Valheim dev brings “close quarters challenge” to the Mountains in new update

The deceptively titled Mountains update goes deep, taking Valheim players into instanced cave dungeons for the first time.

You’ll find the Frost Caves in the Mountain biome, which has been revamped. They’ll bring three new enemies to battle, and by way of reward, a new weapon and armour set to forge. The caves are comparable to the Black Forest biome’s Burial Chambers and the Swamps’ Sunken Crypts, developer Iron Gate Studio says.

“The goal was to give Mountains a similar challenge in close quarters to what players can find in the Swamps and the Black Forest, as well as a chance to square off against new feral enemies,” Iron Gate co-founder Henrik Törnqvist says. “You might have noticed a couple fenrings stalking the peaks at night, but did you ever think about where they go when the dawn comes?”

A fenring, for those who don’t know, is a humanoid wolf with a shaggy black coat that walks on its hind legs. Perhaps in the daytime they’re propped in an easy chair, sipping tea.

This is actually a small hill in Valheim’s update schedule - the next great peak will be its Valheim Mistlands update, which will add a whole another biome. Here’s our explainer on the Valheim roadmap going forward.

Did you know: Valheim runs on Steam Deck? Those fenrings won’t be safe from you, even when you’re on the toilet.

Read our Valheim guide for help with everything from spawn onwards.