Valheim (Part 5)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Guess we’re ending this today.

Mines and Magic

Damn, these places are so creepy.

Finding the boss is more complicated in the Mistlands than anywhere else. Look for Vegvisirs deep within Infested Mines packed with ticks and seekers. In there, you can also find black cores and Sealbreaker fragments. You need black cores for the latest crafting tables, and nine fragments to build a Sealbreaker, the key that opens the door to the Queen.

We are literally mining the brains out of a dead giant and
combining this to Yggdrasil sap to make our magic.

You’ll also want to look for Jotun skeletons laying around, made of marble that cannot be mined except with black metal pickaxes or better. These dead giants still have squishy brains, which you mine for soft tissue. Then, build an eitr refinery and turn both sap (obtained from extractors on Yggdrasil roots) and soft tissue into refined eitr, necessary for every Mistlands-level worktable and piece of equipment.

It's not flying, it's falling with style.

Including the feather cape. See, navigating the Mistlands is bullshit. I talked in Part 4 about the rough terrain. I’d go a step above and say that the sixth biome is “make it or break it”, in that visiting it is so difficult and annoying that this is the point where many players either soldier on or give up. It’s a difficulty spike beyond anything seen before. While playing to write this part, my viking died at least once by falling to his death because I couldn’t see how low the ground was. It was fun getting back to that gravestone. The powerful enemies aren’t helping. It take more work to get to a point where you’re comfortable in the Mistlands, since the good items are all locked behind the refined eitr, itself tough to obtain in the first place.

Everything changes when you finally a) craft a feather cape, which lets you flutter down, negating fall damage, and b) learn to use magic, even if limited by what you can cast with your wand.

I almost never used ooze bombs before. Now, they're one of
my favorite weapons within dungeons. Thanks, mines!

But even then, clearing the Mistlands is an arduous process, because black cores and Sealbreaker fragments can be rare as fuck and you’ll be forced to visit a lot of infested mines to get everything you need. And those aren’t exactly easy dungeons, either, with loads of Seekers, Soldiers and Ticks in cramped spaces. I had to visit four of them to get enough fragments and cores, and all of them left my Viking beat within an inch of his life. With combat on fucking Very Easy.

Fighting The Queen

It was a relief to finally be able to craft the Sealbreaker and head towards the Queen. Her Citadel was located near the Ashlands. The solution? Get Moder power, sail for two in-game days, park near those Mistlands, set up portal, go home, sleep, get Bonemass power, upgrade every piece of equipment to the best stuff, get the best foods (which means I took a long detour to raise chickens and grow onions!), then finally step in.

Valheim (Part 4)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Dang, already at 4 parts? Guess that’s what happens when a review doubles as a full-on guide...

The Mistlands – “The Queen”

This guy must be eating spicy. Look at that fire.

Not a pretty sight this close. Or from afar, really.

Yagluth, you’re going down. When it’s summoned, you find yourself fighting a giant skeleton top half with a crown. The undead king of the fulings, allegedly. A spitfire on his best days, and when he’s angry, he can rain meteors on your head. Beware the explosion when he smashes the ground with his fist. He has no weaknesses to exploit, but his attacks all involve fire in some way, making fire resistance barley wine vital in this battle. You can also take cover behind the stone pillars surrounding his altar.

Right, the meteors. This guy gets points for theatrics.

A long battle eventually won – and for that, you get Yagluth’s trophy, which unlocks his power, granting massive temporary resistance to magic, fire, frost, and lightning. You also get Torn Spirits, with which you can build wisp fountains, which summon wisps at night. Those wisps can be made into wisplights, which will follow you around and disperse the mist of the Mistlands; you can also craft them into wisp torches to plant on your path.

I know it's in the name, but still - it's annoying that
you can't see shit around here.

Not unlike the swamp, the Mistlands mark an intense difficulty spike. Everything turned up to 11. You’ll need to be brave and well-prepared to face it. It’s an infamously nasty place, home to the worst monsters yet. When I played in the multiplayer server, the streamer grew to hate the new biome, and wouldn’t go there unless they absolutely had to. Or had a team to explore it with. I guess now is as good a time as any to discuss multiplayer a bit.

When I said we become hoarders, that wasn't a joke. This
is all in one solo game. Not shown are 30 more chests
in other rooms, as well as 15 more where my portals are
so I can quickly empty my pockets when necessary.

