Today's update showcases the world improvements we mentioned earlier. These changes aim to make the world feel less empty, more comfortable for building, and include an expansion of the map with new territories. We've also added new atmosphere systems, vegetation, and other environmental elements to make the world feel more alive.

This patch will arrive next Thursday (May 8th) instead of today, as we need a bit more time to finalize a few things.



Here's what it will bring:





A new large territory was added by expanding the map over the hill.

The current distance to get there is quite large, however, we will later introduce a faster and more satisfying way to travel there.

Being in this new area offers a different perspective of the map, as there are no huge mountains constantly visible in the background, as below. And if you get close to the edges, it's a beautiful view and feel.





Added mist with volumetric fog that activates in a special way to create a mystical atmosphere, without obstructing visibility.

Implemented an effect system for dynamically spawning new particles at appropriate moments.

Fixed slight but annoying shadow flickering and enhanced daytime lighting.

















Added more and larger lakes with drinkable water, new paths for AI navigation, and various natural objects scattered around.



You'll find more places that are well-suited for building a house or settlement with fences.

Additionally, the foundation has been adjusted with longer supports to work better on slopes.





More resources scattered throughout the area to be picked up.





Added Sæhrímnir roaming around. In Norse mythology, it is the creature constantly eaten and brought back to life again by the einherjar. In this patch, it's role is purely atmospheric.





As part of our plans to make the world more alive, including for neutral NPCs, we've added an arena where einherjar train. You can enter the arena and fight for a reward.





Added more animal spawners.

Added a new, larger type of wolf for the new territory. These wolves typically spawn near their dens.


Thank you for the feedback, guys. We appreciate it.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

Greetings!

This hotfix addresses several remaining issues from the recent networking update.

It resolves a problem where resource gathering would occasionally fail for players in co-op, and it also fixes an issue where fall damage was inconsistently applied to co-op players.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts

Before diving into today’s patch, we’d like to give you a sneak peek at the upcoming April update. This will be a bigger one, incorporating what we recently mentioned, with a focus on addressing the world’s "emptiness" and expanding the map with improved landscapes for building. Paths, more diverse vegetation, extended territories, an actual arena within Survival, and more.

While the last update and this one aren’t tied to the Challenge, practical game-changing progress related to it is coming. Also, we'll soon begin sharing video updates with new features and content more frequently.

Screenshots from the upcoming update:










Let’s take a look at today’s patch!






Only Jörmungandr’s tail used to appear, rarely glimpsed behind the mountains. But now, it’s far more noticeable...

It emerges at random periods in the distance.

It’s not attacking you yet. It’s just going about its majestic serpent-like ways.









Resolved the issue where ships were getting blocked midway to the island and temporarily removed rock obstacles along the route.

Flattened and cleared a large portion of the island to allow easier settlement building.

Added more stone and iron ore around the island for resource gathering.

Expanded the trading options with the island trader. For example, you can now purchase a queen bee from the trader on the land and sell it for a higher price here.



Resolved issue where gates and ladders didn't restore full resources upon destruction.

Fixed separate animations for walking and running while holding a torch not switching.

Disabled combat tutorial reminders.

Adjusted compass to better align with the sun's position.

Fixed odd foliage collision behavior affecting character physics.

Corrected issue where characters would sometimes start swimming while on the ship.

Fixed spawn point and bed setting issues.

Fixed an issue where a tree would spawn mid-air at the center of the map during chopping.


As always, thank you for sharing your feedback, guys.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

In today's update, we've improved performance stability in Survival mode, a popular request, while also increasing the density of things. Added a new island, music, new gameplay improvements, and various feedback based fixes.

Another key improvement is enhanced networking, enabling a much smoother multiplayer experience, necessary for our future plans, especially for combat. No more severe physics jitters or character stutters during high ping, and controls now feel much more responsive with any ping.



Let's take a look at the patch!



Optimized a wide range of elements on the Survival map, including foliage, landscape, and characters.

Framerate has been improved and is now more stable, no longer drops in the woods like before.





There’s still a lot of work ahead to make the world truly filled and alive. However, thanks to optimization, some of the saved resources were used to increase the world’s overall resource density. The amount of trees, branches, and other foliage has been multiplied.

The trees have been rearranged, and some may appear in your house, sorry, please just chop them down.

Additionally, the grass draw distance is now much larger across all settings, making previously empty-looking areas look more filled. The grass is also fluffier now.



The new networking improvements make a night and day difference in multiplayer smoothness at high ping.

This applies to both servers and co-op. In co-op, the difference is less noticeable most of the time, but it’s still a great improvement. Player characters move smoothly without jittering or extreme physics shakes, and attacks respond faster.





A new island to sail to and trade with. For now, trading is the only option - the island is large and empty, but in future updates, it will become more filled, and you'll be able to choose whether you want to trade or raid with the islands.

For example, you can bring wood and sell it to them at a higher price than on land.



There are also obstacles along the way to the island that can damage or break your ship.



Made start without items except an axe.

Decreased damage dealt by fallen trees and fixed the bug of them hitting back during chopping.

Added more exploration music.

Slightly increased bear's max health.

