Ashlands is a HUGE disappointment

[Marianski]

I am playing Valheim since it was released.
I love the progression through the biomes. Each biome is unique.
Building a nice, possibly awesome-looking base is a key component of the game.
Each biome allowed for such builds.
Then came Mistlands and broke with that.
Mistlands is kinda hostile to building bases. The terrain prevents many builds.
The fog adds to that and the constant theat of Gjalls rounds it up.
But it was doable, but "under rough conditions". Still - accepting Mistlands took a while.
Then came ashlands...
This whole biome shouts only 1 message into your face:
"you are supposed to SUFFER here!"
Nothing is pleasant here. Nothing is even "fun".
Yes - the biome has multiple good and new variants, but the annoyances overpower all of that.
You are constantly swarmed by tons of different mobs.
All mobs aggro from miles away, unlike in any other biome.
Certain resources are so incredibly scarce and hard to obtain, it ruins all the fun, e.g.
Flametal is required for tons of things, even for building pieces (16 bars ofr a gate, seriously), while at the same time: the total amount of flametal bars is extremely limited.
There are no "safe zones" at all, you literally have to build a massive fortress with trenches, myriads of workbenchs / fires to prevent spawning, high walls etc... and that still doesnt make the base "safe".
Long story short:
The game introduced itself as a colorful explorational game that invited you to settle down and build the base of your dreams. and it did this job in an AWESOME way.
But with each content update, that promise dwindles, leaving people more and more with a "souls like" experience.
You are constantly busy to just stay alive and every piece of progress is a struggle.
All these new building materials are literally only meant for being transported away into more pleasant biomes, since the Art of fine build-crafting is not recommended in Ashlands at all".
The main features of Valheim got lost for me in Ashlands. Its not "fun" anymore.
Its only struggle and annoyance at this point.

[Not A Beach]

dont go to hell

[fiese Fee™]

Ashland is the best biom for fighting and i love it.

[Chiller]

This game is about you enlisting for Odin's Special Forces training program. If you want to enter Valhalla and earn his patronage, you should manage to fight your way through the hellscape. Ragnarok will be worse. You will need to 1v8 multiple horrific hordes which will be unleashed when it's time.

[Darren Daulton]

I feel the exact same way, but not about this game. Pac Man. I like it when I eat the power pellet and the ghosts get scared of me , and I can eat them. That's my favorite part. The rest is just too stressful and sweaty.

[Draconis]

I've actually built a base that is relatively safe and does not need campfires around or dirt walls.
The key concepts are:
- Building the outer wall of black marble, so it does not break that quickly.
- parts of the outer wall consist of grausten walls with windows, and these are covered with the new ashwood spikes. I can repair the spikes from inside the base by aiming out through the windows.
- the door is not exactly on the ground but with a about 1 or 0.5 high wall beneath. This breaks the enemies pathfinding and makes it easier for them to walk into the spikes.
- also, of course there is a shield generator inside.

It has enough space for a bit of storage and a few portals and is safe enough for a retreat if necessary. I just have to keep Morgens off a bit, bacause these can do some damage to the structure before the spikes kill them. Usually they don't even destroy the structure completely so it can be repaired easily.

[Darren Daulton]

Doesn't everyone just build inside and above the existing fortresses? Completely safe in my experience.

[Evrach]

Agreed, we also took an existing fortress and made a small base inside.

[OctoberSky]

I completely respect OP's assertion. But I'm pretty dumb regarding what people might call fun. I'm definitely not trying to challenge the statement but I would really appreciate maybe some positive comment regarding what would make Ashlands more fun. Maybe offer some suggestions? I probably would find most if not all of them excellent ways to make Ashlands more fun as well. Just hoping for some clarification. Many thanks in advance.

[Steve]

Every problem suggested here can be addressed with world modifiers.

Valheim is not a cozy game by default. As many others have rightfully pointed out, this is a game where one is expected to earn one's place in Valhalla through combat.

THAT IS THE CORE FEATURE OF THIS GAME.

This is a game about FIGHTING. We are to FIGHT our way to the end. We are to FIGHT big, nasty bosses. And yes, as it's a player versus environment game, the environment itself is expected to fight you as well.

