Valheim players have been anxiously awaiting news regarding the survival/sandbox game's upcoming Hearth and Home update for months. Valheim's a robust enough experience to keep players happy for a long time, but its popularity has driven a vocal demand for new content anyway. Valheim developer Iron Gate AB now has its Hearth and Home update slated for a September 18 release date. Leading up to them, new details are being shared, with the latest example revolving around weapon balance.
In a post shared on Valheim's official Twitter account, players are told that "battle-axe enthusiasts" are going to be very excited about the new Hearth and Home spotlight. Spotlights are short videos from Iron Gate going into some more specific detail about certain aspects of the Hearth and Home. Naturally, the Twitter post has just such a video attached to it that explains just what kind of improvements battle-axe Valheim players can look forward to.
The Hearth and Home update for Valheim makes several improvements to battle-axe gameplay. For example, it makes attack wind-ups "a bit faster," and has improved cleave range and stagger damage. That should make those big swings feel more impactful. Iron Gate says that the battle-axe is intended to feel "slow and heavy," but that these improvements should help Valheim players wield it more tactfully. That should especially be true with the battle-axe's "fast knockback alternative attack."
The battle-axe isn't the only weapon focused on in the video. Next up with some tweaks is Valheim's bow. Players likely already know that the bow is one of Valheim's most powerful weapons. As such, Iron Gate is nerfing the bow so that it's "more balanced and less overpowered." The big change that Iron Gate references is a change to the bow's draw speed. It'll no longer be instantly drawn, even with a maxed-out bow skill. Iron Gate has also decreased the stamina required to hold a bow drawn, to help balance the change.
While only the battle-axe and the bow were focused on as part of today's Valheim Hearth and Home update spotlight, they absolutely aren't the only weapons to be touched in the update. Iron Gate says that every weapon has been touched in its rebalancing effort. Wielders of other Valheim weapons will be able to discover the changes for themselves.
Today's spotlight on weapon changes will be the final spotlight prior to the Hearth and Home update's launch. Valheim players likely would love to know more about the upcoming changes, but Iron Gate wants players to experience most of what's been changed or added for themselves. Hearth and Home launches on September 18, so players won't have to wait much longer.
Valheim is available now on PC via Steam Early Access.