4Game

I am close to finishing my Mistlands run and decided to revisit the devisive discussions about Mistlands and its balancing. It has probably been the weirdest biome we got so far and it just doesn't click with me. I was wondering why I wasn't enjoying the visuals and exploration that much. My conclusion is: Mistlands balancing has been so hotly contested not because Mistlands is too hard or too easy, but because Mistlands has some failures that make it so much harder. Some adapt to that and enjoy the challenge, some feel frustrated. Both have their place.

This has two causes in my opinion: failing to capitalize on potential Mistlands strengths and failing to capitalize on Valheims strengths.

Mistlands comes with a unique set of environmental difficulties. The terrain is jagged, frequently barely pathable and visibility is limited. You will spend a lot of stamina on getting around, even in fights. Stamina management is surprisingly frustrating even with meads because fighting on inclines does not work and you will relentlessly slide from any surface as soon as your stamina is gone. Many inclines also can't be climbed without jumping, further hurting your stamina. The biome doesn't seem to spawn with continuous valleys for routing and POIs are roughly as far apart as other biomes despite severe other obstacles. In my opinion, the biome could be vastly improved if the player would be given a set of extended mobility tools like a grappling hook or climbing tools or specific grappling points from third person games (think Rope Arrow from Tomb Raider?). I also think the wisp lanterns should be spawned more often and be visible from larger distances to clue the player in on worthwhile locations. Both adjustments would be well within the spirit of Mistlands but would give player more options to interact with the terrain.

On the other hand, the Mistlands by themselves are a weird addition to Valheim as a whole. The lack of visibility robs the game of its opportunity to showcase gorgeous and moody landscapes like it likes to do. The terrain frequently locks you into fights on inclines which is by far one of the weakest elements of the game. The "archipilago" style Mistlands seem wholly not worthwhile with you and your ship being massively vulnerable, making me question they exist at all. While the Plains are somewhat uninteresting to me as well, Mistlands seems actively uninterested in wanting me to explore it. Valleys are weirdly empty and lifeless except for the occasional tree and hare. It commits fully to an environmental gimmick and verticality without giving me the tools to interact with it, except bunny hopping and combing the terrain to not miss a mine by 2 meters.