Gamescom Opening Night Live featured announcements, reveals, and more for over 30 different games, but for Valheim fans there was only ever one thing worth looking forward. Details regarding Valheim's long-awaited Hearth and Home update have been highly anticipated for months, as developer Iron Gate AB wrestled with viral success and demand for quick updates and new content. The time has come, as Iron Gate AB is ready to confirm that Valheim's Hearth and Home arrives on September 16.
To celebrate Hearth and Home's release date announcement Iron Gate AB shared an animated cinematic trailer made just for the reveal. It featured a Nordic warrior battling a dragon and taking its head, followed by a long and perilous journey back to his homestead filled with friends and food. Of course, the effort was all to mount the dragon's head above the hearth, because home is where the heart is.
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Alongside the release of the trailer, Iron Gate AB also dropped its monthly blog on Steam for fans to delve into for more detail. To start, Iron Gate AB reiterated what players can expect in Valheim's upcoming update. Hearth and Home will include new furniture, building pieces, food, and more. The development team also teased two additional new additions via screenshots. One is a new type of forge and the other is a carved ornamental wolf head with jaws agape.
While Iron Gate AB tells Valheim players that they can find early looks at other additions coming in the Hearth and Home update on its social media, it also says that an official list of content will not be forthcoming. That's not bad news, however. There are no problems, delays, or ongoing issues preventing Iron Gate AB from sharing that information. Rather, it's a decision made by the team. Iron Gate wants Valheim players to discover all of the new content for themselves.
Some of the other changes being made to Valheim as part of the Hearth and Home update include changes to the reworked food system, as well as to shields. For food, there is now health food and stamina food, allowing players to choose what best suits their playstyle, with timed buffs instead of the food bar. Shields and blocking will be dependent on overall health, with the tower shield getting a buff just for tank characters who like defending.
Another exciting development is that Valheim's developer has officially hired three new employees, bringing the total number of employees to eight. That includes a new animator, a new programmer, and a QA lead, which could mean that Valheim updates to follow Hearth and Home could come faster and more polished, or perhaps just larger. It'll be exciting to see what's next for Valheim.
Valheim is available now on PC.
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