Valheim’s Call to Arms update (Patch 0.221.3) has arrived on the Public Test Branch, bringing a brand-new combat mechanic alongside new gear, enemies, and balancing changes. Announced during Gamescom 2025, this update invites players to test Trinkets and the new Adrenaline system while exploring fresh content and improvements ahead of the game’s next major milestone.
A Major New Mechanic: Trinkets and Adrenaline
The headline feature of Call to Arms is the introduction of Trinkets, a completely new type of equippable item. Trinkets grant unique perks tied to a new combat resource called Adrenaline.
How Adrenaline Works:
- Adrenaline is gained by landing hits on enemies, triggering Forsaken Powers, using certain magic skills, or executing Perfect Blocks and the newly added Perfect Dodge Rolls. Once the Adrenaline bar fills, players enter an Adrenaline Surge, activating a temporary perk based on the Trinket they have equipped.
Combat Impact:
- Adrenaline naturally fades when combat stops, and it only builds while a Trinket is equipped. This system adds a new layer of tactical decision-making and rewards skillful play.
There are 13 new Trinkets to experiment with, including the Heart of the Forest, Bronze Pendant, Iron Brooch, Nimble Anklet, Crystal Heart, Wolf Sight, Fins of Destiny, Evasion Mantle, Bracelets of the Brave, Pulsating Earrings, Resounding Shackle, Jörmundling, and Brimstone.
Combat Evolves with Practice Weapons and New Skill
To support these changes, the update adds wooden weapons—damage-free versions of swords, axes, spears, and more. They allow players to spar with friends safely, making it easier to practice timing and coordination. The practice set includes a Wooden Sword, Greatsword, Axe, Two-Handed Axe, Mace, Sledge, Spear, Atgeir, and Knife.
Another key addition is the Perfect Dodge Roll skill. It restores stamina when players dodge an incoming attack with precise timing. At the same time, Perfect Block has been reworked to no longer consume stamina, making shields much more dependable in extended battles.
New Gear, Crafting Materials, and Enemies
Beyond the major mechanic, Call to Arms enriches Valheim with a wide range of fresh content:
- Creatures: Two new monster types appear, alongside a reworked creature for added variety.
- Crafting Materials: Eight new items—Blob Vial (purchasable), Ectoplasm, Ghost Trophy, Bear Hide, Bear Trophy, Bear Paw, Vile Trophy, and Vile Ribcage.
- Weapons: Eighteen new weapons join the arsenal. Highlights include Bottled Blob throwables (Poison, Oozer, Tar, Lava, Frost), fist weapons Paws of the Bear and Vilebone Maulclaws, and new battleaxes like Black Metal and Skull Splittur.
- Armor & Clothing: Two new armor sets, the Bear-themed gear and the sinister Vilebone set, bring both protection and style. A purchasable Sweat Band hat adds a lighter option.
- Food: A new food item enters the survival rotation.
- Building & Furniture: Players can now construct practice dummies like the Archery Target and Battle Brother, as well as decorative options like the Bearskin Rug. A brand-new location, CombatRuin01, also debuts.
- Cosmetics: Three hairstyles (Mullet, Castellan, Vinland Shave) and five beards (Mustache, Handlebar, Trimmed, Waxed, Crumb Catcher) expand customization options.
Forsaken Powers and Combat Balancing
Several Forsaken Powers have been rebalanced to ensure fairer progression:
- Eikthyr: 60% reduced stamina usage for running, jumping, and swimming
- The Elder: 60% chop/mining damage increase, 30% health regeneration increase
- Bonemass: 25% resistance to pierce/slash/blunt, 100% reduced block stamina cost, +5 stamina return per block
- Moder: Always tailwind, +300 carry weight, +10% movement speed, +50% frost resistance
- Yagluth: +50% lightning resistance, +25 Farm skill, +10% damage
- The Queen: 100% increased Eitr regeneration, –100% sneak cost, +50% poison resistance
- Fader: +100% adrenaline gain, –50% stagger modifier, +50% fire resistance
Other combat adjustments include reduced movement penalties on Battleaxes, Sledgehammers, and Tower Shields, along with improvements to vertical combat that make it easier to land hits on enemies standing on slopes.
Quality-of-Life Updates
The patch also delivers a range of performance and usability improvements:
- Item stands now support many more items, with some allowing multiple orientations.
- Unity engine upgraded to version 6000.0.46f for better performance and stability.
- The server list has been completely rewritten for faster retrieval, better scalability, clearer refresh indicators, and more reliable matchmaking data.
- Platform-specific enhancements: Steam players benefit from sharper profile images and improved server retrieval, while Xbox users gain faster friend list loading, a suspend-mode notification, and a new toggle to enable the developer console.
How to Join the Public Test
For those eager to try the update early:
- On Steam: Right-click Valheim in your library → Properties → Betas → Enter the password
yesimadebackups→ Select Public Test. - On PC Game Pass: Use the Xbox Insider Hub app → Previews → Valheim Public Test.
It’s strongly recommended to back up your saves before switching, as Public Test Branch files cannot be reverted. Players should also expect minor version offsets between platforms and note that most mods won’t work on the test build. Historically, updates remain in Public Test for about 10–20 days before moving to the live branch.
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The Call to Arms update serves as a bridge between the Ashlands update and the upcoming Deep North biome, slated for Spring 2026. With 1.0 approaching, this patch not only refreshes gameplay but also gives players a taste of the direction Valheim’s final early access stage is heading.
For now, trinkets and adrenaline are the star attractions, offering a brand-new way to experience the Viking saga while sharpening your combat skills in preparation for the journey north.
