Valheim's Hearth & Home Update Is Changing the Food System

Valheim developers Iron Gate shared yet another Hearth & Home teaser this week to show off another part of the next big update and how it'll change the game. This time, the preview focused on the game's food system which will change the way that players plan out their meals to assist them with their excursions whether that means exploring the wilderness or staying at home to work on settlements.

While most of the Hearth & Home previews we've seen in the past dealt primarily with building structures and customizing living spaces, these changes to the food system will change the basics of how players survive. The Valheim developers said they'd be splitting foodstuffs into three different categories: Foods that affect health the most, foods that affect stamina the most, and foods that evenly affect the two stats.

Excited for #Valheim Hearth & Home? Here’s a little sneak peek of what we’ve been working on in terms of the food system!
Stay tuned for next week’s video 👀🥘 pic.twitter.com/DmpP1yQ9aL

— Valheim (@Valheimgame) August 9, 2021

The video above showed off more of the changes planned for the food system. When players eat different types of food, they'll now see icons with timers instead of a bar to represent how much longer players have before they need to eat food again.

The developers also teased that the new food system will influence players' combat styles once they head out of their settlements and start fighting, but we don't yet know how that'll work.

"This new health vs stamina balance allows you to b e more creative and varied in your playstyle," the developers said. "If you want to stay in your base to build and terraform, you'll want long-lasting food that gives you enough stamina to keep building, but also enough health so that you don't fall to your death. On an adventure, on the other hand, you might want to aim for a higher stamina or higher health, as this decision will now influence your combat style. Join us next time to find out how."

Valheim's Hearth & Home update was supposed to be out by now had it not been delayed back in June. The developers shifted their roadmap plans to have Hearth & Home releasing some time during Q3 2021 with the other bigger updates planned for the year moved to 2022 with no more specific timeframes given at this time. The Hearth & Home update does not yet have a confirmed release date.