With the mid-game of Valheim taking you to the Swamps, you’re likely to be there farming the most important ore in the game, Iron. It is as usable as Wood, albeit being rare and limited, making it an important commodity to have from the mid-game and beyond. Given that it’s used in almost everything like armor and supporting beams for your structure, you’ll eventually ask yourself, what is the best weapon I can make from Iron?
Valheim’s linear progression opens you up to the possibility of getting the weapons as soon as possible, with each weapon having its unique challenges, niches, and materials to farm. Given the selection of weapons available, this list will narrow down the best weapons you can get for a wide variety of uses.
As with all Valheim lists, this was written at the time of the games’ latest version (Hearth and Home Update, version 0.204.4). This list only covers weapons that predominantly only use Iron as their core metal component, with non-metal components not affecting its place in the list. It’s also worth pointing out that this covers all the weapons you can get and isn’t limited to the time where you first get Iron.
How Do You Get Iron and Make Iron Weapons?
Before we start the list, let’s first establish the obvious. Getting Iron is as simple as going to the Swamp, opening a crypt using the Swamp Key (obtained by killing the 2nd boss, Elder), picking a muddy scrap pile using any pickaxe, and bringing the Iron scrap back to base for smelting. What is not simple is the difficulty of obtaining it especially early on, as the creatures of the Swamp are very deadly for the unprepared. I’m saying this as you’ll be doing a lot of crypt finding, meaning higher-grade food, and poison resistance is a must if you wish to hop to and from different Swamps. Your weapon (or anything that needs Iron for that matter) needs to be planned as the material amount can vary, which can take you a few hours, to even a few real-life days to have things sorted.
Once you know you have enough Iron scraps (or have your inventory full, or when you wish to quit farming it) to make your desired weapon, it’s back to your base or smelting area to create it via the Smelter, with the Charcoal Kiln nearby to feed the Smelter to process it. Once a bit of time passes, you should be able to collect the ingot from it and be able to make your weapon of choice via the Forge.
Now on to the actual list.
8. Iron Axe
While it’s more considered as a tool, it still has damage that can take enemies on when you’re in a pinch (or happen to be next to that tree you’re cutting down).
What’s Good About the Iron Axe?
This unassuming weapon is a byproduct of its construction, having more uses than cutting trees down, as seen below.
Iron Axe:
- Slashing damage works on simple enemies
- Can be a weapon when you’re in a pinch
- More for cutting trees to gather wood
Whether you choose a tall Pine tree, or that pesky Greydwarf guarding that area, cutting them down to size is pocketable with this tree cutter, though I wouldn’t swing for the fences often with this one as it’s not the most durable of Iron craftables, so use sparingly.
How to Get the Iron Axe?
Iron Axe:
- Get Iron
- Get Wood from trees or fallen branches
- Kill Boars for Leather Scraps
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Slash
- Base Damage: 60
- Full Upgraded Damage: 75
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
7. Battleaxe
While regular axes are more on chopping wood than an actual weapon, this larger, more imposing axe deals a lot more damage to a greater number as well. With a triple attack combo at its core, it’s a weapon built to cut anyone down to size.
What’s Good About the Battleaxe?
The Battleaxe is a larger, battle-oriented weapon that is dual-wielded, therefore not being able to pair with a shield, making it a riskier, more barbaric option. It’s a great weapon for these reasons:
Battleaxe:
- Can hit multiple enemies with more consistent damage spread
- Double damage on the third hit of the combo
- The alternate attack does stagger
Dual-wielded weapons generally don’t block well, making them a riskier choice against the strongest of enemies. Being a weapon that swings in a huge area, it is best used against smaller, filler mobs that can interrupt the rest of your squad from taking down something stronger. This doesn’t protect your backside though, so, like this weapons playstyle, all you can do is go forwards.
How to Get the Battleaxe?
Battleaxe:
- Get Iron
- Get Ancient Bark from chopping down Ancient Trees
- Kill Boars for Leather Scraps
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Slash
- Base Damage: 75
- Full Upgraded Damage: 93
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
6. Iron Sledge
From slashing to bashing, and while that isn’t on the enemy’s face, but rather the ground, the riptide of its might will be felt by them, literally.
What’s Good About the Iron Sledge?
This hammer is the best displacing mallet in the game, albeit at a very close range at that. While that may not sound impressive, it does offer up some good effects, like the things below.
Iron Sledge:
- Strong AoE damage to chunk out an enemy’s health
- High possibility for stagger effect to apply to enemies
- When upgraded, it’s strong enough to be used on the toughest enemies in the Plains
While almost the same as the Battleaxe, this weapon goes a step further in terms of being a radius hit, meaning in some cases, it can protect you from what’s behind. Honestly, like all dual-handed weapons, I’d still use it with timing and care as one false move can send you packing up to the dirt, forcing you to respawn and having the hassle of getting it again a lot tougher.
How to Get the Iron Sledge?
Iron Sledge:
- Get Iron
- Get Ancient Bark from chopping down Ancient Trees
- Buy the Ymir Flesh from the trader
- Kill a Draugr Elite to get its trophy
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Blunt
- Base Damage: 55
- Full Upgraded Damage: 73
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
5. Iron Atgeir
Another iron-based, dual-wielded weapon, the Iron Atgeir is best described as a lighter anti-mob weapon with a lot more options to approach against enemies.
What’s Good About the Iron Atgeir?
As said earlier, the Iron Atgeir is a dual-wielded weapon, meaning it carries some of the strengths and weaknesses of the previous entries while offering its unique strengths listed below.
