VALHALL: Harbinger News

[h3]Skål, Vikings![/h3][p][/p][p]Today we want to give you a preview of what we’ve been working on for our next patch, which is scheduled to roll out on April 15th.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Save System Overhaul[/h2][p][/p][p]We have been focusing heavily on a fundamental change that many of you have requested: a complete overhaul of the Save System.[/p][p][/p][p]Up until now, the game featured only one global save file that tied your Singleplayer and Co-op progression together. In the upcoming patch, we are completely separating them. More importantly, we are separating Character saves from World saves.[/p][p][/p][p]What does this mean for you?[/p]

• [p]Unlimited Slots[/p][p]You are no longer locked into a single playthrough. You can now create as many separate character and world slots as you need.[/p]

• [p]Progression is tied to your Character[/p][p]Your inventory, Glory, and stats now belong to the specific character you create.[/p]
• [p]Co-op Cross-World Travel[/p][p]Because characters and worlds are independent, you can take your character with loot and jump straight into a friend's world.[/p]
• [p]Stable Co-op transition & Fixed Save Bugs[/p][p]We know that jumping between singleplayer and co-op could sometimes be frustrating due to a few save bugs. This overhaul resolves those issues![/p]

[p][/p][p]How to prepare for the patch[/p][p]Because we are completely changing how the game stores data, some of your progress will not transition automatically. Please read the following to avoid losing your items.[/p]

• [p]Your World save (buildings, chests) will be safe.[/p]
• [p]However, Character inventories may be reset during the transition.[/p]
• [p]Client saves (if you were connecting to your friend's hosted co-op game) will not keep their character inventory.[/p]

