The Biggest Things Included In The Valheim Mistlands Update

"Valheim," the crafting and survival game set in a fantastical Viking world, came out of nowhere last year to win over critics and players. Still in early access, the game has received glowing reviews and even overtook "GTA 5" for a time in terms of concurrent players. Developer Iron Gate Studios isn't taking a break, however. It continues to roll out fixes and updates as it moves from early access to its eventual full release. The latest of these updates to enter public testing is the new "Mistlands" content.

An update so big it got its own trailer, "Mistlands" is now available for public testing. Currently optional, the developer does warn that it could have bugs during the test but, for players that want to be on the cutting edge of what the game has to offer, it may well be worth the risk. Even those that choose to forgo the test period can still look forward to the final rollout of the update at some point in the future. In either case, there's plenty in "Mistlands" for fans to get excited about.

As might be expected, the biggest change coming to "Valheim" with this update is the addition of the Mistlands biome. Based on the trailer, this looks to be a spooky and ominous place, full of dark forests, ancient ruins, and, yes, lots of mist. It also appears players will need to use something called Wisplight to move mist and navigate the environment.

This new biome will feature several new creatures, foes, and even a new boss. Among the new threats players will face are several varieties of Seekers, Gjalls, and Ticks (which are probably scarier than they sound). It looks like hens, hares, and lots of new fish will also be joining the environment. Finally, a new boss known only as The Queen is also being added.

It should be noted that, as the update announcement explains, the Mistlands biome will only be accessible when going to unexplored regions. It will not replace any already discovered locations, so players should hold off on fully exploring their map until they get this update or be ready to start on a fresh one. Also, it's currently unclear which new enemies and creatures will be unique to the new biome and which are being added to the game in general.

"Mistlands" is also adding lots of new crafting items and recipes to the mix. Some materials, like Raw Hare Meat, Raw Seeker Meat, and Wisps are clearly tied to other additions to the game. Others, like Blood Clot and Sap, may be general additions that will turn up all over the world. The same can be said for new food and crafting recipes, which include the new Wisplight tool which, as mentioned previously, will be vital to navigating misty lands.

Perhaps most excitingly, players will also be getting new workstations, a crafting construction, and a cauldron extension. These should open up lots of new crafting possibilities in the future.

Finally, for the more martially-minded, "Mistlands" also brings a plethora of new weapons and armor to wield against the new and old threats of "Valheim." These run the gamut, from melee to ranged to magic weapons, along with the new Bile Bomb and some arrows and bolts for good measure.

As long as players are getting new weapons and armor, they may as well have some new places to take them to. Fortunately, "Mistlands” is providing this for aspiring Vikings as well.

"Valheim" will now include a new type of dungeon known as Infested Mines. There's no indication of who or what will be found in these dungeons, but the word infested certainly sounds promising for those looking for a fight.

In addition to the new dungeon, the update also brings new locations. Not all of them have been revealed, but Dvergr Outposts and Dvergr Ruins are specifically mentioned. Dvergr are another new NPC/enemy race introduced in "Mistlands" and, apparently, they are dwarfs from Norse mythology. Anyone interested in encountering these new NPCs will want to keep an eye out for their outposts as they explore the Mistlands. Gamers who loved Brok and Sindri from the new "God of War" games will be able to get another fix of Norse dwarfs there.

It's been well-documented that Vikings were passionate about hygiene, grooming, and fashion, so it's only right that the new update introduces some new cosmetic options for player characters. Plenty of new hairstyles are being made available to go along with the new armor. Further, new emotes, including Bow, Dance, and Headbang are also being added to give players even more ways to express themselves. Extra cosmetics for buildings are also in the mix with lots of building pieces, new furniture, and even some novel defensive structures included in the update.

While this covers the biggest things being included, there are still tons more for fans to enjoy. New music, new dreams, new events and a host of other additions, improvements, and modifications round out this massive update.

The more adventurous Vikings can check out this new content now by following the instructions to sign up for the public test. Everyone else will have plenty to look forward to in the future.