Beta info and development news

The launch of the Closed Beta is close at hand. The current plan is to send out the first batch of keys on the 10th of August. This will be followed by more key batches being distributed later on, so if you don’t get a key this time you might still get one the next time (without having to sign up again of course).

Since the game is still very much in development we value having the possibility to bring in new players that can bring a fresh perspective. This, as well as ensuring our small team is able to manage all the feedback, is why we have chosen to release Beta-keys over time rather than sending them all out at once.

Beta-keys will be assigned randomly.

If you haven't signed up for the Closed Beta yet you can do so here: https://mailchi.mp/3cad4aeaef25/valheim

Let’s take a look at some of the stuff we’ve been working on lately.

[h2]New Features
[/h2]
[h3]New Shading System
[/h3]The visuals of Valheim now look just a bit more pixelated, for that fresh, crispy look.

[h3]UI Visuals 3.0
[/h3]Last autumn we reworked the style of the UI to make it feel a bit more connected to the world and fitting of our viking-theme. Since then we have upped the quality even further; with high resolution textures, easier-to-read fonts, and structural improvements.

[h3]Construction UI 2.0
[/h3]The Hammer interface has been completely redesigned, it now opens a menu with the right mouse button in which you mouse-select what you want to build. This makes the experience much more intuitive and easy to navigate. And yes, the shortcuts to build categories are still there. In addition to this, building pieces that are connected to the ground will now display as blue (instead of green) while you’re in construction mode. This makes it easier to build stable constructions that won't come crashing down.

[h3]Fishing[/h3]
Yes, you can finally go fishing in Valheim. This is still pretty early in development though, for instance we have not yet added any fish to catch… sorry.

[h3]Boar Taming
[/h3]The wild pigs of Valheim can now be tamed, and if you treat them right they will procreate in captivity. This is a good source of proteins.

[h3]Wolf Taming
[/h3]Tamed Wolves function like NPC guards, following the Player around and attacking enemies.

[h3]Farming System
[/h3]Farming is now more fleshed out with lots of different plant varieties to grow. Heathlands biome has been renamed to Plains, and this is where we want to focus most of the Farming gameplay.

[h3]Goblin Camps
[/h3]The Goblins of the Plains biome now have small camps that can be raided.

[h3]Compendium[/h3]
Players can now access an encyclopedia in the Equipment-screen that shows lots of different stuff; such as old messages and descriptions of status effects.

[h3]Comfort System
[/h3]We’ve added a new feature that rewards players for building cozy homes. Basically, furniture and stuff improves the ‘comfort’ rating of houses, in turn giving players that sleep in them a buff to health and stamina.

[h3]Improved Sailing
[/h3]We’ve made further changes to the sailing mechanics. It is now much easier to gauge the direction of the wind, it is possible to paddle with the steering oar (to make it a bit easier to steer close to land), and the steering mechanic itself has been reworked. This new system will make it more important to beat when travelling upwind.

[h3]Elite Mobs
[/h3]Farther out in the wilds, souped up versions of enemies may spawn from time to time. These are obviously more dangerous than their regular counterparts but also yield greater rewards.

[h3]Player icons on World Map (Multiplayer feature)
[/h3]When opening the World Map you can now toggle whether you want your position to be seen by other players.

[h2]New Content
[/h2]
[h3]New Enemy: Fenring
[/h3]A particularly large dog has been spotted in the mountains, seems dangerous.

[h3]New Enemy: Ghost
[/h3]The souls of the cursed dead of Valheim grow restless in their dark crypts.

[h3]New Enemy: Rancid Remains
[/h3]It is still a skeleton to be fair, but it’s big and stinky!

[h3]New Enemy: Serpent
[/h3]The high seas are becoming more dangerous with the arrival of rather large sea serpents. These prehistoric horrors drop scales and meat, used for armour and cooking.

[h3]New Enemy: Lox
[/h3]A combination of a Lizard and an Oxe, this beast grazes on the fields of the Plains biome. It is peaceful if left undisturbed.

[h3]New Weapons: Abyssal Razor and Abyssal Harpoon
[/h3]These two weapons can be made from resources harvested on islands of the high ocean. The Abyssal Harpoon actually works as a harpoon, in that it tethers any hit enemy to you. The line will snap though if you put too much stress on it.

[h3]New weapon: Iron Sledge
[/h3]Better version of the Sledge.

[h3]New Building: Bonfire
[/h3]The beacons have been lit! Campfire to the left for scale.

[h3]New Attack: Knife Jump
[/h3]You will now make a sneaky stab if you do a jumping attack with a knife equipped.

[h3]New Workbench: Artisan Table
[/h3]Dabble in the forbidden arts to create magic objects.

[h3]New Processor: Windmill
[/h3]With this nifty invention you can grind lots of different stuff, but mainly cereals. Efficiency varies a bit depending on current wind strength.

[h3]New Tool: Cultivator
[/h3]Making terrain suitable for growing crops are now done with a new tool called the Cultivator. The Hoe retains its old functionality of terrain manipulation.

[h3]New Material: Ymir Remains
[/h3]Mystical objects used when creating magical artifacts at the Artisan Table.

[h2]Miscellaneous Updates
[/h2]
[h3]Updated Visuals: Fluffier Trees
[/h3]Brand new arboreal technology has made the trees of Valheim look more majestic and ‘tree-ier’ (old tree left).

[h3]Updated Visuals: Workbenches
[/h3]The workbenches had some of the oldest models in the game, these are now updated and brought in line with the rest of the visuals.

[h3]Updated Visuals: Armour
[/h3]Most of the various clothing options in the game have been given a visual upgrade.

[h3]Updated Visuals: Cloudier Clouds
[/h3]Clouds are now better.

[h3]Updated Visuals: Bosses
[/h3]Each and every boss has received some visual love, mainly their animations have been improved.

[h3]Boss Encounter Rework
[/h3]Boss battles are now treated as Events which allows us to change things like weather and lighting on the fly, resulting in these epic fights being even cooler and more memorable!

[h3]Easier Early Game
[/h3]We’ve made various changes to make the game easier for new arrivals, among others: enemy fauna slightly less angry in starting biome, deers are easier to hunt, reduced requirements for spawning the first boss, starting location always has some basic materials for building a weapon.

[h3]Day Counter
[/h3]As dawn breaks a message will inform you how much time you’ve spent in the Tenth World.

[h3]Plantable Trees
[/h3]Most of the wild trees found in Valheim now drop seeds that can be planted.