Valheim's Hearth and Home update is just around the corner, and though it won't reinvent the Viking wheel, it is going to overhaul many aspects of of the Nordic purgatory simulator to make it more balanced, varied, and deeper. Alongside improvements and diversification of the cooking system, an added stagger bar, and revamps to food, stamina and health and how they effect combat, Hearth and Home will also make some big changes to two of the most popular weapon types: axes, and bows.
Although axes are the supreme Viking technology for cutting down trees to make massive boat slides, they're also pretty good for fighting. Unfortunately, the two handed variant, although powerful, is a little on the slow side to be that effective. Especially once you unlock faster and more powerful single handed alternatives. To fix that, Iron Gate is improving its speed and responsiveness, making it a more reactive weapon. It'll still take nuance and timing to use properly, but it will ultimately prove far more effective than it is now.
To counter that buff, Iron Gate will nerf bows a little. Their current machine-gun-like usage, especially at high levels, will be removed, making it take at least some time to draw your bow, no matter how good you are with it. On top of that, the way it interacts with stamina will be tweaked, so it won't take quite so much when fully drawn, giving you a little more time to aim.
Valheim Hearth and Home will launch on September 16 and will be followed later this year by an update to the mysterious, and currently underwhelming, Mistlands.