The Mistlands update gave off some mixed signals with horrifying enemies, but it did introduce some of the scariest enemies inValheimso far. Before the Mistlands update overhauled the biome,Valheim’s Mistlands were originally filled with towering trees and ominous spiderwebs. The biome had no enemies before the update though, whereas now there are plenty of creepy monsters there, including the new Queen insect boss.Valheimhas such a comforting art style and having more terrifying enemies is a contrast that the game should heavily expand upon in future updates.
Valheim’s Mistlands update was a good venture into some horror elements via new creepy creatures, but there’s still plenty of room to keep going down the spooky rabbit hole. One recent survival-crafting game that took horror over the top with terrifying enemies isSons Of The Forest, with different cannibals, mutants, and demons. As agame set in Norse mythology,Valheimhas plenty of room to outdo the horrors of other games in its genre by leaning into some of the scariest figures from Norse stories.
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Norse Creatures That Could Expand Valheim’s Horror Elements
Valheimalready has plenty of strong Norse inspirations when it comes to enemy types in particular. Trolls are one creature from Norse mythology that players will encounter early on, and the stylized influence doesn’t stop there. The Dvergr characters introduced inValheim’s Mistlands updatebear a strong resemblance to Dwarves, especially considering their shared fondness and skill with forging. The Mistlands update also introduced the remains of fallen giants, which bear a strong resemblance to Jotnar of Norse mythology. Draugr are one of the more direct influences in the game. SinceValheimproudly wears its Norse mythology roots on its shoulder, Iron Gate Studios should experiment with the darker figures from the setting and double-down on how engaging it can make the game.
One potential thatValheimcould explore is to turn dead players into Draugr.Valheimalready has Draugr enemies in the game that generally behave within the bounds of Norse myth, though there’s still some room for expanding on the Norse influence. It might call for a reevaluation of how players drop theirinventory inValheimwhen they die, but having to face a Draugr version of a player to collect their fallen loot would be both fun and terrifying. If players would only drop their gold currency and valuables when they die, facing a zombified mimic of themselves might even be preferred over losing skill levels and gear upon death.
Sleeping andresting inValheimare some of the safest things players can do, but one specific creature could change that. Regardless of multiplayer servers or for solo players inValheim, having an enemy that targets players at their most vulnerable time would be an immensely terrifying experience. The Mare from Norse mythology does exactly this by invading the dreams of people in their sleep. Even for players with the most fortified bases inValheim, Mares could takeValheim’s minimal horror elements to the extreme. Mares would make players think twice about sleeping away the dark nights inValheim, since otherwise there are no reasons not to.
Valheim’s Leviathan enemyis distinctly close to descriptions of the Kraken, but that doesn’t mean that Iron Gate studios shouldn’t look into adding more hostile sea creatures intoValheim. Kraken are giant octopi that reside in deep water and will either attack water vessels or entrap humans who mistake its large features for land masses. The latter is exactly how the Leviathans inValheimbehave, though these creatures don’t put up any additional fight beyond leaving players to drown. The sheer size of the Kraken could be enough on its own to scare some players away from deep waters. Additionally, having a creature that follows players back onto the assumed safety of land would be unlike anything else currently inValheim.
Valheimis available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
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