I wear stylish gear from top to bottom. I had a heavy hammer in my hand, a lamp overhead, and bags full of food. We climbed a stone tower above oppressive mists, only to see a vast landscape of danger and sparse safe spots.Experience opportunities are limited The Mists of Valheim UpdateI was faced with something really refreshing.
Anyway, that’s my main takeaway. Valheim hits the independent scene in 2021 and has firmly captured the attention and love of thousands of people around the world. It’s tough, gritty, and a lot of fun with friends. However, if there is a criticism of the game after its Early Access release, it’s because of the lack of new content from those who pushed the game to the end, as post-launch support has mostly been refining and improving existing content.
Mistlands is clearly trying to address this, as confirmed by Iron Gate Studios artist Robin Eyre and developer Jonathan Smars. “When we released Early Access, we realized the game was full of bugs,” Smars said. “As a result, we’ve decided not to release anything until it’s stable enough for everyone to play the game. Looking ahead to The Mists, we’ve identified our needs for biomes and we wanted to see how we could make They were taken aback.”
But what exactly is the Mistlands? Well, this is a new endgame area aimed at players who have already progressed through existing content. To get in, you’ll need to don some nice gear, and a beam of light from a previous boss. Once inside, you can look forward to a duel with the Seekers; ferocious and frankly creepy insectoids that dwell in the shadowy depths.
What’s obvious about The Mistlands is that it’s largely a distinct area compared to other fantasy video game worlds. According to the duo, this is their major attempt at creating something unique to the Mists, especially since the next two areas, Ashlands and Deep North, are somewhat standard.
“In the past, it was meant to be a dark, contemplative place. It was a lot like a swamp,” Eyre explained, “so we didn’t want it to be Swamp 2.0. You can basically think of The Misty as a swamp and mountains that have created a child.”
For what it’s worth, they’ve done a great job creating something new with Mistlands. Ancient ruins are scattered around the area where some sweet loot can be found, and if you’re willing to brave the consequences of stealing from the heavily armed people who live there, the small tower occupied by Dverger serves as both a safe point and a Serving as a source of loot, huge boulders stretch upward above the mist like fingers, allowing you to see your surroundings.
A personal highlight comes from the ruins of Seeker’s investment, consisting of greasy black stone covered in sticky yellow goo. In terms of aesthetics and feel, Eyre and Smars told me their goal was to replicate the alien vibe in these dangerous dungeons, making sure things feel claustrophobic as enemies lurk and rush at you from doorways in all directions. It’s really cool, and while I’m sure these will inevitably lose their impact as players continue to delve deeper, my first impressions convince me that they have the power to keep even the most dedicated player on their toes.
With these new dangers come new equipment. The most exciting new additions are magic and more legendary weapons. While Valheim feels a bit down-to-earth, with swords, shields, and arrows forming the core of the experience, the team feels it’s time to start slowly embracing the world of the mystical and otherworldly.
“Mountains are biomes designed to accommodate more magical stuff, but it’s too soon to give players magical stuff. We don’t want to be a ‘too epic’ World of Warcraft,” Smars said. “We don’t want players to get magic right away, we want you to go on an adventure, experience the hardships of the world, and then at the end of the game be proper Viking material, and Vikings will tell stories about it.”
Casting magic allows for a mage’s playstyle, with specific armor and aether resources allowing for spell-throwing ranged methods of combat. Some things look and feel very powerful compared to the expectations players may have grown up with. I asked Iron Gate Studios if they were concerned that adding some super powerful spells would dilute the impact of the tooth and claw combat that was already there, and while it noted that it would pay close attention to balance, Iron Gate believes those who prefer to play tank archers will still play Important role because magic casters are fragile and the resources they have to work with are limited.
For builders, new areas mean new resources, and new structures you can build. Using new tiles and textures found in the Mistlands, players can build their own structures to visually fit the area, replicating features like some luscious spiral staircases. Building a home in the Mists isn’t a great idea given how dangerous the Mists are, but thanks to the active mountains towering above the dangers, a towering hut might be the way to go.
Then there’s the fishing, which has been reworked a bit. Previously, there wasn’t much reason to do this, but now you can display your catch as loot, giving one of Valheim’s oft-unpopular survival skills an extra element of flexibility. Whether you actually have luck catching anything is another matter, as I’ve had unsuccessful attempts to catch fish in front of the lead developer. Not awkward at all, I assure you.
But perhaps most importantly, hijinx still flows through Valheim in the Mists. Expanding terrain, holding your ground in treacherous caverns, and escaping Dverger’s Tower with loot in tow, only to have your entire team blow up, pinning themselves under the rubble, is the kind of memory generator that makes co-ops like Valheim Multiplayer games leave a deep impression on the hearts of players. its player base.
It’s an exciting time for the game, as the team is confident in the quality of the existing experience, with more and more fresh content being identified and added in the future. If you may have left Valheim recently, the Mists seem like the perfect excuse to re-commit.
You can now try the Mistlands update yourself on the public test branch. I highly recommend it.
