The Isle's latest devblog is all about the next hordetesting push. QA is running final tests before Oviraptor, Entombed Saves, and the Migration changes make their initial release to the hordetesting branch, and the team hopes to have them in players' hands "very soon." Baryonyx is also coming to hordetesting in the not-so-distant future — separately.

• Oviraptor — Its growth is similar to Hypsilophodon's, with feathers developing as it reaches adulthood.
• Baryonyx — Brings a new underwater movement system. It sinks passively like Deinosuchus instead of being buoyant, automatically sticks to the ground rather than needing a manual Beipiaosaurus-style latch, and can swim normally after "jumping" — though it won't auto-sink while on the water surface. The creature is still being mechanically set up, with animations and new mechanics that are also meant to influence Spinosaurus and Sucho playstyle.
• Entombed Saves and Migration — Both systems are now on the master branch and being tested in QA ahead of the hordetesting debut.

• Unified footstep VFX/SFX systems now scale by species and size, removing the need for separate assets per growth stage.
• Footstep audio is now weight-driven, with dynamic attenuation and filtering based on movement speed and weight; foliage interaction audio is also being adjusted.
• Nearby interaction cycling now works with R and controller D-pad support.
• Expanded ambient spawning now includes rats, grasshoppers, dragonflies, "GIANT ENEMY" crabs, snails, and lizards, alongside continued work on AI nesting and ambient-spawn filtering.
• The replay system is updated with time-of-day control, aperture/focal length camera controls, manual focus, weather presets, and additional effects.
• The landscape grass painter now works on static meshes, walls, roofs, and landscape surfaces, with improved landscape streaming and tree-destruction performance.
• The advanced gore and runtime dismemberment prototype progressed, alongside ragdoll improvements.
• An initial arcade cabinet framework is in, with the first prototype game: Goat Run.
• Bug fixes cover replay menu issues, proxy pawns falling through meshes, SQLCipher linking problems, shutdown and game-close crashes, SQL/I/O issues, and telemetry race conditions.

The Hatchery building is complete: a large complex with its own basement and multiple paths in and out, ready for the next HordeTest and set to connect to a medical facility. Work continues on its exterior and interior gates, satellite structures, and staging areas around the Dome, which should open up access to one of the largest structures on the Island.

• Spinosaurus call concepts made progress before the audio team shifted focus to Avaceratops; adult sounds are in progress while juvenile calls are being designed.
• New vocal animations are in for Baryonyx and Camarasaurus; Avaceratops also has new vocals, some still awaiting animation.
• Parasaurolophus is being built to do "just about everything" bipedal and quadrupedal, which doubles its animation workload — and it's roughly halfway done.
• Diabloceratops and Triceratops are getting faster attack animations and quicker recovery after some moves, with those recovery improvements eventually carried across the wider roster.
• The team is checking in-game implementation for Quetzalcoatlus, Avaceratops, and Camarasaurus. Austroraptor can now jump out of the water while treading on the surface — not initially intended, but it makes sense given its lifestyle.

Successful applicants have been contacted directly, but the QA application form stays open, with extra testers wanted in EU and AU timezones.

🦖 Looking for an ecosystem server? Primitive Dynasty welcomes you!
Looking for a new The Isle test server where you can survive, explore, and play with others?
Primitive Dynasty is built for players who enjoy The Isle’s survival gameplay. Alongside the game’s original dinosaur growth, exploration, and multiplayer survival experience, our server also offers several useful features to make your time in-game smoother and more enjoyable.
🌐 Dedicated Website
Our server has its own website where you can find server information, updates, and community news.
Whether you are a new player or already part of the community, the website makes it easy to stay up to date.
🎨 Skin System
Tired of seeing the same dinosaur skins everywhere?
Our server includes a skin system, allowing you to give your dinosaur a more unique look and stand out from the crowd.
👥 Teleport System
Our teleport system makes it easier for players and groups to meet up.
You will not have to spend a long time crossing the entire map just to find your friends, making group gameplay more convenient and efficient.
🦴 Dinosaur Storage
The server includes a dinosaur storage system that makes managing your dinosaurs easier.
You can store your current dinosaur, switch to another one, and prepare for your next adventure without wasting time starting over every time.
🗺️ Map Plugin
The Isle’s map is huge, and finding your destination can be difficult.
Our map plugin helps you understand your surroundings, plan routes, and explore unfamiliar areas more easily.
🎙️ Voice Chat Plugin
Communication is important when playing in a group.
With our voice chat plugin, you can talk directly with your teammates in-game. Warn each other about predators, share resource locations, and coordinate hunts or expeditions without having to stop and type.
🌿 Our server is perfect for players who:
• Are looking for a new The Isle server
• Enjoy dinosaur survival and exploration
• Want to play with friends
• Like teamwork and real-time communication
• Want useful features such as skins, teleportation, maps, and voice chat
• Want an easier way to manage their dinosaurs
• Are new to the game or experienced players
🛡️ Build a community together
You do not have to survive alone.
Join with your friends, meet new players, form a group, and create your own stories in the world of The Isle.
Whether you prefer exploring alone, playing with a team, or simply want a server to enjoy in the long term, everyone is welcome at Primitive Dynasty.
📢 If you are looking for an ecosystem server with useful features and an active multiplayer experience, come and check us out!
👉 Join us: 1026826018
Server Name: Primitive Dynasty
🦖 Find your pack, choose your dinosaur, and begin your next survival adventure!

