The Viking hit Valheim has been a bit quiet lately, but the next major update is in the works. With “Hearth & Home”, many new features are coming to the survival game, and the developers now show the first trailer featuring improvements to the food system.
What is it about? Valheim is a survival game with a diverse combat system set in a Viking environment, which has been a big hit for the relatively small developer studio “Iron Gate”. Aside from smaller balance changes or graphical details, not much has happened since its release in February 2021. However, the next big step for the game in Early Access on Steam is approaching.
The first major update “Hearth & Home” is set to release by September at the latest, and now the first trailer is ready for review. The video lasts a minute and showcases the overhaul of one of the most important mechanics in the game: food. We embed the English trailer on YouTube here:
Food should adapt to your needs
What new features can be seen? The focus is on the overhaul of the food system. The friendly voice in the trailer explains that you will soon be able to better tailor your food buffs to your needs. Your prepared food will be divided into 3 categories after the update:
- Health (Red) – Primarily boosts health
- Stamina (Yellow) – Primarily boosts stamina
- Balanced (White) – Boosts health and stamina
So far, most food items have given you both – health and stamina. After the “Hearth & Home” update, a fork symbol on the item will indicate which value is being boosted more.
For example, the “Cooked Lox Meat” is shown, with a red fork. The hearty drumstick currently gives you 70 health and 40 stamina. After the update, you will get 50 health and 10 stamina. The hearty blood pudding is also shown – instead of 90 health and 50 stamina, the rich meal now only provides 14 health and 70 stamina.
All displayed food items have a lower value compared to before. If you add up the “buff points” of the cooked lox meat, you currently come to a value of 110, which shrinks to 60 points after the update. Whether the lower values will be balanced out by balance adjustments or whether the lower values ultimately mean a nerf to food is currently unclear.
Food for health seems to generally last less long than stamina and balanced food. Cooked lox meat and the shown “Black Soup” last only 20 minutes, while blood pudding and beet stew last 25 minutes, and balanced food increases to 30 minutes. However, it cannot be said for sure whether this is a pattern or if the foods randomly show these matching values.
The trailer confirms new food items: Jerky and a “Black Soup”. In the video, the jerky is seen as balanced food. Boar Jerky and Wolf Jerky provide you with health and stamina in equal parts. Boar gives you 20 / 20, Wolf gives 25 / 25. However, there is still no indication of how to make the durable meat.
The black soup provides 50 health and 10 stamina – just like cooked lox meat. A good food, which probably relies on thistles for a flavorful taste.
Each of the displayed food items also has its own “healing” value, which is independent of the food’s health value. Cooked lox meat brings 50 health and heals you by 4 health per tick. The “Black Soup” also comes to 50 health, but heals only 3 health per tick.
The adjustments extend to the HUD. Instead of the long food bar to the left of your health, you now have an icon of the active food with a countdown after the update. This allows you to quickly see when you will be hungry again and which food needs to be replenished first.
Heart & Home is expected to launch in Q3
When is “Hearth & Home” coming out? Currently, the developers announced in June that “Hearth & Home” is expected to be released sometime in the 3rd quarter of 2021. So the major update should arrive by September at the latest.
What is already known about the update? The small developer studio has already shown quite a bit from the new update, but so far only images have been seen. Among other things, there are:
- New building components for roofs and windows made of “Darkwood”
- Players have long wished for more food for their fields
- Extensions for the cooking station: a spice rack, a slaughter table, pots and pans
You can find an overview of the new update with images here.
Valheim has written a fantastic success story, but it is still in Early Access on Steam and far from finished.
It is definitely one of those titles that you can confidently buy and play for a long time even before the full release. A list of other strong EA titles can be found here: 5 co-op games in Early Access on Steam that you should try out now
