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What to Craft First in Valheim: A Viking’s Guide to Essential Gear

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So, you’ve arrived in Valheim, a realm of myth and mystery, ready to carve out your legend. But where to begin? What should you craft first to survive and thrive in this harsh landscape? The answer is multi-faceted, depending on your immediate goals and the resources available. This guide breaks down essential crafting priorities to get you started on your Viking journey.

The absolute first things you NEED to craft are: Stone Axe, Hammer, Workbench, Shelter, Bed, and Fire. Then, as soon as possible, you want to aim for Chests and Hoe.

Essential Crafting Priorities in Valheim

We’ll break down the crafting priorities into tiers, starting with the absolutely essential and then moving onto items that provide significant advantages as you progress.

Tier 1: The Bare Necessities for Survival

These are the items you need within the first few in-game days, even hours, to avoid becoming wolf kibble.

Hammer: This is the cornerstone of all building in Valheim. With the Hammer equipped, you access the building menu to construct everything from simple shelters to elaborate longhouses. It requires Wood x3 and Stone x2.
Stone Axe: Vital for gathering wood efficiently. Wood is a primary resource for building, crafting, and fuel. It requires Wood x5 and Stone x4.
Workbench: Acts as your primary crafting station. Place it under shelter to unlock a huge range of crafting recipes. Requires Wood x10.
Shelter: Essential for providing the “Sheltered” buff, crucial for resting and recovering stamina. A simple lean-to will suffice initially.
Bed: Allows you to sleep and set your spawn point. Resting in a bed provides the “Rested” buff, which boosts stamina and health regeneration. Requires Wood x8. Make sure it’s covered and has a fire nearby.
Fire: Provides warmth, light, and a place to cook food. Essential for survival in Valheim’s cold environments. Requires Stone x5 and Wood x2.

Tier 2: Early-Game Essentials for Comfort and Progression

Once you have the basics covered, these items will significantly improve your quality of life and open up new possibilities.

Hoe: Allows you to flatten terrain, create paths, and cultivate land for farming. Farming carrots and turnips is essential for end-game food. Requires Wood x5 and Stone x2.
Chests: Storage is crucial for managing your resources. Keep your base organized and prevent items from despawning. Requires Wood x10.
Crude Bow: Allows you to hunt deer and other animals for food and hides from a safe distance. It requires Wood x10 and Leather Scraps x8.
Leather Armor: Provides basic protection against early-game threats like boars and necks.
Cooking Station: Lets you cook raw meat into more nutritious meals, providing better buffs. Requires Wood x2 and Stone x15.

Tier 3: Bronze Age Advancement

As you progress into the Bronze Age, focus on these items to enhance your combat and resource gathering capabilities.

Bronze Axe: Significantly faster at chopping trees than the Stone Axe. A must-have for expanding your base and gathering resources.
Bronze Pickaxe: Allows you to mine copper and tin, essential for crafting bronze.
Bronze Sword: A versatile weapon that provides good damage and speed. A solid upgrade from the flint spear or stone tools.
Forge: Required to craft bronze items. Needs Charcoal x4, Copper x4, Stone x4 and Wood x10.
Kiln: Produces Charcoal from wood, which is needed to smelt metal. Needs Stone x20.
Smelter: Needed to turn ore into metal. Requires Stone x20 and Surtling Core x5.

Tier 4: Mid-Game Mastery: Iron Age and Beyond

Once you reach the Iron Age, focus on upgrading your gear and expanding your capabilities in exploration, combat, and base building.

Iron Armor: A significant upgrade in protection compared to leather or bronze armor.
Iron Pickaxe: Essential for mining iron ore in the Swamp biome.
Iron Sword/Mace/Axe: Choose your preferred weapon type based on your play style and enemy weaknesses. The Iron Mace is especially useful against skeletons.
Longship: Allows you to explore further distances across the sea and transport large amounts of resources.
Cart: Great for transporting large amounts of ore or wood over land.

Tier 5: Late-Game Domination

The final stage of the game involves crafting the best possible gear and preparing to face the final bosses.

