Valheim PTB 0.218.16 Patch Notes: Trollstav Nerfs, Catapult Dupe Fix, and Lava-Safe Shields

Ashlands has finally landed on the Valheim main branch, but Iron Gate Studio is not slowing down on the Public Test Branch. Update 0.218.16 just dropped on the PTB with a stack of bug fixes, balance tweaks, and a few overdue adjustments to the chaotic Trollstav.

Trollstav Gets a Reality Check

The Trollstav, the staff that conjures trolls to fight alongside you, was a little too clever for its own good. Players started summoning trolls inside dungeons, turning carefully designed encounters into spectator events. With 0.218.16, the Trollstav is now disabled in dungeons. Bring your axe, your shield, and your nerves instead.

Bosses also stop ignoring the summoned help. Previously, bosses locked onto the player while trolls hammered them from the sidelines. Now bosses can target Trollstav minions directly, so your reinforcements actually have to earn their keep. A warning message also appears when you try to spawn too many trolls at once, in case a screen full of giant green friends was not hint enough.

Shield Generators Survive Lava

Building deep in dangerous territory just got safer. Shield Generators no longer take damage when placed over lava, which means Ashlands defenses can finally go where they are actually needed rather than where the floor is not trying to kill you.

Other building changes worth noting:

• Stone Portals can now be placed on stone and black marble
• Grausten arched roof pieces no longer show a visible gap between adjacent pieces
• A performance hitch tied to Grausten building pieces has been smoothed out

Catapult Duplication Exploit Patched

A reported duplication glitch let players multiply stackable items using the catapult. Iron Gate has closed that loophole in 0.218.16, so siege engine quartermasters will need a new hobby. The original community thread on the bug is still a fun read for context.

Quality-of-Life and Loading Times

The loading screen is now less of a wait and more of a transition. The window freezes for a much shorter window, the intro starts playing while assets are still loading on a cold launch, and you can finally cycle through loading hints instead of staring at the same one for the entire boot.

Smaller polish items round things out: Smoke bombs can now extinguish fire, Magma fish respond to hot fishing bait, Fader's flame matches the visibility of his body, and the immobilized tooltip stops listing stats that do not apply.

Full Patch Notes for 0.218.16 (May 27, 2024)

This PTB drop is fixes and polish rather than fresh content. The official notes cover everything below.

Fixes and Improvements

• Trollstav can no longer be used in dungeons
• Trollstav will now give a warning message when trying to spawn too many trolls
• Bosses can now attack spawned trolls
• Smoke bombs can now be used to put out fire
• Stone portal is now able to be built on stone and black marble
• Shield Generator no longer takes damage from being built over lava
• Grausten arched roof pieces no longer display a gap between the top of two roof pieces
• Fixed a performance issue related to Grausten building pieces
• Fader's flame is no longer visible at a longer distance than his body
• The catapult will no longer duplicate stacked items
• Magma fish is now interested in hot fishing bait
• The immobilized tooltip will no longer show unnecessary stats
• The loading screen will now freeze the window for a much shorter period
• The intro will now start playing while loading to shorten the overall loading time when starting the game for the first time
• You can now cycle through hints in the loading screen
• Localization tweaks

Public Test Branch builds remain opt-in, so if you prefer waiting for these fixes to roll into the Standard Branch, that is a fair plan. For now, PTB testers get a calmer Trollstav, a lava-proof Shield Generator, and one fewer way to dupe iron.