How to Tame Animals in Hytale: Feed Bags & Capture Crates, and a Farm

TL;DR

In the current Hytale server hosting Early Access build, animal taming is closer to managing wildlife than owning permanent pets. The two tools that matter most are the Feed Bag and the Capture Crate. The Feed Bag helps keep small, skittish animals from bolting and can draw them toward a spot. The Capture Crate lets you pick up small creatures and relocate them cleanly.

If you want the fastest, least frustrating farm setup, do it in this order: build a pen first, use a Feed Bag to bring animals close, then use a Capture Crate to move the ones you want into the enclosure.

TIP

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Early Access note

If you expected a full bonding system, you are not missing something. Early Access animal handling is still evolving, so behavior can feel inconsistent. That is also why the most reliable strategy right now is simple containment: create a safe place near your base, then move animals into it with tools and routine, not with wishful thinking.

What animal taming means right now

For most players, success comes from separating the problem into two parts.

First, you need a way to approach animals without turning everything into a chase. That is where the Feed Bag helps, especially with smaller creatures that panic easily.

Second, you need a way to move an animal from where you found it to where you want it. That is where the Capture Crate does the heavy lifting. Once you treat these as two different jobs, the system stops feeling confusing.

The Feed Bag, in plain terms

The Feed Bag is a lure-and-settle tool. Its practical value is that it helps certain small animals stay calm enough for you to work with them, and it can encourage wildlife to linger near a spot instead of scattering the moment you show up.

Which animals it helps with

Early Access guides most consistently associate it with smaller, docile animals and baby livestock. The exact list can vary by build and region, so the safest expectation is that it shines on animals that normally flee quickly.

How to use it without wasting time

Use it where you have control, not in the middle of chaos. If your goal is a farm, place the Feed Bag near your pen or along the path you want animals to follow. Give it a moment to do its job, then move in calmly. This works best when the area is relatively safe, because sudden combat or loud movement tends to break the whole setup.

Crafting, kept simple

Feed Bags usually sit in the farming-workbench progression and often require common farming ingredients plus Essence of Life. Patch changes can affect counts, so treat the exact recipe as something you confirm in your current build rather than something you memorize.

The Capture Crate, and why it matters

If the Feed Bag is how you avoid the chase, the Capture Crate is how you avoid the mess.

In most Early Access descriptions, the crate is the tool that lets you scoop up small animals and relocate them directly into your base setup. This is what makes farms feel stable, because you are no longer hoping an animal stays nearby. You are placing it where it belongs.

What it works on

The safest, reliable expectation is that it works best on small creatures and often on baby farm animals. For larger animals, results can vary depending on the build and creature type, so do not plan your entire farm around transporting full-sized animals until you have confirmed it works in your current version.

Some guides also mention that the crate may not work on certain flying creatures. If you cannot capture an animal after a couple of clean attempts, do not turn it into a time sink. Move on and focus on what is consistently manageable.

How to use it

The flow is simple: equip the crate, interact with the animal to capture it, then interact again where you want to release it. The exact input prompts can vary, but the pattern is the same. In practice, the most important part is timing: close the gate first, then release the animal. Doing it in the opposite order is how animals slip out and make it feel like the system is broken.

Crafting, kept short

Capture Crates usually appear in the same farming progression and often cost wood plus a larger investment of Essence of Life. It is best treated as a practical upgrade you build once you know you want a farm.

The farm setup that stays put

Most farm frustration comes from trying to bring animals home before your base is ready. Build the enclosure first, even if it is small and ugly. A fence and a gate near your base entrance is enough to start.

Once the pen exists, bring animals to it with intention. Use the Feed Bag to keep the approach calm and predictable, then use the Capture Crate to place animals inside the enclosure. Close the gate before releasing. If you are repeating this process, do it in short runs. Two or three quick trips are more reliable than one epic mission where you try to collect everything at once.

If you do not have a Capture Crate yet, you can still lure some animals with food and gently herd them toward your pen, but expect this to be less precise and easier to break if anything spooks them.

Feed Bag vs Capture Crate

Common mistakes that make people think the system is broken

The most common mistake is expecting pets. Early Access behavior is closer to wildlife management, so plan for containment.

The second mistake is doing everything out in the field. Capturing an animal without a ready pen is how you end up opening your inventory, getting distracted, and watching it wander off.

The third mistake is overcommitting to a single run. Early farms grow best through small, repeatable routines, not one marathon session.

Co-op/Server note

Animal runs are smoother with friends because you can split the work naturally: one person spots, one lures, one transports. It also helps when your world is consistently available for the group, rather than tied to one person being online.

If you are building a shared base and want your world available even when the usual host is offline, a dedicated server is the cleanest setup. Godlike can help you spin up a Hytale server for co-op sessions.

FAQ

Can you fully tame animals in Hytale right now?

In Early Access, it is safer to treat animals as manageable wildlife rather than permanent pets. You can lure, capture, and contain them, but a full bonding system is not consistently present yet.

What does the Feed Bag do?

It helps reduce the chase factor by keeping some skittish animals calmer and encouraging them to stay near a spot, which makes farm building less frustrating.

What does the Capture Crate do?

It lets you capture small animals and relocate them cleanly, which is the most reliable way to populate a pen near your base.

Do I need both tools?

If your goal is a stable farm, they complement each other. The Feed Bag helps you approach and control movement, and the crate makes relocation predictable.

Why does the crate not work on some creatures?

Early Access limitations can vary by build and creature type. If a capture does not work after a couple of clean attempts, treat that creature as unsupported for now and focus on animals that behave consistently.

What is the fastest way to build a farm early?

Build the pen first, then use the Feed Bag to bring animals close, then use the Capture Crate to place them inside the enclosure with the gate already closed.