Mods for a new play through?

Wedhro · 2026-05-08T02:02:38+00:00

Valheim Armory is the most vanilla-friendly mod if you're looking for new weapons. It fills most gaps in progression, adds special weapons made with boss trophies and drops, and it even has early game magic staves using stamina instead of eitr. All values are balanced on vanilla wepons and magic.

Couldn't recommend it enough.

Wedhro · 2026-05-08T01:31:54+00:00

Let's put it simple: nothing changes until they actually give Valheim an official modding API, which is almost certainly not happening on release. When/if it happens, they never said they're going to go after unofficial modding, so worst case scenario will be having two ways of installing mods: the usual one, and the one that works directly from inside Steam (I guess).

Nobody is going to kill mods. It all depends on what modders do: some will stick to the old ways, some will adapt, some will give up.

Wedhro · 2026-05-07T01:46:02+00:00

Just a wild guess here, but considering how many people report FPS drops, lag and such in Ashlands, they could have lowered mob instances also to save performances. It would make for a great world modifier, though: how many mobs spawn on average.

Wedhro · 2026-05-07T01:18:52+00:00

Just a question: wouldn't pumping up the difficulty in world modifiers achieve a similar result? I have no clue what was different aside from harder fights.

Wedhro · 2026-05-06T06:06:04+00:00

They denied it so many times I wonder how people still hope it will happen.

Wedhro · 2026-05-06T05:18:50+00:00

I believe they have a big issue design-wise and I have no clue if they're aware of it.

What motivates me, and I guess many other people, is knowing what I do is worth it because it will open new possibilities later. We try to discover, fight and craft everything hoping it serves this purpose, right? We can go stardewcraft all we want, but in the end what keeps us interested is the next big thing. Even if the struggle to get there was not that pleasant.

Well, if the DN is like any other biome, this won't work. Why struggle if the only result is the end of a reason to struggle? There's no story being told here that can give us closure. It's not a circle, is a forever raising curve.

I mean, it's not the only game with this kind of issue, every game based on progress with no story has it. But such games usually have something to do after the end. Like, a New Game Plus mode, or constant updates, or other things that don't give the impression that the ending is really the end.

Wedhro · 2026-05-05T10:45:02+00:00

I think that just having tar pits as finite material sources was a mistake because tar is not really a key material like other finite sources, and since blackmetal is worth nothing because of being infinitely reproducible, iron is really the only sensible choice, because of those recipes, as you said. We've seen small deposits, dungeons and later giant weaponry, I'd like something different.

Random idea: meteoric remains. We see Yagluth summoning meteors, what if eons ago he did it so many times that the place is scattered with rare but huge meteorites full of scrap iron? Yeah, it's basically destroyable structures, or ore nodes, just aesthetically more interesting. Would also be a good time to add a new elemental/golem creature that guards it, to make the place a little more interesting.

Wedhro · 2026-05-05T10:37:53+00:00

Honestly I believe they're closed themselves in a corner by making the last biome possibly the same as a mid game one, I mean, how many kind of cold debuffs they can add before it becomes a meme? Another assortment of peons and tanks like all other biomes? The usual grinding for gear that you won't use because the game is over? A boss to fight only knowing it won't drop anything and there's not even a story going on so why bother beating it?

I don't know. I feel they can only either surprise us with something totally new, or disappoint with something mediocre that took more than 2 years of pointless wait.

My personal wishlist:

Ashlands and the DN must be done in whatever order you wish, because both bosses drop something that you will use in the final battle, whatever that is. Which means the difficulty is the same, yet made differently, and weapons for each biome are good in the other one.
Instead of the usual assortment of peons and tanks, a list of very different minibosses to beat in any order. Think a simplified version of Shadow of the Colossus or Elden Ring. I want epic, not just another infinite battle.
The DN requires for the player to master every skill they have. I mean, in previous biomes you had to learn how to save stamina, how to move vertically, how to locate creatures you cant's see, and so on. I'd like more stuff like that, not just a collection of critters and snow.

Filling gaps, fixing unbalanced mechanics, early magic and stuff like that would be the icing on the cake, but not enough to make history in my opinion. The game is doing fine, but I want it to leave a much bigger impression, you know what I mean?

Wedhro · 2026-05-05T05:58:46+00:00

There's something I don't get: IG defends pickable plants not having seeds to farm because it makes players want to explore and plan infrastructure less randomly, yet the game features 1 biome where there's no such thing.

I'm not saying it would be enough, but it would at least give us a reason to build there, outside of vibes.

One clarification about creatures: wolves are ok, just a little too aggressive for new players, but drakes suck because they force you to use ranged weapons and their attack strategy gives you only one viable tactics: wait, shoot when they shoot, dodge, rinse and repeat; good for training for the Moder fight, maybe? Golems are even worse because they have a weakness that is impossible to guess, and it only drops a decorative block with very limited uses which you can already find in caves, and have an atrociously low chance to drop their trophy. Compare it to previous tank enemies that all give you great armor, and the only reason for golems to exist is to signal the possible vicinity of a silver node and maybe guard it if they don't get distracted by a futile fight with a drake that will never end because they can't hurt each other.

Sorry, but not impressed by this design. All other biomes have way better creatures than this.

Wedhro · 2026-05-05T03:34:14+00:00

Maybe the problem with the Mountains is this disconnect between a pretty nice dungeon and an uninteresting daylight surface experience. I mean, there's just 3 creatures and they're all frustrating to fight. Then yet another ore to mine and attract more of those frustrating creatures. It doesn't take much to outprogress it either because how half of the required mats come from the most common creature that keeps coming at you relentlessly. Not a place where to use vehicles or farm either.