Blackmetal Weapons and Armor: The pinnacle of melee weaponry and protection. Requires Blackmetal, found in the plains.
Padded Armor: The best armor in the game, crafted from linen thread and iron.
Blast Furnace: Used to smelt Blackmetal scraps into Blackmetal bars. Requires Iron x20, Fine wood x20, Stone x20 and Surtling Core x5.
Artisan Table: Required to craft the Windmill, Spinning Wheel, and Lox Meat Pie. Needs Fine wood x10 and Dragon Tear x2.

Crafting Tips and Strategies

Prioritize Resource Gathering: Always have a goal in mind when gathering resources. What are you planning to build or craft next?
Manage Your Inventory: Use chests to organize and store your materials.
Upgrade Your Workbench: Increasing the workbench level unlocks new crafting recipes. Place nearby crafting stations (Chopping Block, Tanning Rack) to increase its level.
Repair Your Gear: Damaged gear is less effective. Regularly repair your tools and weapons at the workbench or forge.
Experiment with Different Foods: Different foods provide different buffs. Find a combination that suits your play style.
Explore Different Biomes: Each biome offers unique resources and challenges. Be prepared for the dangers you’ll face.
Consider Portals Early: Although you can’t carry metal through the portal, if you explore to find new biomes or set up secondary bases, placing portals early can save you time in the long run.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further assist you on your Valheim crafting journey:

What’s the first thing I should craft when I start Valheim?
The absolute first thing is the Stone Axe. You need wood to build everything else, including your Workbench and Hammer.
Why is the Workbench so important?
The Workbench unlocks almost every crafting recipe and building option. It’s the foundation of your progress.
How do I get more crafting recipes?
By placing the Workbench inside shelter, you automatically unlock the first tier of recipes. You unlock additional recipes by discovering new materials (like copper, tin, iron) and by building crafting station upgrades near your Workbench.
What’s the best way to find copper and tin?
Copper is found in the Black Forest biome near the Black Forest shore. Look for large copper deposits that are green. Tin is found along the shores of the Black Forest and the Meadows, and can be found as smaller, darker deposits.
What should I spend my bronze on first?
The Bronze Axe is a great choice because it allows you to efficiently chop down Birch and Oak trees for Fine Wood, which allows you to create portals and more advanced building and furniture. The next best would be the Bronze Pickaxe. After that, the Bronze Sword is a reliable weapon.
How do I make bronze?
You need to combine Copper and Tin at a Forge. You first need to smelt the copper and tin ore at a Smelter into copper and tin ingots, respectively. Then you need to combine these ingredients at the forge. You will need Charcoal as fuel for the Smelter and Forge.
What is the best use of bronze?
Bronze is excellent for crafting essential tools and weapons early in the game. It is important for crafting the pickaxe and axe so you can gather better resources. Bronze is excellent for early-game progression.
What is the difference between gold and bronze in Valheim?
Gold in Valheim is mainly used for decoration and trading with the merchant. Bronze is an essential crafting material for tools, weapons, and armor. While both are valuable, they serve different purposes.
What is the best strategy for defeating Moder in Valheim?
Use ranged attacks (bow and arrows) while Moder is flying and melee attacks (sword) when she lands.
Is Moder easier than Bonemass?
Most players find Moder easier than Bonemass, as her attacks are more predictable and easier to dodge.
What should I do after killing Moder?
After defeating Moder, you can explore the Plains biome to find Black Metal Scrap and craft Blackmetal weapons, armor, and tools.
What is the best weapon to use against skeletons in Valheim?
Maces are highly effective against skeletons because they deal blunt damage, to which skeletons are particularly vulnerable.
Why is iron so important in Valheim?
Iron is a crucial resource for crafting strong armor, weapons, and tools that allow you to tackle tougher enemies and explore more dangerous biomes.
What are the rarest creatures to find in Valheim?
While there are some debate, Tetra in the fishing caves, are typically considered the rarest creatures, as the cave themselves are rare.
How does Valheim relate to learning and education?

Valheim, like many games, presents players with challenges that require problem-solving, resource management, and collaborative skills. These are all valuable skills that can be transferred to real-world scenarios, an area explored by the Games Learning Society. You can find out more at GamesLearningSociety.org.

Final Thoughts

Crafting in Valheim is a constant cycle of gathering resources, building structures, and upgrading gear. By prioritizing the essential items outlined in this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to survive, explore, and conquer the challenges that Valheim throws your way. Happy crafting, Viking!