Valheim Screenshot
Image: Iron Gate AB & Coffee Stain Publishing

After a long, tough five years in early access, fantasy Viking survival-crafter Valheim has finally arrived at its furthest shores today. Iron Gate's multi-platform megahit now finally has an ending, although it'll take one final big push to get there. Today's launch update finally adds the long-awaited Deep North region, populated by the biggest, nastiest monsters in the game and a frostbitten climate to boot.

To put it lightly, the v1.0 patch notes are extensive, with many of the details being spoiler-tagged out on Steam and plenty more left unlisted. The main focus is on the new region, the Deep North, which has ten new enemy types, five new basic creature types (including rideable moose), and a big, mean final boss to mark the end-point of your progression. The update also adds a grappling hook, a Jotun invasion to fight against, alternate biomes hidden at the far edges of the world, and deep snow and frozen seas to contend with. Oh, and they've made every beard and hairstyle available from the start, because nobody should need to research a fabulous beard.

Valheim, for those who haven't tried it, was one of the first big successes in taking Terraria-inspired world progression into the 3D space, as much an action-RPG as anything. While there's a lot you and your friends (up to ten players online at once) can do to strengthen your gear by exploring, crafting, and fighting regular enemies in dungeons, what pushes the entire world forward is hunting major bosses. Each set-piece battle opens up new biomes to explore, giving access to new resources and technologies, and populating previously safe areas with increasingly dangerous monsters. It's what makes Valheim feel more like an adventure, rather than a homesteading sim. Everything you do is just part of a greater quest, with a final goal in sight.

Another thing setting Valheim apart from the crowd is its distinctive low-fi aesthetic. Halfway between late PS1 and early PS2 era polygons, with a glossy layer of post-processing effects. As such, the game runs great on just about anything, including the Steam Deck, with a specific graphics option that should get you running at a steady 60fps on Valve's handheld. A reminder that while some studios are chasing photorealism, it's these intentionally low-fi games that are reaching huge, mainstream audiences, because anyone with a halfway functional computer can just jump in and start playing.

While I've barely scratched the surface of it, some sites have already published early reviews of Valheim v1.0, with IGN giving it a glowing ten out of a ten and most other sites not far behind in their praise. Given the game's enormous success (closing in on half a million user reviews on Steam), I'd not be surprised to see Iron Gate refining and expanding it for years yet to come. It would be nice to see official mod support on PC, too, but that's just a personal wish.

The v1.0 update is out now for Valheim, with the game's final price dialed in at £23.49/$30. There are some extra discounts available for those who own Palworld, Windrose, Satisfactory, Romestead, Runescape: Dragonwilds, ARK: Survival Ascended and Deep Rock Galactic, although if you own all of those already, where do you even find the time to fit in one more?