Beginner's Guide to Valheim

New to Valheim? This guide covers everything you need to survive, build your first base, defeat bosses, and progress through the biomes.

Your First Minutes

  • 1Pick up branches and stones from the ground immediately.
  • 2Craft a Stone Axe to chop trees for wood.
  • 3Build a Workbench and place it under a roof to start crafting.
  • 4Craft a Hammer to start building your first shelter.
  • 5Kill boars and deer for leather scraps and meat.

Shelter & Resting

  • 1Build walls, a roof, a door, and a campfire to create a shelter.
  • 2Sitting near a fire inside a shelter gives you the Rested buff.
  • 3Rested increases health and stamina regeneration significantly.
  • 4Always keep the Rested buff active - it is the most important buff.
  • 5Add a bed to set your respawn point.

Food System

  • 1You can eat up to 3 different foods at once.
  • 2Food determines your maximum health and stamina.
  • 3Cooked meat is much better than berries.
  • 4Always eat before exploring or fighting.
  • 5Higher-tier foods provide dramatically more stats.

Combat Basics

  • 1Learn to parry with a shield - timing is crucial.
  • 2Dodge rolling gives you invincibility frames.
  • 3Different weapon types are effective against different enemies.
  • 4Blunt weapons work best against skeletons.
  • 5Always keep your stamina above 30% in combat for emergency dodges.

Progression Path

  • 1Meadows (Stone/Flint) -> Black Forest (Bronze) -> Swamp (Iron) -> Mountains (Silver) -> Plains (Black Metal) -> Mistlands.
  • 2Defeat each boss to unlock the next tier of progression.
  • 3Eikthyr drops Hard Antler for your first pickaxe.
  • 4The Elder drops the Swamp Key to access iron in crypts.
  • 5Bonemass drops the Wishbone to locate silver in mountains.

Essential Tips

  • 1Build portals early to connect your bases - but metals cannot go through.
  • 2Tame boars with mushrooms and berries for a renewable meat source.
  • 3Repair items at crafting stations for free.
  • 4Mark important locations on your map with pins.
  • 5Build a Karve ship as soon as you have bronze nails to explore by sea.