Valheim flawlessly used the popularity of sandbox survival games and became one of the best hits of 2021. Now this indie gem is going to new platforms and will get its full release soon. Let’s summarize the most important features that have made thousands of players want to be dead Vikings.
Iron Gate Studio
If you’re looking for a Cinderella story in the video game industry, Valheim would be a good example. The game was born in 2017 as Richard Svensson’s passion project. He had worked on the game in his spare time, yet eventually decided it was not enough. In 2018, the Swede quit his steady job at the local game studio so he could develop Valheim full-time. He convinced his friend Henrik Tornqvist to join him. Together, they founded Iron Gate Studio. Later, others joined, but the team remained small and consisted of approximately five people.
Release date
Valheim was released on early access on February 2, 2021. Windows and Linux were the first platforms that let players fight for their places in Valhalla. The game has become an absolute phenomenon, with an all-time peak of 500 000 people playing it at the same time and countless influencers streaming their Valheim adventures. Hence, it was no surprise that Valheim won numerous awards, including Best Debut Indie Game and Best Multiplayer Game, at The Game Awards in 2021.
New players had a chance to play Valheim when the Xbox One and Series X|S versions came out on March 14, 2023. Moreover, the game is expected to leave early access by the end of the year. Unfortunately, the exact date of its full release hasn’t been revealed yet.
Gameplay
Valheim is a sandbox game that provides players with almost absolute freedom in how they explore the map and what they want to do. The world is divided into diverse biomes, each filled with unique resources, items, challenges, and enemies.
- The Meadows. In this relatively safe area, every player starts their journey.
- The Black Forest. It’s usually the second biome to be explored by players.
- The Swamp. It’s a grim location filled with dark plants and hostile creatures.
- The Mountain. It’s a cold place inhabited by Fenrir’s children.
- The Plains. It may look peaceful; however, it’s home to many dangerous monsters.
- The Mistlands. The recently released location is covered with fog.
- The Ashlands. The land of fire and ash is the next biome to be fully developed.
- The Deep North. It will likely be the last biome to be filled with content before the game’s full release.
Furthermore, thanks to the procedurally generated world, you can have a slightly different experience each time you start a new adventure.
Virtually every survival game features crafting, and Velheim makes no exception here. Therefore, you have to prepare food and create tools, weapons, as well as other items. Making more powerful gear will let you defeat fearsome enemies, including formidable bosses. And since we’re speaking about fighting, we have to mention that Valheim’s combat system is based on dodging and blocking.
Valheim also offers a fascinating building system that lets you construct anything from a small shelter to a full-fledged castle. You even have the ability to craft furniture and decorate your home with unique items. Some players spare dozens of hours to raise magnificent structures, such as majestic fortresses or a carefully recreated Millenium Falcon. Of course, there are also tons of other mechanics. For instance, you may take a break from fighting and exploring and just go fishing. As a result, Valheim is an exciting adventure that can keep players entertained for hundreds of hours, and you can’t get bored even after all bosses are long dead.
Multiplayer
One of the best things about Velheim is that you can play it either alone or with your friends. Your party can be quite numerous, as the cooperative mode supports up to 10 players on a map. Furthermore, there are no limits on how many worlds you want to create on player-hosted servers. You can set up a dedicated server or host the game locally. The letter option is simpler but requires the player hosting the server to be in-game so other team members can join.
Assembling a team has more advantages than just having fun with your friends. In cooperation mode, you can share the tasks among group members, thus building your base and gathering resources much faster. The game emphasizes player vs. environment gameplay, so default settings don’t allow players’ characters to wound each other. However, you can turn on the PvP option in the inventory, thus making duels with your friends possible.
Updates and mods
Since its early access release, Valheim has been regularly updated. The game has received bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, new features, and content. Iron Gate Studio listens to its community and adds options that players need, such as the save button, which eliminates the issue of the loss of some crucial progress made between two autosaves. One of the biggest updates was Mistlands, a fog-covered biome released in December 2022. Currently, Iron Gate Studio is putting its effort into Ashlands. This biome is going to be the next major Valehim update in 2023.
Apart from the official update, the players try to upgrade Valheim by creating mods. NexusMods offers hundreds of pieces of fan-created content. Among the most popular Valheim mods, you can find those that provide new loot, add HD-quality textures, or change some of the game’s rules, such as eliminating restrictions on items you can transport through portals. One of the mods even turns Valheim into almost an RPG game by adding a character class system
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