A new patch is now available that may bring relief in many ways to the Vikings who have been immersed in a massive terrain modification project in Valheim and are suffering from fps issues as a result. Valheim's 0.150.3 patch, released today, introduces a new terrain modification system aimed at alleviating performance issues:

"The new terrain modification system was created to reduce the number of network instances and make loading faster and smoother and Valheim developers posted today.

"Technically it's a pretty big change, but you shouldn't notice much difference other than a few behavioral changes to the hoe and pickaxe and of course smoother loading in areas with lots of terrain modifications. All terrain modifications after this patch (using the hoe, pickaxe, and tiller) will automatically use the new modification system.

However, this update does not automatically apply the new system everywhere in the game world. If an existing world has major terrain modifications, the existing terrain modifications can be manually converted to the new system by using a new console command. This command "opterrain" (without quotes), when entered in the developer console, will convert the modified terrain within a range (said to be about 150 meters) to the new system.

However, be a little careful using the new console command in your world. Most players report that the command does not override their landscaping work, and some say it improves fps in modified areas, such as around bases that have undergone major terrain changes. However, several others report that certain areas where they have done extensive terraforming have had some of the excavation and shaping erased, with the map reverting to its original state when the new console command is used. So you might want to wait a bit and see how other players in the subreddit are using this command before trying it yourself.

I tried it on my world. According to the console, quite a few changes were made when switching to the new system, but I didn't notice anything visually, nor did I notice any fps changes:

Another change included in the patch should make all you Viking landscapers quite happy. The amount of stone needed to raise the ground with a hoe has been cut in half. Yay! This should certainly speed up your latest project.

Update: However! This patch is also kind of detrimental to the hoe if you use certain methods when tilling the ground. In this CohhCarnage video, when the player points the cursor to just the right spot, the entire ground can be raised with one click.

This method seems to have been fixed in the update (honestly, it seemed like a bit of an abuse, given that I rarely use stones), so if you've been using that method while landscaping, this patch probably feels like a big hoe nerf, not a decent hoe buff You'll feel it. My apologies, Vikings.

Full patch notes here: