okay, fine, i'll talk about Hytale's Mosshorn... (intentional bad grammar)

Official screenshot from Hytale

Actually, I haven't received a request for a blog post in a long time. The last one I received was back in mid-2020 from my dad about not being able to go to the gym. Anyway, in case you missed it, the Gold's Gym branch I go to is open again.

You could say that I requested myself to write this post.

Ah, the Mosshorn. A Hytale fantasy animal that was introduced in a rather mundane way with minimal lore in a progress update. Hypixel Studios and I had absolutely no idea this mob would become popular, especially since Noxy said Thomas Frick was supposed to create the "ugliest" thing possible. (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with or endorsed by Hypixel Studios or Hypixel, Inc.)

As I said in a post last November, I am indifferent to the Mosshorn. It's neither ugly nor...uh, beautiful to me. It looks more to me like a farm animal with a small coat of fantasy paint. As such, I have trouble sympathizing with Mosshorn lovers.

I know I'm supposed to give less firetrucks about unimportant things, but I simply have this internal gut feeling I should make a Mosshorn-dedicated post, considering I've built the persona of a hardcore Hytale fan for almost 2 years now. Keep in mind that I'm not doing this mainly to get other Hytale fans' attention; in the end, this is just for fun.

Plain and Simple Facts

Because only a few Mosshorn facts are available and the vast majority of my Hytale posts are speculative, this specific post is...well, speculation-heavy.

A Mosshorn was shown in the July 30, 2020 progress update "[making] its home in a dank, distant swamp...its neighbors having long since vanished." (emphasis added) In the August 31, 2020 progress update, Mosshorns were described as "hardy bovine creatures".

Keep that bold text in mind as you read because it will play a big role in my speculative Mosshorn lore.

Biological Speculation

Another official screenshot from Hytale. Okay.

Also in the August progress update, the screenshot with two Mosshorns was used to segway into dynamic plant growth, suggesting Mosshorns are herbivorous. (I'd still be ready in case they're carnivorous or even omnivorous.)

Real-life muddy areas like swamps are often filled with moss, so it can be assumed that Mosshorns generally live in swamps...although I'd still brace myself in case Mosshorns live in other areas. Heck, maybe they're using swamps as emergency shelters.

The "hardy" description is vague, though the quickest way I can imagine it is that Mosshorns can withstand harsher weather and climates than other animals.

When going for a more RPG-like interpretation, maybe Mosshorns are physically durable and aren't easy for predators to attack.

If the "its neighbors have long since vanished" statement applies to Mosshorns in general, not the specific Mosshorn in the progress update, maybe Mosshorns are rare mobs that are typically encountered alone. Two Mosshorns may be an even rarer sight.

D&D Ability Score Speculation

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	10 (0)	18 (+4)	2 (-4)	10 (0)	6 (-2)

High Constitution ensures the Mosshorn is true to its hardiness.

Being large, bulky animals, I imagine them to also be physically strong, though maybe not as much as predators like lions which have 17 Strength. The horns are particularly helpful.

Mosshorns don't look fast to me because of their short legs.

Mosshorns don't appear to have any heightened or special senses, so I'm keeping their Wisdom at the average of 10.

Being isolated in the wild has likely negatively affected Mosshorns' ability to socially interact with other species, so I set its Charisma to 6, which is lower than many animals' 7 Charisma.

Item Drop Speculation

I'm curious where this Kweebec wants to drop this Mosshorn onto. Regardless, the Mosshorn looks happy.
Fan art by DairyPanda; used with permission

This is the part where I sound less like Sucrose and more like Tartaglia.

Right off the bat, I imagine that considering how rare I imagine the Mosshorn to be, maybe leather armor made of Mosshorn hide is more durable and provides more damage reduction and/or max HP than standard leather armor. (The tooltip concepts show a Soldier's Chestplate with a shield icon (probably defense), a heart icon (probably max HP), and an icon of two crossed swords (probably attack).)

If the Mosshorn is being hunted to near-extinction by a sentient species, that species may use Mosshorn...uh, horns as a part of their weapons. I imagine them to not be as durable or sharp as other animal horns because, again, I don't imagine Mosshorns to be predators.

Other than that, the other plausible reason I see for using Mosshorn horns is as a decoration.

Even less plausibly, they may be used in alchemy...but I have no idea what they'd do. Would you grow a thick hide upon drinking a potion with these horns, perhaps?

I wouldn't dare eat Mosshorn meat, though, considering Mosshorns' swampy habitat and intentionally ugly design.

Combat Speculation

Hostility

Ahhh! Mosshorns everywhere! Make it staaahhhp!
Fan art by RighteousPebble; used with permission

Many herbivores in real life do not willingly attack other animals, so I assume the Mosshorn to be a neutral mob.

It's safe to assume that attacking pretty much any real-life animal that can fight back will cause that animal to fight back, so I assume the same for the Mosshorn. After all, I wouldn't want to mess with its horns...especially horns as big as our boi RighteousPebble did 'em.

Attack Style

Mosshorns will most likely attack by charging straight towards their foes. Charging is what horns are made for, after all.

Again, because they're not adapted for combat, Mosshorn charges may be slower than other animals, giving the player more time to evade.

I still wouldn't dare block a Mosshorn's charge with common pikes or shields, though.

Mosshorns have big jaws, so their secondary attack might be a bite.

I imagine Mosshorns can't stretch their muscles very far, so their bites may be short-ranged and slow compared to other animals. However, this compensates in case the Mosshorn doesn't have room to charge at a foe, such as in an overgrown forest.

How To Kill

My Ax-Craziness intensifies.

Rule #1 for fighting a Mosshorn: Never be in front of it.

