The Norse multiplayer RPG Valheim got a big patch today, September 16, with the launch of the much-anticipated Hearth and Home update. This included an overhaul of the food system, new building elements, and a "steamy viking hot tub."
"Hearth & Home update brings plenty of new content to Valheim, expanding your gameplay options by introducing new mechanics, furniture, building pieces, food, weapons, optimizations, and more," developer Iron Gate said in a post on Steam.
For players who enjoy building, the Hearth and Home update adds new "Darkwood" pieces like shingle roofs, beams, and other decorations. More furniture elements are available as well, including a "steamy viking hot tub."
A big change for Valheim's food system is that most food items now provide stamina or health, so players will need to make strategic choices about what to eat. The food GUI has been "overhauled" as well, and there are a dozen new things to eat.
Cooking and building elements got special attention, of course, but the update also adds requested features like the ability to share map data with other players, collect additional seeds to grow different types of trees, and destroy unwanted items with a new item called an "obliterator." The Hearth and Home expansion also lets you name any pet you've tamed.
Additionally, the patch adds a menacing new foe of some kind, as you can see in the trailer above. Iron Gate says "something dark and mysterious" has spread through the lands of Valheim. You can see the full patch notes below.
Patch 0.202.14 (HEARTH & HOME)
General improvements
- Weapons rebalanced (All weapons have been rebalanced to be more viable as main weapon and also have more unique playstyles)
- Blocking system overhauled (Current maximum hp now greatly affects your ability to block attacks, stagger bar gui added)
- Naming tamed creatures
- Gamepad sensitivity settings
- Auto-pickup toggle button added
- Graphics settings (Active point lights & Active point light shadows)
- Tamed creatures affected by friendly fire setting (i.e you can’t hurt a tamed creature unless you enable friendly fire or use the new Butcher knife item)
- Various other improvements and bugfixes
Food
- Food rebalance (Most food items now give mainly stamina or mainly health to make food choices more interesting)
- Food GUI overhauled to work better with the rebalanced food
- Over 10 new things to eat (Actually 12)
World
- Tamed Lox now have a purpose
- Slimy locations & creatures added to plains
- New plantable seeds: Birch, Oak & Onions
Items
- New weapons: Crystal battleaxe, Silver knife
- New shields: Bone tower shield, Iron buckler
- Butcher knife (Special weapon for butchering tamed animals)
- Thunder stone (Sold by trader)
- Lox accessory
Building
- New Darkwood building pieces like shingle roofs, beams, decorations and more
- New types of furniture, including but not limited to a mighty stone throne and a steamy viking hot tub
- Crystal walls
- New types of stacks to show off your treasure and resources
- Cauldron improvements: Spice rack, Butcher’s table, Pots and pans
- Cartography table (For sharing map-data with other players)
- Oven added (For baking bread and pie)
- Obliterator added (Items be gone)
- Iron cooking station (Required to cook some types of meat)
