[quote] Note: This update is for the Public Test version of Valheim, and may therefore be unstable. Before we launch this update to the Default version of the game, we want to make sure to have a chance to discover bugs and adjust the balancing, to give you the best game experience possible. Access the Public Test branch on Steam by right clicking Valheim in your Steam library, and then select Properties. In the new window, select Betas and type in the code yesimadebackups. The Public Test branch should now be available for you to choose from. To access with Microsoft / PC Game Pass, launch the Xbox Insider Hub app. Navigate to Previews, and then find Valheim Public Test. Select Join. Wait for the registration to be complete to be directed to the Store and then install Valheim Public Test. Be aware that there might be some minor offsets between the versions, but that we are aiming to keep the two as consistent as possible. Please leave any feedback you may have in the appropriate channel in our Discord, or in the appropriate form on the support page on our website. As always, remember to be considerate towards players not partaking in the Public Test, in case they want to avoid spoilers. Please make sure to make backups of your save files before playing.[/quote] The world is heating up and in the south something is stirring... The creatures of the Ashlands come to life as the biome update is here at last! Please keep in mind that this is still the Public Test version, and that there will possibly be several patches to fix bugs and improve the balance of the game before this update is released to the Live version of the game. Your feedback during this testing period is highly appreciated, so please tell us what you think! Feedback and bugs are best sent in via the support page on our website. Before you dive into the game, please do take a look at our preparation guide. This guide touches important matters such as world generation and mods. You will find the abbreviated patch notes further down, and the detailed patch notes (full of spoilers) below those. Please respect those who don't want to see spoilers before they play. Without further ado, we would just like to show you the brand new gameplay trailer (also full of spoilers), and then we're off towards the Ashlands! [previewyoutube=XSVbXgBJIuI;full][/previewyoutube]

Abbreviated Patch Notes:

New content:

New Biome Ashlands: * 30+ New weapons * New bombs and ammunitions * 3 New armour sets * 2 New capes * 10+ New creatures * 70+ New buildable items * 5 New crafting station upgrades * 30+ New crafting materials * 15+ New food items and potions * New locations * New music * New events * New mechanics

Fixes & Improvements:

* Fixed Mead materials * Standardised texts throughout the game

Detailed Patch Notes:

New content:

