Valheim - Getting Started

Surviving in Valheim appears similar to other games, cut down trees, and gather some stone to get yourself a basic survival structure. But it’s not as simple as that, as you can quickly die by cutting down a tree. The Meadows’ beauty is just a mask of what lies beyond.

This is a spoiler-free video for you to getting started. I will represent how to optimize your first steps until you build your first real home. By understanding building mechanics, heat, and compact storage, you can optimize your start and venture into the 10th Viking world like a boss.

Getting Started [Spoiler Free]

Note: Credit goes to PhuzzyBond

After customizing your character design and creating your world, you are greeted with the intro. As soon as your character is dropped by the Valkyrie. You are immediately exposed to danger, and whenever there’s danger, shelter is needed.

Your first steps are the most important. Shelters require a solid foundation for them to rise and protect you from weather conditions and damage. And the game is designed the same way.

You are very weak and could be killed by the most vulnerable mobs. So naturally, you would want to rush to create a home so you can stay protected. But Building one immediately is not the right solution. You have to prepare before that, buy yourself some time, so When The adventure shows you its real fangs, you are ready.

By the starting altar, there is usually wood and stone that will unlock the most basic recipes. Most items that you pick will unlock instructions for more advancements. Ensure you follow what the Raven says, essential hints, and guides that will really help you out.

You start with a torch. You can Keep that equipped in your hand. You are still very weak, and this fire keeps all starter mobs away. Even if they get too close to you, they will not attack and eventually run.

After gathering some wood and stone, craft yourself a Stone Axe to cut down trees and fight mobs. And a hammer to build and repair structures. In my opinion, the starting club is a waste of resources as the Stone Axe does the fighting job pretty well.

Your starter home is the most essential part of the game, as overtime, it grows into a settlement keeping you and your teammates healthy against larger threats. But in Valheim, you need to go back a few steps before starting that. Create what I call a pre-starter base. This will buy you time to be ready for your house’s best location and strengthen your foundation before settling in.

Choose a starting location. To place any building blocks, you will need a workbench. This will enable you to place tiles within its radius to form your settlement or even interact and repair abandoned structures.

It’s what I call the pre-starter base. Think of it as the Research and Development stage. A place to gather resources, cook, understand a few mechanics, and gain comfort so you can plan your primary home location.

By right-clicking with the hammer equipped, you can place a campfire and a crafting bench.

Campfire is the number one priority. Without that, you cannot cook, sleep, or gain comfort. But you also need to protect that Campfire from weather conditions to keep it going. Anything thatch is considered a proper roof and will provide shelter. It’s the only way to interact with the workbench to unlock more recipes and repair your current tools.

My design of this is similar to your standard bus stop. Keep in mind, I’m not calling this the optimal build. Building possibilities in Valheim are endless. But this design worked pretty well for me every time. But keep in mind, it also depends on Altitude. I usually choose lower Altitude as it’s not as cold at night.

Place 4 Wooden Walls with the workbench around the center. After that, put one row of 26 Degree Thatch Roofs. This will enable you to interact with the workbench. In my situation, the 45 Degree Thatch did not shelter the workbench in this open workspace. You will need more Roof tiles if you are at a high altitude.

By placing a campfire on the side with a cooking station, you have a full resting experience. As for the weather, worry not. The game does not rain or storm in the first few days, depending on your skill and day count. It is recommended to place a bed on the other side to reset spawn location and a chest so you can return to your resources that you saved if you die.

Remember that all mobs in the early days in meadows are afraid of fire, place a few standing wood torches around your base then you are safe. Nothing will attack your settlement. Keep gathering, cooking, and exploring until you are ready to understand your best location.

The most important thing is the foundation. You will need a level ground to understand how a building works. To achieve that, you need a Hoe that can be crafted from the workbench, which is why you can prepare one in the pre-starter location.

Now that we understand fire, in terms of Valheim logic, you don’t build a campfire in your house. Instead, you wrap your home around the Campfire. As you cannot sleep if you are out of range or leave it outside, as it won’t always be active due to weather conditions like strong winds or rain.

Let’s start by understanding campfire placement. You cannot place a campfire on floor tiles. So simply slapping a floor with four walls won’t work. But! Assuming your house is ground level, and after flattening the ground, you can place a campfire inside by removing one of the floor tiles.

Draw your foundation on the ground, raise the walls and shelter your roof.

Now you can always cook, get warmth, and sleep. But something is still wrong, just like in the real world, in Valheim, you also need ventilation. This is where chimneys come in place. It’s very similar to real-world practice. You need a duct to get the smoke out and protection from the rain. In this situation, a 45 Degree Thatch roof above the chimney did the job. 26 Degree one did not provide enough oxygen, so the fire kept going off.

Having your home sheltered, ventilated, with warmth and compact storage, you have yourself a solid start within the 10th world. But keep in mind, Structural integrity in Valheim is a significant factor in how things work.

Keep an eye on building blocks colors, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and red. But that’s for a future guide. As promised, this is a spoiler-free guide, so that’s where I will leave you. Beyond these trees is up to you to venture.