Iron Atgeir:
- Faster combo animations than other dual-handed weapons
- The alternate attack does good pierce damage on a targeted enemy
- Cheaper to make than the Battleaxe
A solid choice if you wish to just go utility with the sweep, or its alternate attack to carry immense damage to a single target, it’s the more versatile of the bunch, making it this far up the list.
How to Get the Iron Atgeir?
Iron Atgeir:
- Get Iron
- Get Wood from trees or fallen branches
- Kill Boars for Leather Scraps
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Pierce
- Base Damage: 65
- Full Upgraded Damage: 83
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
4. Ancient Bark Spear
This pointy stick is gonna hurt for whoever is at the end of your throw.
What’s Good About the Ancient Bark Spear?
A new weapon type in terms of category, this is more of a manual arrow without the bow. While not as long in flight, it’s when you turn it into a melee weapon where this shines, as seen below.
Ancient Bark Spear:
- An incredibly good range for single target enemies
- Great reusable weapon to hunt deer with
- The alternate attack allows you to hit an enemy from a certain range
A super safe weapon, and if you don’t feel comfortable with your parry and counterattack combos, then this is good for you. I will say as well that this weapon uses up more stamina when spammed, as it isn’t limited to a 3-attack combo animation, but that also can mislead your safety as spamming it will leave your stamina dry and, on bad timing, taking a free hit by enemies not directly in front of you.
Still, this weapon is a good addition to your inventory, as the aforementioned alternate attack will throw the spear to any foe. Like arrows, it also has a drop-off range, so you’ll need to get used to how it goes so you won’t accidentally throw it someplace unrecoverable like last nights’ take-out.
How to Get the Ancient Bark Spear?
Ancient Bark Spear:
- Get Iron
- Get Ancient Bark from chopping down Ancient Trees
- Kill Trolls for Troll Hide
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Pierce
- Base Damage: 55
- Full Upgraded Damage: 73
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 3)
3. Iron Sword
Nothing’s more convenient and reliable than a sword, and an Iron Sword is a good one at that.
What’s Good About the Iron Sword?
This is a new weapon in regards to any previous entries here and it’s as useful as you’d think a sword should be. Its use case is as broad as its importance and benefits, listed below.
Iron Sword:
- Can be paired with a shield for good defense/attack combos
- Relatively cheap to make
- Strong alternate attack to single out an enemy
It’s one of the old reliable type of weapons, where it’s strong generally but not always good against foes who has a resistance to its damage types. For general runs, this is still one of the best weapons to have around in your inventory as it goes a long way (up until you get better tier weapons).
How to Get the Iron Sword?
Iron Axe:
- Get Iron
- Get Wood from trees or fallen branches
- Kill Boars for Leather Scraps
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Slash
- Base Damage: 55
- Full Upgraded Damage: 73
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
2. Iron Mace
One of the more preferred weapons of choice for the Swamp, the Iron Mace is no slouch for its effectiveness against the murky beings within that biome.
What’s Good About the Iron Mace?
A great weapon with great utility, here are the things the Iron Mace can provide.
Iron Mace:
- Slight knockback increase from the Bronze Mace
- Damage increase can help with higher difficulty mobs
- A good weapon for doing Swamp runs or killing Bonemass
Again, if you want the go-to weapon of choice for Swamp runs, or if you want to go toe to toe with the game’s 3rd boss, Bonemass, this blunt rod is worthy of an inventory slot. Its one-handed operation allows for a shield on the other that will help protect you when out dealing with the swamp-folk. It’s arguably the best Iron weapon you can readily make as it fits with what the Swamp is weak against, strong blunt damage. Going back, if you wish to take Bonemass down, pummel it down to size, using this Iron whack-a-mole weapon, for as long as you don’t die to poison (or the things around).
How to Get the Iron Mace?
The Iron Mace is created by doing the following:
Iron Mace:
- Get Iron
- Get Wood from trees or fallen branches
- Kill Boars for Leather Scraps
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Blunt
- Base Damage: 55
- Full Upgraded Damage: 73
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 2)
1. Porcupine – Best General-Purpose Club
For a late-game item, the Porcupine is surprisingly Iron-based and doesn’t belong to the Blackmetal tier of weapons its class is associated with, and by that argument, is the best Iron weapon in the game
What’s Good About the Porcupine?
When you combine two of the most important damage types in the game, it creates this mallet of malice, perfect for enemies of all forms and difficulties. It’s also the best weapon in the game to some, offering significant advantages such as the ones listed below.
Porcupine:
- Highest overall damage profile from all the clubs
- A suitable weapon to many enemies, even the highest-level ones
- Its combination of blunt and piercing make many enemies with no resistances easy to burst
It’s a weapon wherein if the strong piercing stat doesn’t kill the enemies, the blunt damage will, and vice-versa. Having this flexibility and the game having enemies that are not resistant to one damage stat to another, combined with the general nature of these high tier weapons makes this spiky club of pain an absolute beast at killing, well, beasts. Line them up, and batter up, that’s what this weapon does, and does it so well.
How to Get the Porcupine?
For a high-grade weapon, the Porcupine’s shocking trait of being Iron helps create one less danger when getting the following items listed below.
Porcupine:
- Get Iron
- Get Fine Wood from Birch Trees
- Kill Deathsquitos to get Needles
- Process Flax to a Spinning Wheel to create Linen Thread
- Combine in the Forge
For a detailed look at the weapons stats, you may look at the table or use the key points below.
- Damage Profile: Blunt / Piercing
- Base Damage: 50 / 45 (95)
- Full Upgraded Damage: 50 / 63 (113)
- Minimum Crafting Area: Forge (Level 4)
You may also be interested in:
- Valheim Best Armor (And How to Get Them)
- Valheim Best Food (And How to Get Them)
- Valheim Best Shield (And How to Get Them)
- Valheim Review - Is It Good or Bad?
