If you’re starting your run of Valheim there are plenty of weapons available that can help you out through various points of your playthrough. While there isn’t a class system, you’d much rather know what to get, rather than spending that hour-long sail of hauling materials from far away, only to build something as deadly as a leaf on a sad stick. Weapons are the core of your survival against enemies, and having a bad one, will only lead to a sad montage of your dead body turning into mush.
Note that this was written on its current patch (version 0.155.7) and is based on my experience in completing the game with a few friends. Some weapons will be left out on the list (like knives and spears), as, on a bigger scale may prove less useful in the hands of most people just starting out, compared to what these weapons have to offer.
With that in mind, here are some weapons you should get when you play this Viking sandbox.
10. Bronze Sword: A Beginners Best Friend
The bronze sword is your old reliable, as your first sword, that, alongside a bronze buckler (shield) will give you great effective dueling power for most of the mobs you’ll do on your first days of play. Like many weapons in this game, the 3 clicks, hack and slash weapon you wield will be your best friend for dealing with lower-level graydwarves and killing for food (sorry necks and boars, Vikings gotta eat). Below are the upgrades you can do to the bronze sword and how many cart rides you may need to take to get it up to the max.
https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Bronze_sword
You can craft it by combining:
- 2 Wood
- 8 Bronze
- 2 Leather Scraps
It’s one of the items you can put to good use when you require more durability for small mobs, and robust enough that you can have it as a main weapon while you still don’t have access to iron items. While most of the bronze items are equally disposable when you finish the 2nd boss, the sword just gets a bit more life as you’ll depend early on. The biggest drawback that I see is that, and that applies to any metal item, is that, to repair it, you’ll need to have a forge with you (which is unlikely early on) when you explore further away.
Like most early friends, don’t kick them to the curb when you start getting newer ones (or weapons for this matter), they might just save you when a mob is coming.
- Somewhat easy to make when materials are readily available
- Durable enough for a short expedition/scouting adventure
- Decent damage to weaker mobs
9. The Iron Mace: A Club of Hurt
Feel like bashing mobs’ faces in and turning skeletons into fine powder? Then the Iron Mace is a nice weapon that you can have with you anytime. Like many iron weapons and gear, it’s got the second-highest durability rate (next to Blackmetal) which is perfect for your endgame secondary weapons haul. Its blunt damage profile is a swamp champ, as the blunt weapon profile is good for bosses like Bonemass (the big ugly goo on the image above), so bring it with you if you’re looking to explore Shrek’s domain for entrails and more iron scraps to make more iron for other iron weapons and upgrades. Speaking of upgrades, below is the chart for which you will need for it to be the ultimate iron bonk stick.
You can craft it by combining:
- 4 Wood
- 20 Iron
- 3 Leather Scraps
While a great weapon, it suffers from the same issues as other iron weapons; the resources needed for it. While the wood and leather scraps are pretty easy to source, it’s a chore to gather this much iron (more so if your swamp biomes are a long way away from base) and when you factor in that iron is being shared through tools and armor, you’ll see very little need to rush the upgrade for it. This will be easier if you’re with friends, splitting the task of raiding crypts for scrap iron, but on a solo run, you won’t see this metal masher for quite a while. You’ll be spending time seeing the sea or pulling the cart, as the teleporter can’t help you haul them back to your base.
Why is it Good?
- Very useful, even towards late game
- Super strong blunt damage for weaker mobs
- Can do good damage towards Bonemass, if the Frostner is unavailable
8. Stagbreaker: Mobs, Begone!
Bring the hammer down! (Youtube Channel: Vedui42)
Ahh, the Stagbreaker, good old two-handed weapon of yeeting, and the easiest to craft among all the weapons in this list (maybe apart from the arrows accompanying the bows). I personally never used the Stagbreaker on my initial finishing run, and only got to use it during the end when I was making this review. It’s weapon style looks menacing for something that is made of, what is otherwise the most common items in the game, and it is when you get the positioning right, an anti-panic button, disguised as a hammer. Cheap to make, but harder to upgrade, here is the list below.
You can craft it by combining:
- 20 Core Wood
- 5 Deer Trophy
- 2 Leather Scraps
While the hammer is cool and its single swing makes it easy to use, it’s got many drawbacks that negate its cheap build. For starters, you’ll need stamina, quite a bit of it, as with all two-handed weapons, it uses up more stamina than you may otherwise think. Partner that with the fact that, you’re likely using this early in the game, means that the food you may eat to gain stamina, may not be quite enough (let alone the stats you have early), and it makes you vulnerable when you have to block or dodge away the enemies you gained distance from.
Also, a pain for these dual-wielding weapons is the inability to block most damage. You’re going to be in a dual-edge (or handed) situation in which you can damage multiple enemies, but leave you vulnerable to ranged ones that you may not hit. With all these in mind, use the Stagbreaker in situations where you have to clear a big wave chasing or in a boss fight, where, while your main team damages the boss, you take care of the smaller fry like the stag you are.
- Can be built very early on
- Great for multiple enemies
- Good damage for an early game weapon
7. Finewood Bow: Early Aim, Later Fire
Long distance combat for eagle-eyed Vikings. (Youtube Channel: Fortizar)
While the choices for bows are limited to just 4 right now, the Finewood Bow is a step up from the crude bow you’ll initially get to make at the start of the game. A good bow to help take down enemies far away (as long as you have the arrow capacity of Hawkeye), it saves your metal weapons from being unusable, allowing you to have options on offense, defense, and deer hunting whenever possible.
