With the full release of Valheim, the new Deep North biome was added to the game. At the same time, most of the other biomes were adjusted and in some cases expanded with new locations, items, or even monsters. Players who have already made it to the end of the Ashlands may not have noticed these changes yet! There are useful items here, ways to upgrade your weapons, and biome variations waiting for you. It’s worth revisiting old biomes, and anyone starting fresh will be surprised by a new kind of adventure. We’ll travel from the Meadows all the way to the Ashlands and see what’s new to discover.
Valheim Meadows biome: new variations and items
Not much has changed in the Meadows. This peaceful-looking biome is still your starting point and the place to gear up for your adventure. However, you can now find new items you’ll need later: wooden idols for your armor and your weapons. Hold on to these little figures and try to collect several of them. Each biome adds new idols that match its materials.
The Meadows have changed visually, too, receiving eight new variations! You’ll first find them about 500 meters from spawn, adding welcome variety to the world.
All alternative Meadows biomes:
- Mushroom Meadows
- Menhir stones and skeletons
- Dark Meadows with Draugr and star enemies
- Peaceful Meadows with more wildlife and no hostile mobs
- Dandelion Meadows
- Raspberry Meadows
- Meadows with small trees
- Birch Meadows
Valheim Black Forest biome: bear cave, inventory upgrades, and food
The Black Forest is likely the biome with the most changes, so it’s worth another visit. In addition to troll caves, you can now find bear caves. They’re a good source of honey and yellow mushrooms. Bear meat also received a new recipe in version 1.0. Cook “Pulled Bear” from bear meat, a carrot, and a blueberry — a tasty dish!
Be sure to visit Haldor, the friendly merchant. After certain bosses, he offers new upgrades for your bags. These cost 1000 coins (after Moder) and 2000 coins (after The Queen). The new bags are especially handy in multiplayer for trading items with each other. Rent a Valheim server: start your own game server and pay Haldor a visit!
All alternative Black Forest biomes:
- Mushroom Forest
- Troll Forest
- Root Forest
- Ruins Forest
- Bare forest with rocks
- Pine Forest
- Blueberry Forest
- Clear-cut forest with stumps
Valheim Swamp biome: new Writhan monster and gear
The Swamp is the only older biome where you can encounter a new monster: the Writhan, a strangely grotesque creature you’ll find rather rarely. You should seek it out and slay it, because Writhan Roots are needed for the new bird nests and for a new armor set we’ll discuss later. You can also craft the new Root Shield from them.
All alternative Swamp biomes:
- Bone Swamp
- Hut Swamp
- Bog Swamp
- Bat Swamp
- Abomination Swamp
Valheim Mountains: Forge of Potential for endless upgrades
Deep in the Mountains you’ll find what may be the most important change to an old biome. If you search long enough, you can discover a secret forge. This Forge of Potential lets you enhance your weapons and armor using the idols you’ve found. It works similarly to upgrades at the workbench, but in theory you can repeat it endlessly. The catch: there’s roughly a 35% chance the item will break. Do you dare take the risk?
All alternative Mountain biomes:
- Wolf Mountains (more wolves and more trees)
- Drake Mountains (more drakes and more rocks)
- Fortress Mountains (more skeletons and ruins)
Valheim Plains: new light armor for archers
In the Plains you can look forward to a new armor set! You’ll need the Writhan Roots from the Swamp, plus regular Roots, Bone Fragments, and Lox Pelt. It’s a light armor set, an upgrade over the Wolf and Fenris armors. With a full set you gain a bonus of +30 to your Sneak and +15 to your Bows skills.
All alternative Plains biomes:
- Bone Plains
- Menhir Plains
- Lox Plains
- Goblin Plains
- Death Plains
Valheim Mistlands: craft and use the new grappling hook
The feared Mistlands also received an upgrade we highly recommend: you can now craft a grappling hook that makes it much easier to get from point A to B. Without this tool, you probably won’t get far in the Deep North and its dungeons. You first need to find the matching Hook in a chest in the Mistlands (mines, ruins of Dvergr towers, or near stone spires). After that, you can assemble the grappling hook and use it for your adventures.
All alternative Mistlands biomes:
- Bone Mistlands
- Stoneless Mistlands
- Tree Mistlands
- Sword Mistlands
- Hare Mistlands
- Seeker-brood Mistlands
Valheim Ashlands: make the most of Boss Fader’s drop
The Ashlands received no direct upgrades — the biome is tough enough as is. There are also no alternative variations of this area.
However, one thing has changed that you’ll need before heading to the Deep North. Defeat Fader, the Ashlands boss, and use his drop for your progression. From his ribs you can craft the Eternal Pyre, which lets you obtain Embers. From these Embers you can craft Ember Bombs, use them to blow up rotted trolls, and then produce Bloodgold.
Conclusion: It’s worth revisiting all of Valheim’s old biomes
With the full release of Valheim, it’s worth visiting each old biome at least once. You can not only marvel at the new biome variations, but also find a few new items and locations. The best way to experience all this is to start completely fresh and take the overhaul of the old biomes along with a new character. That way you can naturally discover every change and progress step by step. And who knows — you might find some beautiful alternative biomes that are perfect for a base!
