • Keep spare games beside your arcade screen.
    • A compact column of twelve storage slots keeps spare cartridges stacked and saved beside the loaded game.
  • Build reusable Punji Sticks.
    • Craft Pine Wood and Flint into traps that damage and knock back creatures that cross them; players and allies can trigger them too.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.21-alpha

Oct 20, 2026 · Build 867

Highlights

  • Meet the Professional Video Gamer.
    • Acquire an Arcade Machine to unlock a personal daily cartridge shop and a free Rabbit Jumper welcome gift.
  • Discover new twists across the rabbit arcade.
    • Explore Rabbit Jumper's rotating regions, face Rabbit Orbit's carrier boss, and try new puzzle boards, arenas, and multiball challenges.
  • Store spare building pieces at your workbench.
    • Its 36 shared slots keep batch leftovers handy and supply future construction before your carried inventory.
  • Unlock doors with resources.
    • Pay the displayed item cost to permanently open access for everyone; new starter bunkers include a Flint-locked bandage cache.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.20-alpha

Oct 19, 2026 · Build 821

Highlights

  • Join friends straight from the main menu.
    • Browse servers before choosing a character, then reuse the character you last played on each server.
  • Keep your fishing haul organized.
    • Fish of the same species and star rank now stack up to 99, keeping their rank and quantity through storage, cooking, and saves.
  • Build and craft with clearer menus.
    • Centered workstation panels keep selected recipe details visible, while Furniture, Utilities, and Building filters make construction choices easier to find.
  • Let your eyes adjust to the dark.
    • Vision gradually adapts in unlit caves, with brief glare when you enter substantially brighter surroundings.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.19-alpha

Oct 19, 2026 · Build 773

Highlights

  • Begin your adventure in an underground bunker.
    • Explore connected chambers and climb to the surface, collecting your personal starting equipment from the sparkling Starter Chest.
  • Meet three new playable characters.
    • Choose Mica, Nia, or Tomas, each with their own artwork and dialogue; Mica reacts mechanically and spills amber coolant.
  • Hear the impact of every fight.
    • All six player characters and 49 enemies now have distinct hurt sounds, with spatial playback and varied reactions.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.18-alpha

Oct 19, 2026 · Build 745

Highlights

  • Play two new rabbit arcade games.
    • Guide a rabbit to strawberries while dodging zombies in Rabbit Clicker, or lead a three-rabbit artillery team across destructible terrain in Rabbit Siege.
  • Explore brighter Gloomwing caves.
    • Dim violet glowcaps light the caverns, where Gloom Moths are now the only enemies.
  • Mine with fewer multiplayer interruptions.
    • Delayed terrain updates no longer pull guests into brief collision glitches, and short waits keep gameplay UI visible.
  • Cast with a more responsive fishing rod.
    • Aim with the cursor, draw back while holding left-click, and swing forward on release, with animated lines visible to friends.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.17-alpha

Oct 18, 2026 · Build 709

Highlights

  • Make the Grasslands your permanent home.
    • Build a base that stays yours while you explore, with existing worlds and progress preserved.
  • Discover the Gloomwing Mine.
    • Find one-visit entrances deep underground, gather rich ore with friends, and return to the entrance with your haul when the mine collapses.
  • Keep gathering with fewer interruptions.
    • Nearby equipment and throwables collect into available storage automatically, and drills reach farther from your character.
  • Enjoy smoother fishing with friends.
    • Fishing lines, bobbers, and retrieved fish move smoothly for both local and multiplayer players.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.16-alpha

Oct 18, 2026 · Build 681

Highlights

  • Take on Rabbit Zombies in your arcade.
    • Craft its cartridge, fight zombie waves with gunfire and reloads, and collect strawberries for points.
  • Return home smoothly on dedicated servers.
    • Portal arrivals no longer get stuck near your Workbench.
  • Stay connected when friends enter water.
    • Nearby players can enter water without disconnecting you from the session.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.15-alpha

