how valheim stole my heart

I have a couple theories why this game is so addicting… Coming from someone who has only played fps like apex and Fortnite for the past few years.

Community – the valheim player base is great. People are helpful and love working with or helping out new players. Apex has the most toxic community around so this game has injected some humanity and joy into my leisure time. Apex made me angry and stressed out.
Mechanics – This game has phenomenal mechanics. Chopping trees is fun. Building is way more fun and rewarding than I expected. Exploring, crafting, and surviving are more than a means to an end and are very fun.
Atmosphere – the devs have really created a world that's immersive to me. The day-night cycles, the music, the art or visuals are all unique and compelling. After playing valheim, I see fallen branches a whole new way in real life.
Cross platform – I originally bought this game because I was looking for something I could enjoy on the steam deck. The ability to self-host a server in docker sealed my fate and made me want to enjoy valheim and get past the initial resistance ive always had for RPGs and MMOs.

What got you guys hooked? Have you always been a survival game fan?