Valheim Guide for Beginners

Character creation and the Black Raven

Like in almost every other survival game, you have the possibility to customize your character in Valheim. Once you've done that, you start the game and wake up on a large round stone, in the middle of a circle of other large rocks. This is your spawn point whenever you die, until you set up a bed.

Right next to you, you'll find a Black Raven named Hugin, who will give you valuable information right at the beginning of the game, preparing you for everything that is about to happen. Next to Hugin, you will also find a red glowing stone ("Rune Stone"), which will always indicate on the map where you are when you interact with it.

First food and important resources

You wake up naked and with a huge hunger, typical for the survival genre, and of course you have to take care of the first food as soon as possible. At the beginning you will probably find raspberries and mushrooms, which you have to collect with your hands from bushes and the ground. Since you don't have any tools or weapons to defend yourself yet, you should leave the hunting out of it for now and be content with the berries and mushrooms.

As first weapons or tools, the Club or even the Stone Axe are suitable. You will find the resources not too far from your spawn point. Wood can be collected as branches from the ground and stones can be found in abandoned camps or on the ground. In the forest you can find both and cut down small trees with your bare fists to build up a first stock of wood.

Once you have accumulated a good pile of stones and wood, you should craft the Club, the Stone Axe and a Hammer, so that you can take the next steps, such as setting up a workbench, which in turn will unlock new blueprints.

Shelter for the first night

In Valheim you have to win the favor of the gods and Odin and convince them that you are the strongest Viking warrior. This means that you have to stand up to all kinds of enemies and defeat them. Of course, this is not really possible at the beginning, so you should build a small base for the first night, which you can expand afterwards or leave to build your first own shack.

If you have already placed a workbench with the Hammer, you can now use it to create other items and structures, such as a roof for the workbench, to unlock its full function. But the workbench isn't just for crafting new items - you can use it to upgrade weapons and tools, and the last can be repaired there for free.

In Valheim, one thing is really important when it comes to building: the statics. At first, of course, it's enough to place walls directly on the ground, but for a real shack you'll need to use foundations that support everything well. If you want to learn more about building in Valheim, take a look at our Valheim Build Guide here. You can actually use the abandoned huts as a shelter for the first night or nights without having to do much work. It's also important to have a campfire, which will keep wild animals away and which you can use to warm yourself and brave the cold.

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