VALHALL: Harbinger News

[h3]Happy Holidays![/h3][p][/p][p]We are finalizing our next monthly patch, scheduled for release next week.[/p][p][/p][h3]This patch arrives Thursday, January 8th[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here is a look at what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Base Defense (Raids on Demand)[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ve listened to your feedback regarding the difficulty and pacing of base raids. To ensure you can develop your base at your own speed, NPCs will no longer launch random attacks on their own.[/p][p][/p][p]Instead, you can now construct a Horn of Defiance.[/p][p][/p][p]This new object allows you to call for a raid manually and on your own terms. It’s the perfect way to test your defenses whenever you are ready for a fight, without the fear of random attacks while you are away or building.[/p][p][/p][p]You can still toggle random raids on or off at any time using the Horn's menu.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Progression: The Saga[/h2][p][/p][p]Following up on our last update, we're working on new systems to deliver a stronger sense of growth and achievement. This update introduces a title-based progression system, allowing you to rise from "The Fallen" to "Legend."[/p][p][/p][p]Progression is tied to your Glory. Higher titles are more than just cosmetic, they are designed to unlock access to new trade options, crafting and building recipes, and future areas. While unlocking recipes through titles may seem unconventional at first, it is a part of the game's narrative that will be further expanded in upcoming updates.[/p][p][/p][p]The Challenge menu tab has been renamed to Saga, with the Challenge now being within this section. Here, you can track your current Title, Glory, and your path for future growth.[/p][p][/p][p]Your title is now visually displayed next to your name for other players to see.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Survival UI & UX[/h2][p][/p][p]Craft/Build requirements are now displayed in a clear, easy-to-read list. Items with unmet requirements, such as a missing title or a required workbench, appear faded to clearly indicate they are currently locked.[/p][p][/p][p]The Building interface is now much snappier. Items highlight automatically and can be selected with a single press. Added scroll wheel support to help navigate the growing list of items and removed unnecessary UI elements to clean up the screen.[/p][p][/p][p]Inventory transfers are now instant, significantly speeding up looting and storage management.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Death & Recovery[/h2][p][/p][p]Changed the death screen in Survival mode to make the transition fast. Players will now respawn at their set spawn point automatically.[/p][p][/p][p]The Grave stone now allows for item retrieval without waiting for the player corpse to disappear. This reduces confusion and prevents potential loot loss during the recovery process.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Pickaxes, Drums & Decor[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Sky Iron (meteoric) has been introduced as a rare new material. Tool progression has been expanded with the Stone Pickaxe and Sky Iron Pickaxe, featuring a rebalance of all pickaxes.[/p][p][/p][p]Added Drums (yes, you can play them, in co-op too).[/p][p][/p][p]The decorative collection has grown with the addition of the Trencher Rack, Hammock, and Firewood Rack.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Video Memory Optimization & Settings[/h2][p][/p][p]This patch focuses on VRAM optimizations to help those who experience blurred textures. While some players may not notice a significant difference in performance, we hear you on it too, and heavier optimization work is planned for future updates.[/p][p][/p][p]​We’ve adjusted the graphics settings menu and added a new Advanced section.[/p][p][/p][p]​The game will now automatically detect and set optimal settings on your first launch (all graphics settings will be reset with this patch for everyone).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes & Quality of Life[/h2][p][/p][p]Bows now feature a quick melee shove on a single click, holding the button remains for aiming.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a recurring bug that prevented swing attacks after using a bow.[/p][p][/p][p]Expanded interaction zones for doors and water sources, making it easier to interact.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed animation and functionality issues when dual-wielding the starting axe.[/p][p][/p][p]Most of the workstations (including furnace) can now be placed inside houses.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where 1 unit of iron would remain stuck smelting in the furnace.[/p][p][/p][p]Removed the ability to fist punch trees after your fresh feedback, increased the number of collectible branches on the ground.[/p][p][/p][p]Ship destruction is now disabled.[/p][p][/p][p]Further reduced boar damage for better early-game balance.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug where blood trails would appear to come from bows.