[p]For safety, we suggest placing all the items from your character into chests before the patch drops on April 15th. Items stored in chests are part of the World save and will remain safe.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Mjolnir Mini Event[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Alongside the new save system, this patch will include a fun feature that allows you to easily access Mjolnir gameplay. You can frequently trigger a special mini-event where you get to smash with the power of Thor![/p][p][/p][p]Mjolnir is granted temporarily for the duration of the event and is taken back right at the end, so it doesn't affect the overall gameplay balance. The event itself has a short cooldown, letting you jump back into the action regularly.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: For this initial rollout, the Mjolnir event will be available in Singleplayer only.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Other Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This patch will also include various fixes and improvements, new visual effects, and quality-of-life adjustments based on your feedback.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We will share the full patch notes detailing all the tweaks when it goes live. Thank you for your continued support, and we’ll see you in two weeks![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p][/p][p]We've just pushed a new patch focused on smoothing out the rough edges and addressing issues from the latest update.[/p][p][/p][p]Here is the list of fixes and improvements:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Reworked how the third-person camera interacts with collisions to eliminate jittering. It feels much smoother and more satisfying now.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Resolved an issue where weather states were saving incorrectly and failing to cycle.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug preventing upper clouds from rendering.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that prevented random raids from happening when activated.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed the Frost event not occurring and reduced its duration to 5 minutes.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Added a cozy, calm snow period that will now always immediately follow the Frost event.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
• [p]Slightly increased night brightness (though it can still get quite dark depending on the weather).[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
• [p]Improved color grading and shadows for players with Global Illumination disabled.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Cleaned up rough landscape issues in the newly added areas and fixed missing physics collisions on various meshes throughout the world.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where interacting with destructible building parts caused erratic character physics.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed fire sources (furnaces, campfires, etc.) remaining lit in the rain or snow if they aren't covered by a roof.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the tanning rack would occasionally stop working.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Resolved a rare client crash.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Updated weapon trail effects and removed their visibility in pitch-black areas.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Addressed an issue causing co-op clients to disconnect during heavy world auto-saves.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed an animation bug causing characters to float strangely while swimming.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thanks for bearing with us![/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h3]Skål, Vikings![/h3][p][/p][p]We are putting the final touches on the upcoming Map Update, scheduled to release next week on Friday, March 6th.[/p][p][/p][p]Instead of just telling you how much better the updated map looks, we’d rather show you below. But to answer your question right away: no, this is not a performance killer. We've actually been doing optimization under the hood. While the world has evolved and gained a much more cinematic look, the performance remained the same, and also will become better with further optimizations.[/p][p][/p][p]This update boosts the atmosphere and lighting, reworks the spawn area, and fixes previous visual glitches. But that's not all. It also lays the groundwork for upcoming new activities. As mentioned before, we will soon be moving away from primitive quests to bring you more engaging activities in the next updates, and this update introduces a hub area that will act as an interactive bridge for them.[/p][p][/p][h3]This patch arrives Friday, March 6th[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Check out what’s coming:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Map Update[/h2][p][/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p]We keep expanding on the Einherjar and Valhalla concepts.[/p][p][/p][p]This update brings a much more immersive, cinematic look to the game. Importantly, these visual improvements aren't just for players using Global Illumination - they look great on the lowest settings, too! We’ve added new cinematic post-processing effects, including a special depth-of-field/blur (don't worry, if it's not your cup of mead, you can toggle it off in the settings).[/p][p][/p][p]We heard your feedback that the previous closed valley map design felt a bit too claustrophobic, and we honestly felt it ourselves. We've addressed this in a balanced way, it's now more open and feels different.[/p][p][/p][p]Reworked the spawn area. It is no longer placed at such a high elevation where you could accidentally fall and get confused about where to go.[/p][p][/p][p]You will now find Einherjar preparation camps. They are friendly - these are your Einherjar brothers! This serves as a hub area that will become interactable in our upcoming updates.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Overhauled interior lighting. Objects inside buildings that previously lacked shadows will now cast them properly.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p](Note: The taming system is still in the works and isn't included in this specific update, but you can already easily meet these future companions hanging around the hub!)[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]We haven't touched the vast majority of areas where you might have built your houses. Most likely, your existing buildings won't be affected by this update at all - but they will look a lot better under the new lighting.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Next-Level Arrow & Mjolnir Camera[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ve brought an upgraded Arrow Cam feature, adding some highly satisfying visual effects.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And yes, Mjolnir now has this camera feature too! Just throw it and hold the Middle Mouse Button.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Fixes[/h2][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue with swapping to flame-ignited arrows.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug that allowed rapid-fire machine gun bow shooting.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed arrows passing right through certain materials.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed foundation stairs snapping and alignment issues.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed the Restore Defaults control setting not working in some edge cases.[/p][p][/p][p]Changed the Hide UI default hotkey to F10 to eliminate accidental presses and confusion.[/p][p][/p][p]Reduced wolf aggro distance.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for the ongoing feedback, guys. We're glad to see the new in-game reporting tool getting put to good use, and we’ve logged everything you've sent our way. May your hearth stay warm. See you on March 6th![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Greetings, Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]A new patch has arrived. Today's update focuses heavily on mechanics and game feel, addressing movement issues and combat wobbliness.[/p][p][/p][p]We are pushing these improvements now while we continue preparing the big map update for next month and completely new activities coming in the near future.[/p][p][/p][p]We also haven't forgotten about two-handed axes. They require a few more tweaks to resolve physics quirks, but they are on the way.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here is what today's patch brought:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Movement Update[/h2][p][/p][p]Adjusted movement speed and animation rates to match a more realistic human pace, making dodges a more valuable choice. [/p][p][/p][p]Overhauled the Unarmed state, combining it with fists into a single cohesive mode. This also includes fixing the weird hands issue during unarmed idle and the bug where they would attach to certain body parts.[/p][p][/p][p]Added turn-in-place animations for legs for specific states and adjusted the gait look.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed crouching movement to make it usable, and made it replicate correctly in co-op.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed instances of random sprinting and reduced the headbob effect for a smoother experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Reducing Wobbliness[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Reduced floaty movement and physics during combat for humanoid characters. This should also help reduce motion sickness. While we know it definitely isn't perfect yet, it is much more grounded and stable during combat.[/p][p][/p][p]Upgraded hit reactions to reduce sudden position snapping or that drunk floating walk effect. [/p][p][/p][p]Smoothed out movement network synchronization.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]In-game Bug Report[/h2][p][/p][p]Added a built-in issue report form accessible directly from the pause menu or button press (F8 by default). It’s very convenient and quick to use, feel free to share any issue you encounter.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Control & Feel[/h2][p][/p][p]Reduced base mouse intensity. Note that this might impact your current sensitivity settings.[/p][p][/p][p]Auto-targeting is now turned off by default. It can still be easily toggled via a button or in the settings. If you previously played with camera targeting, we suggest trying without it to see how the new flow feels.[/p][p][/p][p]The camera will now automatically switch to a third-person view upon death.[/p][p][/p][p]Added a "Hide Interface" button (F1 by default).[/p][p][/p][p]Combat settings have been moved from the pause menu to a graph within the Control Settings.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes & Quality of Life[/h2][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where players would often spawn unarmed despite having a weapon in a quickslot.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed excessive load usage while in the main menu.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed motion blur not turning off in certain cases.[/p][p][/p][p]Resolved visibility issues in the server browser.[/p][p][/p][p]Disabled the sleeping character model persisting after logging off.[/p][p][/p][p]Added a camera collision probe smoothing with height adjustment to prevent clipping.[/p][p][/p][p]Clarified the notifications when a Building Hammer is required and fixed incorrect title for the Steak item.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed various character cloth simulation issues.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an issue where arrows would sometimes disappear when they couldn't penetrate a material.[/p][p][/p][p]Addressed animation and physics issues that caused the right hand or sword to stick to the character's backside.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you guys for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[p]Hey![/p][p][/p][p]We've just pushed a hotfix to address a few issues from the latest patch (Jan 8th) and made some tweaks based on feedback.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed a critical issue where Gravestones were losing items from the last slots, and sometimes more upon loading a save.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed the mouse cursor disappearing in certain cases after death in non-survival modes.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Reduced the aggro distance for Boars and Bears.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Added God Shroud fog and a notification when sailing into locked zones.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]The second empty island was temporarily moved behind the locked zone.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed the lag/delay when moving items to and from workstations.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed the last remnants of the workstation bug where items (like Iron Ore) would visually get stuck and the dead character sounds. This time it's definitely gone.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Based on requests, added the Restart button back (will remove it again when we upgrade the save system, which is currently in the works).[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hint: There is a Horn of Defiance (from the last update) in the training camp. You can activate raids on your homestead from there to try the mechanic out if you don't want to build your own just yet.[/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]