Ferans in Hytale are a distinct NPC race, not a player character option. They are small humanoid foxes with large ears, living as a tribal faction in the Howling Sands region of Orbis. They exist as neutral, defensive NPCs that can interact with the player through reputation and offerings but are not a selectable race in character creation.
Quick answer: Ferans are a neutral NPC faction of small humanoid foxes that inhabit Feran villages in the Howling Sands on Orbis. They are not a playable race; instead, players encounter them as mobs such as Feran Civilian, Feran Shaman, and various warriors, and can influence their attitude through reputation and offerings.
Ferans as a faction (state: what they are)
Ferans form a named faction, simply called Feran. Their faction state is neutral with a defensive stance, which means they do not start hostile toward the player by default, but are capable of fighting when threatened. They are classified as peaceful or neutral NPCs rather than monsters.
Ferans inhabit the Howling Sands Zone on the alterverse Orbis. Their settlements take the form of Feran villages in the desert and oasis environments, which are currently being refined and fixed in official patches. These villages serve as the primary place where players encounter Ferans in groups.
Within the overall mob taxonomy, Ferans are one of the main “race”/tribe categories alongside Goblins, Kweebecs, Outlanders, Trorks, and others. In mob lists, the Feran category includes multiple specific mob entries such as Feran Burrower, Feran Civilian, Feran Cub, Feran Longtooth, Feran Sharptooth, and Feran Windwalker.
Feran appearance and defining features
Ferans are described as small humanoid foxes. Their most obvious features are:
- Fox-like bodies with fur, snouts, and large ears.
- Freedom Bracers on their wrists – metal bands engraved with the elemental rune for Wind, representing freedom.
- Tribal armor and masks on higher-ranking members such as shamans, often incorporating wood, bone, and skull headdresses.
The Freedom Bracers are a core part of their identity. The Wind rune symbolizes freedom and explicitly references their past as slaves. Shamans, as elders of the tribe, are typically distinguished by heavier decoration and skull-themed armor.
Feran mob variants and basic stats
Within the Feran category, players encounter several mob types that represent different roles and ages inside the tribe. Documented examples include:
- Feran Shaman – the wise elder archetype, wielding wind-based magic and serving as a defender of the village.
- Feran Warrior – a young adult combatant fighting with weapons such as spears.
- Young Feran / Feran Cub – children or juveniles of the tribe.
- Feran Civilian – non-combatant or low-threat Ferans in village or temple contexts.
One specific Feran Civilian variant has a game identifier of Temple_Feran. This entity:
- Has Max Health: 1.
- Is Saved as Memory, meaning it can be logged in the Memories system.
- Is marked as Mountable.
- Spawns at Night.
These properties define how that particular Feran mob behaves within encounters, especially around temples and nighttime spawns.
Feran behavior and player interaction (state + mechanic)
Ferans behave as a neutral but self-protective tribe. Their core behavioral rules are:
- Neutral by default toward the player. They do not attack on sight under normal conditions.
- Capable of defending themselves when threatened. Warriors and shamans step into combat to protect the village.
Player interaction with Ferans is governed by a reputation mechanic. The player’s standing with the Feran faction can be improved by:
- Giving gifts directly to Ferans.
- Making offerings to the gods they worship.
Ferans demand offerings to the deities Gaia and Varyn in exchange for higher social standing within their tribe. Reputation changes influence how the tribe regards the player, though specific thresholds and exact perks are not detailed.
As part of the broader mob system, Ferans can be recorded in the Memories bestiary. When the Heart of Orbis has been activated in the Forgotten Temple, each Feran mob the player encounters can contribute a Memory entry. Collecting enough Memories across mobs grants rewards in that system.
Ferans in the world: location and environment
Ferans are tightly tied to Zone 2: Howling Sands on Orbis. They inhabit arid desert areas and oases, often sharing the broader region with insectoid Scaraks and other desert-themed mobs.
Feran villages appear as structured points of interest within the Howling Sands. Official updates explicitly mention fixes to entity placement, textures, and building interiors inside these villages, which confirms they are intended as persistent, explorable settlements rather than random scatter spawns.
In addition to village populations, some temple or night-based Feran variants (such as the Temple_Feran mob) appear with their own spawn rules, including night-only spawning and special interactions like being mountable.
Feran backstory and relationship with Scaraks
While the primary role of Ferans in active gameplay is as a neutral tribe in Howling Sands, their identity is shaped by a specific historical state:
- Ferans used to be enslaved by another Zone 2 faction, the Scaraks, who are insect-like creatures under the rule of the Sand Empress.
- Major Scarak constructions, such as the Sand Palace and Ziggurat were likely built using Feran slave labor and resources gathered by Feran slaves.
- Concept art depicts Ferans working while physically chained to Scarak soldiers.
The Wind rune on their Freedom Bracers reflects this history. Ferans place high symbolic value on freedom and appear proud of having thrown off Scarak rule. The exact way they achieved liberation is not specified, but the emphasis on pride in freedom suggests it was obtained through struggle, potentially rebellion, or prolonged resistance.
The current state in gameplay presents them as free and self-governing in Howling Sands. Whether direct hostilities or formal wars between Ferans and Scaraks continue in the present timeline is not defined. Any remaining Feran slavery, if it exists, is not surfaced as an active, mechanical system in standard exploration.
Playable status and model changes
Ferans are implemented as NPC mobs and faction members, not as a built-in playable race in Early Access. Character creation does not offer Feran as a race choice. However, the game’s internal model system allows the player avatar’s model to be swapped to a Feran or other NPC shapes through commands and mods.
In singleplayer, players can currently:
Step 1: Open the in-game chat and grant themselves operator rights with /op self, which enables higher-privilege commands, including model changes.
Step 2: Run a model change command such as /model set feran to apply the Feran model to the player character for that session.
This change is visual and does not imply a separate, fully supported Feran “race” with custom stats, diets, or abilities. The command must be reissued when loading back into the world, unless a separate mod persists model choices. Some players also use the generic /model command to bring up a UI listing NPC models and then select Feran from that interface.
Future updates reference “several playable races”, but no specific confirmation exists that Ferans will become a first-class playable race with unique mechanics in the full release. At present, Ferans remain an NPC faction whose appearance can be borrowed via commands and modded systems.
Overall, Ferans function as a neutral desert fox tribe anchored in the Howling Sands: visible in villages, tracked in the Memories system, and shaped by a history of enslavement and freedom. Players engage with them as NPCs and mobs, influence their attitude through offerings and gifts, and can temporarily adopt their look with model commands, but Ferans themselves remain an in-world faction rather than a standard player race.