It helps that I had my two solo runs to see what the game was like on my own, as it let me see just how many resources a single player needs. Now take that amount and multiply it by the number of folks in your multiplayer game. If you want everybody to have the best equipment and food, that is. That’s probably not gonna happen. Depending on how the team gets structured, everyone may get equipped with everything, or folks might settle into roles, as is often done in MMOs; one who can take damage, one who uses melee weapons, one who uses ranged weapons... Due to the variety in threats across Valheim, it may be better to stay prepared for anything.

Valheim (Part 3)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Still got a lot to cover, huh? Last time, we were about to fight...

The 'Mass

This beast looks like Swamp Thing and Slimer had a baby,
and then that baby grew addicted to crystal meth.

I vividly remember when I first fought Bonemass. I threw the Withered Bones into its altar, and that mass of goo and bone appeared. To their credit, the enemies and bosses of Valheim have logical weaknesses; fire and axes against the tree-like Abominations, as an example. Being a slime, Bonemass is weak to frost arrows, but unless you skipped steps, you shouldn’t have those; your other option is blunt damage. Still not sure how whacking a blob with a club can kill it, but whatever. Both times I took it down, I was equipped with the iron sledge, a two-handed weapon made using Ymir flesh, obtainable from Haldor. My second time was a lot easier, because I was better prepared.

Full disclaimer, at this point of the review/guide, I've gone
back to the Viking I beat the game with. If I want to do
these fights again for screenshots, I'll make it easier on
myself. My capture didn't involve a lot of enemies.

Bosses really are the final exam of their biome, and Bonemass is every annoying aspect of the swamps rolled into one bastard. Its area of effect causes nonstop rain, so you can never shake away the Wet debuff. It pukes poison gas regularly, so fighting it without poison resistance is stupid. It tosses its own matter, creating blobs and skeletons, so there’s always enemies to kill – and that’s before considering the other swamp residents who can butt in like unwanted neighbor visits on a day off. Draugr, we can deal, but... Abominations? In the middle of a Bonemass battle, they’re fun.

And of course, he's puking, too. What a classy gentleman.

Valheim is BRU-TAL.

This visual sign, accompanied by a "ding" that gets higher-
pitched as you get closer, is what you get when the
wishbone detects something underground.

When Bonemass is killed, it drops its trophy and a wishbone. Its Forsaken power massively increases your resistance to slash, blunt and pierce damages for five minutes. We’re reaching the point where your foods provide plenty of stamina, so your greater worry is surviving enemy attacks now. Eikthyr’s power was fine so far, but Bonemass’s power will save your Viking ass regularly. As for the wishbone, when equipped, it will beep close to stuff hidden underground. There are many Viking burial sites with jewels to plunder. Thanks to the wishbone, you can also find masses of muddy scrap piles hidden around a swamp, allowing you to farm iron without walking into a crypt. (It’s also possible to “prospect” by hammering the swamp ground with a two-handed mace to find these piles before beating Bonemass.) The wishbone is the main way to find silver nodes in...

Valheim (Part 2)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Ready to continue this quest?

Setting Up Camp

This thing is huge! Well, I can take it down like any other
forest tree: Axes and fire. Boom.

When we left off, we were ready to face the Elder, a creature made of wood said to be the King of Greydwarves. Eikthyr was weak all around; starting with the second boss, you learn to try various strategies and stick to what works best. (Or use the wikis if you can’t figure it out.) In this case, melee with an axe is viable, but dangerous. Fire arrows are the way to go if you play safe. I did it that way every time, but I recall my first battle against this thing took forever. Then again, at the time I still hadn’t set up a portal for quick travel from camp to the altar, so every time I died... which was a lot... I had to do the whole trek back, retrieve my body and equipment, and then resume the fight – with my enemy having regained health. Oh yeah, when you’re learning Valheim, it’s brutal.

Remember how I said that I made a new character while
playing on the world where I've beaten the Mistlands?
Yeah, all these chests are from the other game.

Which is why it’s so important to set up a living space. Your base, preferably near the water (as you will need to sail to reach future Forsaken), needs a lot of space and amenities. Your bed, of course, but some place to keep all your treasure chests. You’ll gather so much crap, you’ll spend nearly as much time sorting it all out as you’ll spend out on the field. And since almost everything has a use, Vikings become hoarders, reticent to throw anything away.

(mention somewhere that workbenches can also prevent spawns)

Those rings? Yep, all portals.
There's 10 more you're not seeing here.