Fixed torch remaining in air after breaking.

Fixed extensive ship jittering issues for client in co-op.

Reduced character hit animation jittering during chopping.

Made hit impacts and block impacts camera shakes juicier.

Adjusted base sensitivity to fit gameplay better.

Fixed extensive leaves flickering.

Blurry textures at low graphics should be fixed, but if issues persist in some cases, let us know.

Fixed upscaling turning off when reentering the Video Settings.

Video Settings now don't have an Apply button and save settings instantly.


Thank you for sharing your feedback, guys. We appreciate it and hope you enjoy this update.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

As mentioned in the last update, today's patch brings significant improvements to the ship, fixing most of its issues and enabling co-op sailing. We've also addressed various gameplay aspects based on recent feedback and slightly expanded Challenge with a new iteration with a mythical creature and a dynamic environment system.



*WIP: A new island coming in next month's patch.*

Now, let's dive into today's patch!





Work on the Challenge continues. In this patch, it's still a playable teaser, with much more to come as we expand it iteratively. In few patches, it will begin to integrate deeply with the Survival processes.

Vargr is a mythical creature that stands in your way during the Challenge.



It can move on all fours or upright.



It selects its target and chases it from a great distance.



It has various attacks, some of which can break through blocks.



The ground in the Challenge is dynamic, with certain areas fracturing as you run across them.





This patch fixes most of the previous ship issues, however if you encounter any issues, please let us know. The remaining issue is that the Co-op client still cannot steer the ship, only the host can, this will be fixed.

The issue of the ship not moving for the client in Co-op has been fixed.

Fixed the bug where the ship could turn into a helicopter and fly to the sky.

Fixed the bug where hitting something and falling underwater would break player control.

Now, when the ship hits something, it has visual effects and takes damage based on the material (wood, rocks, etc.).

Positioned the ship lower in the water when sailing.

Fixed ship border collisions.

Fixed neck explosion issues during steering.



Improved ship control, adjusted rotation angles, and made the bouncing physics more natural.



Tightened animations and physics significantly.

Adjusted slash animations.

Fixed excessive bouncing when walking on slopes.

Temporarily increased character capsule size.

Improved turn cap behavior for different attack types, creating a more balanced and weighted feel.

Improved shield bash hit precision for a more satisfying feel.



The music dynamically adapts to in-game events. Work in progress and will be expanded with new music and events in the next monthly update.

You can already hear the music shifting smoothly based on occurrences like sailing. The music now also loops with delays.



Improved timber axe collision precision to prevent physics issues during chopping.

Fixed an issue where music volume would not return from 0 in some cases.

Performed minor optimization on the Survival map.

Corrected problematic mesh collisions on the Survival map.

Improved the first-person one-handed jump animation.

Added separate equip and unequip sounds for non-sword items.

Resolved remnants of a rare bug that could permanently prevent slash attacks.

Resolved remaining issues that sometimes prevented proper well destruction and caused un-drinkable status in Co-op.


Thank you for the feedback guys, we hope you enjoy this update.


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

May your hearth be warm, your kin strong, and your victories plentiful in the year ahead!



We've been working on the Challenge and will expand it further in the January patch, introducing new gameplay and exciting features like battling big mythical creatures.

The January update will also address recent player feedback, including improvements to ship controls and its co-op issues. Additionally, we're preparing new islands to explore and expanding the map with new territories featuring landscapes better suited for building settlements.



Meanwhile, today's patch brings new Survival elements and improvements. Let's take a look!

• Raspberries
  
  
  
  Provides a random number of raspberries for you to eat.
  
  
• Drying Fish Rack
  
  
  
  Dry raw fish to create dried fish. It can only be placed outdoors, and it will not dry in the rain.
  
  
• Covered Boat
  
  
• Thor Monument
  
  
  
  
• Fenrir Monument

Tanning racks can now be placed indoors, and placement issues have been resolved.

Bear health has been slightly reduced.

The Horn sounds less frequently for now.

Slight improvements to animation physics during chopping.

Improved pickaxe animations and physics to prevent interference with the mining process.

Increased the duration of fish trap, bee hive, and rabbit traps.

Resolved a recurring issue that allowed underwater walking.

Fixed cases where the inventory UI would overlap with menus.

Fixed a bug that prevented clients from drinking from wells in certain co-op scenarios.


Thank you guys. We hope you enjoy this update. Wishing you all the best!


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

In this update, the Horn begins to sound, inviting to take part in the Challenge.

As mentioned before, its arrival will happen in multiple iterations, as it is a grand-scale event system. Today, it brings a very short playable teaser of the Challenge, offering a quick glimpse before sending you back home.

This patch has a larger-than-usual disk size as it already includes content that will become available in future updates.

After 15 minutes in Singleplayer Survival, you will hear the horn and feel the earth shake, signaling your invitation to descend. This will also appear in Co-op in upcoming patches.

The core of the Challenge is to search for rare loot, mine precious ores, and safely bring them back home. Then, use these resources to build special structures, strengthen your survival, and fuel your coming adventures. (New buildings and crafts related to the Challenge soon). But there's much more to its concept, which will be unveiled as we progress.