The building is cool. The emotes are great. The exploration is awesome. But the game is about the fight. To take the fight out of the game, please use the world modifiers instead of suggesting the game should be nerfed for EVERYONE.

Those of us that want a challenge aren't ramming said challenge down your throat. Just please keep that in mind when lamenting this game's challenge, but even more importantly, keep those world modifiers in mind.

If a player wants to make an easier time for themselves, it is wholly within their power and right to do so. It is never our right to force a given playstyle on each other. Nobody's got time for that.

[Marianski]

I appreciate the replies so far.
I admit that saying "its not fun" is a very subjective thing.
WHat i actually mean is that being in Ashlands equals a constant struggle for survival without any rest.
The amount of mobs + the aggro range + the insane respawn times make it as uncomfortable as it gets.
And that doesnt stand in line with the prior Valheim experience.
it used to be a nice balance between challenges in combat, but on the other hand calm and save moments, revolving around farming, breeding, building a cozy base, propably enjoying the views.
Ashlands, on the other side, feels somewhat like a souls-like game aka Elden Ring, where death is not an option, but an eventuality - it feels like its just a matter of time.
There are people that sure do enjoy that playstyle. Elden Ring proves it.
But I dont think that this is what a huge chunk of "Valheim veterans" signed up for initially. Including me.

[Mharr]

You could also raid the Ashlands for recipes and resources and take those back to a sane biome to build your awesome castle with them. The new portal very much supports your home and operations site being in different places.

[bacon]

as with other biomes, ashlands has great heavyweight enemies but the fodder are just a chore to fight. there is nothing engaging about waves of charred which drop nothing. at least previous fodder enemies had good drops, like greydwarf eyes, entrails, dog meat and skins, black metal, bug meat and skins, etc. charred drop literal crap, and they are everywhere.

[Davestiii]

I've build inside an existing fortress, monsters can't even break the wall so it pretty safe but yeah, it would be cool to be able to build anywhere else and still be able to build something safe from the ground up. Enemies spawn is insanely busted right now.... The best way to progress in Ashland ? Just run to point A to Point B and never stop or you will be stuck in a forever battle. Pretty stupid but that the way to go.

[Drosta]

Originally posted by bacon:

as with other biomes, ashlands has great heavyweight enemies but the fodder are just a chore to fight. there is nothing engaging about waves of charred which drop nothing. at least previous fodder enemies had good drops, like greydwarf eyes, entrails, dog meat and skins, black metal, bug meat and skins, etc. charred drop literal crap, and they are everywhere.

I think this is valid criticism. Waves of enemies that serve no purpose other than to impede you are annoying. Make them drop something of value.

Aside from that, Im not saying anyone can't voice an opinion but I'm not sure what the issue is for OP. You want to build in Ashlands but it's hard? Tune the difficulty for yourself or build elsewhere. What else is there? I know for alot of players this game was fun as a creative asset builder and while I do enjoy that part of the game at times I dont think that was ever meant to be it's focus.

[Draconis]

Originally posted by Marianski:

I appreciate the replies so far.
I admit that saying "its not fun" is a very subjective thing.
WHat i actually mean is that being in Ashlands equals a constant struggle for survival without any rest.
The amount of mobs + the aggro range + the insane respawn times make it as uncomfortable as it gets.
And that doesnt stand in line with the prior Valheim experience.
it used to be a nice balance between challenges in combat, but on the other hand calm and save moments, revolving around farming, breeding, building a cozy base, propably enjoying the views.
Ashlands, on the other side, feels somewhat like a souls-like game aka Elden Ring, where death is not an option, but an eventuality - it feels like its just a matter of time.
There are people that sure do enjoy that playstyle. Elden Ring proves it.
But I dont think that this is what a huge chunk of "Valheim veterans" signed up for initially. Including me.

Well, that is Ashlands. It is not meant to be calm and comfortable. It fights back. So if you want to settle there, you will have to really conquer the space you want to have your own.
You need fortifications (some more options for this would be just what would make Ashlands more fun for me), you need strong walls, powered shields, defenses and so on. It still might be dangerous.

Except you build you base in a former fortress (well, that's also conquest, actually) or with massive earth walls (can that actually be considered a "fortification"?). Doable, of course. But remember, it's the second last biome, we are getting near endgame and therefore things (even building and securing an oupost) might and will come with additional challenges.