The next Valheim biome is a haunted waste called The Ashlands

Now that the Mistlands update is out the door for its Viking survival game, developer Iron Gate is ready to start talking about the next Valheim biome. The studio says it’s something “quite different from what we’re all used to,” and that it plans on taking a different approach to development than the “very secretive” process that characterised the production of Mistlands.

“Our ambition with the development of the Ashlands is to show you a lot more of the process,” Iron Gate explains in the latest Steam update for Valheim. “This will mean you will see things in their early stages, and maybe even things that won’t end up making it into the game at all, but you will also hopefully have a better understanding of how far along the development has gotten.”

The studio has shared two pieces of concept art for Ashlands: ‘The Charred’ is a trio of skeletal warriors, two armed with swords and one with what appears to be a magical staff. ‘Morden’ is a twisted undead beast of some kind, twisted into a kind of fleshy, bony crab shape and armed with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and skulls.

“Our current design vision for the Ashlands is that it’s a land of the dead, as well as a place with quite a volcanic nature,” Iron Gate says. Expect spectres and lava flows as you venture into this new region, which will be a more contiguous landmass in the southern portion of the world map.

Development timelines being what they are, Iron Gate reassures players that there will be stuff to look forward to in the interim. That includes a new NPC named Hildir, who has her own questline that will open up new clothing options for your characters.

There’s no timeline yet on when we can expect either the Hildir’s Quest update or Ashlands. You’ll just have to check out our list of the best Viking games on PC to get your fix in the meantime, or use our guide to set up your own Valheim dedicated server to raise a hearty skål with your friends.