The Harsh Winter Challenge & Co-op Advancements & Diverse Survival Improvements

[h2]Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]Most of you haven’t had the chance to experience winter in the game, as it previously required too much playtime to trigger and was set to occur infrequently due to earlier issues. But now, you’ll definitely get to see it, as its upgraded version is part of the new Challenge in the Dynamic world event system we’re building.[/p][p][/p][p]This is the first Challenge event to take place globally across the realm and is available in Co-op too (not only in Singleplayer).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]This patch arrives next Wednesday (October 8th)[/h3][p][/p][p]Here's what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The Harsh Winter Challenge[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]It is a Challenge. You need to survive by overcoming the harsh winter until the very end to successfully accomplish it.[/p][p][/p][p]If you fail and die, you’ll simply respawn at your bed, but you won’t receive the reward.[/p][p][/p][p]As with all recurring Challenges, you will hear a horn that shakes the ground announcing its beginning and gives you some time to prepare. Then, the whole world will be covered by frost.[/p][p][/p][p]The winter during the Challenge is an intense blizzard. It is bitterly cold outside, and you must stay warm to survive.[/p][p][/p][p]Natural resources such as raspberries, flax, and mushrooms will disappear, so make sure to prepare food in advance. Regular animals like bears and deer will also vanish.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]However, formidable snow wolves will appear. They are more dangerous than their usual counterparts. During the Challenge, you can hunt them for rewards, both Glory and unique loot that only they possess.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And finally... beware a terrifying new encounter you may trigger on your voyage home.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Host Performance Boost[/h2][p][/p][p]If you are hosting a Co-op session, you will notice a performance boost (up to 20% increase in frame rate).[/p][p][/p][p]In some cases, Co-op clients will also get a smoother experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Client Steering[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Friends playing as clients in Co-op can now have and steer their own ships alongside yours (the host).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Diverse Survival Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]Increased the durability of walls and fences so bots can’t reach your chests too quickly.[/p][p][/p][p]Increased pickaxe durability.[/p][p][/p][p]Arrows can now be crafted in stacks of 5.[/p][p][/p][p]Made fighting wolves easier and improved auto-targeting when enabled.[/p][p][/p][p]Improved wolf sounds to make them less annoying.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where the torch could get stuck and prevent weapon switching.[/p][p][/p][p]Temporarily disabled climbing for rework to prevent bugs (was rarely useful, but will become cool later).[/p][p][/p][p]Reduced the price traders pay for stones.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed incorrect sound effects for Thor’s hammer.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed remaining issues with collateral building destruction.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted several map areas to prevent players from getting stuck.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed rain and snow not aligning with wind direction and foliage.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted a few problematic dual-wield attack animations.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue where animals would sometimes stop aiming and slide during attacks, breaking combat.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you guys for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]