When fighting to survive, weapons are needed, especially in a hostile place like Valheim. In an inhospitable world filled with vicious enemies, you need every edge you can get. Thus, we’re here to show you what weapons to aim for when you play Valheim, in addition to the various weapon types there are. But first, what is Valheim?
What Is Valheim?
Valheim is a survival sandbox game currently in Early Access. Its created by Iron Gate Studio based in Sweden and released by Coffee Stain Studios. It had an early access release on February 21 last year for PC and Linux. Surprisingly, a game this successful was created by a small group of 5 developers, with Richard Svensson stating that it was a bit of a side project.
Ever since its early access debut, Valheim’s been one of the better survival sandbox games in the world, with over 5 million copies sold and being one of the top 100 games on Steam’s current player count.
Valheim Weapon Crafting
You’re now a few hours into your Valheim save, and you’re doing pretty well for yourself. You have a base, a few of the bosses were already killed by your weapons, and in general, you have a pretty good time. However, you’re starting to see that your usual weaponry isn’t up to snuff anymore. Thus, you want to go up a tier and try to get a new weapon.
However, there are a few things that players need to know about Valheim: Players need to craft their weaponry. This applies even with the game’s myriad of legendary weapons. To do this, players need to get the recipes for the weapons they’re crafting, which needs 1 thing: Materials.
Once a player has the prerequisite material for a craftable weapon, players will then see it on their crafting menu. However, as per usual, crafting weapons require other materials as well, which we’ll cover later. The only thing you need to know is that the moment you get the prerequisite material, you’ll know what other materials are needed to craft anything.
Now enough about unlock requirements, let’s talk about weapon types.
Valheim Weapons
In Valheim, players have seven weapon types to choose from. Well, technically 9, but arrows and shields usually aren’t considered weaponry. The former’s ammunition while the latter’s defense. Anyhow, these are bows, polearms, swords, clubs, axes, knives, and spears. Each has its advantages and disadvantages in usage, which we’ll talk about below:
Bows
Pretty much the ultimate ranged option on Valheim. With this weapon, players can attack in range, though arrows are a requirement to use them. One thing to note is that it is not the bow that determines how much damage is dealt to an enemy but the arrow type instead. Bows are just the delivery system, though they add a tiny boost to the damage. Unless you’re talking about the Draugr Bow, but we’ll talk about that later.
Polearms
Next are polearms, which have a hefty requirement of needing both hands to equip. Players can’t one-hand a polearm which causes a few issues, especially if playing on single-player. For one, you can’t use shields or any offhand item like torches and the like. They’re also pretty unwieldy if the player doesn’t have the prerequisite skill to use them. However, once they do, polearms deal massive damage to the game’s enemies.
The range is yet another reason why polearms are deadly, as they can do great piercing damage with each poke. Last but not least, polearms have a special spin attack that damages and stuns enemies for a few seconds, giving players some breathing room.
Swords
Meanwhile, swords are among the faster weapon types in Valheim due to how many hits they can dish out within a few seconds. Their main weakness is of course range, but the sheer number of different swords that players can make is one of the best reasons why this weapon type is so useful. After all, there’s a sword for almost every type of metal in Valheim. Because of this, swords can specialize incredibly well, especially when dealing with certain enemy types like the undead.
Clubs
Next on the list are clubs, which are pretty important due to one thing: Blunt Damage. Blunt damage is incredibly useful in breaking armored enemies, and some bosses are weak to blunt damage specifically. Thus, it’s always a good idea to have a club even though it’s not your preferred weapon. After all, in Valheim, it’s best to be prepared.
Axes
The next weapon on this list are axes, which have 2 variants: The wood chopping one and the battle one. Both are useful in their niches and can be used interchangeably, but using them in their proper place is much better. One thing to note is that some axes are better at chopping down certain types of trees. So be sure to keep two or three, or bringing the ax according to a biome is a good idea.
Another thing to note is that the axes used in a fight are usually two-handed weapons. An example of this is the Battleaxe, but it compensates by dealing a metric ton of damage.
