Valheim’s next big update takes Vikings to the land of the dead

Valheim had a strong start, and the open-world Viking game has since expanded into a new biome called the Mistlands and added tons of base-building and customization elements with the Hearth & Home update. Now, developer Iron Gate Studio has announced the next big biome in development — and it looks like players will be setting off to explore the Ashlands, the land of the dead.

There’s no release date for the new biome, and it will likely need a significant amount of time in the oven. In a blog post on the official Valheim site, Iron Gate explains it intends to be more transparent with the creation of the Ashlands. The developer is sharing concept art of the beasties players might encounter in such a place, which will be a large chunk of land at the far south of the map.

While Vikings will have to wait a while yet to explore the volcanic Ashlands, Valheim is due to receive other gameplay updates in the near future. The game is heading to Xbox in early 2023, along with crossplay to link up console and PC players. The developer is also experimenting with difficulty settings, for those who want their afterlife adventure to be a little more punishing.

There’s also an update called Hildir’s Quest in the works, which seems to be clothing-focused. I’ll always welcome the opportunity for more dolly dress-up, and it looks like Hildir is a character who will help Vikings with their style. Not only will there be more clothes, but Iron Gate is also setting up a way to re-style hair. Iron Gate is also working on accessibility options for future updates, although the developer is still soliciting feedback from players with disabilities.