A new Valmora version is here!

The new Valmora version is now available for Tier 3+ supporters!

We've put a lot of work into this update. Really, a lot. We've fought our way through more bugs than we'd like to admit, rebuilt a few things along the way, and made plenty of changes that aren't immediately visible in a screenshot.

Alongside performance improvements, we've revisited several parts of the game to make combat, exploration and everyday interactions feel better.

We've also included an early look at a new area of the map, plus the first foundations for systems we plan to expand in future versions.

Here's what's new!

Making Valmora run smoother

Performance has been one of our main priorities for this release.

We've continued working on lighting, shadows and general optimization, introduced PSO pre-caching, and worked on a broader compatibility profile that will help us establish Valmora's hardware requirements.

We're paying particular attention to PCs with 16 GB of RAM. This work is still ongoing, and performance will vary depending on your hardware, but the improvements in this build are an important step toward a smoother experience.

We've also reworked the map with performance in mind and addressed issues that affected movement in packaged builds.

The goal? Making Valmora easier to run, even if your PC isn't a spaceship!

Combat, exploration and the little things that matter

This update isn't just about FPS.

We've made substantial changes to how combat behaves, especially when you're fighting without locking onto a target. Your attacks now follow the direction the camera is facing, alongside additional melee improvements and reworked weapon animations.

We've also rebuilt the interaction dot from scratch to make interacting with the world more responsive and reliable.

The horse has received a complete rework too. Its new state machines give us a more reliable starting point for the features we want to add later.

And there's more life in the wilderness: foxes and deer can now be targeted and hunted for materials. They'll normally try to escape, and hostile creatures such as goblins can target them too.

A new area to explore

Can you guess where this is? :D

We've included an early blockout of a new area of Valmora in this build!

It's still a first draft, not a finished gameplay zone. The layout is there to explore, but the environment, activities and content will be added on the way.

We wanted to share it at this stage so you can start getting a sense of where the world is heading.

Once everyone has had some time with the new version, we'd love to open up a discussion with the community about the area and hear your ideas for what could come next.

The first steps toward settlement building

There's also a small but important experiment in this version: the foundation of a settlement building system.

For now, the blacksmith is only a placeholder. You can virtually assign workers and produce arrows, but this isn't a complete settlement system yet.

It's an early starting point that gives us something to build on as Valmora grows.

Full changelog

Performance & stability

• Continued work on Valmora's compatibility profile, with a focus on smoother gameplay on PCs with 16 GB of RAM.

• Added PSO pre-caching to help improve in-game performance.

• Improved the main map and quick access with a more performance-oriented implementation.

• Fixed various movement component issues affecting packaged builds.

Combat & animations

• Reworked weapon animations.

• Added melee combat improvements to help with attacks without a locked target.

• Overhauled combat targeting: attacks now follow the direction the camera is facing.

• Fixed A-Pose issues affecting Goblins and Bandits after migration.

• Fixed an issue with equipping bows.

• Fixed inconsistencies involving shields and already equipped one-handed weapons.

Exploration & interactions

• Reworked the bridge outside the village for better traversal.

• Rebuilt the interaction dot from scratch for improved responsiveness and reliability.

• Reworked the horse from scratch with improved state machines and reliability, laying the groundwork for future expansion.

• Added camera zoom in/out using the mouse wheel.

• Reduced the default player camera distance from 300 to 250.

• Foxes and deer can now be targeted and hunted for materials. They normally flee and can also be targeted by hostile creatures.

Map & navigation

• Added support for up to 5 custom map markers.

• Improved overall map performance and quick access.

• Reworked the on-screen quick map for better readability and synchronization with the inventory map.

Character creation & settings

• Added Skin Templates to the Player Character Creator.

• Extended Skin Templates to the Follower Creator.

• Added an Auto-Equip on/off setting for the player and followers under Game Settings.

• Fixed Sprint Toggle Mode in Game Settings.

Economy & new systems

• Reworked item classifications, weights, and buying and selling prices.

• Added previously created items that weren't yet available in-game.

• Prepared the foundation for future dynamic item economy scaling.

• Experimental: added the first foundation for settlement building, with a placeholder blacksmith, virtual worker assignment and arrow production.

Play the new version

The new build is available now for Tier 3+ supporters.

You can find the download links and access instructions in the dedicated release post:

Thank you for supporting Valmora and following its development. There's still plenty to do, but we're excited to share this next step with you.

— Iron Leaf Team