Patch 0.21.772 is now live on The Isle's Evrima Public Branch, and it adds the Austroraptor to the roster. Official servers were taken down for the update; if the download isn't available, players may need to restart their Steam client.

The Austroraptor comes with three abilities:

• Pounce (RMB)
• Water jump (Spacebar) — jumps from swimming on the water's surface
• Spearfishing stance (G) — daytime only, similar to pteranodon spearfishing

The patch adds a new Mangroves location, new skin patterns, and new palettes. The skin system now resets only the section that didn't pass and returns to the last chosen pattern/theme; claws, mouth, and teeth reset to default only if they are non-existent. Carnivores no longer pay stamina to drag corpses, and playable animal physics were updated.

The fix list covers a lot of ground. Hill-slide behavior was corrected across several dinosaurs: the state now displays correctly, momentum no longer carries upward, knockdown no longer triggers on very small slopes, resting during a slide is no longer possible, abilities are properly canceled by it, stamina consumption now respects hill slowdown, and the dilophosaurus hill slide animation is no longer inverted, while the tenontosaurus scaling issue during hill slide was also fixed. Dinosaur alignment while swimming and quadruped terrain alignment on steep slopes were addressed too.

Combat and creature fixes include stegosaurus bee aggression weights, the Stego's material index, triceratops blood mask activating on attacks, ranged attacks no longer triggering reflection or damage/bleed, fish pickup weights, AI no longer moving while pinned, herrerasaurus no longer staying latched to a tree being knocked down, elder pteranodon latching, Red Currant mesh collision, and an animation break when a chicken turns. Animation fixes also cover membrane blink direction on stegosaurus, dryosaurus, and tenontosaurus, alternate idle blend groups, and the kentrosaurus defensive stance montage.

On the technical side: SQL linker and I/O errors, Linux performance degradation with high server population, characters falling through meshes on rerender, waterfall graphics at night, grass masking above the ocean layer, skeleton physics crashes, server filters, the 'Join Server' button opening a loading screen while still connecting, input lock after a long wait in the entombment screen, and players no longer unintentionally acquiring prime elder after 75% growth.

Full changelogs can be found in the Hordetest version announcements on Discord.

The Isle's DevBlog #71 landed on August 1, 2026, with significant new details on survival systems, creature development, and upcoming testing. The headline items: a new Entomb Save feature, Migration System changes, and continued Austroraptor Horde Testing, alongside sound, skin, and animation updates.

Lead programmer Filipe says Entomb Save is a new feature that lets players store a character after entombing it in a special save "slot," allowing them to play a different animal without losing that character's progress. Using the same species as the entombed character will override it and lose the non-replicated animal — though the game warns first.

The director's commentary is direct about the limit: this is not an RPG or MMO logout-to-switch feature. Entomb Save only works through normal entombment, and the current creature's life must end through entombment or other means. Death is required.

The Migration System is being updated rather than replaced. Most of the system is changing in both code and player mechanics, keeping the good parts and dropping what hasn't worked. Migrations now move players on an individual level instead of a persistent species-wide migration that calls everyone to one location. Herbivores and omnivores still have specific diets not dictated by migration, but being inside their migration zone directly affects nutrition intake/conversion when eating food on their diet. Group members can share their leader's migration location rather than being forced apart by individual migrations. Patrol Zones are also part of the work, always meant to be more than just another food location. More details will be revealed after remaining exploits are fixed.

Elsewhere, Filipe has been working on security and bug fixes, and Footsteps VFX are moving from Cascade to Niagara — one master VFX that adapts scale and weight per animal instead of multiple effects per size and species.

Austroraptor continues through Horde Testing. QA lead hypno notes that new playables must be checked against balancing, object interaction and carrying, diets, abilities, mutations, animation, sound, VFX, edge cases, and crash risks on clients and servers. Austroraptor's new ability to jump from the water's surface has created entirely new interaction cases — for example, a Deinosuchus lunging at it mid-jump doesn't always grab it seamlessly.

Hill sliding is progressing well, but testing found players could still activate certain abilities while sliding, including resting and charged abilities like Tyrannosaurus crush. Those unintended interactions are being addressed before the feature reaches the live branch.

Audio work is closing in on Camarasaurus and Avaceratops call suites. Baryonyx's subadult sounds are complete, and preliminary Spinosaurus call work has begun, including recording and sourcing material for the starting sound palette.

