Patch 0.217.4 – Hildir’s Request (Public Test)

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 PC and console 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 subforum on Steam.

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.

Haldor is not the only merchant in the family – and his sister Hildir has made her way to Valheim at last. But she has had some trouble on the way, and it appears most of her stock has gone missing. When you find her, she might request some help!

This update also brings some long awaited server modifiers; select a lower difficulty for a more casual experience, ramp it up for a hardcore playthrough, or come up with a mix of your own!

Abbreviated Patch Notes:

New Content:
* New NPC: Hildir the merchant
* New locations
* World modifiers added
* 2 new crafting extensions
* New hair and beard styles
* New items

Misc:
* Hair and beards are now visible when equipping helmets
* Various visual improvements
* Quick-stack button added
* Manual snapping for building added

Detailed Patch Notes:

New Content:
* New NPC: Hildir the merchant
* New location: Hildir’s camp
* New location: Smouldering tomb (classic dungeon)
* New location: Howling cavern (classic dungeon)
* New location: Sealed tower (open dungeon)
* 3 new mini bosses
* World modifiers button added to start game screen with many customization/difficulty options (select a preset or design your own)
* 8 different Fireworks added (Including Thunderstone and Black Core thrown in the fire)
* New item: Sparkler
* New clothing: 10 hats & headscarves
* New clothing: 14 dresses and tunics
* Black forge extension: Vice Grip
* Magetable extension: Unfading Candle
* New material: Barber kit
* New furniture: Barber station
* New material: Iron pit
* New furniture: Firepit
* 8 new hairstyles
* 5 new beard styles
* 4 new music tracks

Fixes & Improvements:
* Hair and beards are now visible when equipping helmets
* Haldor animations updated
* All fire effects have been overhauled
* Smoke balls created by fires now have random rotation and no longer pop in when spawned
* Added Hugin hints informing the player that traders can be found in the game
* Spawn command can now specify fields
* Fixed a bug which caused level up algorithm to be a bit off depending on when you die
* Reduced lag spike when selecting worlds in the Select World menu by reusing existing world list elements, rather than destroying all and instancing all new ones
* Widened the Manage Saves Menu and show the time of the timestamp
* Retrieve timestamp from file name rather than file metadata if present in the file name. This means moving a file to/from cloud no longer affects the sorting order of files with timestamps in their names
* Fixed oversight that saved unnecessary characters (such as spaces) in an IP address to the server list if the IP address could be parsed successfully
* Chat doesn’t open on Ping anymore
* Resolved chat blocking input for other UI (such as map)
* Fixed issue where minimap pin input field for PC version was getting invisible
* Join code is now hidden when HUD’s visibility is toggled off
* Fixed a bug that had water in caves be affected by wind
* Fixed a bug that could cause the server list to stop working
* Fixed a bug on Xbox where ticks wouldn’t attach correctly
* Opening console now blocks hotbar navigation
* Offline players can now send map pings on Xbox and MS store version
* Fixed missing special characters on signs
* Fixed Xbox bug which could cause the player to jump while selecting a building piece
* Menu usage is now blocked when HUD is hidden

Quality of Life:
* Quick stack button and Shift-E to quickly place all items already in a container from your inventory
* You can now manually choose snapping point with Q & E for precision building
* Intro sequence can now be skipped from the pause menu and the game can be paused while in the intro
* Workbench and Forge now get slightly increased build range when upgraded
* Crafting benches’ build range is now cylindrical instead of spherical
* Added another controller scheme, and the ability to hide HUD when using a controller and on Xbox

Misc:
* God mode will now allow damage down to 1 health rather than taking no damage
* New console command “tombstone” which create tombstones
* New itemset ‘base’ and command can specify a number to override all items with that level (i.e. “itemset meadows 4” will give level 4 meadows items)
* New console commands: (tombstone – creates tombstones; resetworldkeys – Resets all world modifiers to default; setworldpreset – Sets world modifiers to a named preset; setworldmodifier – Sets a world modifier value)

Written by: Burnsy - Community Leader