Valheim 1.0 Update Goes Live and Shows What It Means To Hit The Milestone

Valheim‘s ridiculous 1.0 update has finally arrived, pushing the game into a fully graduated state more than five years after it entered early access. It’s a monumental milestone for the game, and the years of effort are paying off in dividends. On Steam, the game has absolutely skyrocketed, securing a peak of 116,000 players in the last 24 hours, at the time of writing.

To put that into perspective, the peak player count at the same time the day before was around 26,000 users.

This incredible 1.0 update, which introduces the Deep North biome, is a staggering representation of how a 1.0 update should be delivered.

Valheim’s 1.0 Update is Running Wild

Valheim has always been an intriguing title, offering a gorgeous sandbox with a unique art style and unparalleled opportunities for exploration, construction, and combat. It’s easily one of the best survival games on the market, and with the 1.0 update, that notion has been blown out of the water.

But what’s included in the huge 1.0 update for Valheim?

It’s all centered around Deep North, the snowy biome introduced with this patch. There are more than 40 new weapons to get to grips with, including new bombs and ammunition types. Customization fans can lean on four new armor sets and multiple other items, like new capes, trinkets, and tools.

In terms of flora and fauna, there are more than ten new creatures, twenty food items, fresh crafting mechanics, more than 80 new pieces to construct from, and even more. New mechanics, events, music, achievements, locations… It’s pretty insane.

Alongside the additions and amendments, the team at Iron Gate has made a major optimization pass across Valheim:

• New graphics setting for draw distance
• Menu overhaul
• Magica cloth system added
• Overhauled descriptions
• Rebalanced enemy spawn chances
• All hair and beard styles available from the start
• Unity engine upgrade

As you can imagine, the 1.0 update has also come with dozens of bug fixes and tweaks. The full patch notes for Valheim’s 1.0 update are quite simply enormous, and I couldn’t in good faith post them here. You’d have an article thousands of words in length, so I’ll simply direct you to the Steam page with all the information you could want.

The review sentiments are going up (even more than they already were), streaming and social numbers are climbing, the player count is soaring, and it is a good time to be a Valheim fan.

Have you played Valheim’s 1.0 update yet? Let us know what you think about it on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that The Last Caretaker’s 1.0 launch has been confirmed, and don’t forget to sign up for our Insider Gaming newsletter