Valheim developer Iron Gate Studios revealed that it was working on the Ashlands biome back in January. This is going to be the seventh biome in Valheim, with only one more to go before the game is ready for its 1.0 release. The team has been working on Ashlands for almost a year now, which means players have been digging through every official communication from Iron Gate to see if there are any hints about the biome’s release date. Fortunately, in its latest update, Iron Gate made it easy on everyone by announcing that Ashlands is on schedule to come out “during the first half of 2024.”
That’s still a relatively wide-open release window, but at least fans know that the Ashlands are imminent. Iron Gate does release updates relatively often, so we might not have to wait too much longer for them to narrow that window down. Either way, it’s worth noting that the Ashlands will first come to the PTB server before moving over to the live version. That means, even if Iron Gate waits to make the announcement, we’ll know a week or so ahead of its official launch.
Valheim Ashlands Biome Sneak Peek
Another #Valheim blog post is here to deliver some Ashlands teasers to you, as well as a special video ? https://t.co/BOaoDDIDt9 pic.twitter.com/gQFI0roAjz
— Valheim ? (@Valheimgame) December 18, 2023
Of course, it wouldn’t be a new Valheim dev blog without a few new hints about what’s coming in the Ashlands. Because we’re so close to the holiday season, the team is showing off several of the new dishes you’ll be able to craft in the new biome. That includes Mashed Meat, Piquant Pie, and Spicy Marmalade. Sadly, that doesn’t give us any real hints about the monsters that’ll be included with Ashlands, but it’s probably smart for Iron Gate to hold that back.
The team also showed off some of the hearty plants that grow in the Ashlands. These don’t look very appetizing, but if you want to survive in the harsh landscape, you’ll have to take what you can get. Finally, the Iron Gate gave players a look at one of the new armor sets that will be available in the update. It’s not a great shot if you’re hoping to see the details of the set, but it does look very cool. Between the antlers on the helmet and the character’s dual-wielding axes, it’s hard to get better looking in Valheim.
It’s also worth remembering that Iron Gate recently introduced a new Winter Update patch, which added several requested features. Notably, seasonal items will now automatically toggle into the game based on the date. That means you’ll currently see Yuletide items, and those items will shift to the next season as the calendar moves forward. Plus, players on Xbox can now use mouse and keyboard if they want, opening things up for users to play whatever way they prefer.
Valheim is available now on Xbox and PC platforms.