Knives
Next on the list are knives, which are the fastest weapons in Valheim, bar none. This weapon can easily shred through enemies weak to slashing and piercing damage like butter. In addition, dual-wielding 2 knives mean even more DPS. However, when using knives, the player has to commit to a full stop, no holds barred, and balls-to-the-wall melee. This means that there’s going to be a pretty high chance you’re getting hit by enemies.
Spears
Last but not least are spears, which are pretty weird considering we have polearm weapons but ah well. Spears are usually ranged weapons and are thrown to enemies before retrieving. However, they can also be used as a typical polearm with a more powerful pierce attack. Overall, pretty useful weapon, especially at sea against sea creatures.
What’s the Best Weapon Type in Valheim?
Well, it depends on what the player values. If they want full-on range, then bows are great, but they require ammunition to be effective. Polearms are also good, and they deal a lot of damage. However, they need 2 hands to use meaning players can’t use a shield. Meanwhile, swords are pretty balanced in terms of stats, but that’s all they have for them. They can, however, be specialized to deal with a lot of enemy types so there’s that.
Axes suffer the same thing as Polearms in that they require 2 hands to use. They deal massive slashing damage, however, making them brutal against groups of enemies. Clubs only deal 1 damage type, and that’s blunt, which is their main flaw. However, they deal blunt damage very well, making them effective tools against certain enemies. Spears are more fire-and-forget because they’re advertised as a throwing weapon. However, players can also use them as a one-handed weapon alongside a shield as they have a poke attack that deals with piercing damage.
Last but not least are knives, which have the highest attack speed but shortest range. If you’re someone that wants to live dangerously, then yeah, knives are great. However, be prepared to get shanked by every draugr, troll, and hick within 5 feet of you because they will be in range for their attacks.
In short, stick to whatever weapon you know best, but prioritize safety over anything. This is especially important in Hardcore mode because characters die there, and people don’t want to lose progress.
How Do You Craft Weapons in Valheim?
Crafting weapons in Valheim takes a lot more pizzazz compared to other games like it. However, before the player can even craft weapons, they first need to get the materials needed to make them. For example, to make a simple club, they need to get 6 Wood, then they can craft the club immediately the moment they do so. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Most of the weapons in Valheim can only be crafted on either the Workbench or the Forge. Meanwhile, higher-tier weapons that are made from better materials like Iron and Silver need higher-level Forges and Workbenches before they become craftable.
The cycle will always be the same, get the materials needed for a weapon, and make sure you have the workbench/forge level needed for the craft. If you have both, you can craft great quality weapons in no time flat.
How Do You Upgrade Weapons in Valheim?
Upgrading weaponry in Valheim provides a myriad of benefits. Hell, upgrading any item, in general, provides a myriad of benefits but we’ll focus on weaponry. Firstly, upgrading items gives said item a durability boost, which means they take longer before breaking down, saving the player materials. Next, they increase the damage dealt by the weapon in good amounts. For example, killing enemies in 3 hits when before you need 4. Those kinds of stuff.
However, to upgrade weapons and other items, the player needs to have the corresponding workbench and forge level. This can be done by placing these items within 2 meters of a workbench: A Tanning Rack, a Chopping Block, a Tool Shelf, and an Adze. Placing these items within 5 meters of a workbench would level said workbench up to a maximum of 5. This allows players to upgrade their items effectively.
In the case of Forges, they require Forge Bellows, Grinding Wheel, Forge Cooler, Forge Tool Rack, Smith’s Anvil, and Anvils. This would boost the Forge’s level to Level 7, allowing players to craft weapons up to Bloodmetal.
How Do You Repair Weapons in Valheim?
Repairs are pretty easy on Valheim. The only thing needed is a Workbench, that’s it. I guess maintenance in the 10th world is pretty easy. Anyhow, just make sure that the player has all the damaged weaponry they own in their inventory. Then, go to a workbench, and hover over a damaged weapon. The player will then see a small hammer icon appear next to the weapon, indicating that the weapon can be repaired. Once this icon appears, press it as many times as possible to fully repair the weapon.
This method is the only way to repair weapons as of the making of this article and works for both tools and armor as well.
Does Valheim Have Legendary Weapons?
Valheim’s kind of different compared to a few games like it when Legendary Weapons are involved. For one, the game doesn’t have Legendary Weapons scattered about willy-nilly. The player needs to craft the weapon in question.
Before that, we need to talk about materials. All of these weapons require specific materials to forge, though some are relatively common and are found throughout the game’s world. Here are a few of the more common weapon crafting materials players can find while foraging. We’ll talk about more unique items when we get to the weapon they correspond to:
- Fine Wood: Found in the Meadows or Plains biomes after chopping Birch or Oak Trees with a Bronze Axe.
- Silver: Smelted from Silver Ore, which can be found on particularly tall mountains. Ensure that a Wishbone is already acquired before going mining, as it makes the process easier.
- Black Metal: Can be obtained by smelting Black Metal Scrap. However, Black Metal isn’t mined and is instead dropped by Fulings or found in chests.
- Linen Thread: Requires Flax and a Spinning Wheel to create. Flax is found on Fuling Villages in the Plains Biome.
- Ancient Bark: Found in the Swamp Biome after chopping Ancient Trees with a Bronze Axe.
- Needle: Found in the Plains Biome after defeating a Deathsquito or on chests.
- Iron: Smelted from Scrap Iron which is found in the Swamp Biome, specifically on Sunken Crypts. Look for Muddy Scrap Piles. They can also be found underneath Swamp biomes through the use of Wishbone.
- Leather Scraps: Found in the same place as Scrap Iron, from Muddy Scrap Piles.
Best Weapons In Valheim
In general, it’s always a good idea to get the highest tier of weaponry whenever possible. Especially if we’re talking about weapon types. There are quite a bit of weapons in Valheim, and all of them have their uses. However, the top-tier weapons usually require rare materials to get, like boss drops.
However, we’re going to talk about the best weapons a player can create overall in Valheim. So here they are, based on what weapon type we’re going for. Do note that we’re talking about the best weapons in terms of damage, all of them have their uses depending on where in the game the player is.
Axes
Blackmetal Axe
First on this list is the Blackmetal Axe, which boasts high damage in addition to a devastating three-hit combo. The 3rd hit in the combo also deals double damage, increasing the DPS. To craft this weapon, players need 6 Fine Wood, 20 Black Metal, and 5 Linen Thread, as well as a Level 4 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to a maximum of 4 with a Forge Level of 5 for +2, 6 for +3, and 7 for +4. To do these upgrades, they require a total of 60 Black Metal and 30 Linen Threads.
Crystal Battleaxe
Next on the list is the Crystal Battleaxe, which deals less slash damage compared to its Blackmetal counterpart. However, it has the advantage in its higher knockback, stagger, and the ability to deal Spirit Damage. Spirit Damage isn’t that useful on most of Valheim’s mobs. However, there are ghost enemies in the game, and Spirit Damage is super effective against them. Thus, having one of these weapons on hand when tackling a dungeon with ghost enemies is a good idea.
To craft this weapon, players need 40 Ancient Bark, 30 Silver, 10 Crystal, and a Level 3 Forge. Crystals can be found on the Mountain biome and are dropped by Stone Golems. They’re also found on Frost Caves where players can mine them. When upgrading to +4, they need a total of 60 Ancient Bark and 90 Silver, as well as Forge Level 6 to max it out.
Clubs
Porcupine
Next on the list are the clubs, starting with the Porcupine, which is exactly what it looks like. The Porcupine is unique in that it not only deals the standard blunt damage from clubs but also pierce damage. This makes the Porcupine incredibly powerful against a wide array of enemies in Valheim’s world.
To craft this weapon, players need 5 Fine Wood, 20 Iron, 5 Needle, 10 Linen Thread, and a Level 4 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with the use of a +7 Forge as well as 12 Iron and 12 Needle.
Frostner
Next is the Frostner, which is the Crystal Battleaxe except with Blunt Damage. However, it also can deal Frost damage to enemies, which reduces movement and attack speed. In addition to this, wet enemies will also get the Freezing debuff, which completely tanks stamina and health regen. All in all, a pretty good weapon.
However, this is the first weapon on this list that requires a unique crafting material, specifically Ymir’s Flesh and Freeze Glands. Ymir’s Flesh is sold by Haldor, a Blue Dwarf living in the Black Forests for 120 coins. Meanwhile, Freeze Glands are found by killing Drakes in the mountains. Players require 5 Ymir’s Flesh and Freeze Glands in addition to 10 Ancient Bark, 30 Silver, and a Level 3 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 6 forge in addition to a total of 90 Silver.
Knives
Blackmetal Knife
Next is the Blackmetal Knife, which is the Blackmetal Axe, but in knife form. However, as it’s a knife, hitting unaware enemies with this weapon deals 6x more damage.
To craft this weapon, players require 4 Fine Wood, 10 Black Metal, 5 Linen Thread, and a Level 4 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 7 forge in addition to a total of 24 Black Metal and 30 Linen Thread.
Polearms
Blackmetal Atgeir
Next is the Blackmetal Atgeir. In general, all of the Blackmetal weapons have really good damage, as well as the double damage on the last hit. The Blackmetal Atgeir has the bonus of an AoE attack that staggers enemies around the player, which is great when they’re surrounded.
To craft this weapon, players require 10 Fine Wood, 30 Black Metal, 5 Linen Thread, and a Level 4 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 7 forge in addition to a total of 90 Black Metal and 30 Linen Thread.
Spears
Abyssal Harpoon
Next is the Abyssal Harpoon, which is here due to the sheer utility that it gives to the player. Players throw this weapon to a fleeing enemy, which then latches onto them and drags the enemy to the player while draining stamina. This is particularly effective against sea serpents as they tend to go underwater to avoid attacks. Do note that this only works on non-boss enemies though.
To craft this weapon, players require 8 Fine Wood, 3 Leather Scraps, 30 Chitin, and a Level 2 Workbench. Players can find Chitin on Leviathans, specifically, by mining Abyssal Barnacles. Last but not least, this weapon cannot be upgraded.
Fang Spear
Next is the Fang Spear, which deals hefty pierce damage against a lot of enemies, This is also the weapon with the 2nd highest pierce damage, with the first being the Blackmetal Aetgir. But if you don’t have the latter weapon, then the Fang Spear is a great go-to. In addition to this, the secondary attack is a throw that deals a hefty amount of damage against enemies.
To craft this weapon, players require 10 Ancient Bark, 2 Leather Scraps, 2 Silver, 4 Wolf Fangs, and a Level 3 Forge. Players can find Wolf Fangs by killing Fenrings on mountains in the night. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 6 forge in addition to a total of 30 Ancient Bark, 6 Leather Scraps, 6 Silver, and 12 Wolf Fangs.
Swords
Silver Sword
Next on the list is the Silver Sword which is the sword counterpart to the Crystal Battleaxe or the Frostner. This weapon deals Spirit Damage, which harms ghosts, and is relatively easy to obtain in terms of Forge Level. Overall, a pretty decent weapon to get for the midgame.
To craft this weapon, players require 2 Wood, 3 Leather Scraps, 40 Silver, 5 Iron, and a Level 3 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 6 forge in addition to a total of 6 Wood, 6 Leather Scraps, 120 Silver, and 18 Iron.
Blackmetal Sword
Last but not least is the Blackmetal Sword, and to be honest, you already know the drill. Highest damage output in swords, double damage on the last hit. If you have the Blackmetal Aetgir already, no need to get the Blackmetal Sword unless you’re going for a sword and shield build. Still one of the most reliable weapons in the late game, though.
To craft this weapon, players require 2 Fine Wood, 20 Black Metal, 5 Linen Thread, and a Level 4 Forge. They can upgrade this weapon to +4 with a Level 7 forge in addition to a total of 60 Black Metal and 30 Linen Thread.
