Valheim

Valheim: A Hidden Gem with a Fading Spark
Valheim is one of those rare hidden gems you stumble upon on Steam. With its engaging gameplay, charming graphics, and a perfect blend of survival mechanics, base building, immersive audio, and a well-crafted combat system, it truly stands out. But the real magic? The ability to team up with your friends on a dedicated server for cooperative adventures!
The first playthrough is where the game truly shines. There's a constant sense of wonder and an insatiable urge to explore. What's beyond the next hill? Of course, you might get your rear handed to you by a troll, reminding you that better gear is essential. And so, the loop begins: improve, gear up, and venture further. That progression, where each new piece of equipment feels like a monumental achievement (your first copper weapon feels legendary!), is what makes Valheim so captivating.
The game’s food system adds another layer of strategy, allowing you to tweak your character's stats to favor health or stamina—whatever suits your playstyle. Later, Eitr (mana) joins the mix, broadening your options. The world feels alive, teeming with creatures and dynamic environments. In short, Valheim offers something for everyone, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to any gamer seeking a thrilling adventure. But…
The Glory Days and the Grind
My friends and I joined Valheim's world early, back in February 2021, when the game was still in its unfinished glory. It didn’t matter. The Black Forest, Mountains, and Plains were ready for exploration, and bosses awaited our challenge. We embarked on multiple playthroughs, relishing the cooperative gameplay, the specialization of characters, and the adrenaline of victories hard-won.
Fast forward a few years, and updates like Mistlands and Ashlands have expanded the game. Last summer, we decided to dive back in, generating a fresh map for another adventure.
Initially, the nostalgia hit hard. We breezed through the familiar Meadows, Black Forest, Mountains, and Plains, gearing up for the new biomes. Equipped with the best Plains gear, we ventured into the Mistlands.
The Mistlands: A Hazy Grind
True to its name, the Mistlands challenges you with limited visibility, constant climbing, and stamina management. Yet, despite the frustrations (and frequent deaths), the allure of new weapons, armor, and food kept us going. The grind was real: dying, reclaiming gear, mining resources, and repeating the cycle. But defeating the Queen was a triumphant moment—a hard-earned victory that left us feeling accomplished.
The Ashlands: The Spark Fades
Then came the Ashlands. Armed with what we thought was top-tier gear, we set foot on the burning terrain, only to find ourselves woefully unprepared. Every enemy seemed to laugh at our efforts, reducing us to a frustrating rhythm of dying, grinding, and crafting. Again and again.
This repetitive loop—grinding for resources, upgrading gear, and facing inevitable deaths—was tolerable through the earlier biomes. But by the sixth cycle, the novelty had worn off. The Ashlands felt more punishing than rewarding, and the challenge began to feel like a chore.
An End to the Saga
One by one, my friends lost interest, including myself. Since then, the portals to the Ashlands are now overgrown with weeds, our characters slumped in their thrones, mead in hand, reminiscing about past victories. Even I—after logging over 800 hours in this world—found myself burned out. The thought of tending the forge, managing gardens, chopping wood, and enduring endless raids by pesky bats just to face the final boss, Fader, felt exhausting rather than exciting.
Final Thoughts
Valheim is undeniably a masterpiece of design, especially in its early stages. The sense of discovery, the camaraderie of co-op play, and the thrill of progression make it unforgettable. But the grind-heavy nature of the later stages ultimately takes its toll. While the developers continue to add new content like potions, decorative clothing, and crafting materials, these additions often feel more like extra chores than meaningful enhancements. Instead of enriching the gameplay, they pile on more tasks, making the experience feel increasingly like work rather than fun.
If you’ve never played Valheim, I still recommend giving it a try—you’ll undoubtedly create some incredible memories. But for veterans like me, the journey seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Here's hoping the next update brings innovations that rekindle the spark without adding to the grind. Or maybe even a Valheim 2?

