Patch-tracked guide
Should You Start a New World for Valheim 1.0? Old Save vs New Save
Whether your early-access world carries cleanly into Valheim 1.0, what a fresh save gives you, and how to migrate or dual-run without losing progress.
By Valheim Field Guide Editorial Team
The short answer
Most early-access worlds load straight into 1.0 without a wipe. The real question is whether your old map already has the terrain and world-generation version that Deep North expects.
The rest of this page splits into three questions: what an old world keeps, what changes underneath it, and whether Deep North generates correctly on your map. Read the world-generation note before the decision table — it is the one thing a fresh save guarantees and an old save may still need fixing.
What carries over
- Your character, skills, unlocked recipes and inventory persist.
- Structures you built stay put.
- Defeated Forsaken bosses remain defeated, and their Forsaken Powers stay claimable at the altar.
What changes under you
- Deep North is new terrain. Older worlds receive new content, but biome generation only works properly on areas that have not yet been explored.
- The achievement system begins tracking from the moment you download the 1.0 version — pre-1.0 feats get no retro-credit.
New save vs old save
| Consideration | Keep old world | Start fresh |
|---|---|---|
| Deep North access | Biome generation only in unexplored areas | Clean generation everywhere |
| Progress | All retained | Restart, but faster with knowledge |
| Achievements | No pre-1.0 credit | Tracking starts at 1.0 |
| Base building | Existing bases intact | Rebuild from scratch |
How to decide
Keep the old world if your base and boss progress matter more than a pristine map. Start fresh if you want Deep North to generate without edge-case fixes, or if you are returning after a long break and want the full 1.0 onboarding.
Links
- The full biome-by-biome route into 1.0: progression
- How the whole Forsaken progression fits together: full progression guide
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Buy me a coffeeFrequently asked questions
- Does my old Valheim world work in 1.0?
- Yes. Most early-access worlds load straight into 1.0 without a wipe. Your character, skills, unlocked recipes, inventory, built structures and defeated bosses all persist.
- Should I start a new world for Valheim 1.0?
- Keep the old world if your base and boss progress matter more than a pristine map. Start fresh if you want the Deep North to generate without edge-case fixes, or if you are returning after a long break and want the full 1.0 onboarding.
- Does the Deep North generate in old worlds?
- Only in areas you have not yet explored. Biome generation only works properly on unexplored terrain, so a fresh save guarantees clean Deep North generation everywhere while an old save may need fixing at the edges.
- Do I get achievements on my old world?
- No pre-1.0 feats get retroactive credit. The achievement system begins tracking from the moment you download 1.0, so progress made before that does not count.
Related guides
- Valheim After 1.0 — Iron Gate Roadmap & What Comes Next
What Iron Gate has said about Valheim after 1.0: the Deep North is the final biome, post-launch updates stay minor (fixes, balance, quality-of-life), and the patch cadence so far. No new biome or DLC has been announced.
Verified Valheim 1.0 - Valheim 1.0 Achievements — How They Work and What to Watch Out For
Valheim 1.0 achievement system: 53 total (17 hidden), boss and difficulty tiers, what can be missed on old saves, devcommand effects.
Verified Valheim 1.0 - Valheim 1.0 on PS5 and Switch 2 — Crossplay, Controls and Caveats
Valheim 1.0 on PS5 and Switch 2: crossplay with PC and Xbox, controller building, performance modes and known caveats for console players.
Verified Valheim 1.0
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