Getting Started

Valheim is an amazing survival game built on Norse mythology. Your journey begins as a fallen Viking warrior, guided by Hugin, a massive talking raven who assists you with knowledge about this harsh and beautiful world. This guide will help you navigate your first days in Valheim and provide essential tips to help your clan thrive.

1. Your First Steps

Look Up: Yggdrasil

Above your spawn point, you'll notice a massive tree structure dominating the sky: Yggdrasil, the World Tree. This Norse cosmic pillar spreads across the entire world and remains visible from any location. Surprisingly, Yggdrasil is fully rendered in 3D, not a 2D image. If you ever use flying commands or explore vertically, you can approach this magnificent structure and appreciate its scale.

Gather Basic Materials

Your immediate goal is gathering essential crafting materials:

• Wood: Punch trees or pick up branches on the ground. Look for small saplings.
• Stones: Look for rocks on beaches and in meadows. These are everywhere.
• Food: Gather mushrooms, raspberries, and blueberries from bushes.
• Deer Trophies: Hunt deer (sneak approach works best) for these essential summoning items.

2. Building Your First Shelter

Craft Your Workbench

The workbench is the heart of your Viking operations. Craft it immediately using 10 wood. Once placed, it defines a build radius where you can construct structures and craft items. Always place it strategically near resources but with room to expand.

Basic Building Tips

• Start Simple: A small 5x5 shelter with a thatched roof provides protection and warmth.
• Include a Bed: Set your spawn point so you respawn near your base. The bed must be covered by a roof.
• Add a Campfire: Essential for warmth and cooking meat. Place it near your bed but not too close.
• Build a Door: Keep greylings and other creatures out at night.
• Storage Chests: Create chests to organize your materials as you gather them.

3. Establishing Food Production

Foraging and Hunting

Food is crucial for survival and regeneration:

• Berries: Raspberries and blueberries are abundant in Meadows. Gather them regularly.
• Mushrooms: Found on the ground, mushrooms provide quick nutrition.
• Raw Meat: Hunt deer, boars, and greylings. Cook meat on campfires for better nutrition.
• Cooked Meat: Provides better health regeneration and is more filling than raw meat.

Farming Basics

Once you have bronze tools (after your first boss), you can start farming:

• Cultivator: Requires bronze. Allows you to till the ground for planting.
• Carrots: Your first crop. Plant carrot seeds found in the Black Forest.
• Barley & Turnips: Later crops found in Plains and Mistlands respectively.

4. Preparing for Your First Boss

Eikthyr: The Stag

Your first major challenge is defeating Eikthyr, the stag boss. This is essential for progression:

• Summoning: Requires 2 Deer Trophies at his altar in the Meadows.
• Preparation: Craft at least a Club, maybe a Flint Spear if you can. Have Cooked Meat for health.
• Tactics: Stay mobile, dodge his antler attacks, and strike when he's vulnerable.
• Rewards: Defeating Eikthyr grants the Antler Pickaxe, essential for mining tin and copper.

5. Advancing Beyond the Meadows

Crafting the Raft

Once Eikthyr is defeated, you need to leave your starting island. Build a raft using 20 wood, 6 leather scraps, and 10 resin. Sailing opens up the entire world of Valheim to exploration.

New Biomes and Challenges

As you sail, you'll encounter increasingly dangerous environments:

• Black Forest: Pine trees, Greydwarves, trolls. Source of tin, copper, and core wood.
• Swamp: Poisonous creatures, Sunken Crypts, iron ore. Requires torches and caution.
• Mountains: Freezing temperatures, wolves, drakes. Requires frost resistance gear.
• Plains: Fuling villages, Deathsquitos, dangerous combat. High-level content.
• Mistlands: Poisonous mist, Seekers, difficult exploration. Late-game content.
• Ashlands: Volcanic hazards, lava flows, deadly creatures. End-game content.

6. Tips for New Vikings

Combat Essentials

• Block and Dodge: Timing is more important than brute force. Learn enemy attack patterns.
• Use Terrain: Fight near obstacles to manage enemy movement and protect yourself.
• Two-Handed vs One-Handed: Two-handed weapons deal more damage but are slower. One-handed weapons with a shield provide better defense.
• Bows are Versatile: Useful for pulling enemies, hunting from a distance, and dealing with flying creatures.

Exploration Strategy

• Mark Your Map: Use the minimap to note important locations: villages, resources, caves, and points of interest.
• Travel with Purpose: Don't wander aimlessly. Set goals for each expedition and return to base regularly.
• Survival Kit: Always carry food, a weapon, and basic building materials when exploring.
• Rest Regularly: Sleep in beds to respawn and maintain your well-being.

Building and Crafting

• Upgrade Your Workbench: Each tier (level 1-5) unlocks better items. Add necessary buildings around it to level up.
• Plan Your Base: Consider defense, accessibility, and expansion. Leave room for crafting stations and storage.
• Use Structures for Defense: Palisades, spiked walls, and gatehouses can protect your base from raids.
• Efficient Storage: Organize chests by material type and use signs to label important areas.

7. Boss Progression

Valheim follows a boss progression system that unlocks new content:

8. Multiplayer Tips

If you're playing on a dedicated server with friends:

• Coordinate Tasks: Assign roles: builder, explorer, farmer, hunter.
• Share Resources: Use communal chests and storage systems.
• Build Together: Collaborative building creates more impressive structures.
• Group for Bosses: Bosses scale with player count, but group fights are easier with coordination.
• Use Voice Chat: Communication is key for coordinated efforts and emergencies.