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed an audio glitch where dead animals would continue to make sounds.[/p][p][/p][p]Removed the "Restart" button from the pause menu to prevent accidental resets.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug in the auto-unstuck system that caused players to suddenly teleport to their spawn point.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Also, as mentioned previously, we’ve started sharing more content on our YouTube channel. For now, it's just Shorts, a mix of everything: from quick mechanic showcases and sneak peeks to more lighthearted, weird clips.[/p][p]YouTube[/p][p]This is leading up to a larger, more detailed video that will arrive alongside a future major update. This long-form video will demonstrate the progress we’ve been making, both through our updates and behind the scenes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you all for your incredible feedback and support. Enjoy the celebrations, and see you in game next week![/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.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed grave stones sometimes failing to save or missing textures after a restart.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed weapon repairs not working for connected players in Co-op.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where some weapons required zero resources to repair.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Added a visual indicator for broken weapons and a sound effect for successful repairs.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[p]Hey![/p][p][/p][p]We've just pushed a small hotfix to address a critical crash.[/p][p][/p][p]While we were at it, we also included a few smaller fixes from our upcoming patch.[/p][p][/p][p]Please note: This is not the full content update planned for December 8th. The new workstations and other features are still on track to arrive on that date.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for your bug reports and continued support![/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Greetings, Vikings![/h2][p][/p][h3]This patch arrives Monday, December 8th.[/h3][p][/p][p]We know the game needs deeper progression, it's coming, and this update is a step in that direction. We are laying a new foundation for the crafting system with specialized workstations, completely reworking durability to make your gear feel more permanent and meaningful, and adding several requested quality-of-life features.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The New Workshop System[/h2][p][/p][p]The Workbench is now the heart of your production. It’s a new station used exclusively for crafting your weapons, tools, etc. (Building is still done freely with your Hammer, anywhere you like. The Workbench is not required for that).[/p][p][/p][p]To unlock more advanced items, you'll need to build specialized stations around your Workbench. Placing an Anvil or a Forge Hearth nearby will automatically unlock recipe tiers in the Workbench menu, rewarding you for expanding your workshop.[/p][p][/p][p]You'll find that all current recipes are now part of this new system, creating a more logical crafting path.[/p][p][/p][p]Here are the new stations you can now build to expand your crafting capabilities:[/p][p][/p][p]Workbench[/p][p]The main hub for all your gear crafting.[/p][p][/p][p]Sawhorse[/p][p]The first upgrade for your workshop. Unlocks better wooden gear like reinforced bows and shields.[/p][p][/p][p]Forge Hearth[/p][p]Your entry into metallurgy. Allows you to work with early metals to craft basic tools and components.[/p][p][/p][p]Anvil[/p][p]The heart of any true smithy. Required to forge the full range of iron weapons and tools.[/p][p][/p][p]Grindstone[/p][p]The master craftsman's tool. Required to forge the sharpest weapons.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Weapon Repair & Durability Overhaul[/h2][p][/p][p]We’ve completely overhauled how durability works. Your crafted gear will no longer break and disappear when its durability reaches zero.[/p][p][/p][p]Instead, a broken item becomes unusable and must be repaired using resources. This change makes your hard-earned equipment feel more permanent while adding a new layer of resource management to your preparations.[/p][p][/p][p]Visit a Workbench to see what it costs to restore your gear and get it back in the fight.[/p][p][/p][p]As part of this change, enemies will drop weapon in a heavily damaged state, with very little durability left.[/p][p][/p][p]Crucially, these looted weapons cannot be repaired. Think of them as a temporary battlefield pickup. This change makes your own crafted and maintained weapons far more valuable.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Runestone Grave Marker[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Dying in the world will now leave behind a runestone grave marker when the dead body disappears.[/p][p][/p][p]This marker securely holds all items from your inventory. The location of your grave is marked on compass. Simply interact with it to retrieve your gear.