Developer Iron Gate, behind the popular Viking survival game Valheim, has revealed that they are working on the next major Ashlands update.

A land of the dead

With their most extensive update to date, the developers of Valheim announced their next big focus will be the Ashlands. 

Like the Mistlands before its proper debut, this next location can also be found in the game right now. However, unlike most other biomes, this one has a fixed position in the southern part of the world making it really easy to find. Currently, there is not much to find except some flat dead looking terrain and the only enemies that spawn here are the Surtlings. It makes much more sense for them to be here than in the damp and gloomy swamp.

Iron Gate also showed two pieces of concept art for the new enemies we will be facing in the Ashlands.

“The Charred” are buffed-up skeleton enemies with three variants. One holds a long sword while another wields two short blades, and a mage that will most likely cast fire spells.

The other enemy is called the “Morgen”. A good way to describe it is as if the “meatball enemy” from DOOM ate three skulls and grew arms and legs. Nothing has been explained about Morgen but it looks like he would either jump toward the player or spit fire at them.

While the Ashlands might take a while to develop, there will be other updates before the big release. 

One of the upcoming features the developers are currently working on is a difficulty setting for the world. It will allow players to adjust the game’s difficulty level as they see fit.

The future updates can bring a game mode called Hildir’s Quest. You will be able to find additional NPCs including Hildir herself and change the way your existing character looks. The artists have also been working on new clothes for players to wear. 

What do you hope to see in the Ashlands? Let me know in the comments.