Spring has reached the Viking settlement in Aska, and this time it brings the smell of honey and mead with it, along with a new trailer. The Hearth & Honey update adds a new production chain built around beekeeping and brewing, giving players fresh reasons to explore the world, manage their settlement, and keep their villagers supplied.

It begins on the Marsh Islands, where wild beehives can be found hanging from hollow trees, and ends with taverns upgraded to tier 3, where villagers can now sit down for mead at the table.

The new brewery is at the center of the system and brewers now gather honey from bee houses and turn it into mead, using water and empty mead barrels as part of the process. Bee houses themselves create a steady supply of honey once built, but only after players bring back a wild beehive. There is a tradeoff, though, since placing one lowers the area’s desirability. The bees may be useful, but they are not exactly welcome neighbors.

Taverns have also gained a new tier 3 upgrade, and it gives the settlement a more lively feel. The tavern worker now keeps a large mead barrel stocked, and villagers can drink while they eat. Mead is more than just a new drink, too. It heals, restores thirst, and gives happiness, making it a stronger option than water for daily life in the settlement. Players can even craft drinking horns to carry mead with them outside the tavern.

The update also adds more practical tools for managing a growing colony. Storage statistics now show how resources rise and fall over time, with graphs updating every 12 in game hours. A lookback feature lets players compare current values with an earlier point in time, which should make it easier to track production across the settlement and outposts. New warehouse storages for honey and barrels have also been added, while hunters can now go into the mines to face crawlers.

To go with the update, Aska is also taking part in Steam Medieval Fest with a price cut for the game.