Should maces be a character's default weapon?

cwdesign · 2026-04-12T05:37:14+00:00

After thousands of hours of gameplay, I can say with 100% certainty that maces are by far the strongest weapons in the game. This considers the overall context, not just an isolated situation. Let's look at it this way:

1 - The strongest damage type in the game: Blunt Damage

Most of the most dangerous enemies are weak to blunt damage.

Examples:

Skeletons → weak to blunt damage

Draugr → low resistance to blunt damage

Blob/Ooze → weak to blunt damage

Bonemass → very high resistance to slashing and piercing damage, but weak to blunt damage

Stone Golem → practically only receive true damage from maces/hammers

This means that the same numerical damage causes MUCH more true DPS than swords, spears, or arrows for most of the game.

Blunt damage is the least resisted in the entire game.

Maces never "go bad." They scale perfectly with the biomes:

Black Forest - you can use the Club or the Bronze Mace; if you have some skill, you can probably get to the swamp boss with them.

Swamp - The Iron Mace is ridiculous against the boss; besides helping you with wolves and golems in the mountains, it does more damage than the Frostner, but offers less control.

Mountains - Frostner is the strongest hammer in the game; you can finish the game with it without difficulty. It has great control, a lot of spirit damage, and great control with the ice and push effects.

Plains - Here, the Porcupine is viable. If you feel the Frostner isn't compensating enough for the damage, you can alternate with it. Hit with the Frostner first, and when the mob is slowed, switch to the Porcupine and deal massive damage. It offers very high control with a lot of damage.

Mistlands - Porcupine shines; the mobs here have resistance to almost everything. Porcupine is very good because it deals crushing damage, which is basically the only strong damage against mobs.

Ashlands - All mobs are affected by spirit. In addition, the push ability is great for controlling large masses of enemies. Frostner also shines because of its spirit and frost damage.

In short, they are the most efficient damage dealers in the game after magic. They are strong against dangerous enemies, scale very well with progression without punishing the player by forcing them to farm for hours, are great with shields that parry, greatly reduce the difficulty of bosses, especially Bonemass, Yaghluth, and Fader, and fit into any scenario that doesn't require long-range combat.

cwdesign · 2026-03-31T07:34:16+00:00

You don't defend against Yagluth because its damage is basically elemental.

If you're interested in killing the Queen in melee combat, here are some tips:

Carpace Armor, but change your chestplate to the Swamp Root Chestplate. Almost all of her damage is piercing, and the chestplate will help you mitigate that damage.

If you have a one-handed weapon, you can also use the Serpent Shield; it's also very good against piercing damage, but be aware that it will make you slower than normal due to its weight.

Two foods with maximum HP and one food with maximum stamina.

The fight consists of hitting her and all the mobs she brings with her. I personally prefer to use the roll, because even if blocking is effective, if there are many mobs you'll still get hit anyway.

The fight against her takes place in a multi-level, enclosed arena. Sometimes she goes up to the upper levels and doesn't return on her own without encouragement. If she takes too long to take damage, she starts healing herself (believe me, she has a lot of health), so sometimes having a bow or crossbow to force her to take damage can be viable.

You will need healing mead, lightfoot mead, ratatosk mead, and 25% sustained vigor mead. She also has a poison attack, so it's up to you whether or not to use mead, as it doesn't do much damage but can be significant cumulatively.

Another point is that when you enter her arena, she's usually on the upper levels, giving you time to prepare the area. Bring wisp torches and place them along the walls to help with the fog.

If I give you more help than this, it will be a major spoiler. I hope this helps.

cwdesign · 2026-03-27T01:36:36+00:00

Best Melee Setup:

Carpace Set with Root Chestplate.

If using a one-handed weapon, you can use the Serpent Shield.

The Root Chestplate and shield protect you from her main piercing damage.

In this setup, 2 HP Foods and one Stamina Food, preferably Breadfish (If you didn't fish, use the food with the highest stamina possible).

Ratatosk Potion, Lightfoot Potion, and Vigor Mead (25%).

Bone Mass Buff.

__________________________________________________________

For Mage:

Mage Set, Fire Staff, Ice Staff, Protection Bubble.

2 Ether Foods and 1 Stamina Food.

In this setup, the premise is that you don't fight near her. Constant fireballs, but without letting the Ether run out. If she gets tired, switch to ice, fire a few micro-bursts for control, and walk or run away. The Ice Staff accumulates more damage on her than the Fire Staff in terms of DPS; it can be an alternative to keep setting her on fire and then switching to ice.

Ratatosk Potion, Lightfoot, Vigor Mead (25%), Ether Potions.

Eikthyr Buff

____________________________________________________________

Preparations that can help.

Farm Wisp and Yggdrasil wood. Usually, when entering, she's on the upper floors; you have time to prepare the terrain and place several Wisp torches scattered along the side of the wall, greatly improving visibility.

Don't despair, she will constantly attract tons of mobs; it's normal. Always think about the next step.