No need for coal, I have lots already.
Can always do with more copper and tin, though.

You’ll need a space for your portals, since this adventure will bring you all over the procedurally-generated map, and you’ll have to make a lot of ‘em. A recommended strategy is to always keep one just labeled “portal”, carry the materials to create another wherever you are, and create more at points of interest. You’ll need a space for metal refinery – that means an area for charcoal kilns, in which you put wood to make coal, and smelters (and later, blast furnaces) to refine your ores. The more the better. And of course, an area with all your crafting stuff – workbench, forge, cauldron, fermenter, etc. You can build yourself a house, and if you’re good at it, you can create homes that are literal works of art. Take a stroll down the ValheimBuilds subreddit and you’ll see just what marvels avid builders have come up with.

...I favored practicality over design. I won’t make it look good; I’ll make it just big enough to have everything I need.

My first and second homes. No third yet.

Valheim (Part 1)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Anniversary review time! And as usual, I’m doing a big one.

If I had a nickel for every video game about Vikings stuck in purgatory trying to earn their place into Valhalla... well, I’m pretty sure I’d have more than just two nickels. More like four or five, easy. “But it’s weird that it happened twice, right?”

Hey, somebody has to cultivate the veggies, and I don't
see anybody else around here.

When it comes to survival games, the story is rarely a plot with beats and more of a suggestion – you can have a gaming experience of dozens of hours without ever thinking about whatever story justifies the setting. You may have a goal... or not. You may choose to focus on anything else if you want. Games like this are ginormous sandboxes for adventurous and/or creative players to do whatever they want. You feel like braving dangerous lands today? You want to chill at the base and spend five hours sorting your item chests? Build and protect your land? Farm? Fish? Go. For. It.

Valheim, developed by Iron Gate AB, published by Coffee Stain Publishing, and “released” on February 2nd, 2021, is still in Early Access, but has already made a name for itself in the genre. Like many survival games, this experience can be done on your own, or with friends; up to 10 players can join the same multiplayer server.

Hey! Careful there with those talons! I was struck by an
arrow at that exact spot in my back before I died!

Full disclaimer, for the needs of screenshots for this 5-part
article, I created a new character, but I dropped him in the
world I had played in up to finishing the Mistlands.
Makes it easier to take pictures and retrace my steps.

This game’s "story" begins after character creation – you can play as a male or female Viking, no difference in gameplay. Your character is dropped in the middle of a circle of sacrificial stones, with nothing but rags on your back. You died ingloriously in battle, and to earn your way into Viking Heaven, you must prove yourself to Odin. Hugin, a helpful crow, explains the quest to the player character: Hunt down the six Forsaken, massive monsters residing in the various biomes of this “tenth realm”, take their trophies and bring them back to these rocks. The defeated Forsaken grant abilities that will come in handy for whatever comes next.

I’ve accumulated over 350 hours on this game since I began, and I’ve been determined to see it to the end. I’ve played alone and with friends, so I’ve got a pretty good understanding of how the game works. It would make sense to cover the game in much the same way that one would discover it. My point of view on this game comes from three different playthroughs: My first, where I learned the game as I went; one I played joining a Quebec streamer’s multiplayer server, contributing as much as my stupid n00b ass could; and my third one, taking full advantage of the knowledge gained and the World Modifiers, which at the time had been freshly added. As a result, while this series is a review, it’s also an excellent guide for a newcomer to Valheim. Alright, on with the article.

Quick Review: Gladiator Trainer

Back to the well of games made on RPG Maker, and... this one’s peculiar. I’ll always approve of those who do something with the program that’s a step beyond a cookie-cutter RPG, and today is an example.

I trust this big tough guy to be good at fighting.
...The Heck? He lost!

Developed by Pilgrim Adventures, published by Senpai Studios (which publishes a lot of RPG Maker games) and released on November 25th, 2016, Gladiator Trainer brings you into a very dark world where slave owners send their property to battle other slaves for the pleasure of the masses. You start the game with two slaves, which are randomly generated, and then put them in low-rank tournaments to start. They gain experience and levels, learn new attacks, and can fight in better tournaments, where the enemies are also stronger. The goal? To beat the highest tournament.

Our land. Where we prepare people so that
they'll fight each other. Yikes.

