Players heading into Valheim's newest biome, the Mistlands, will experience the game's biggest challenge yet, according to Iron Gate Studio. The Mistlands brings a host of new enemies and a unique area to explore. With large swathes of this Valheim region completely coated in a thick mist that hides the insectoid creatures within, players will need to be on guard when moving around the Mistlands.
Iron Gate Studio’s lead artist Robin Eyre and senior developer Jonathan Smars spoke with Game ZXC about Valheim's latest update, and provided a tour through the Mistlands biome to sow off much of what this area has to offer. This trip through the Mistlands featured an exploration of an Infested Mine, as well as a rundown of new items available in Valheim.
How Valheim's Mistlands Biome is Designed
This biome's namesake, a thick mist, will be the first thing players notice when exploring the newly added area in Valheim. While there are some sections of the Mistlands that aren't completely covered, much of this biome is nearly impossible to transverse without unlocking a Wisplight. This new item helps clear the mist, allowing players to at least see what horrible creatures are heading their way. Smars was very clear that fans should expect a lot out of the biome's natural challenge.
"We have to add the disclaimer that this is a very difficult place, and we get murdered a lot here. We'll do our best to keep you alive. It's definitely going to be the most difficult biome, and we really want it to be a difficult place to go."
With a Wisplight equipped, players will begin to uncover objects that spell out the lore and major themes behind the Mistlands. There are enormous, ancient swords and helmets scattered across this biome that players can mine for materials. These items actually give players resources found in earlier biomes in Valheim, which is great for those who don't enjoy backtracking.
Aside from exploring those remnants, there are dungeons known as Infested Mines that will be crucial points of interest. The dungeons of the Mistlands hold important items such as Black Cores used for crafting. They are home to some of this long-awaited Valheim update's trickiest enemies, so players descending into the Mines will have to contend with dungeon-crawling ticks.
The Enemies Introduced in Valheim's Mistlands Update
These ticks are just a small sample of the enemies that players have to understand and defeat. While showing off the overworld and dungeons in the Mistlands, Eyre and Smars had to battle different variants of a massive creature called a Seeker, as well as the floating tick mothership known as a Gjall. Despite boasting some of Valheim's new magical weapons and armor from the Mistlands, these enemies proved capable of dealing significant amounts of damage in a short amount of time.
Aside from outright hostile additions to the game, Mistlands also features a neutral race of creatures called the Dvergr - the same race as Valheim's merchant Haldor, according to Eyre. These come in Mage and Rogue styles who will not attack players on sight, but do fortify positions throughout the Mistlands. For players just getting into this new area, it is likely best to leave the Dvergr be, or plan to use their encampments as protection. The Dvergr are hostile to the Mistlands enemies, and armed well-enough to defend themselves if players train creatures their way.
"We wanted to bring his whole family and all his kind into the game as well. First, neutral friendly, more aggressive NPCs that you can meet and interact with a little bit."
Beyond adding creatures within the Mistlands, developers have also taken to making some changes with general combat in Valheim. As far as larger enemies are concerned, there will be specific points that do extra damage when hit. This includes the Trolls that are troublesome in the Black Forest biome, as well as the new Seekers enemy. Players can aim at the former's head and the latter's rear end for the best results, according to Eyre and Smars.
Valheim is available now for PC, and releases in early 2023 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.