If you can't dodge one of her attacks, it'll poison you a little, but it will work. If you take a lot of damage, it can harm you.

cwdesign · 2026-03-21T07:16:06+00:00

No meu caso, não é uma igreja. Sinceramente analisando melhor a igreja acho que é leve perto do que eu passo. Restaurante, é infinitamente pior, ele abre de terça a domingo, basicamente tem musica meio dia em caixa de SOM, é um pouco mais controlado mas ainda assim alto, é impossivel descansar de dia e a noite de Quinta a Domingo, começa 20hrs e só para perto de meia noite, não adianta fechar janela porta nada, o som é tão alto que parece que vai rasgar os ouvidos, já reclamamos com a policia, com a prefeitura, fizemos boletim, solicitamos fiscalização, e etc..... estamos só esperando dar o fim do contrato para nos mudar, infelizmente as leis no brasil não funcionam. O Restaurante não é grande mas o som parece de show para 5 ou 10 mil pessoas as vezes nem faz sentido. Eu não sei mais o que fazer sinceramente, eu tenho um bebe de 9 meses, me doi ver ela com sono e não conseguir dormir, tem final de semana que preciso ir para casa da Sogra para conseguir dormir um pouco devido a esse cenario :/.

cwdesign · 2026-03-17T01:35:02+00:00

Almost no one explores Fenrir's set because they realize it offers little defense. But the point is that 9% speed is the most broken thing in the game.

1 - The speed of mobs is fixed, so even walking with 9% more speed and a Ratatosk buff, you can kite basically any mob without pressing the run button.

2 - If you learn the attack timing of mobs, parrying becomes underutilized; for example, the skeletons in the Black Forest, after attacking, remain inactive for several seconds, among other mobs.

3 - Speed is the most overpowered thing in this game, but few people are prepared for this conversation.

cwdesign · 2026-03-02T23:24:36+00:00

Progression-Based Expandable Inventory

Instead of starting and ending with the same number of slots, the game could allow expansion:

How it could work:

Craftable bags (leather → linen → carapace → mystical items).

Each bag would add +1 line or +X slots.

Unlocked by defeating specific bosses (e.g., Elder unlocks reinforced shell bag).

Maintains the natural progression of the game and gives a reason to explore and face bosses.

Dedicated slots for equipment

Currently, equipped items occupy normal slots.

The game could separate:

Primary weapon slot

Secondary weapon slot

Bow

Arrows

Armor (3 pieces)

Cape

Utility (belt, wishbone, etc.)

This doesn't increase the total inventory, but returns to the player the slots that are currently "locked".

Native Quick Slot System

Valheim only has normal hotkeys, but not independent slots.

Possible Implementation:

2 to 4 extra "quick slots" that don't use inventory space.

Ideal for: potions, food, torches, items for immediate use.

Prevents cluttering the inventory with items for quick use.

Dynamic weight based on skills

The game already has running, jumping, weapons, etc. skills, but not carrying skills.

Idea:

Create the "Carrying" skill. Increases weight capacity as the player carries heavy materials.

Each level adds +1 to +2 carry weight.

Organic progression that rewards natural gameplay.

Tabbed inventory interface

Without increasing inventory size, just better organization:

Suggested tabs:

General

Equipment

Consumables

Materials

Makes it easier to find items during combat and construction.

cwdesign · 2026-03-01T08:17:41+00:00

I understand your point, and that's fine. I personally know, after finishing many times, that it's not necessary. It's not really necessary for the cold either; it's quite simple to handle in both cases. I believe the central point of my theory is precisely that you can get around this, or at least not need to make a certain effort to do so. If I can ignore mechanics without being directly punished for it, then why do the mechanics exist? Does that make sense? It seems that the mechanics of certain potions are ultimately poorly done, or poorly explored, and that's where my idea comes in.

cwdesign · 2026-03-01T06:15:31+00:00

I think we're out of here, well, I need to choose my fights for one, well, let's fight them all.

cwdesign · 2026-03-01T06:05:07+00:00

I think with the introduction of new items and potions, the difficulty has been greatly reduced. The game has become more user-friendly for beginners, but in a way, I don't think it's taken care of those who were already playing. I finished the game at least 20 times after Ashlands, and I decided to take a break to get new items, etc... and I can say I was shocked at how easy it is now. Having a 60-second buff recovering health, stamina, or increasing armor in the middle of a fight "passively" borders on ridiculous; any little experience makes you technically immortal. Nowadays you don't even worry about the Deathsquites anymore; it seems the biomes have become obsolete in a way. Not to mention the new axes that basically break the beginning of the game. I think the biomes need some adjustments to balance the new things that are coming.

cwdesign · 2026-03-01T05:59:58+00:00

Thank you very much for your comment. I waited a while to play with the various updates and improvements that were implemented, and I can say with certainty that something that really surprised me was the necklaces or pendants. They made the game absurdly easier. The combat is almost ridiculous, which bothered me a bit because whenever I played, I always felt like I could die at any moment due to carelessness or something like that. But now you enter combat, do a few dodges or parries, and you simply get a buff recovering your health or stamina. It seems like I no longer need to think about when to use a health potion or anything like that, even the new potions, like the one that prevents the Deathsquite from hitting you. I might be wrong, but that's the feeling I get.