Oct 17, 2026 · Build 669

Highlights

  • Explore independently with friends.
    • Hosts and guests can use portals and Return Beacons separately while other worlds keep running and preserve their progress.
  • Recover faster in the field.
    • Bandages deliver the same healing in four minutes, and eligible plant ingredients share the three-bite food allowance.
  • Mine with more consistent drill reach.
    • Drills measure from your midpoint and penetrate at least two solid blocks, with three for Miner 3000.
  • Build your first Refresh Beacon sooner.
    • Its recipe uses Pine Wood, Sap, and Flax Fibers, and it follows your first Workbench objective.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.14-alpha

Oct 17, 2026 · Build 653

Highlights

  • Discover seven more games for your hub arcade.
    • Craft new cartridges, from Rabbit Blocks to Rabbit Trail, and enjoy a wider choice of games with their own sounds and artwork.
  • Watch expeditions end in a dramatic rift collapse.
    • Terrain breaks apart, your descent slows, and a brief inventory scan shows what you bring home.
  • Bring a little Grasslands greenery home.
    • Gather Grass Seeds while mining grassy dirt, then plant them on exposed dirt in your hub.
  • Keep your residents settled.
    • NPC housing assignments survive region reloads and reconnects while preserving ownership, unlocks, and stock.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.13-alpha

Oct 17, 2026 · Build 628

Highlights

  • Complete mining expeditions and bring your haul home.
    • Work together to mine 100 natural blocks in the Grasslands, then return automatically with every carried item.
  • Enjoy smoother co-op adventures.
    • Smaller multiplayer updates and improved handling of delayed input help keep shared exploration responsive.
  • Find new uses for what you gather.
    • The Information Bench shows recipe icons and clues for materials you have yet to discover.
  • Build an arcade in your hub.
    • Insert the Rabbit Man cartridge, collect strawberries, and dodge Gruelers in your own local game.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.12-alpha

Oct 15, 2026 · Build 572

Highlights

  • Give your hub a new atmosphere with the Biome Tuner.
    • Discover biomes while exploring, then share their scenery, music and ambience across your hub.
  • Recharge at Refresh Beacons.
    • Restore health whenever you need it and claim a daily ammunition refill for eligible weapons.
  • Find a way home with the Return Beacon.
    • In solo and dedicated-server expeditions, an equipped beacon enables an interruptible return; Grasslands backpack losses stay recoverable where you left.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.11-alpha

Oct 15, 2026 · Build 563

Highlights

  • Build a permanent home in Helitra.
    • Your hub is a flat white foundation for building and crafting, supplied by materials you bring home through portals.
  • Set out on Grasslands expeditions.
    • Explore Grasslands, Deepwood and Underworld; a cold server restart resets the expedition and returns you home with saved carried inventory and progression.
  • Start fresh with this update.
    • Older saves are incompatible and remain preserved; joining a server requires the same game version on both sides.
  • Return to a smoother game menu.
    • Open Options without leaving your session, with one continuous blurred backdrop across both menus.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.10-alpha

Oct 14, 2026 · Build 514

Highlights

  • Turn unwanted gear into Bits.
    • Check an item's salvage estimate, review your equipment before grinding, and collect a burst worth up to 2,040 Bits from fully upgraded Tier 7 gear.
  • Give Duality an extra lift.
    • Each new prefix and suffix rises one tier, up to your item's tier and Tier 6.
  • Return to your worlds more smoothly.
    • Older worlds regain their layered scenery, while dedicated-server joins and save upgrades work reliably.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.9-alpha

Oct 13, 2026 · Build 494

Highlights

  • Build with four new decorative woods.
    • Craft Lacquered Pine, Blue Inlaid Pine, Ivory Inlaid Pine and Copper Banded Pine, with shallow beveled corners for your builds.
  • Explore a livelier world.
    • New Grasslands worlds gain ponds, cavern creatures keep their own spawn pace, and M opens a map you can drag and zoom to browse explored terrain.
  • Capture your adventures without the HUD.
    • Press F3 to hide maps, prompts, notifications and debug overlays while gameplay continues, then press it again to restore them.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.8-alpha

