Val Hull

Resident role-playing RPG game expert. Knows where trolls and paladins come from. You must fight for your right to gather your party before venturing forth.

Joined: March 2, 2023
Articles: 104
Comments: 4

valheim dev blog deep north and release featured image

ByVal Hull
OnNovember 20, 2024

Valheim Development Update – Deep North and the 1.0 Release

Valheim launched into early access in February 2021, instantly becoming a runaway indie success. Since then, the game has received a couple of major updates adding new biomes, namely Mistlands and Ashlands, and several smaller but still significant content patches…

ByVal Hull
OnNovember 19, 2024

Valheim Patch 0.219.16 Fixes Gamepads and Exploits, Reworks the Asksvin Cape

A couple weeks back, the developers over at Iron Gate released a new major early access patch for Valheim. That Patch 0.219.13 introduced a new NPC trader – the Bog Witch – and the new feast system. The patch also…

ByVal Hull
OnNovember 14, 2024

How to Find Haldor – Valheim

Haldor is a friendly NPC trader you can find while exploring the Black Forest in Valheim. As he was there pretty much from the start, he doesn’t have a specific theme like the traders added to Valheim with future patches.…

ByVal Hull
OnNovember 14, 2024

How to Find the Bog Witch – Valheim

The Bog Witch is a friendly NPC trader added to Valheim with the 0.219.13 Patch. As her name might suggest, this vendor lives in the Swamp, selling various potions, mushrooms, herbs, and other helpful items. Due to Valheim’s randomized nature,…

ByVal Hull
OnOctober 2, 2024

Elden Ring Patch 1.15 Released – Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Having introduced quite a few balance adjustments in their previous patch for Elden Ring, and in particular the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Bandai Namco together with FromSoftware now bring us a shiny new patch for the Shadow of…

ByVal Hull
OnSeptember 10, 2024

The State of RTS Games in 2024

The ’90s were the undeniable golden age for real-time strategy games. Everyone just seemed fascinated by the idea of constructing a well-defended base, gathering resources, drawing green boxes around assorted units, and sending them into battle against a human or…

baldur's gate series comparison featured image

ByVal Hull
OnSeptember 8, 2024

Baldur’s Gate Trilogy Ranked – Which Game Is the Best?

When Baldur’s Gate 3 launched, it was hailed as the new gold standard in cRPGs. The game’s strikingly detailed visuals, approachable gameplay, colorful cast, and some clever viral marketing all came together to create a gaming phenomenon. Since its release…

ByVal Hull
OnSeptember 6, 2024
1 Comment

Should You Play Starfield in 2024? Examining Bethesda’s Latest A Year Later

Bethesda Game Studios released Starfield on September 6, 2023. It was the studio’s first new IP in 25 years. According to the game’s director Todd Howard, it was the dream project he’s been meaning to make since his earliest days…

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ByVal Hull
OnAugust 15, 2024

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Announces Release Date With a Trailer

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the next entry in BioWare’s dark fantasy RPG saga, is now scheduled to go live for PC (Steam page), Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on October 31, 2024. The release date was announced in a…

Owlcat Games Goes Into Publishing Featured Image

ByVal Hull
OnAugust 15, 2024

Owlcat Games to Publish Two Indie RPGs – Rue Valley and Shadow of the Road

Indie RPG developer becomes indie RPG publisher. Owlcat Games, the studio behind some of the meatiest RPGs of recent years (Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader), announced on their website that they’ll be expanding their…