Everything Revealed for Valheim’s Deep North Biome and 1.0 Update So Far

Players who fell in love with Valheim’s cozy, yet challenging, survival sandbox when it launched years ago, and those who have discovered it only recently, can all rejoice in the fact that the game’s long journey in early access is almost over. The upcoming release of the Deep North biome is anticipated to mark the end of the game’s early access period and the beginning of Valheim 1.0. That said, there’s still time for some additional updates to be announced prior to the launch of the Deep North, and there is room for Valheim to get more new content after its full release.

So far, a release date for Valheim’s Deep North biome hasn’t been announced, though many in the community expect the 1.0 update to arrive sometime around late 2025 or early 2026. Until then, players can get an idea of what to expect from Valheim’s epic finale and full release by looking at the handful of features that have already been officially revealed by Iron Gate Studio, at the biomes that already exist, and at the game’s history of updates.

Valheim Official Screenshot Player Sitting on Throne with Gold and Loot Chest

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Although Valheim’s journey in early access isn’t over yet, it’s still worth revisiting in 2025 with a fresh playthrough ahead of its full release.

Everything Revealed for Valheim’s Deep North Biome and Full Release

The Deep North will have new animal NPCs, like seals, and new enemy NPCs, like Elakings.
Winding Tunnels dungeons and Abandoned Viking Hall POIs can be found in the Deep North.
Ahead of the Deep North biome update, Valheim will receive a combat overhaul update.
Achievements will be introduced for both PC and Xbox platforms in 1.0.
Official mod support may be introduced for PC.

Recent development blogs for Valheim have contained a handful of teasers focused on the Deep North, revealing some of the NPCs and POIs that players can find in the biome. These sneak peeks have shown that the mainland of the Deep North biome will be suspiciously peaceful, while the real threat lies underground in the new Winding Tunnels dungeons, which are filled with enemies like the new Elakings. As the name of the biome suggests, the Deep North will be located at the north end of every map, no matter what Valheim map seed players are on, with modded maps being the exception.

Aside from the sneak previews of the update, players can set their expectations for the Deep North biome based on things the developer has shared in the past. For example, Valheim’s developers have indicated that the early-game transition from the Meadows to the Black Forest biome is considered a benchmark for the progression and difficulty of subsequent biomes, and players can thus expect the Deep North biome to be even more difficult than the Valheim‘s Ashlands biome. That said, players will have access to the next tier of crafting table upgrades, which will allow them to craft even stronger weapons and armor sets and improve their chances in the Deep North. Still, players shouldn’t underestimate the difficulty spike of Valheim’s final boss and the entirety of the Deep North biome that leads up to it.

Valheim’s 1.0 Update Is Both an End and a New Beginning

While the Deep North biome update is expected to be the end of Valheim’s long journey in early access, that doesn’t mean that the game won’t receive future updates. In fact, it’s already been said that Valheim might introduce official mod support on PC sometime after the 1.0 release, meaning post-launch updates are highly likely. Additionally, Valheim’s community mods and multiplayer servers will likely continue to grow after the game’s full release arrives. So, regardless of Iron Gate Studios’ plans for supporting the game beyond its 1.0 update, Valheim will be thriving for many years to come, thanks to the game’s active community.