When the horn sounds, it can be heard throughout the realm, and even the ground shakes.

You can then press Enter to accept the call and be transported (instantly in this patch).





There are 500 warriors participating in the Challenge.

They are AI directed and highly optimized.





The Challenge is introduced in circles, which vary greatly and have a dynamic atmosphere and zone.

It always shrinks inward toward the center, pushing the player deeper through the circles.



Enabled auto targeting focus starting from the first attack rather than activating immediately. Also made it convenient to cancel targeting by canceling the stance.

Made auto targeting available for players in co-op mode.



Fixed some crashes that appeared in the last patches.



Turned Deathmatch servers (EU, NA) back on.



Fixed the deer hooves shaking strangely when dead.

Fixed the bow hit camera shake occurring for the client when hitting the host.

Fixed the issue where the client was sometimes incorrectly seen holding the stance from the host's view.


Thank you for the feedback guys. We hope you enjoy this update!


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

Greetings!

This patch follows up on the previous update, addressing its combat related bug fixes and improvements.

• Fixed incorrect attack angle during basic attacks in some cases.
  
  
• Fixed click attacks not queuing in certain cases, which caused frustration.
  
  
• Fixed double attacks for directional combat type.
  
  
• Fixed queued attack not starting after a clash sometimes.
  
  
• Slowed down overall combat slightly, especially the speed of stabs.
  
  
• Updated physics to make actions more stable and authentic.
  
  
• Slightly increased stamina regeneration speed.
  
  
• Improved shield mechanics and added the attack queuing feature for it.
  
  
• Further increased distance from bot enemies.
  
  
• Fixed directional cursor not appearing when switching through the new tab.
  
  
• Fixed hit markers being visible from hits by hired warriors.
  
  
• Fixed some effects being visible for clients when experienced by the host.
  
  
• Adjusted turn caps during attacks for smoothness.
  
  
• Made character scream less often during fights.
  
  
• Made it possible to dodge in the direction of the ASD button using the Spacebar, while still allowing jumping when moving forward.
  
  
• Enabled auto targeting by default, with the option to toggle it in the control settings.
  
  
• Made it possible to enter stance mode during an ongoing basic attack.

At the end of the month we will have an update focused on new content!

Skål!
Blackrose Arts

We are continuing to work on the Einherjar Challenge, and as previously mentioned, the horn will begin sounding in Survival mode in the November update, summoning warriors to descend to its battlefield.

Here is some work in progress.


From the screenshot, you may have already guessed what it's for - a special way of transportation to descend to the Challenge battlefield.



Our current main focus is on upcoming new content, but in today’s patch, we have addressed control and combat related feedback that we decided to tackle sooner.

We believe this update will be helpful for many Survival players. We have implemented tangible improvements to enhance stability and visibility during fights, introduced an alternative simplified control scheme, and added new settings to let you customize combat complexity to your preference.

Let's take a look at this patch!





A new attack control type for clicking attacks has been introduced.

Instead of being directional, this type is simplified to specific angles, with the possibility of combo attacks in the opposite direction. The side mouse buttons control alternative attack angles.

You can switch back to directional attacks in the new combat settings.

With this new type, the cursor for the attack appears as a simple dot.

Additionally, you can still hold the attack button to enter stance mode, allowing you to control the cursor that appears with the mouse for desired attacks.



If the attack button is clicked during an ongoing attack, the next attack will start automatically after the current one.

This helps reduce spam clicking, allowing players to press it once when the timing feels right.

Also, enjoy more comfort while chopping trees.



Attack animations have been adjusted to be less jelly-like, more predictable, and to land much closer to the center of the screen.



Combat Settings have been added to the pause menu, allowing for easy tweaking and experimentation with different combat options.





The attachment method for the first-person camera has been changed to resolve previous issues.

It now provides better visibility, even when close to other objects or characters.

The hands and weapon are not as close to the camera, and it works better with different field-of-view (FOV) settings.



Added a new feature that automatically steps forward depending on character movement during attack release. This allows the character to close the distance and reach the enemy more frequently, making fights look more natural overall.

As you can see in the GIF, the character steps forward when moving backward during an attack release.



Updated the distances between characters during fights to provide more space and possibilities of pushing enemies forward, while reducing the likelihood of being pushed back.



Enhanced the feel of impacts.

Updated several dual-wielding animations.

Adjusted the transition from first-person to third-person camera.

Changed the default feint button.

Made autofocus (targeting without holding the attack button) savable after a button press or from the settings.


Thank you for the feedback guys. We hope you enjoy this update!


Skål!
Blackrose Arts

Greetings!

Here’s what’s in this hotfix:

• Fixed an issue introduced in the last patch where certain objects weren’t spawning correctly when interacting with water.
  
  
• Fixed the bug where the building object preview stayed after switching to a weapon.
  
  
• Fixed a rare bug preventing the build button from working despite having enough resources.
  
  
• Fixed the rabbit trap mistakenly acting like a beehive and not saving properly.
  
  
• Changed the introductory closure button to Enter.
  
  
• Tweaked the map spawn area edges to prevent confusion when navigating.

Skål!
Blackrose Arts