While Viking survival game Valheim has been extremely popular since its release, it is still part of Steam’s Early Access program. This means that Valheim still receives updates with new features, reworks, and general improvements. And, the newest update is out today.

Valheim puts players in control of deceased Viking warriors that are sent to the limbo-like realm of Valheim to earn their way into Valhalla by hunting down the boss monsters that have invaded the realm. The game focuses on survival mechanics with players having to gather resources, craft new gear, build bases, and manage their needs to prepare themselves for Valheim’s numerous boss fights.

The new update, 0.153.2, boasts a number of small adjustments and fixes, but most notably the update brings a sizable overhaul of some of Valheim’s largest creatures. First up to get a make-over is Valheim’s giant Troll monster. The patch gives the game’s Troll some new elements such as more hair, new nails, and some more defined muscles that bring extra detail to the model. Other creatures getting a touch-up are Valheim’s second and third bosses, which also get some new details added to help them look more imposing and match with the rest of Valheim’s textures.

Elsewhere, the patch updates the mechanics of Valheim’s harpoons to make them act more like rope and less like rubber bands, as well as fixes an issue that saw one and two-star Draugrs spawning with the wrong materials. Also addressed is an issue that popped up with Valheim’s smelters when players had not visited them in a very long time. The patch also has a variety of other fixes, such as engine stability improvements, fixing physics on stone stairs, and an issue that destroyed crafting stations while they were in use. The full patch notes are listed below.

  • Fixed smelter issue when a very long time has passed since visiting (10000 days) 30s Pre world save warning added Stone stair physics fix Inventory screen gamepad focus fix Large-creature visual overhaul (troll, boss-2 & boss-3) Troll ragdoll material fix Harpoon mechanics overhauled Engine updated (some stability improvements) Draugr archer visual fixes (1 & 2 star draugrs sometimes got the wrong material) Fixed issues when crafting station is destroyed while in use Creature group spawning adjusted to avoid spawning over total limit (in some cases) Credits updated Localization updates

The new patch may not bring a lot of big changes to Valheim, but the bug fixes and visual overhauls are definitely welcome. The visual touches to the Trolls and the first couple of bosses should help them blend well with Valheim’s other improved textures as well as making them more imposing. It is also good to see developer Iron Gate Studio working to update the game so frequently throughout Early Access. Combined with the numerous big mods for Valheim that have been released, it seems that the popular survival game will likely not be going anywhere anytime soon.

Valheim is available in Early Access on PC.

Source: Steam