Wurm Online Overhauls Animation System, Adds Weapon Sheathing

A patch published July 23, 2026 for Wurm Online delivers a broad rework of the client animation system, touching movement, combat, mounting, and creature behavior in a single release.

What changed

Animation system overhaul

• Animations no longer interrupt on movement; upper-body animations now play independently while the character walks or runs.
• Walking and running transitions are smoother, with better terrain sync to reduce foot sliding.
• Looping and queued animations no longer snap between poses; lower-priority animations wait their turn rather than cancelling others.
• Combat now surfaces more event-specific animations, including stun reactions.
• Foot placement adjusts to slope angle, reducing terrain clipping on steep ground.
• Riding a mount or commanding a vehicle should now correctly display a wider range of animations.
• Players' hands open and close depending on whether a weapon is equipped.

Weapon sheathing

• Weapons and shields can be sheathed to back or hip slots, depending on weapon type.
• Sheathing is accessible via new quickbar buttons or the TOGGLE_SHEATHE keybind (default: backslash).
• Weapons automatically unsheathe when a target is acquired and resheathe on combat exit.
• The feature is purely visual and carries no effect on combat mechanics.

Creature behavior

• Creatures now glance at nearby players and react to loud actions in their vicinity.
• Mounts and hitched creatures lean and look toward the direction of a turn.

Bug fixes

• Stacked walls and fences no longer display a shortened variant that leaves a visible gap.
• A game freeze triggered by placing particle-emitting items has been addressed.

For players who have long tolerated Wurm's notoriously stiff movement, this patch represents a meaningful visual step toward a more coherent, readable world.