So, since it’s a game made on a software tailored to RPGs, then we can expect that, right? Well... Not quite. The greater focus is on the management simulator aspect. You manage your slaves by training them in combat, buy them weapons and armor. Hire a personal trainer, a cook and a doctor. You can even hire non-fighting “pleasure slaves” (yikes) of both genders for, ahem, morale boosts, and dance training for HP and agility boosts. Get a scribe who’ll look over your collection of books, which provide passive bonuses. If you don’t manage your money well and cannot pay your employees, they’ll quit, one at a time. And if your slaves have low morale, they’ll run away. If your slaves sustain long-term injuries in a battle, they cannot fight in tournaments while they recover. Oh, and as a final element: Fighting slaves earn their freedom upon winning 75 battles.

Ah, the battling. Of course there would be some.
...Wait, I don't control the character?

Well, I'm still broke, so I can't help. Sorry.

True to the form of management sims, there’s a variety of random events that can happen, and it’s up to you to figure out the best course of action, all based on your finances and status. The game is divided into weeks, with a tournament being the “last” thing you do in a week, as upon return from the tournament (no matter the result), you move on to the next week. You can also opt to skip a week, if the tournament available that week sounds too difficult, or if you feel your characters aren’t ready. You gain reputation as you beat tournaments, and there are additional ways to earn (or lose) more. 

They don't exactly start out great, so it's
your job to make sure they're ready and
can survive.

And, occasionally, we battle
big freaking feral animals.

Where’s the RPG part? The tournament battles, of course. The first tournaments are set against three opponents – two enemies and a “boss” – and I expect these to grow with more opponents over time. Your slaves learn new attacks the higher their level is, and the further in we go, the more often we fight opponents who can inflict status effects. Slaves regain HP between battles, 20% at first, but the amount can be increased up to 50%.

What’s the catch? Your involvement stops at picking the slave that will fight. You do NOT control them in battle. You let the fight play out, and then deal with the results. A victorious slave with high morale will earn you extra money with theatrics, while a loss instantly ends the tournament. You better hope your slave’s AI makes the right decisions. Nor has a streak of bad luck where it keeps missing the opponent. That’s cost me victory often, and there's no way to improve accuracy. In short, victories are down to luck.

For a while, Elison was my go-to fighter. Then, she had some
bad luck, so Sela got to fight and earn experience in her
place. But they're both close to 75 victories, so...

Oh no, Basewin, my worst fighter...
Well, cure him anyway! Just in case he
finally gets good! He's got a freedom to earn!

Oh, and the characters in-game are all portrayed with 3D models... If the anime girl in the header on the game’s Steam page is what brought you to buy it, sorry, you fell prey to false advertisement. There’s also some weird issue with the cursor, where if you move out of the game’s screen, you must go back to a smaller version of the game hidden behind the enlarged screen to go back to interacting with things in mouse mode. Also annoying is that the game frequently springs dialogue options in the middle of conversations. Imagine you're skipping the text, an option box pops up, and in your hurry, you auto-select the first option, and it's the one you don't want. Yep, happened a lot to me. Some way to prevent that would have been nice.

Yeah, we ain't winning that one.
Freaking heal yourself! Dammit, she never does.

I take moral issue with the core concept of the story, but it's not all dark as there's multiple ways to "free" the slaves. Either way, gonna let suspension of disbelief deal with that one. The character models are merely okay; 3D assets repurposed for this game, but at least it’s a change from the usual anime-styled RPG Maker assets. The management simulation is overall fine; it gets more complex as you go up the ranks, but luck can screw you over. The game's balancing is terrible at the beginning, as your opening options are very limited and any misstep means your slaves are unprepared for even the most basic battles; in fact, your odds are much too low unless you know exactly what to do. Guides say, don’t upgrade any of your facilities until after you’ve won a tournament or two, and focus your early cash on equipment. Even then, battles remain completely steered by the characters’ AI, so you can very easily get fucked over by a streak of bad luck, like your slave not healing themselves when they need to, constantly missing the opponent, or being wounded for weeks after a fight. Not to mention it ultimately becomes repetitive once we reach the upper echelons of the competition.

Interesting combo of genres, I appreciate the novelty, but the game is only okay at best in my opinion. At least it’s not expensive if you do want to check it out.

Gladiator Trainer is available on Steam for 0.55$ USD.

Also note that I won’t be posting next Friday, as I’ll be on a trip. However, I’m going to resume posting the Friday after that.... and it will be the start of that long-promised 11th anniversary review!