Valheim 1.0 is here, so that sound you hear in the distance is scores of eager Vikings stringing their bows, sharpening their axes, and piling onto their longboats to explore the open world survival game's final biome: the Deep North.
But before you set sail for some chilly thrills in the frosty new biome, you might be wondering if you should create a new character and generate a new world for Valheim 1.0, or just keep playing with your current Viking and world. Veteran Valheimers will know that updates can conflict with existing worlds: any areas you've already explored, for example, won't be overwritten with new terrain and features, which can sometimes cause problems.
So, should you start fresh or continue from where you left off?
Let's begin with what the devs advise:
"As usual, your world will receive new content even if it was created before the update, although biome generation will only work properly on areas that have not yet been explored," says developer Iron Gate in its Valheim 1.0 FAQ. "However, we always recommend that you start the game over from scratch to get the best possible experience."
In other words, if you've already explored the areas to the far north of your world, those areas won't generate updated terrain and features of the Deep North. That's why starting a new world is in your best interest if you've already taken a few trips to the upper edge of the map.
There are other things to take in consideration for 1.0, says Iron Gate:
"The achievement system will begin to track statistics from the moment you download the 1.0 version. This means that an achievement connected to killing Eikthyr, for example, will require you to kill Eikthyr again, even if you’ve already killed him 500 times previously."
Starting from the beginning has an additional benefit that's a bit of surprise, story-wise:
"To establish the world of Valheim and welcome seasoned and new Vikings alike, Iron Gate have worked together with Brikk Animation to create a brand-new cinematic that will usher players into the world of Valheim," says Iron Gate. "Additional cinematics will also play once players have slain key bosses throughout the game."
I've seen these anime sequences and while I wouldn't say they're essential to the experience, they are pretty cool and if you don't play through the whole world again for 1.0, you won't get the chance to see all of them for yourself (except on YouTube, probably).
As for PC Gamer's advice, having played Valheim 1.0, we also recommend you start a new character and world, both for the reasons cited by Iron Gate but also because that's what several of us did. I started from the beginning again for the review, even though I'd already played for a hundred or so hours in early access, and I'm glad I did. It was a great way to rediscover the magic of the game and see just how much it has changed and improved since 2021.
That's our recommendation! Look at it this way: you've already waited this long for the Deep North, and delaying your journey to the final biome just a little bit longer to replay from the start will be worth the extra time.