Camarasaurus now has a finalized vocal set: Broadcast and Attract use soothing, song-like sounds; danger is a short siren-like bird wail with a deep grunt; threaten layers whale groans, processed prop and friction sources, and a crow call through viscous liquid; generic calls reuse the crow call with elephant purrs softening the tone. Avaceratops' threaten, broadcast, and generic calls are in final polish, with danger's initial design done and attract to follow. Reverb, delay, and spatialization work is also being prepped ahead of Camarasaurus' eventual introduction and will be evaluated across all creatures before implementation.

Artist Fred says legacy skins are returning, including Four-Eyed Triceratops and Python Omniraptor, alongside a set of "simpler" skins planned for each animal.

On animation, Avaceratops sparring is nearly wrapped, Parasaurolophus work continues, and Austroraptor can now jump out of water, turn more smoothly on the surface, and make more use of its killing claws. Triceratops is getting directional rear-defensive attacks, Diabloceratops attacks recover faster, and Oviraptor plus sliding animations are being revised. Next month's review list includes oviraptor, baryonyx, camarasaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, and avaceratops, with possible human animation work later. Spinosaurus is noted as the next playable after Parasaurolophus, with rig work underway.

QA has been restructured, and hypno is looking for voluntary QA testers in EU and AU timezones to test new characters and mechanics before they reach the Horde Testing branch. Applications go through the QA Applications form.

🚀 THE ULTIMATE START TONIGHT: GOLDEN GOOSE NESTING EVENT! 🚀

Looking for a brand-new server with a thriving community and a rewarding economy? Glitch Skins Season 2 has officially launched, and TONIGHT is your ultimate chance to get a massive head start on our server!

Admins are hosting an exclusive Gallimimus Nesting Event tonight, and it is the perfect gateway for players to build the ultimate treasure hunter!

👾 LOOTBOXES & GLITCH SKINS:
Glitch Skins are highly sought after and can ONLY be pulled from lootboxes. One of the best ways to get these is by roaming the map to trigger our invisible scavenger hunt notifications.

🧬 THE GOLDEN GOOSE LINEAGE:
Admins are directly nesting players as baby Galli. Our admin parent dinos are fully optimized with the best in slot mutations for increased survival odds. By hatching into this elite lineage, your baby gets a massive, built-in head start toward growing into the ultimate high-speed treasure hunter!

💰 INSANE FOSSIL BOOST (EARN WHILE YOU GROW):
Our server runs a highly rewarding, fossil-based ecosystem where your time is valued.
• Base Payout: Every player automatically earns 3 Fossils per minute played.
• The Species Modifier: Gallimimus players receive a massive 3X BOOST!
• The Math: Tonight's event is expected to take a little over an hour. By simply sitting in a nest and growing your treasure hunter, you will walk away with well over 540+ Fossils to jumpstart your bank account!

🔒 100% PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT:
Our nesting grounds are strictly protected by an active admin staff. Griefing is met with immediate admin intervention, ensuring a peaceful, safe growth environment for everyone involved.

Glitch Skins Season 2 is live, the nests are getting ready, and the economy boost is waiting. Don't miss out on the ultimate server head start tonight!

👉 Join our Discord right now to secure your nest invite: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1530572953123815531

We had an amazing turnout last night for our Sam Neill Memorial event! I am also happy to report that Dr. Grant was successfully escorted to the extraction zone and survived 😭.

Looking ahead to next week, we hope you will join us as we host 4 massive server events.

First, get nested as a baby Troodon in our exclusive admin nesting event on Tuesday, July 21st at 7:00 PM EST.
(Link: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1527368303352221849 )

Next, our Great Migration takes place on Thursday, July 23rd at 7:00 PM EST. This is a perfect event for first-timers. Come join our PvP-free migration where we move the server safe zone from the old location to a new one. This is an excellent opportunity to learn the map and safely grow a dinosaur to full adulthood and prime status.
(Link: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1527653537843253381 )

On Friday, July 24th at 7:00 PM EST, we have a community-hosted, capture-the-flag style event. Remember those Troodons we nested earlier in the week? They have grown hungry, and some Omni eggs sound like they would hit the spot. Join us to either defend the nest or grab a bite to eat.
(Link: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1528145831805452419 )

Finally, on Saturday, July 25th at 7:00 PM EST, we will host the Ravine Gauntlet. Herreras dropping from the cliff walls will be trying to crush passing Gallis. How far can you get through the ravine without dying? How many Gallis can you take down? Join us to find out!
(Link: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1528566871215833209 )

🦖 In Loving Memory of Dr. Alan Grant🦖

We know the massive impact Jurassic Park and the iconic Sam Neill, as the legendary Dr. Alan Grant, have made on all of our lives. To honor that legacy, our server is hosting a special, high-intensity "Clever Girl" Asymmetrical PvP Event this week!

Whether you want to suit up as a mercenary to protect the target or join the raptor pack to hunt them down, this survival challenge is built for ultimate chaos. It is the perfect time to jump into our server, check out the community, and put your hunting skills to the test!

All the details, rules, and massive event rewards are posted inside our Discord. Don't let the pack catch you slipping!

👉 Join the Hunt Here: https://discord.com/events/1501782568708608000/1526292297950433420