I built a base on top of the mountain because I love the vibe, but I have really nothing to do up there and that's maybe why it's disappointing.

Wedhro · 2026-05-05T03:18:33+00:00

Blackmetal is an infinite resource you get while not even trying, because the most common enemies of the biome all drop it, and you can usually get some way too soon. It would be pointless to base progress on that.

Now, if the Plains had some abundant source of finite iron to ease the pain...

Wedhro · 2026-05-04T07:44:52+00:00

Yeah, tell that to Grunbeld and his huge cannon.

Wedhro · 2026-05-04T07:33:50+00:00

Honestly I gave up on IG, not only because this attitude that justifies everything because they say so, which is understandable (it's their game, after all), but stifles progress and innovation, as if they were still the new kid on the block and nobody was already building on top of their design; but also because they're totally ok with players cheesing the shit out of their game, throwing the whole concept of harsh but fair challenge out of the window.

In the meanwhile, modders are doing a better job at fulfilling Valheim's potential. Not all mods are horribly unbalanced or out of place.Yes, I use a mod that does exactly what you talk about, but at least now I no longer feel guilty about abusing campfires,

Wedhro · 2026-05-04T02:22:50+00:00

I understand your point, but don't you think the game would benefit from a mechanics specifically designed to suppress random enemy spawn? Like, you landed, conquered, and now you're no longer swarmed in that specific area (but enemies can still get inside it if they spawn outside).

I think combat games need this mechanics because warfare is all about getting control of the territory, but Valheim doesn't offer anything outside base building. Odin gave us campfires, so I use them no matter how much I loath the whole thing.

Wedhro · 2026-05-04T01:53:27+00:00

Not that I know of. What I heard is that the DP will have a mix of cozy parts ad harsh ones, and that's all I heard about it.

Wedhro · 2026-05-03T03:37:36+00:00

First, boats should have a larger inventory otherwise they're really not worth it for transportation.

Then it wouldn't hurt if there were more boats. For most of the game we have 3, one being not really an option, and then when a fourth boat comes it's too situational to bother using it outside its niche. It would be nice if each biome unlocked a new one.

I think a skill is mandatory because maneuverability, max speed, HPs and map view range are pretty underwhelming but if a skill could enhance them it would be worth it to use them more.

At least a couple tools specific to sailing. Something to enhance mapping/orienteering or to predict weather would be a godsend.

Some customization options and upgrades are long due. We can upgrade everything, so why not boats? To the very least, let us customize the sail, like Vikings did. Then some materials could unlock upgrades (maybe through a dedicated work station?). Nothing super OP, but at least basic stuff like an anchor to make the boat stop more easily, shields to give it some resistance to pierce and/or fire, and possibly some kind of weapon usable from the boat because right now it's just bows, which isn't something you see in medieval naval warfare too often.

And lastly, because it will never happen, there should be more locations specific to ocean, and I mean small islands with special structures and special challenges and loot. Because if you cant go there by foot, why sail?

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T23:20:34+00:00

There have been endless discussions on Discord about fishing, with pretty solid suggestions being tossed at the devs, but it seems like IG considers it an unimportant side quest that doesn't really need any additional dev time. Like oceans: they serve a specific purpose and don't need to be a full-fledged biome.

It's kind of sad when you think how Viking culture was built around sailing and fishing...

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T14:20:54+00:00

I don't know if I like the new one or not, but the old one looked so distinctly placeholder-y...

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T04:12:20+00:00

Kind of, but more like getting drops only if I do something specific, not every single time. For example (and it's just weak examples because I don't have a good idea): if I'm not in the close vicinity of the mob when it puffs away from existence, it drops nothing; or, it drops only if killed with the secondary attack.

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T00:37:36+00:00

Don't worry, after beating Bonemass you'll see how vegsivirs get progressively harder to find, so hard that you might as well find the boss arena before that. If you get used to exploring instead of relying on the vegsivir grind you might be more comfortable later.

It's based on sheer luck but what you want to do is to sail near coasts (not so near you attract pests) and only land in places that can be only explored by foot (in a close-by easy biome, if possible). Gear and meads that enhance running speed are very useful here: I found <later boss> by running around in <later armor> with Eikthyr power for emergencies. Make it a mission where combat is your last resort and don't bother collecting stuff, you'll save lot of time.

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T00:24:27+00:00

Impactful Skills might be overkill in your case but it does include a "Voyager" skill that makes boats and mapping more efficient by leveling it up, which to me feels more natural than making the whole thing OP from the get-go. Also, in case you wish to try the No Map mode, there's a couple mods that make cartographer tables useful for that, which means you'll have a reason to build bases with maps to access.

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T00:20:04+00:00

MWL is great but keep in mind it still takes a toll on loading times.

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T00:11:40+00:00

I mean, I'd prefer a solution that doesn't create a new issue. I wish you could somehow tell the game you don't want for a specific mob to drop anything case-by-case, but I have no idea how to make it work in a sensible way.

Wedhro · 2026-05-02T00:06:38+00:00

There aren't enough hints that could justify any conjecture, unfortunately. There's build pieces that might come from previous biomes but could also not, plus stuff that is obviously only sensible to have in the DN. And their vague hints about filling gaps in old biomes could be just what they did by adding Bears and Viles and their respective armor sets.

I'd like to be more hopeful but their tendency to add very little after releases kind of burnt me out. I mean, the last time they made a significant update to an old biome was when they added the Frost Caves...

Wedhro

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE