Valheim – 15 Quick Non-Spoiler Tips To Help Your Viking Survive

To say that Valheim is the most popular PC game now is vastly understatement. According to the latest report from the Iron Gate Team ( the 5-man studio that developed the game), within two weeks, this early access open-world survival game has been purchased by over two million players. Streamers everywhere are streaming it and even your dinosaurs tamer friends have gotten off their therizinosaurus and picked up a Viking helmet.

But as with other survival games, the world of Valheim is brutal and death awaits the unprepared Vikings. The bosses are tough and even their minions can be deadly when they attack in groups. Building a strong base, or multiple bases, is essential to protect your Viking and build stronger equipment to face stronger bosses. So here are some tips to help you get started!

Building Tips

1. Build a chimney for your fireplace. You need to place a fireplace near your bed but the fireplace will also produce smoke that will choke you to death. To let those nocuous smoke out, you need to break the roof directly above the fireplace. Then you need to partially cover that hole so that your fireplace is not drenched by rain because it rains a lot in Valheim.
2. Stack your chests. You would need lots of chests because all survival game players are hoarders. However, these chests are huge and taking up all the space in your house because they cannot be stacked! Well, fortunately, you can build shelves. Just place the chest against a wall, and build a shelf above the chest by sticking the smaller wood floor against the wall. Now you can place a second chest on that shelf.
3. Build woodpiles. Each woodpile takes fifty woods to build, so instead of wasting valuable spaces in your chests, build wood piles to store wood. You can break them whenever you need wood and they are aesthetically pleasing as decoration anyway.
4. Build a wall. In Valheim, an event called “The forest is moving” happens randomly when enemies in the area will gather to attack your base. So yes, you need to build a stake wall to protect your precious house.
5. Repair your structures. Any structure without a roof on it can be destroyed by rain over time. So periodically, just go around the base with a hammer to repair any structure that seems to be falling apart soon.

Exploration And Battle Tips

1. Pin your destination. When you feel lost in this vast world, open the map and pin your destination using the mouse scroll button. The destination will then be indicated in the world and you can start sprinting towards it.
2. The night is dark and full of terrors. You can only hold a torch or a weapon at the same time and it is challenging to fight in the dark. Since this is not the type of game that requires you to complete it within X number of days for good endings, there is no reason for you to be exploring the forest at night instead of sleeping on your warm and comfortable bed. Also, baby, it’s cold out there.
3. Dungeons are also dark but full of treasure. Remember to repair your torch and empty your inventory before going into a dungeon!
4. Shield yourself. While a set of good armor will help to reduce damages, shields negate damages. With high blocking skill, you can use a wooden shield to even block a troll’s direct hit and not get injured at all. Taking it to the next level would be to block before a blow hits to parry and stun your opponent. 
5. Build a temporary spawn point. Before fighting a challenging boss, or enter a new dungeon, build a temporary spawn point nearby. You do not have to build something big and fancy, but just a simple shelter with a bed, a fireplace and a chest to deposit an extra set of armor and weapon. This will make the corpse run to your tombstone shorter and safer.

How Not To Die

1. Do not swim too far out. If you lose all your stamina, you will begin to lose health points and you can drown.
2. Do not stand near a falling tree. The log can fall onto you and flatten you.
3. Do not stand in front of a greydwarf shaman. Their halitosis will poison you.
4. Do not jump from high ground. Yes, you can die from a leap of faith here.
5. Do not go up the snowy mountain without proper armor to keep yourself warm. Baby, it really is cold out there.

So here you have it! These tips will get your Viking through all the way to the first boss fight, and while more menacing bosses follow, your Viking will also learn to build more structures and forge better weapons and armors. And if you have lost all confidence after fighting a boss that has killed you more than ten times, or start to feel lonely living in that huge longhouse, sailing on that huge longboat, you can always invite a friend over to your world to lend you a hand. Survival games are more fun when playing with friends after all!