After more than five years in early access, Valheim 1.0 is finally here, and can be played from start to finish for the very first time. While Valheim’s gameplay will feel familiar to fans of the survival crafting genre–and has influenced other games released in the years since–the viking-themed game has a few unique mechanics that take some getting used to.
If you’re headed to the tenth world for the very first time, here are some important tips that will make your Valheim experience so much smoother. This guide avoids progression and boss spoilers.
Stay Well Rested
Being in your base grants you the rested buff, which appears in the upper right corner as a red symbol. While this is easy to overlook when first picking up the game, having the rested buff up as much as possible is vital to your survival on Valheim–dramatically increasing your HP and stamina regen, as well as increasing XP gain.
The duration of the rested buff depends on the comfort level of your base, which can be increased by decorating with furniture, rugs, banners, and other decor. In a pinch, you can get a basic rested buff by sitting next to a campfire, even if you aren’t sheltered. You can also place a campfire in the entrance to a dungeon if the buff runs out while dungeon-crawling.
Eat Good Food
As in most survival games, food is vital to your journey through Valheim, however the food mechanics are a little different to other games. Valheim gives you three slots for food, meaning you can have three different meals active at once–and you should make sure you always have all these slots filled.
Eating food doesn’t directly increase your HP, instead food dictates your maximum HP, maximum stamina, and how quickly each of them auto-regenerate. Some foods give you mostly HP, some give mostly stamina, and others are mixed, giving you many different ways to build your character. Food buffs become less effective as they start to run out, leaving you to decide whether you want to refresh your food as often as possible, or conserve resources and play cautiously.
Don’t forget to upgrade your cooking station to unlock more complex recipes, as these will give you better buffs and more options than basic food.
Sleep Through The Night
In time-honored survival game tradition, the nights are far more dangerous in Valheim than the daytime. Plan to get back to your bed to sleep through the night where you can, avoiding the more dangerous monsters and refreshing your rested buff.
While nighttime exploration becomes a little less dangerous when you get further into the game, you should always avoid exploring new biomes during the night–many biomes have uniquely deadly mobs that only come out at night.