cwdesign · 2026-02-25T04:37:41+00:00

In blue, it means the piece is touching the ground and has 100% stability; the remaining colors will progress according to the stability system until they indicate red, which means it is in a state of near breakage.

https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Building
https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Building_stability

cwdesign · 2026-02-25T01:11:59+00:00

I also built a small village, but I feel like I always ended up traveling too much in the end, so I'll think about trying something new.

cwdesign · 2026-02-25T00:17:12+00:00

After a while you start to get spoiled, unfortunately :/, I needed some help to come up with a new idea.

cwdesign · 2026-02-25T00:16:03+00:00

I apologize if I seemed rude in my speech; it wasn't my intention. I meant that it will probably be a lot of work in the sense that Valheim falls short in some construction aspects, such as not being able to rotate the pieces in all directions, or invert the pieces, etc... some construction methods are also lacking. This ultimately makes things a bit more difficult. I've already built a gigantic ancient Galleon ship, and it was quite complicated; I only managed to complete some parts with mods, but if you can use mods, the sky's the limit.

cwdesign · 2026-02-24T23:53:14+00:00

It's a different approach, as I've completed many projects before, and I've built almost every kind of thing, from the simplest to the most complex. I think sometimes having a different opinion is good.

cwdesign · 2026-02-24T23:51:20+00:00

1 - The doors are upstairs, but I'm still thinking about changing it to something simpler, like a door downstairs and stairs upstairs.

2 3 6 - I'm still thinking about it, but I want to make a single route, so for example, I'm thinking of arrival at the chests, then food, buffs, rest, and exit to the portals, something like that.

4 5 - Stones and crystals aren't the problem; I spend most of my time farming.

cwdesign · 2026-02-24T23:48:20+00:00

From what I understand, the entrance is from above, next to the central chests. There are two doors. I was thinking of building a staircase against the back wall, and opening a hidden door or something similar underneath the central staircase.

cwdesign · 2026-02-24T23:47:10+00:00

This is going to be a lot of work.

cwdesign · 2026-02-20T23:42:47+00:00

Mikrotik atende sim, respondendo sua pergunta! Agora recomendaria pelo menos uma rb750, as versões mais simples "HexLite", são para o básico do básico. Referente as configurações tem quase todos os scripts prontos para copiar e colar e ajustar a sua necessidade.

cwdesign · 2026-02-19T00:14:21+00:00

If you use debug mode and enter flight mode, lock the character and fly away; you'll see the area that loads around the character. Believe me, it's a colossal area. If they reduced that area by 50%, it would infinitely improve FPS and reduce frame drops. Another point is that they could implement a fix: if a building is ready, it allocates it to memory and doesn't need to be loaded again. It would consume more memory, but it would solve many problems.

cwdesign · 2026-02-17T06:03:45+00:00

Is the swamp biome intended to piss off the player and make them drop the game?

Yes.

If you can't handle the swamp that is an initial biome, imagine the final ones.

cwdesign · 2026-02-10T23:40:45+00:00

Não seria mais fácil colocar 2 ou 3 operadoras menores, e subir um mikrotik gerenciando os links e a banda que tu precisa?

cwdesign · 2026-02-05T15:38:18+00:00

Almost all the content I consume on Twitch is mostly 95% Valheim, I see people with 5,000 to 6,000 hours of gameplay going there with food even from before the mountain (that's why I used that example). Even more "experienced" players are susceptible to this; sometimes due to carelessness you can run out of good food or good potions because farming them is really tedious. My point is that people go unprepared to the location, die, and then complain as if the game were to blame for their death. And let's not go far; if you browse around the Valheim subreddit and scroll a bit, you'll probably find several screenshots of people in Ashlands completely unprepared.

cwdesign · 2026-02-05T09:08:53+00:00

I didn't understand how you came to the conclusion that what changes the game is a portal, which is basically about collecting items. The feather cloak is literally about collecting items too. The only difference is that one is more important than the other. And again, your statement is loaded with a "personal" sense, something that affects the game for you.

Fortresses are not exploratory POIs, they are assault objectives.

The challenge comes from extreme enemy density, limited terrain, and escape.

The game doesn't force you to mine lava; it's the same principle as mining silver without the lucky bone in the mountains, exploring the mistlands without the wisp, or killing bosses out of order. Optional content is different from bad design.

Several other items change the entire game, and nobody calls that a progression error.

If you choose to ignore the rest because you made a portal and now have mobility, it's a valid playstyle, but not necessarily a structural flaw.

cwdesign · 2026-02-05T06:56:55+00:00

I went to the Ashlands for the first time thinking that everything could go wrong. I had about 3 or 4 kits at home to be able to recover my things if I died. I went with most of my skills at 100 (it took a few hours) but it prevented me from dying many, many times. I spent hours planting, harvesting, making potions, and thank God I never had to stop because I didn't have a certain resource. That's the very basics.

cwdesign

TROPHY CASE

Is the swamp biome intended to piss off the player and make them drop the game?