I say wait till the game is out of early access. I enjoyed what I played, but unless you only want to build build build build this game wont have much for you as of yet. It takes almost no time to explore all its content and the new content they have added is mostly color pallet changes to building pieces. Depends on your play style i guess. If you only plan on playing around in creative mode building absurdly large bases then I suppose its a good purchase. If you want to explore new areas and encounter new mobs then I'd say wait. They have teased one new creature for the mistlands and its a mob that looks exactly like a deathsquito. Not exactly new content if you ask me.

One of the best food items in the game is acquired at sea. The sea serpent meat which goes into making the serpent stew gives the most health bonus as the game sits right now. Sailing the seas is very important and the game is impossible to play without it. However it is over all a small portion of the game play. So if it's the open ocean that is the content your wanting to play most of all then I'd wait for that update.

i think the ocean update will come with or after the mistlands update

Sailing is a good experience, and at times really important, but you'll be doing it like 5% of the time at most.

Originally posted by Man Skinn:

I want it and it looks really fun but the biggest appeal for me is the seas in this game, but apparently there isn't much to boats or oceans right now. Should I wait until the ocean update comes out?

PROS:
- great visual ambience
- lovely music
- 5 (Meadows, Black Forest, Mountains, Swamp, Plains) out of 9 biomes (remaining: Ashlands, Far North, Mistlands, Ocean) has bosses and lots of content
- of remaining 4 biomes, 1 is in development (Mistlands) for release this year
- reasonable number of updates (1-2 per month on average) which includes fixing bugs, improving existing content, balancing, restructuring of framework, etc
- ability to create your own dedicated server for up to 10 players logged in concurrently
- ability to play co-op via Steam Friends direct
- basic physics-based building and landscaping

NEUTRAL:
- no official mod support, no Steam Workshop
- will break game if modded heavily
- pattern of major releases reflect one major update every 8 months, with significant content-related smaller updates once every 4-5 months, mountain caves and other stuff recently released, H&H was released in September 2021, game went into EA February 2021. There were 26 updates in 2021.

CONS:
- game is not bug-free and will break along the way if you're unlucky
- not fully graphically-optimised, possible high GPU and/or CPU temperatures
- controllers are fully implemented, but some players still have issues with swapped buttons and outright not working
- Steam-Cloud saving an issue
- no dedicated server administrative settings, will need to rely primarily on good-natured players who follow rules

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So before you buy this game, make sure to be mindful of the above points. Go through the forums and take a glance through the bigger threads. Lots of people complaining this game should be considered version 1.0, because it's released publicly to be bought, but fail to recognise the game is in Open Alpha/Open Beta. Hence "Early Access".

When you make your decision, ask yourself if you are willing to potentially lose progress along the way, on the notion you're really a game tester for Valheim. If you don't mind the notion of losing progress before the game reaches version 1.0, then by all means, buy this game for $18 to $24 Cdn. It's cheap and offers a lot.

However, if you aren't willing to potentially lose progress and you think software development is the same as factory production line working, then definitely do not buy Valheim. I suggest another game that is near release v1.0 or another game that is already out of Early Access.

Personally, it's a game I've invested over 470 hours in since September, a wee bit before H&H. Crashed once because something I caused. Never had any saving issues, never had any other game-breaking bugs come up for me. I run a server where all 8 of my players never ran into any issues as well. I know problems do exist because others have it, and it comes down to system hardware trigger points coinciding software code interaction.

ocean update could very well be 1-3 years in the future

Originally posted by Man Skinn:

I want it and it looks really fun but the biggest appeal for me is the seas in this game, but apparently there isn't much to boats or oceans right now. Should I wait until the ocean update comes out?

Wait...barely any content to me. building is fun but the sailing (especially for the theme) is lack luster. Personally this game is seriously over hyped. The look is appealing and some of the gameplay is fun. But after it hit it big and the roadmap was changed and development slowed to a crawl and i am questioning whether the devs will finish as they made there money (over 10 million sold times 20$, you do the math).

Please keep in mind this is my own personal opinion and view, it is completely up to you as its your money. But i would personally wait, for at least the next big content drop. Once that happens (sorry i do not count homestead, was meh to me) then i will be more at ease and recommend buying for others.

Stop thinking about it & get it.

Originally posted by Herbalogist:

oceans dont offer much.... YET we dont know what they might do. unless they have released some info i havent read

There are plans for more creatures, etc for the Oceans.

I bought it and regretted that decision. It is a game that has no innovation. Just the usual bag of tricks.

Originally posted by Man Skinn:

I want it and it looks really fun but the biggest appeal for me is the seas in this game, but apparently there isn't much to boats or oceans right now. Should I wait until the ocean update comes out?

i love the game. im not a big fan of the ocean and sailing but islands really are not that far apart. to not get it because ur not a fan of sailing would be sad. This is a great game and the devs really are interested with what the community says. Updates and bug fixes are regular. the Ice Caves just went live. You really are missing out on a great game and a great community!

i have had this since basically the hearth and home update, iv enjoyed every part of this game so far, and its only still in early access mode. its fun for what it is and the views in the game are nicely done, its best played with friends, but playing alone is fine, in my opinion it can have a weird feeling like being in the woods alone. but the game itself is fun im on day 530 in my world working on my base little by little, and the best part, is that you can put it down and come back to it whenever you like basically, and as time goes on more new things are added

I dont wish to detract from this game ..I love it..its full of death and jump scares in Solo mode. but as a resource based game, currently the"Oceans" dont offer much (no spoilers!) but your character will benefit from land resources .. and that will definately help your characters voyages into open Oceans and other lands,,i would recommend it as is! as for multiplayer i cannot speak!

oceans dont offer much.... YET we dont know what they might do. unless they have released some info i havent read

Not that I've played it, but maybe Raft has more oceans?

That said, Valheim is a great game, just not if it's what you're looking for.