Hail Vikings, lend me an ear, as the sages over at Irongate Studios have tempted us with some more information for the upcoming new update and Biome: The Ashlands.

Concrete information about the Ashlands is hard to come by, but what we do know is that the area is going to be on the southernmost part of the map and that they have had to rewrite some of the world generation code to make sure that the Ashlands do not generate near any other land type, just open ocean.

But what are the Ashlands? No one truly knows; it is hinted at that it is a sort of land of the dead, where soot falls like snow, the land is made up of lava and hardened slag, and it is home to terrifying monsters. Some of the creatures that are rumored to haunt the region are the Charred, a type of menacing skeleton; the Fallen Valkyrie; Morgeb, a spider-type monstrosity that’s mostly a toothy maw; and if normal sea serpents weren’t enough, they have shown us pictures of the Bonemaw Serpent.

But to fight some of these monsters, they have even teased us with some images of some new weaponry to help us in our plight. The Niedhogg, which appears to be empowered swords charged with some ancient elemental powers; the bigger versions called Slayer Swords; and even a pair of matching Berserker Axes

Even less is known about the fabled Fortress Time, but mention of Siege Engines has been shown, as well as dark citadel-type early concept art.

But whatever the Ashlands bring us, it is certain to test our mettle.

But in the meantime, while we wait for the eventual release, we still have the Hildirs Request update that gave us some new world modifiers for those who want to make it harder with the new Hardcore mode or just want to freely build with the Hammer mode. Can even adjust how hard combat is, or the death penalty for failure. And even how portals will work.

Throw in a new merchant, missions to gain new items, 3 new dungeons, 3 mini bosses, even some fireworks to celebrate your victories with, and much more.

Are you looking forward to adventuring in the Ashlands? What monster do you want to fight the most? Let me know in the comments below.