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Arena Matches[/h2][p][/p][p]The Arena has been updated and become more flexible. You can now start your own sessions, also allowing to challenge a friend to a 1v1.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]"Unstuck" Feature Improved[/h2][p][/p][p]In those critical situations where it can't find a safe spot to place you nearby, it will now send you to your respawn point instead of leaving you trapped. This ensures you always have a way out.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Two-Handed Axe Temporarily Shelved[/h2][p][/p][p]Yeah, we know. We've had to pull the Two-Handed Axe for a bit.[/p][p][/p][p]We've fixed the crashes it was causing, but its physics still go wild. It'll be back as soon as we've chained it back down to reality, likely in the next 1-2 patches.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Quality of Life & Balancing[/h2][p][/p][p]The welcome notification will now only be shown the first time you launch the game or when there is an in-game update showcase.[/p][p][/p][p]The Disarm/Sheathe weapon key is now rebindable in the control settings.[/p][p][/p][p]Bears are now less likely to attack from a distance, but they are significantly more dangerous up close. Tread carefully.[/p][p][/p][p]Boars are now a bit easier to take down. Slightly reduced thier amount. Early game hunting should feel smoother now.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your incredible feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]

[h2]Greetings, Vikings![/h2][p][/p][p]Our next patch arrives on Saturday, November 8th. It will bring an overhaul to our AI logic systems, resulting in performance gains and allowing us to enrich the world with more life. We've also addressed highly-requested Co-op features, quality-of-life improvements, and bug fixes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's what it will bring:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bot Logic Optimization[/h2][p][/p][p]We have overhauled our AI logic, specifically how the game handles characters and creatures at a distance, including in Co-op. This change reduces the performance cost of each individual bot.[/p][p][/p][p]Bots and animals that are far away from the player now use a fraction of the resources they did before.[/p][p][/p][p]The performance impact of dead bodies has also been reduced.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]More Populated World[/h2][p][/p][p]Thanks to the AI system upgrade, we've been able to make the world feel more alive. The number of animal spawners across the map has been substantially increased.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Boars[/h2][p][/p][p]The forests are now home to a new animal. Keep an eye out for aggressive wild boars (small). Watch your step, and happy hunting![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Co-op Session Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]You can now add a password to your Co-op sessions.[/p][p][/p][p]A Friends Only option has been added.[/p][p][/p][p]Structures in Co-op no longer have automatic ownership. This means your friends can open doors, use your chests, and help you deconstruct. To protect your belongings from being altered by others, you must place a Banner in the area.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Other Survival & Quality of Life Improvements[/h2][p][/p][p]Fixed a critical issue that caused the player character's physics to break and become distorted after switching weapons. Note: We are aware of other issues with character physics and are planning further improvements for future updates.[/p][p][/p][p]The resource cost for building defensive structures has been slightly reduced again.[/p][p][/p][p]Adjusted the world events system to prevent events from repeating in a row (with the exception of the Frost event in Co-op).[/p][p][/p][p]Added a preparation countdown timer before the Challenge starts.[/p][p][/p][p]Regular wolves will no longer appear during the Frost Challenge. They have been replaced by a greater number of big snow wolves.[/p][p][/p][p]Increased the amount of pickable Stone to make it easier to find.[/p][p][/p][p]Implemented a more robust fix to prevent trees from respawning through player-built structures addressing issues from a previous patch.[/p][p][/p][p]Slightly increased the overall respawn time for trees.[/p][p][/p][p]A V-Sync option has been added to the graphics settings menu.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed multiple collision and snapping issues where walls, ceilings, and other building pieces would not align correctly.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed numerous terrain collision issues on islands that could cause players to get stuck.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed trees that were incorrectly spawning inside lakes and other bodies of water.[/p][p][/p][p]Fixed a bug that caused the player to become permanently stuck if the ship they were controlling was destroyed.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your feedback and support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Skål![/p][p]Blackrose Arts[/p]