Changelog/2026/July 26

Hello again!

Today we are back once again with a third round of Alpha Testing, this time for some more additions to the Safari Zone. If you missed the first two rounds of testing, you may find links to their respective threads here (#1) and here (#2).

If you're particularly lucky when playing through the Safari Zone, you might just come across a Sparkling Critter. These little guys are rare mutations that have a base 1/8,192 chance of spawning in place of a regular Critter. They look a bit different and also have a "SPARKLING" prefix, along with some golden particles and ambient sparkling sounds. Hunting one (or receiving Loot Share for it) awards a Rainbow Feather (this is now their method of obtainment), 10x as much loot as usual, and will progress your Sparkling Critterdex.

Upon catching all 37 Critter species and completing the Critterdex, you will now gain access to Tobias' Sparkling Critterdex. A completely optional piece of side content with cosmetic rewards, the Sparkling Critterdex tasks you with catching the Sparkling variant of each Critter species, giving you rewards for each one you catch as you aim to progress your Sparkling Critter Milestones.

In the unlikely event of you catching a Sparkling Critter before you get around to unlocking the Sparkling Critterdex, worry not, for it's entirely retroactive!

Progressing through the Sparkling Critterdex does not give any SkyBlock XP, it is intended to be a completely optional grind that players can go for if they so choose, similar to Dyes.

Catching a new Sparkling Critter will unlock its respective rewards in the Critterdex - an additional Rainbow Feather, large amounts of Safari Essence, Hunting XP, and so on. However, the Sparkling Milestones, which reward you for reaching milestones of total unique Sparkling Critters caught, reward you with some more... exclusive rewards.

As was the case with Torrhus Canyon's initial Alpha session, some Cosmetic rewards are currently untextured and are a work in progress. Please don't send bug reports in about this - we are aware and they will be textured prior to an eventual release.

• Added the "Sparkling Specialist" perk to the Safari Essence Shop, which starts you with the Sparkling Amulet each run
  • Increases your chance of finding Sparkling Critters by 2x
  • Does not give any SkyBlock XP
• Added Hunter Lennard, who just talks a little about a Sparkling Critter he tried - and failed - to catch
• Removed the 1.5x Pet XP Boost from Mining
  • Designer's Note: This boost was added to the game half a decade ago when Mining was a struggling skill. However, it is now inarguably one of the most-developed skills and this boost is no longer necessary, especially when one looks at how quickly Pet XP is gained from things such as Glacite Tunnels Mining Commissions.
• Un-soulbound Rainbow Feathers
• Adjusted Macaw's "Splendor" Attribute:
  • Grants a +2-20% chance to get a bonus Rainbow Feather when hunting a SPARKLING Critter.
    • Designer's Note: Can be triggered by Loot Share
• Prevented players from joining a Safari Zone instance after 30s have elapsed
• Added the Morning Dew reforge stone for the Safari Belt. It can be bought from the Safari Essence Shop for 2,500 Safari Essence:

And that's all we have for you today! We will still be doing more Torrhus Canyon changes very soon, so stay tuned for those! We hope you have a great time testing - please remember to report any bugs you encounter HERE, being sure to select "alpha.hypixel.net".

Please note that we are currently still viewing feedback pertaining to the previous Alpha Session - you can expect to see the changes made in response to that soon!