The co-op survival game Valheim is very popular on Steam. In this Valheim beginner’s guide, we’ll show you how to survive the first few nights & the basics of building a base.
Content of the guide:
- First steps
- Find food
- Find raw materials
- Base building
How to survive in Valheim – everything you need to know
Basics of Valheim
How to start the game: When you start Valheim for the first time, as in many other RPGs, you will be greeted with character creation. Here you can roughly put together your own Viking.
If you click on start, you will wake up inside a stone circle. Here you will start over with each death. This is true, at least until you have set up your own bed.
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At the edge of the stone circle, you should be able to spot the raven Hugin, who gives you important information right at the beginning. Next to Hugin there is also a red stone that shows where you are on the map when interacting. Off the stone, you open the map with the “M” key. Other key combinations are:
| Action | Key / Combination |
| Movement | W, A, S, D |
| Crouch | Ctrl |
| Sprint | Shift |
| Jump | Space |
| Toggle Walking / Joggin | C |
| Sit | X |
| Attack / alt. Attack | Left and Middle Mouse Button |
| Block | Rechte Maustaste |
| Auto Run | Q |
| Holster Weapon | R |
| Forsaken Power | F |
| Placing | Shift |
| Map | M |
| Inventory | TAB |
| Zoom in | Mouse Wheel Up |
| Zoom Out | Mouse Wheel Down |
| Tear Down | Mouse 3 |
| Building Menu | Mouse 3 |
| Prior Building Element | Q |
| Next Buidling Element | E |
First steps & find food
What to do at the beginning: Valheim, like other genre representatives, begins with you going into the world completely starved and naked. In the case of Valheim, this is of course, the life after because your character is already dead. By defeating five bosses, you get the favor of celebrating at the table in Valhalla! Now we will show you in the Valheim Beginner Guide where you can find food and other raw materials.
There is food here: In Valheim you better not rush straight into the first enemy or the first wild animal. These will not quite so literally tear you apart in the proverbial air, especially at the beginning.
So you should approach the subject of food as a collector rather than a hunter, but we’ll get to that later. Your first sources of food are, therefore, plants, of which you should discover two variants after the first few steps. On the one hand, there are raspberries, and on the other hand, mushrooms. You will also need the latter later to tame and breed wild boars.
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Find raw materials & process them in crafting
Not just food: In Valheim, you have to find not only food but also other resources with which you can take on the fight against the bosses. This includes stones, wood, and various metals. The first two are sufficient for this Valheim beginner guide.
Since you don’t have any tools at the beginning, you must get your resources elsewhere. Now and then, you will find deserted places in the forests that enrich you with raw materials:
- Abandoned camp: You will find stones around the fireplace. You can also find piles of wood and even boxes full of loot here.
- Abandoned huts: You can also find wood and stone in these huts, but the chance of coming across boxes is slightly increased. We’ll show you later why the cabins are ideal to start with.
- In the forest: Even in the middle of the forest, you can occasionally find stones and wood scattered on the ground. As in Minecraft, you can cut down small, dry trees with your bare fists.
How to craft: In our Valheim Beginner Guide we concentrate on the basics. So, so that you don’t just make piles of wood and stone, you should be familiar with the basics of crafting in Valheim. To make something from the resources, you must open the inventory with “TAB”. On the right side, you will then find the crafting menu.
Only a few recipes are currently displayed here. To get started, you’ll want to make an ax, pickaxe, and hammer. While the purpose of the first two tools is self-explanatory, you need the hammer to unlock further recipes!
You can use it to set up a workbench, for example, which you can use to unlock construction plans again.
Build a first base & survive the night
This is how the workbench works: As already mentioned, you have to make a hammer, which you then use it build a workbench. Once you’ve done that, you won’t be able to use this workbench. Valheim demands that it be covered.
So you first have to build a small shelter for your workbench. But make sure that you use a roof as the roof! It is not enough to use a floor as a roof.
You should now be able to use all of its functions:
- Tools can be repaired free of charge
- Access to many more tools
- Hook
- Wooden arrows
- Flint ax
- Weapons and tools can be upgraded
This is how you build a basis: Valheim is not reinventing the wheel and follows the motto: “Well copied is better than badly made yourself”. Because building bases follow the principle of ARK. Raw materials have to be collected and then processed into walls, floors, doors, roofs, etc. in the crafting menu.
Then you place the walls on the floor. Unlike in Ark, these do not have to be placed on foundations. You can build anywhere you want. The abandoned huts we discussed initially are ideal for a cheap starter base.
Survive the night: The base protects you from wild animals and opponents. But to protect yourself from Mother Nature and her relentlessly cold nights, you should start a fire.
If you are cold, you can see it in the toolbar at the top right next to the mini-map. If you place a fire, the symbol changes from “Cold” to “Fire” and you get warm. Later on, sturdy clothing should also help you against the weather.
Closing words to the Valheim Beginner Guide
Complete us! Have we forgotten something new players should urgently know about their start in Valheim? Let us know that and more of your tips. Leave a comment or follow us on Facebook to comment and discuss with the community.
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