Fists and Melee Weapons

Use physical obstacles such as trees and your own walls to stop a Mosshorn charge. While it's stunned by the impact, beat it up with quick attacks.

Anti-cavalry weapons are the most effective against Mosshorns. In particular, I'd use a halberd to REALLY chop into their innards.

Ranged Weapons

Easy. Just stand on a tree branch and spam arrows or thrown weapons on 'em.

Magic

Animal hides can spontaneously combust, so fire is effective against Mosshorns. AoE Pyro damage, anyone?

Wind wouldn't be as effective on Mosshorns because I imagine them to be solid and heavy.

Their thick hides may make them resistant to cold damage.

Pet Mechanics Speculation

I mean, of course, people want to tame this thing.

Taming

Considering this is a fantasy creature in a lore-enriched game, I think taming a Mosshorn would go beyond simply feeding it like in real life and in simpler video games.

Maybe there would be a quest to find the Mosshorn's missing family members.

Realistically, this would be difficult to find out unless the player has the ability to speak and understand "Mosshorn language". Some players may want to figure out how to get the quest through the game itself rather than open an external resource like a wiki.

There are many hypothetical ways to do this. Maybe spellcasting players can learn a spell to communicate with animals. Maybe there's a mage or scholar in the world who can either translate the Mosshorn language or is skilled in Mosshorn biology or history.

This search quest has many ways to be exciting.

Personally, I like to save a Mosshorn from a group of cultists or poachers.

On the heartwarming side, the lost family member may be in danger of starving to death and the player might have an opportunity to feed it.

We might even see a unique animation where the Mosshorns are excited about their reunification, similar to Minecraft animal breeding but better.

After all, as the Hytale website itself said, "What's better than one Mosshorn? Two Mosshorns."

Utility

Carabao image from Wikimedia Commons

I imagine the Mosshorn could be used as a work animal similar to the carabao, a farm animal native to the Philippines. They can lug around loads heavier than horses can carry, I think.

Mosshorns can probably be used as an alternative mount, though mainly for domestic work rather than combat or long-distance transport. (I mean, what better way to further promote this already popular mob?)

Racing

This one is inspired by Rhyhorn racing in the Kalos region, the setting of Pokémon X and Y. Rhyhorn has a pathetically slow Speed stat of just 25.

I imagine that raising a Mosshorn to become fast would be a challenge compared to already-fast animals like horses, so there might be minigames either in the world or buildable by players where the player can race against AI opponents or other players. The rewards for winning races might be greater; they could give faction reputation, a trophy that can be remade into a useful crafting item like an ingot, or access to a new location.

The first AI opponents should probably be ordinary farmers so newer players have an idea of what to expect (especially if they go Leeroy Jenkins). The difficulty should spike up moderately on the next race--maybe into skilled horse riders who learned how to ride Mosshorns about a week ago--to tell new players that Mosshorn racing is no joke.

EVIL Mosshorn Faction!

Warning. Code Red. Ax-Craziness has reached maximum level.

Origin Story: Exploited Loneliness

For years, the Mosshorn race has been largely lonely. Being constantly on the move, they're somehow almost never able to reunite.

Void-affiliated mages (Outlanders, maybe? Or alien/unholy creatures directly affiliated with Varyn?) have studied the Mosshorns and exploited their loneliness, convincing them that the civilized world is the cause of their endangerment; that the Mosshorns have been mass-hunted by the Ferans, humans, Kweebecs, what-have-you. (I know the Kweebecs don't wear fur or eat meat, but let's let this slide For the Evulz.)

These Mosshorns are more aggressive towards groups of non-Void living animals and sentient beings, even if they pose no threat. The player can be hinted at this by NPC hunters saying that all the game in their usual hunting areas has been gored to death, apparently by horns, without being eaten. Some hunters may even say they've been attacked by "furry rhinos".

In combat, these Mosshorns become stronger when fighting paired-up foes, even stronger against three foes grouped together, and so on. Splitting up in combat is vital when fighting these.

Oh, by the way, this was inspired by the Mondstadt story in Genshin Impact. I won't spoil it, though.

Gang War: Bases

In addition to Void bases in Orbis, Mosshorns may continue to live in their home swamps without any structures. As such, Mosshorns in these bases are completely reliant on the natural terrain.

Mosshorns are far more likely to pair up than other factions, making it difficult to attack them stealthily.

To give them some degree of intelligence, Mosshorns may know how to camouflage themselves with the scorched grass. They may also know how to stand in a shield wall-like formation.

Mutated Mosshorns may have a ranged attack in which they pick up the earth with tentacle-like horns and throw it at their foes.

(Otherwise, players can just cheese Mosshorn gang wars with ranged attacks and pillar-jumping.)

Gang War: Offense

AoE ranged attacks--ideally fire attacks--are probably the best counter to Mosshorn formations, especially if they don't take advantage of water from the get-go.

Goblin bombs are a cheap way to deal with these formations, while flint and steel are even cheaper but have a small AoE.

Vaporizing swamp water is essential to prevent Mosshorns from extinguishing themselves or making it harder for the player to reach them in melee combat.

As a melee-only alternative with no explosions or fire, heavy armor, a shield, and a big-bladed spear might stop a Mosshorn charge.

Just make sure your equipment are top-of-the-line because Mosshorns are probably heavier and tougher than your standard cavalry charge formation.

Gang War: Defense

Lava moats and fountains are probably the easiest way to defend against a Mosshorn attack; they wouldn't even dare get close unless they like to Attack! Attack! Attack!

Mass bombardment is much easier here because player bases have the advantage of familiarity to the player, as well as potential high ground if the player added such. (I plan to protect my own base with a Trump wall.)

If all else fails, fall back to a staircase mine and constantly block your way with sturdy blocks...especially if your base is just a small, simple wooden house on the ground.