Valheim’s next biome update will be the Ashlands, a volcanic land of the dead

The mists of the Mistlands have settled, so viking survive ’em up Valheim developers Iron Gate have decided it’s time to start cracking on their next biome update. They’re now chiselling away at the Ashlands, a volcanic “land of the dead” packed with skeletal horrors.

It’ll be a while before all the horrors are ready, but a smaller update with clothes and haircuts is on the way soon.

Iron Gate announced the Ashlands in a Steam post, where they do warn that they’re only in the pre-production phase. That means they’re doodling concept art while mulling over “the feeling” they want the new biome to have, though they have decided it will be “a large chunk of land at the far south of the map” rather than on one of many small islands like the other biomes.

They also mention that rather than staying schtum like they did with the Mistlands update, this time they say they’re going to show off a lot more of what they’re working on – including stuff that might never even make it into the game. So maybe we won’t wind up being terrorized by the spiky skull-mouthed fleshbag above, afterall.

While the Ashlands cook, Iron Gate have plenty else in the pipes. There’s an Xbox release with crossplay penned for “early this year”, along with plans to add more difficulty settings and accessibility support. It sounds like the next update will be Hildr’s Quest, which will add a new NPC, more clothes, and a way to cut your characters’ hair.

Valheim might not be the hot new thing anymore, but it’s still good, popular, and one of the 30 best survival games on PC in 2023.