Drehmal v2.3 (Upcoming)¶
Drehmal v2.3 (1) is a major update to the Drehmal map which is in active development as of the writing of this article in December 2025. It has no slated release date.
- Official subtitle not yet revealed.
An update to follow the colossal Apotheosis update has long been considered, but was not immediately started on after the release of 2.2 due to developer time conflicts. It was formally announced in a blog post on the five-year anniversary of Drehmal v2, following the addition of multiple new members to the dev team.
At the end of 2025, an additional blog post was made to further expand upon the update's content.
Known Content¶
The exact content of the 2.3 update is, as per usual, closely guarded by the dev team. However, the "About Drehmal 2.3 and Beyond" blog post lays out a rough idea of the update's scope.
This post shows reworks to multiple towns (Gozak, Ebonrun, and an unidentified town) and biomes, including Capital Valley, the Heartwood, the Black Jungle, and Spearhead Forest. An in-progress overhaul to the Devotion mechanic is also alluded to.
The post also teases something separate from these mentioned reworks, however, referred to as "something weird, different, and ... kinda insane." Lead developer Keeko100 describes it as:
- Intended for players who have beaten the map and reached the final credits
- Intended for highly skilled, motivated, and passionate players
- Intended to be played in a group, though still possible solo
Teasers¶
2.3 teasers have been posted monthly in the official Drehmal Discord server since July 2025. These typically take the form of an image from development with a cryptic, but pertinent caption, although sometimes the teasers are less conventional.
July 2025¶
The first teaser was of a not-before-seen town, posted on July 15, 2025. Notably, this image shows resin blocks, which are only present on 1.21+ versions of Minecraft.
The facsimile of a city of water, soon lost. A treasured memento of a free people doomed to die by the uncaring heart of fate.
August 2025¶
Posted on August 12, 2025, the next teaser image shows a birch and spruce forest in front of mountains.
In regions untouched by the wars waged between empires, the Realmbinder's vision remains intact.
September 2025¶
On September 12, 2025, an image was posted of a dark, foreboding hallway, lit in green and lined with glass tanks. The corresponding message is strange and appears partially corrupted.
Look upon my wo-///-n AWE
Feel ou-//-ing legacy and WEEP
Stand by my co-/////-nd and march ET//NAL
Sh-////- be slain by Rengia's spea-/
//- my VESSEL
October 2025¶
On October 12 of 2025, rather than a standard teaser image, the Drehmal Discord's announcements channel was graced by a mysterious visitor, who provided the server with the Archived Memory playable teaser.
November 2025¶
The next teaser came on November 12, 2025, showing an updated Mt. Scarstone and its surrounding terrain in the North Heartwood. The text also introduced a new group, the Mokhan, who are not mentioned in 2.2.
The diverse Mokhan peoples of the East all trace their lineage to the holy mountain widely known as Mt. Scarstone. Ancient carvings in the hollow beneath suggest a royal relation to the entombed.
December 2025¶
The next teaser was shown on December 12, 2025. It features a stone orb sitting on a pedestal in a dark room, surrounded by massive bookshelves.
The provenance of the orb is unknown, and curious emblems cover the surface. They lack the ordering defining Khivian runes. Nyctoscopic shamans across the continent claim to have seen it in their dreams long before it fell from the sky.
January 2026¶
This teaser was released on January 23, 2026. It depicts the heights of a cathedral's belltower, tall enough to where the clouds obscure the ground. This was later revealed to be part of a rework of Fort Nimahj, now named Sal'Silar.
The fledgling empire of Avsohm sprung from the stock of many Great Houses, loosely united under Drehn's central banner. Just as they grew with their empire, they would die alongside it. All but one, that is.
February 2026¶
Released on February 23, 2026. It seems to show a massive sword, at least a few dozen blocks tall, planted into a glowing plinth/altar, in a dark cavern with a vaulted ceiling. The accompanying text was distorted similarly to the September 2025 teaser.
C-//VE them apart Un-//-l their thoughts and -//tter their MINDS Reduce them to NAU-///-t logic and -//-ng Bi//- them to my B-//-DE Now grant them PUR-//-SE
March 2026¶
March saw the release of much activity concerning 2.3, with the results of the 2026 Painting Competition and a textual teaser coming at the end of the month, alongside the usual screenshot.
The image shows the updated terrain design around the great statue of Virtuo, in the northernmost edge of the Black Jungle. Aside from Insohm and Alvira, Virzhoun is a new faction name, likely referring to the main pre-Kiln Virmari state.
Alvira. Virzhoun. Insohm. The predominant powers of the east have long presented themselves as the arbiters of Virtuo's faith, waging bloody wars in the name of the Goddess of Peace. While Drehmari states may employ such rhetoric, none can perfectly recreate the iron fist of the original Virmari.
The text teaser, released to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the release of Drehmal:PRIMORDIAL on March 31st, takes the form of a lore book: Shortcut. Set in Lorahn'Kahl during the time of the expansion of the Burnt Empire, it follows the adventurer Fona Ferahnya as he attempts to brave the vine-choked jungle on the way back to Mohta from acquiring a mysterious artifact.
...and the next day, a non-canon continuation to 'Shortcut' led into the 2026 April Fools event, Drehmal: PRIME MOTOR OIL.
April 2026¶
This teaser was released on April 23, 2026, picturing what is apparently Eldugar, a vast and hidden library. The architecture appears to share many elements with some of the other non-landscape teaser images, and the text also mentions 'Rengia' (from the September 2025 teaser) as if it was a faction.
Few have gazed upon Eldugar, the great archive of the Lawbringer King. It was Vys’Eldug who subjugated the written word, and perhaps brought Rengia to its nadir.
May 2026¶
The most recent teaser was released on May 23, 2026. It depicts an underwater location, with coral and prismarine. The only feature of note is the framework for activation of a conduit, which may hint at the inclusion of more underwater-based areas. The text is relatively cryptic, implying deeper significance for some lights under the oceans, possibly also referring to the Azure Lanterns in the conduit.
Light never ceases to shine down from the heavens upon the seas of Drehmal, yet only that which the ocean rejects is known to mortalkind. A faint glow as the world awakens. A blinding glare in the fisherman’s eye. Rich scattered crimson at day’s end. A ghostly shimmer in the dead of night.
What becomes of the light that it keeps?