Valheim left Early Access and reached version 1.0 on September 9, 2026. The full release added the Deep North, achievements, new progression systems, additional skills, upgradeable inventory space, new creatures, food, equipment, and many other changes.This updated FAQ covers the questions new and returning players ask most often in the current version of Valheim. It also replaces several old Early Access answers that are no longer correct.
How to Change the Language in Valheim
Open Settings, go to the language or miscellaneous settings section, and select the language you want to use. Valheim supports multiple interface languages, including Russian.Depending on the platform, you may need to return to the main menu or restart the game before every interface element updates.How to Change the Language in ValheimHow to Change the Language in Valheim
Where Are Valheim Save Files Located?
Valheim can store worlds and characters either locally or through Steam Cloud. The old path that simply pointed to the main IronGate folder is no longer enough to explain where your current saves actually are.
Basic items can be crafted directly from the character inventory once you have discovered all required materials.More advanced recipes require crafting stations such as:
Workbench.
Forge.
Cauldron.
Food Preparation Table.
Stonecutter.
Artisan Table.
Black Forge.
Galdr Table.
Recipes are normally unlocked when your character has encountered every required material and the necessary crafting station.
How to Repair Weapons, Tools, and Armor
Broken equipment does not disappear. Its durability reaches zero and the item becomes unusable until repaired.For Workbench equipment:
Stand at a usable Workbench.
Open its crafting interface.
Click the hammer-shaped repair button repeatedly until all compatible damaged items are repaired.
Repairing equipment costs no resources.Metal equipment generally needs a Forge, while later gear may require the station where it was originally crafted.
How to Upgrade the Workbench
A Workbench can currently reach level 5.Build the following upgrades close enough to the same Workbench:
Each unique upgrade raises the station by one level when it is positioned correctly.You can find a more detailed walkthrough in our Workbench upgrade guide.
How to Plant Carrots and Other Crops
You do not need to build a Smelter specifically to plant carrots, but you do need Bronze to craft a Cultivator.The usual progression is:
Defeat Eikthyr and craft an Antler Pickaxe.
Mine Copper in the Black Forest and Tin near Black Forest water.
Smelt the ores and combine Copper and Tin at a Forge to make Bronze.
Craft a Cultivator.
Use the Cultivator to prepare soil and plant Carrot Seeds.
Different crops grow only in suitable biomes, so a plant that thrives in the Meadows may not grow in every other biome.
Where to Find Stone
Small Stones can be picked up from the ground in the Meadows and many other biomes. Once you have a pickaxe, you can mine larger rocks and terrain deposits for much larger quantities.
Where to Find Flint
Flint is found along shorelines and riverbanks, especially in the Meadows.Where to Find Flint in ValheimWhere to Find Flint in ValheimIt appears as small pale stones near water and can be picked up by hand.
Where to Find Wood, Finewood, and Core Wood
Wood comes from branches and common trees.
Finewood is obtained mainly from Birch and Oak once you have an axe capable of cutting them.
Core Wood comes mainly from Pine trees in the Black Forest.
Different construction and crafting recipes require different wood types, so keep separate storage for them once your base grows.
Where to Find Copper and Tin
Both are Black Forest resources.
Copper Deposits appear as large mineral-bearing rocks throughout the Black Forest.
Tin Deposits are small deposits found close to water in the Black Forest.
You need a pickaxe to mine them. Copper and Tin can be smelted into bars and combined at a Forge to create Bronze.
Where to Find Iron
Your first reliable source of Iron is the Swamp.Defeat The Elder to obtain the reusable Swamp Key, then locate a Sunken Crypt and unlock its entrance.Inside, mine Muddy Scrap Piles with a pickaxe to obtain Scrap Iron. Smelt Scrap Iron to produce Iron bars.
How to Get Coal
The proper renewable method is the Charcoal Kiln.Build it with:
20 Stone.
5 Surtling Cores.
Place Wood, Finewood, or Core Wood inside and the kiln converts it into Coal.You can also deliberately overcook food on a Cooking Station to create Coal, but this is much less efficient.
Where to Find Bone Fragments
Bone Fragments are commonly obtained from Skeletons. You can encounter Skeletons around Black Forest structures and inside Burial Chambers, among other locations.They are used in several early armor, weapon, and upgrade recipes.
How Does Food Work in Valheim?
You cannot starve to death in normal Valheim gameplay. Food instead increases your maximum Health, Stamina, and later Eitr.You can have up to three different food effects active at the same time.Food is broadly divided by what it emphasizes:
Health food for higher maximum HP and stronger blocking capacity.
Stamina food for running, dodging, building, gathering, and stamina-heavy combat.
Eitr food for magic builds in late-game progression.
Balanced food that provides a more even combination.
How to Cook Food
Early meat can be cooked by placing a Cooking Station over a suitable fire.How to Cook Food in ValheimHow to Cook Food in ValheimListen for the cooking sound and remove the food before it burns.As you progress, cooking expands through the Cauldron, Cauldron upgrades, Food Preparation Table, Stone Oven, Mead Ketill, and other systems. Valheim 1.0 also introduced the Cooking skill, which improves through preparing food.
How to Build a Campfire Inside a House
Campfires require suitable ground or supported placement and produce smoke.If smoke accumulates indoors, your character begins taking damage. Build a chimney, roof vent, or another opening that lets smoke escape while keeping the fire protected from rain.A fire can also be positioned outside close enough to a bed to provide the required fire effect, but an exposed fire may go out during bad weather.
How to Make Your First Pickaxe
Defeat the first boss, Eikthyr.Eikthyr drops Hard Antlers. Craft the Antler Pickaxe at a Workbench using:
10 Wood.
1 Hard Antler.
Antler PickaxeAntler PickaxeThe Antler Pickaxe can mine Stone, Copper, Tin, Muddy Scrap Piles, and several other early resources.We also have a separate guide to getting your first pickaxe.
How to Build a Smelter
A Smelter requires:
20 Stone.
5 Surtling Cores.
Surtling Cores can be found early inside Black Forest Burial Chambers.The Smelter processes ores and scraps into usable metal bars. It consumes Coal as fuel.
Where to Find Burial Chambers
Burial Chambers are Black Forest dungeons, often marked by stone entrances.Where to Find Burial Chambers in ValheimWhere to Find Burial Chambers in ValheimInside you can encounter Skeletons and Ghosts and collect useful loot such as Surtling Cores, Coins, Rubies, Amber, and other valuables.Bring a torch or another light source when exploring your first chambers.
How to Find and Summon Eikthyr
At the Sacrificial Stones where a new character begins, interact with Eikthyr's Vegvisir to reveal one of his altars on the map.How to Find Eikthyr in ValheimHow to Find Eikthyr in ValheimTo summon him, place two Deer Trophies on his altar.Defeating Eikthyr gives Hard Antlers for the Antler Pickaxe and unlocks his Forsaken Power.
How to Find and Summon The Elder
Vegvisirs pointing to The Elder can be found in Black Forest structures and Burial Chambers.How to Find The Elder in ValheimHow to Find The Elder in ValheimOnce the altar is revealed, bring three Ancient Seeds to summon the boss.Ancient Seeds can be obtained from Greydwarf Nests and certain Greydwarf enemies.How to Summon The ElderHow to Summon The ElderDefeating The Elder rewards you with the Swamp Key.For all current bosses, see our Valheim boss guide.
Where to Use the Swamp Key
The Swamp Key opens the locked entrances of Sunken Crypts in the Swamp.Where to Use the Swamp KeyWhere to Use the Swamp KeyThe key is reusable and is not consumed when you open a crypt.Inside the crypts, mine Muddy Scrap Piles for Scrap Iron and search for the Vegvisir that can reveal Bonemass's location.What a Sunken Crypt Looks LikeWhat a Sunken Crypt Looks LikeInside a Sunken CryptInside a Sunken Crypt
How to Play Valheim Online
Valheim 1.0 supports multiplayer and full crossplay across its supported platforms.From the character and world selection menus, you can:
Host a world for other players.
Protect the session with a password.
Join a friend's server.
Connect to a dedicated server.
Use crossplay when playing with friends on other supported platforms.
The 1.0 release is available across PC, Linux, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.How to Play Valheim OnlineHow to Play Valheim Online
How to Build a Raft
The Raft is the earliest boat and is suitable mainly for crossing short stretches of water.Build one near a Workbench using:
20 Wood.
6 Leather Scraps.
6 Resin.
The Raft is slow and has no cargo storage, so upgrade to better ships before attempting serious ocean travel.
How Do Skills Work?
Valheim skills improve by repeatedly performing the relevant actions. Most skills can reach level 100.The system is much larger than it was in the original version of this FAQ. Current skills cover activities such as:
Running and Jumping.
Swimming and Fishing.
Blocking and Dodging.
Axes, Swords, Clubs, Knives, Spears, Polearms, Bows, Crossbows, and other weapon types.
Wood Cutting and Pickaxes.
Sneak.
Blood Magic and Elemental Magic.
Cooking.
Crafting.
Farming.
Skills generally improve damage, efficiency, speed, stamina usage, or another property related to the activity.Death can reduce skill progress, so very high skill levels represent a significant time investment.
How to Kill a Troll
Trolls are large enemies commonly encountered in the Black Forest and Troll Caves.Early in the game, a bow is one of the safest options. Keep distance, avoid the troll's heavy attacks, and use terrain to create space.How to Defeat a TrollHow to Defeat a TrollTrolls drop Troll Hide, Coins, and a Troll Trophy.The trophy is used for decoration and some progression-related recipes or systems, but it is not used to summon The Elder.
How to Craft Troll Leather Armor
Troll Leather gear is an excellent early light-armor set and requires a sufficiently upgraded Workbench.The basic pieces include:
Troll Leather Tunic — 5 Troll Hide.
Troll Leather Pants — 5 Troll Hide.
Troll Leather Helmet — 5 Troll Hide and 3 Bone Fragments.
Troll Hide Cape — 10 Troll Hide and 10 Bone Fragments.
The set provides a Sneak bonus when enough matching pieces are equipped.For Workbench progression, see our separate guide.
How to Get a Fishing Rod and Start Fishing
The simplest way to get a Fishing Rod is to buy one from Haldor for 350 Coins.Basic Fishing Bait is also sold by Haldor, while advanced fishing progression uses biome-specific bait crafted from trophies and basic bait.Fishing has become a full system with its own skill, multiple fish species, quality levels, and specialized recipes. In Valheim 1.0, it also extends into the Deep North.
Where to Find Traders
Valheim now has three traders, not one:
Haldor — Black Forest.
Hildir — Meadows.
The Bog Witch — Swamp.
Each has several possible spawn locations. The first valid location that is generated and approached becomes that trader's permanent location, and an icon appears on the map when you get close enough.How to Find a Trader in ValheimHow to Find a Trader in ValheimHaldor sells equipment and progression items such as Megingjord, the Fishing Rod, Dverger Circlet, Ymir Flesh, Thunder Stone, Eggs, and the 1.0 inventory upgrades Wider Pockets and Deeper Pockets.For a complete current breakdown, see our Valheim traders and money guide.
How to Tame Animals
The current list of wild tameable creatures includes:
Boar.
Wolf.
Lox.
Asksvin.
Moose.
Chickens hatch tame from Eggs and use a different breeding loop.The basic taming rule is to trap or safely approach the creature, provide the correct food, keep it calm, and remain close enough for the area to stay active.How to Tame Animals in ValheimHow to Tame Animals in ValheimSee our full Valheim taming guide for food, breeding, mounts, and the Brew of Animal Whispers.
How to Build a Portal
A standard Wood Portal requires:
20 Finewood.
10 Greydwarf Eyes.
2 Surtling Cores.
How to Build a Portal in ValheimHow to Build a Portal in ValheimBuild two portals and give them matching tags to connect them. Portal tags are case-sensitive.Standard portals block many ores, metals, Dragon Eggs, Hildir's chests, and several other heavy progression items under normal world settings.
What Is the Stone Portal?
The Stone Portal is unlocked during Ashlands progression.Unlike the standard Wood Portal, it can transport items that ordinary portals reject, including ores and metals.It requires:
30 Grausten.
2 Molten Cores.
10 Greydwarf Eyes.
A Stone Portal can connect to another portal through the normal tag system. The portal you enter through must support the items you are carrying.
How to Teleport with Console Commands
If you want to teleport with developer commands rather than portals, enable the console and developer commands first.Then use:
pos — displays your current coordinates.
goto X Z — teleports your character to the specified world coordinates.
findtp TEXT — searches for a matching object and teleports you to the nearest result.
The old comma-separated examples are unnecessary. The current basic syntax is `goto x z`.For more commands, see our Valheim console commands guide.
How to Build a Larger Chest
A Reinforced Chest provides 24 storage slots and requires:
10 Finewood.
2 Iron.
Later, the Black Metal Chest provides 32 slots and requires:
10 Wood.
2 Tar.
6 Black Metal.
The Black Metal Chest is the larger general-purpose storage option.
How to Enable Creative Mode and Developer Commands
The old imacheater command no longer works.On Steam:
Open Valheim's Properties.
Add -console to Launch Options if necessary.
Start the game and press F5.
Enter devcommands.
Enter debugmode if you want the classic creative/debug controls.
With Debug Mode active:
B toggles no-cost building and crafting behavior.
Z toggles flight.
K kills nearby enemies.
How to Survive the Mountains and Get Frost Resistance
Before you have permanent Frost resistance from equipment, use Frost Resistance Mead.Later, several capes and armor pieces can provide Frost resistance.Classic Mountain-tier options include:
Wolf Hide Chestpiece.
Wolf Fur Cape.
Lox Cape.
The Wolf Fur Cape requires:
6 Wolf Pelts.
4 Silver.
1 Wolf Trophy.
The Lox Cape requires:
6 Lox Pelts.
2 Silver.
Valheim now also has later-game capes from Mistlands, Ashlands, and Deep North progression, several of which provide additional movement or resistance effects.
Where to Find Silver
Defeat Bonemass to obtain the Wishbone.Equip it in the Mountains and follow the increasing pulse effect to locate buried Silver Veins. Dig into the terrain and mine the vein with a sufficiently strong pickaxe.The Wishbone can also detect buried treasure and other hidden objects.
How to Build the Obliterator
The Obliterator lets you destroy unwanted items.One of its key components is the Thunder Stone, which can be purchased from Haldor after the required progression.For the complete recipe and mechanics, see our Obliterator and Thunder Stone guide.
How to Unlock Darkwood Building Pieces
Darkwood construction pieces use Tar, which is primarily obtained from Tar Pits and Growths in the Plains.Once you pick up the required materials, Darkwood recipes appear in the Hammer build menu.For the full set of pieces and Tar farming tips, see our Darkwood building guide.Valheim 1.0 is much larger than the Early Access version this FAQ was originally based on. The core progression still starts with Eikthyr, the Black Forest, Bronze, The Elder, and the Swamp, but modern Valheim continues through the Mountains, Plains, Mistlands, Ashlands, and Deep North, with new crafting stations, skills, portals, traders, magic systems, foods, mounts, and endgame resources along the way.