Oct 13, 2026 · Build 447

Highlights

  • Spot hidden treasure with chest sparkles.
    • World-generated chests glimmer with subtle, irregular sparkles, including in the underworld; chests you place stay unlit.
  • Climb and descend more comfortably with grapples.
    • Copper casts six tiles and reels in faster, while every grapple lets rope out faster than it pulls in.
  • Enjoy more efficient rendering in crowded scenes.
    • Dropped items, their special effects, terrain lighting and background walls do less repeated work while keeping their appearance.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.7-alpha

Oct 12, 2026 · Build 434

Highlights

  • Split stacks to organize your inventory.
    • Ctrl-click opens a quantity slider, and middle-click moves half a stack.
  • Explore larger shared universes.
    • Saves can grow past 64 worlds, while dedicated servers keep up to eight worlds ready and save empty worlds before freeing them.
  • See what caused your character's death.
    • The death recap shows your last three damaging events from the preceding eight seconds, including the source and health lost.
  • Enjoy larger creature populations and battles.
    • Worlds support more active enemies and projectiles, including in multiplayer and saved games.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.6-alpha

Oct 12, 2026 · Build 382

Highlights

  • Chat with nearby players.
    • Press T to talk, see nearby speech bubbles, and review recent messages; the Language Filter is on by default.
  • Start grappling earlier in your adventure.
    • Starter quests introduce the Copper Grapple, and grappling hooks can now attach at close range.
  • Explore different worlds with friends.
    • Dedicated-server players can travel through portals individually while others stay in their current world, with up to two worlds active at once.
  • Spot loot naturally in light and darkness.
    • Loot outlines and effects respond to lighting, stay readable nearby in the dark, and no longer show through walls.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.5-alpha

Oct 11, 2026 · Build 365

Highlights

  • Keep your workshop working while you explore.
    • Smelting, grinding, and brewing continue in the background and remember their progress when you save.
  • Return to worlds you’ve already discovered.
    • Choose a portal destination or let it be random; rebuilding an entrance can reconnect a previously visited world.
  • Explore a world with more life and atmosphere.
    • Updated sounds, flickering torch flames, flying terrain debris, and flashes of gunfire add detail to your adventures.
  • Look back through your fishing catches.
    • Your fishing records are always available, with easier page controls and a clear starting point before your first catch.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.4-alpha

Oct 11, 2026 · Build 328

Save compatibility changed. Read the bundled notes before updating.

Highlights

  • Build portals to explore connected worlds.
    • Construct Helitra Portals in Build Mode and travel beyond your starting world.
  • Keep familiar worlds familiar.
    • Saved worlds keep their original terrain generation when you update, while new destinations use the latest generation.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.3-alpha

Oct 11, 2026 · Build 319

Highlights

  • Find more gear worth chasing.
    • More enemies drop weapons and armor, with clearer loot glows and stronger bonuses on new high-tier gear.
  • Explore lakes beneath the surface.
    • Grasslands and Deepwood caverns now contain lakes, sometimes hiding a submerged treasure chest.
  • Put more control into each cast.
    • Charge your fishing cast and aim at the cursor; a missed cast won’t consume bait.
  • Make a safer home.
    • Closed doors and hatches block enemy sight.
Link to this version
Published alpha

0.0.2-alpha

Oct 10, 2026 · Build 276

Highlights

  • Make your home a place to return to.
    • Set your own respawn point at a bed, even when other players share it.
  • Build and craft straight from nearby storage.
    • Connected chests supply materials for multiplayer crafting and building without opening each one first.
  • Hear and see more of your friends’ adventures.
    • Other players’ flashlights, tools, and weapon sounds bring shared exploration to life.
Link to this version

Built with the XYYD engine

Helitra runs on XYYD, a custom engine built by AW for both speed and visual quality. It pairs a native engine core with a tightly coupled JavaScript framework, so games written in TypeScript get native-level performance.