Before you get stuck into Valheim modding, you’ll need to download a couple of prerequisite mods that make the rest of Valheim modding possible. One of these is Valheim Unstripped DLLs, which Vortex (Nexus Mods’ mod manager) will recommend installing. Another mod called BepInExPack for Valheim carries out a similar function, providing a general purpose framework for Unity modding, which basically gives mod creators the tools they need to alter Valheim ( and you’ll need to download it for these mods to work). You can find it over on Thunderstore. Oh, and remember to back up your save files before diving in - you can find them through Steam by opening the properties menu for Valheim, then ’local files’ and ‘browse’.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one quality of life mod, the obvious choice is Valheim Plus - a gameplay mod that allows players to tweak most of Valheim’s core systems. You can alter anything from stamina usage and health regeneration to certain items’ rate of production, such as how fast a furnace can pump out iron. You can also sort out niggles like being unable to take metal through portals, and speed up that annoying thing at the end of each day called “night-time”. Who needs game balance, anyway?
For builders, there’s an advanced building mode which allows you to freeze items and rotate them along multiple axes. You can also extend the range of your workbench, and edit Valheim’s structural integrity requirements to allow you to build wooden skyscrapers, or things that magically float in the air. (If building inside a crypt is more your style, however, you can try this mod which allows building inside dungeons so you can party with the skeletons.)
Those who want to create a massive Rust-style server, meanwhile, can use Valheim Plus to remove the 10-player cap on a server. To make things a bit more challenging, you can increase enemy difficulty depending on the number of connected players, should you want to have a massive boss battle with dozens of friends.
As for those who just want some quality of life improvements, Valheim Plus adds much-requested features like a shared map system, more detailed player HUDs, and a way to change your field of view (though if you’re looking to play Valheim in first person, there’s a mod for that over here). There are four different versions of Valheim Plus depending on whether you want to install the mod locally or on a server - make sure to read the installation instructions in the mod description.
If Valheim Plus hasn’t quite covered your specific gameplay needs, then don’t worry, as there are plenty of other mods to fill the gaps. Equipment and Quick Slots gives equipped items their own inventory slots so they don’t get mixed in with all the other junk in your inventory. If you want easy access to all your possessions while at a workbench, this mod by aedenthorn allows you to pull items from nearby containers, meaning your storage situation can be as messy as you want. And if you don’t want to manually fix all your gear every time you return to a workbench, Auto Repair will do exactly what it says on the tin (while a similar mod called Auto Fuel does the same but for your furnaces and smelters - allowing them to suck up nearby coal, wood and ore). As someone who regularly builds over water, however, I think Use Equipment in Water might be one of the most useful mods I’ve seen so far, and will finally put an end to my fist-fights with greydwarves in the shallows.
Alright, that’s plenty of very sensible mods - time for some silly stuff. Valheim has a number of cauldron crafting recipes, but nowhere near enough confectionary items. A mod by RandyKnapp simply titled “Jam” adds a whopping eight new jams to the game, all with their own health benefits and funky colours for your inventory. I’m still not sure about that cyan-coloured one, though.
Something a little less sweet is the VengefulTrees mod by nearbear. The risky practice of chopping down trees has already become a bit of a Valheim community in-joke, and this mod takes things a step further by giving the trees murderous intent. “Every now and then a tree you chop will not forgive you for what you did to it and try to murder you,” the mod description says. “Survive and you’ll hone your woodcutting skills while earning a bountiful harvest.” Watch you don’t get mashed to a pulp.
And, finally, you can effectively turn your Valheim game into horde mode with Custom Raids, with which you can change the frequency of raids, add new raid events, and fully customise what spawns. Or you can just use it to remove your troll problem.
Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list of Valheim mods - there are plenty of texture mods and pre-made buildings you can add to your world (including the Eye of Sauron), and I imagine there will be plenty more to come as modders figure their way around Valheim’s systems.
