The Hearth and Home update for Valheim has been released!

Publisher Coffee Stain and Studio Iron Gate announce that the first major Hearth & Home update for Valheim , adding many new features to the Scandinavian afterlife, is now available!

The Hearth & Home update focuses primarily on improving the core building and survival mechanics of the critically acclaimed hardcore co-op game. It provides players with even more tools to create the longhouse of their dreams and organize the best feast worthy even of the Aesir. Vikings can check out the new features in the latest gameplay trailer.

Even though many of the features introduced in Hearth & Home have already been revealed by the development team on Steam and social media, even Odin didn't notice some of the update's innovations. Including something gloomy and mysterious escaped him. Something that is already spreading across the plains.

Builders and architects will no doubt raise their cup to the glory of the gods as a host of new dark wood and stone items are made available to players. Whether it's dark wood beams or pillars with intricate decorations, a new type of roof and ornamentation, or a stone throne for those accustomed to rule the world harshly, building in Valheim will offer an expanded selection of new materials that will spark the imagination of players when building their settlements.

Specially requested by the community, some new features have been added for our bull lizard friends. Also from now on, players will be able to name their pets to their liking, instilling fear in the hearts of their enemies! In addition, other much-requested features have been added, including the exchange of cards between players, the planting of additional types of trees, as well as a new feature that allows you to destroy objects and, finally, fight the pollution of the Valheim ocean!

As you can tell from the name of the Hearth & Home update, its main innovations will be related to cooking and building. In addition to new kitchen utensils - from spice storage, butchering tables to pots and pans - there are plenty of new recipes for Vikings to try and sink their teeth into. New foods include deer, wolf, and wild boar meat, cured and roasted meats, as well as mud mixes, onions, and onion soup. The Vikings will have plenty to do after a hard day of adventuring over a bowl of delicious eye cream soup!

The new recipes complement the overhauled nutrition system, which provides players with a more interesting experience with improved health and stamina systems and allows you to fine-tune your diet to your playstyle.

A new Crystal Battle Axe, Bone Tower Shield, Iron Shield, and Silver Knife have also been added to the afterlife arsenal along with bow and battle ax balancing improvements that will make different play styles more viable and fun. Changes in the mechanics of shields and blocks will increase the variety of combat and make the battles even more exciting. Rest assured, the skalds of Braga will not miss your heroism!

Released in Early Access on Steam in February this year, Valheim was an instant hit as many players wanted to start their adventure in the afterlife and take on the greatest creatures of Norse mythology together. The game, originally developed by just five people, sold over seven million copies in less than two months and peaked at over 500,000 concurrent users. This is the fifth game that has managed to collect such a number in the history of Steam.

Commented by Henrik Turnqvist, co-founder of Iron Gate

Hearth & Home is the first major update, and we wanted it to really expand the experience and make the core gameplay richer and more challenging, adding new content that players can come back to explore. While it took a little longer than expected, we wanted to deliver quality work to the community. We listened to the players all the time and added the most requested features. We're glad they're finally able to try them out.

Albert Sefström, CEO of Coffee Stain Publishing, adds:

One of the most exciting parts of Valheim is the exploration of the world. It's just a great feeling to finally show what the team has been working on. We also want to thank the community for their support and patience since launch. To your health! Skål!