Valheim's latest update introduces a highly requested quality-of-life improvement: the ability to remap the dodge key. For five years, players have been unable to assign a single button to initiate a dodge, a crucial maneuver for evading enemies in the survival game. Previously, dodging required a combination of input, such as holding the block button and pressing jump, along with a directional input on keyboard, or a stick and button combination on a controller.
This change, which went live on PC recently, addresses a persistent piece of player feedback that has been voiced since the game's early access period. The update also allows players to remap items on their radial wheel and hotbar. Additionally, a toggle to disable the intro cinematic, which was introduced with the Valheim 1.0 release, has been added.
The patch notes detail several other improvements, including bug fixes and optimizations. Among the fixes is a resolution for issues where some players and resources were incorrectly flagged as cheats. The developers have also adjusted the player base effect on certain build pieces to offer better enemy blocking, and fixed inaccuracies in controller input processing that affected diagonal movement speed.
Further optimizations have been made to GPU performance, particularly when tessellation is disabled, and heightmap shadows are now calculated more accurately with a lower performance cost. Particle systems in the main menu have also been optimized to reduce overdraw. The update includes specific performance improvements for the Nintendo Switch 2, and fixes related to TV output refresh rates on both Switch 2 and PlayStation 5.
Bug fixes also address issues with respawning Jotun puffs and Magecaps, incorrect stacking of cheated items, and problems with the grappling hook's secondary attack. Various fixes have been implemented for Ashlands water effects and damage, character save issues on servers, and deep north battleaxe functionality. Placeable boulders have been made persistent, and the Ballista has been updated to accept new trophies. The patch notes also mention fixes for music mixing and looping in various biomes, collider adjustments for seals, and issues with certain achievements that could not be unlocked or unlocked repeatedly in multiplayer. Steam Cloud saving issues have also been resolved.