The path to Valhalla requires bravery, first and foremost. An indomitable spirit, forged from a relentless drive to protect oneself and one’s kin. Aska is all about building and maintaining a tribe amid the harsh wilderness, leaning on each other’s strengths to survive. The Viking-themed rival to Valheim arrived last year to considerable interest, and its latest update makes settlement life that much better.
As a survival game, Aska treads a lot of familiar ground. You have to forage for food, eat to keep your strength up, and craft tools, weapons, and other items. As with so many other great survival experiences, it’s a co-op game too, where you can join a number of friends, or find others who need another set of hands. Together you gradually build a commune with villagers and crops and safe places to eat and sleep.
The February 2025 update serves these goals in a few different ways. You can now replant trees using Foresters, a new building, and a new type of shovel, to increase your yield of wood. Toiling down the mines of the Viking game just got easier as well, thanks to regenerating iron and stone from Aska’s very own version of dynamite.
The eggs of cave crawlers are corrosive such that if they’re mixed with other materials, you can make a pretty reliable Explosive Sack. Place one in a cave that’s been suitably mined and the resulting explosion and cave-in will replenish the stone and iron supplies, as well as uprooting a bunch of other resources from the shockwave. They won’t work in cave rooms, though.
Lastly, fishing boats are sturdier and easier to navigate with, so you can brave the seas with a little more control. Villagers don’t lose or abandon them any more, either. Sturdy Fishing Rods have been added, and there are now safety areas in fishermen buildings to help you reel in and keep the finest catches of the day.
You can read more, including all the bug fixes and minor changes, in the full patch notes here. Quality of life seems to be the goal here from developer Sand Sailor Studio, as Aska continues to expand in Early Access. Updates have been regular since the multiplayer game first launched in June 2024, each one providing more reason to hop in and join the fray.
Aska’s February update is live now, and the game is available in Steam Early Access. Alternatively, have a look at our lists of the best medieval games and best dragon games for more historical gallivanting.
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