[spoiler]Mechanics: * Beware the skies! Cinders rain down from above in the Ashlands, causing damage to those who are unprotected * Wooden build pieces can now catch fire in the Ashlands and the fire spreads! * A new world modifier that allows fire to spread outside of the Ashlands as well (part of the immersive preset) * Deadly lava takes up large parts of the landscape; traverse it with your very own platforms * Lay claim to Charred Fortresses with two new Siege Machines * New plantable Ashvines will grow on the walls of your base * Combine your Flametal weapons with gems (Bloodstone, Iolite & Jade) in order to upgrade them to magical weapons (giving them blood, storm and nature based effects respectively) * The waters in and around the Ashlands are boiling hot, and only the sturdiest of ships can sail them Creatures: * Enemy: Fallen Valkyrie * Enemy: Charred Warrior * Enemy: Charred Archer * Enemy: Charred Warlock * Enemy: Charred Twitcher * Enemy Turret: Skugg * Enemy: Morgen * Enemy: Bonemaw Serpent * Enemy/creature: Asksvin (tameable & rideable) * Creature: Asksvin Calf * Enemy: Volture * Enemy: Lava Blob * NPC/Enemy: Redbeard Dvergr * Boss: Fader * Miniboss: Lord Reto * Spawner: Monument of Torment * Spawner: Effigy of Malice Crafting: * Material: Majestic Carapace (previously Queen Drop) * Material: Fader Relic (placeholder item) * Material: Asksvin Hide * Material: Asksvin Bladder * Material: Asksvin Tail * Material: Morgen Heart * Material: Morgen Sinew * Material: Celestial Feather * Material: Bonemaw Scale * Material: Bonemaw Meat * Material: Bonemaw Tooth * Material: Volture Meat * Material: Volture Egg * Material: Charred Skull * Material: Charred Bone * Material: Pot Shard * Material: Bell Shard * Material: Dyrnwyn Fragments x3 * Material: Bloodstone * Material: Jade * Material: Iolite * Material: Flametal Ore (previous Flametal is now obsolete) * Material/craftable: Flametal (previous Flametal is now obsolete) * Material: Sulfur * Material: Ashwood * Material: Grausten * Material: Charcoal Resin * Material: Proustite Powder * Material: Asksvin Neck * Material: Asksvin Skull * Material: Asksvin Ribcage * Material: Asksvin Pelvis * Material: Charred Cogwheel * Material: Molten Core * Material/craftable: Ceramic Plate * Materia/craftable: Shield Core * Plantable: Ashvine Seeds * Artisan Table extension: Artisan Press * Galdr Table extension: Feathery Wreath * Cauldron extension: Rolling Pins and Cutting Boards * Black Forge extension: Metal Cutter * Black Forge extension: Gem Cutter * Craftable: Bell * Resource location: Lavaiathans * Misc: Asksvin Egg Craftable Items: * Weapon: Dyrnwyn (sword) * Weapon: Slayer (greatsword) * Weapon: Brutal Slayer (greatsword) * Weapon: Scourging Slayer (greatsword) * Weapon: Primal Slayer (greatsword) * Weapon: Nidhgg (sword) * Weapon: Nidhgg the Bleeding (sword) * Weapon: Nidhgg the Thundering (sword) * Weapon: Nidhgg the Primal (sword) * Weapon: Flametal Mace * Weapon: Bloodgeon (mace) * Weapon: Storm Star (mace) * Weapon: Klossen (mace) * Weapon: Berserkir Axes * Weapon: Bleeding Berserkir Axes * Weapon: Thundering Berserkir Axes * Weapon: Primal Berserkir Axes * Weapon: Ash Fang (bow) * Weapon: Blood Fang (bow) * Weapon: Storm Fang (bow) * Weapon: Root Fang (bow) * Weapon: Ripper (crossbow) * Weapon: Wound Ripper (crossbow) * Weapon: Storm Ripper (crossbow) * Weapon: Root Ripper (crossbow) * Weapon: Splitnir (spear) * Weapon: Splitnir the Bleeding (spear) * Weapon: Splitnir the Storming (spear) * Weapon: Splitnir the Primal (spear) * Shield: Flametal Shield (with multiple styles!) * Shield: Flametal Tower Shield (with multiple styles!) * Weapon: Trollstav (blood magic) * Weapon: Staff of the Wild (elemental magic) * Weapon: Dundr (elemental magic) * Weapon: Staff of Fracturing (elemental magic) * Armour Set: Flametal Breastplate, Flametal Greaves, Flametal Helmet * Armour Set: Robes of Embla, Trousers of Embla, Hood of Embla * Armour Set: Breastplate of Ask, Trousers of Ask, Hood of Ask * Cape: Asksvin Cloak * Cape: Ashen Cape * Misc: Asksvin Saddle * Bomb: Basalt Bomb * Bomb: Smoke Bomb * Ammunition: Grausten Payload * Ammunition: Explosive Payload * Ammunition: Charred Arrow * Ammunition: Charred Bolt * Ammunition: Flametal Missile Build pieces & furniture: * Building Pieces: 25 Ashwood Pieces (Ashwood Wall, Ashwood Half Wall, Ashwood Quarter Wall, Ashwood Arched Wall, Ashwood Decorative Wall, Ashwood Decorative Window, Ashwood Divider, Ashwood Floor 2x2, Ashwood Floor 1x1, Ashwood Decorative Floor, Ashwood Arch, Ashwood Beam 1m, Ashwood Beam 2m, Ashwood Pole 1m, Ashwood Pole 2m, Ashwood Beam 26, Ashwood Roof Cross 26, Ashwood Beam 45, Ashwood Roof Cross 45, Ashwood Wall 26, Ashwood Wall 26 Inverted, Ashwood Wall 45, Ashwood Wall 45 Inverted, Ashwood Stair, Ashwood Door) * Building Pieces: 26 Grausten Pieces (Grausten Steep Stairs, Grausten Stairs, Grausten Floor 1x1, Grausten Floor 2x2, Grausten Floor 4x4, Grausten Small Pillar, Grausten Medium Pillar, Grausten Tapered Pillar, Grausten Tapered Pillar Inverted, Grausten Small Beam, Grausten Medium Beam, Grausten Small Arch, Grausten Medium Arch, Grausten Wall Arch, Grausten Wall Arch Inverted, Grausten Wall 1x2, Grausten Wall 2x2, Grausten Wall 4x2, Grausten Window 2x2, Grausten Window 4x2, Grausten Roof, Grausten Roof Corner, Grausten Arched Roof (2), Grausten Arched Roof, Grausten Arched Roof Corner (2)) * Building Piece: Flametal Gate * Defence: Ashwood Stakewall * Stack: Ashwood Stack * Stack: Grausten Pile * Stack: Pile of Skulls * Stack: Bone Stack * Furniture: Ashwood Bed * Furniture: Bone Throne * Furniture: Lava Lantern * Furniture: Asksvin Rug * Furniture: Straw * Furniture: Small Green Pot * Furniture: Medium Green Pot * Furniture: Large Green Pot * Furniture: Ashwood Bench * Furniture: Asksvin Skeleton * Siege Machine: Catapult * Siege Machine: Battering Ram * Ship: Drakkar * Misc: Shield Generator * Misc: Portal Stone Food & Potions: * Food: Cooked Volture Meat * Food: Cooked Bonemaw Meat * Food: Cooked Asksvin Tail * Food: Fiddlehead * Food: Fiery Svinstew * Food: Marinated Greens * Food: Mashed Meat * Food: Piquant Pie (cooked/uncooked) * Food: Roasted Crust Pie (cooked/uncooked) * Food: Scorching Medley * Food: Sizzling Berry Broth * Food: Smoke Puff * Food: Sparkling Shroomshake * Food: Spicy Marmalade * Food: Vineberry Cluster * Mead: Lingering Healing Mead * Mead: Lingering Eitr Mead Misc: * Location: Ruins (multiple) * Location: Redbeard Dvergr Outposts * Location: Putrid Hole * Location: Charred Fortress * Event: The undead army marches * Event: The dead have been summoned * Lore: New stones * Lore: New dreams * Lore: New Munin dialogue * New music * New forsaken power * Terrain changes for Ashlands (Ashlands is now cut off from other biomes, only accessible by sea)[/spoiler]

Fixes & Improvements:

* Fixed Major Healing Mead material * Fixed Minor Eitr Mead Material * Standardised texts throughout the game * Updated names for old Flametal items * The popup for unlocking new things is displayed longer Once more, please do remember to check out the preparation guide before you set sail towards the Ashlands, it contains important information!