I said I would write a review on Valheim once I reached 1000Hrs, so here I am.
I fully recommend everyone buy this game to play and judge for yourself, This game is great playing by yourself but, Valheim is one of if not the best Co-op game I've ever played. Nigh Perfect.
If you're a new playing thinking about buying this game just remember it might start off slow, boring for some, to progress but boy does it speed up.
When it was first shown to me all I wanted was a PC to play it, I bought my PC just to play Valheim on. My friend and I have a world we have played since we started, and it’s got over 1500 days recorded on it. He builds massive castles and fortified townships whilst I stick to a more Viking Longhouse village type build set, the mix of both in my opinion is perfect. I have built lit up roads connecting all our Towns/Villages. I love this game so much I got a full back tattoo of Eikthyr’s bust and a river scenery underneath it, pain was worth it.
I could write many novels of my friend and my adventures we've had in this game.
Pros:
• The Scenery of this game is beautiful in all ways; the graphical choice I find it to be simplistic yet perfect. From the fog, rain, wind, and waves, and to the blinding sunrises and glowing sunsets.
• One of my favourite aspects of the game is the sailing from island to island looking for loot and expanding our locations, the long rides on the ships are perfect for conversing about our days. Turning on PVP on the boat rides to punch each other to level up blocking and whatnot. We enjoy going out on oceans at night to intentionally hunt down serpents for food and revenge.
• The building in this game is one of the best things the game has to offer, each player you meet has a different build style and technique which expands beautifully in this game, from Castles to Villages to simple shack designs, the possibilities are endless.
• The crafting progression in Valheim is how I think a lot of survival games should be, don’t tell me what I’m missing, let me figure that out myself. Each boss killed, each item picked up is all newly discovered crafting recipes. I find that to be perfect.
• The cooking is very thought out, I like the many different options for food items and the many different perks that come with them.
• Boss fights are always fun to do no matter how much you’ve played. We had another friend join and we made him kill all the bosses up to Moder himself, my friend and I just stood around blocking and watching.
• The lore is really in depth and rather large when you get into reading the Lore Stones
• Great selection of weapon types to choose from, perfect for each players preferred playstyle.
Cons/Improvements/Things I would like added:
I’ll start by saying that it is very hard for me to find cons for this game as I don’t really think of many things in the game as a con, for some people it might have cons, but for me and my friend to few to mention.
• Oceans are lacking content, I really hope the devs make the oceans plentiful. More sea creatures to fight would be great and rival Vikings on boats that will attack you.
• This one is from my friend; He wants more interior adornments. Larger selection of rug shapes and sizes, more hangable objects for walls, and custom banners for each faction/settlement you make.
• Stronger support beams for building, like a blackmetal beam.
• NPC Vikings to populate our empty settlements, give them jobs to do. So our places don’t look barren.
• Carts for Loxes would be a great addition, I have many Lox in a farmstead but not much to do with them. I’d love to take them into the Black Forest and fill carts with ore to cart back. If I want to move my storage rooms from settlement to settlement Id like to use loxes instead of portals.
• I would really like a 64* beam/roof pieces, (1m base 2m high) for more of a barn shape of roofs, and when I build longhouses, I would like them to be the wall supports.
• Ship customisation, colour of sail, more storage, being about to have a workbench on it would be good and have an option of the sail to become transparent when sailing.
I have read many reviews of the game and a lot of them mention the slow release of updates of content and it has never bothered my friend and I. The game is fun no matter what, we just continue to improve our characters and build more and more. Like I said at the start this game is Nigh Perfect.
If you've read this far down, sorry for the blabber but its hard to write down what I'm thinking. I have a lot more to say but don't want to bore. Thanks for reading.

Valheim has become a cherished part of our family time since its release, and we often find ourselves diving into new adventures during the holidays. Each of my three boys brings a unique flair to our gameplay: one loves to explore the seas with our trusty boats, another dives headfirst into danger, pushing us to gather resources in the most perilous biomes, while the youngest shines as our master base builder. We all contribute to the game in our own ways, but it’s clear to see each of our preferences. For me, Valheim truly checks all the boxes for an engaging and immersive experience.

LOVE this game - been playing since it's first inception with and without my grown up children. The Devs are amazing (I follow them on discord!), the game is just beautiful and the music just soothes any soul. Every update is just like a new game has been released, and has to be my top survival of all time. Thank you Irongate Sudios; you've made a 51 year old grandmother love survival games xXx

Well, I played the shit out of this game. This is the perfect game to AFK your mind and listen to whatever podcast or show for hours and hours. Play around with mods, challenge yourself as a vanilla solo champ or just bring your friends. This game strikes a nerve within my soul. It is perfect for creative building, and even if you suck at that the game is solid just as an adventure. I plan to double my playtime the coming years and have no plans or intents to stop. The gameplay loop and the possibilities are just endless. Valheim is not a game, it is a place of contemplation and rest for the soul.

It was perfect. Perfect... down to the last, minute detail.
Honestly grindy game, makes up for it in asthetics, replayability, world sizes, varieties, and flexbility. There is no time limit. Just you, your friends if you please, ignorance from reality, and bliss.

One of the best games I've played in a long time. Are the graphics great? meh. Are the combat mechanics great? meh. Are the building mechanics great? Absolutely Unique. Does the game piss you off? Absolutely. Is the game grindy? Absolutely. Does it have epic moments? like fighting a serpent on the high seas during a massive squall on the ocean making you think you're the MC in some folklore story told by the descendants of vikings? Absolutely.

I rate Valheim a 9/10.

if they fix the multiplayer netcode issues it would easily be a 10/10