What makes this so good, and higher up the list than it should is the sheer usability and longevity this has. You can have this bow for more than 50% of your gameplay and the upgrades above it (Huntsman and Draugr Bow) are the best bows in the game (more on the Draugr specifically later). Upgrades for the Finewood Bow are as follows
You can craft it by combining:
- 10 Fine Wood
- 10 Core Wood
- 2 Deer Hide
While the hammer is cool and its single swing makes it easy to use, it’s got many drawbacks that negate its cheap build. For starters, you’ll need stamina, quite a bit of it, as with all two-handed weapons, it uses up more stamina than you may otherwise think. Partner that with the fact that, you’re likely using this early in the game, means that the food you may eat to gain stamina, may not be quite enough (let alone the stats you have early), and it makes you vulnerable when you have to block or dodge away the enemies you gained distance from.
Also, a pain for these dual-wielding weapons is the inability to block most damage. You’re going to be in a dual-edge (or handed) situation in which you can damage multiple enemies, but leave you vulnerable to ranged ones that you may not hit. With all these in mind, use the Stagbreaker in situations where you have to clear a big wave chasing or in a boss fight, where, while your main team damages the boss, you take care of the smaller fry like the stag you are.
- Can be built very early on
- Great for multiple enemies
- Good damage for an early game weapon
6. Silver Sword: It Isn’t Just for Vampires
Fancy getting some silver for the silver sword? The video above will show you the way. (Youtube Channel: JadePG)
Silver is used for many things like jewelry, trades, burning swamp creatures from their crypts, you name it. Speaking of the latter, the silver sword is such a good weapon on its own as its stats can easily get you through many mobs in this game, with some visibly burning when you strike them. Its burning effect comes from the spirit damage that goes with making the sword. Ghosts, Draugrs, and other undead are weak against the spirit damage it brings, but not instantaneous. If your enemies are on the living side, however, the DoT (damage over time) effect isn’t present and thus an expensive proposition for it to be your main late-game weapon.
Speaking of expensive, the upgrades aren’t cheap, so you might want to take a loan from that vampire hunter next door to get the maximum quality (though sadly that hunter doesn’t exist, so tough times ahead).
You can craft it by combining:
- 2 Wood
- 40 Silver
- 3 Leather Scraps
- 5 Iron
For a weapon that blows away the undead, it sucks to get the materials needed. Not only do you need to get the same iron scraps as the iron stuff (see Iron Mace on how to get iron), but you’ll also need to freeze your beard at the mountains to attain the silver, where Wolves and Drakes can turn you into a frozen meal. Oh yeah, did I also tell you that you can only easily find silver using the Wishbone that can only be acquired by defeating Bonemass? And that you need a level 3 Forge to even make said item? If not, then there you go, multiple stages of hell to go through just to get the shiny sword with a spirit damage amplifier. You may as well want to be a spirit itself. Tough times ahead.
Why is it Good?
- A strong item that can be your secondary sword
- DoT from spirit damage helps in most cases, especially the swamp creatures
- Shiny. Beause, why not?
5. Blackmetal Atgeir: Watch Your Distance
A guide in getting the highest tier metal in the game, Blackmetal. Multiple Blackmetal weapons use this video. (Youtube Channel: ESO)
We’ve come to the big boy of Valheim items, Blackmetal. The best weapons and shields in the game are located here, with some exceptions, and we’ll be touching on the longest of the bunch, the Blackmetal Atgeir. It’s also worth noting that it’s the last tier of metals that you should see as they are, at this current time, the highest in the game. Further weapons will follow the same guide as the ones listed, with a few changes, depending on the weapon. With that in mind, onto the Blackmetal Atgeir.
As the two-handed stab stick of the Blackmetal family, it does what is supposed to do, which is swing at enemies and push them out (not initially the ideal use for such a pointy weapon, but okay). It has the pointy stab though, it’s just disguised as the charge attack (middle click) so it should still do what the pointy spear does, which is weird, as they classify it as a polearm, despite spears being present (it even looks like one honestly). Either way, as with Blackmetal items, they should be the priority to upgrade, and speaking of which, here is the table.
You can craft it by combining:
- 10 Fine Wood
- 30 Black Metal
- 5 Linen Thread
Like all Blackmetal items, they are the most expensive to create, in regards to the tier of items needed to make it, but with all items using it, it’s the best one and worth maxing out. Switching back to the stick of death, it shares the same issues as the Stagbreaker in that it requires a lot of energy and blocking can only negate some damage (parry with shields blocks, and even staggers opponents) while also leaving you susceptible to ranged attacks from enemies, but at this point in the game you’ve figured out (and died) many times to understand how it works and for the one toughest enemies right now, the Fuling, it’s a great way to stagger them to allow your team, or yourself a window of increased damage. As with many (if not all) Blackmetal weapons, it’s the best in its class, and to many, an underrated weapon to fight them all.
- Best polearm in the game right now
- Spinning attack hits on multiple enemies
- Stagger effect buys you enough time to make a slight getaway or more damage to its already great kit
4. Frostner: Mjolnir’s “Cooler” Counterpart
It's hammer time. (Youtube Channel: ESO)
Shame we can’t get the Mjolnir, but at least we got the icy equivalent for us to be reckless on with the Frostner (and it’s based on it too). It’s the best hammer you can craft, and what most would consider the key to take Bonemass on easily (with proper maneuvering small mobs), it’s special as it does inflict a lot of things when enemies get bashed on. Not only does it give a slow effect, but even spirit damage, in addition to its knockback.
With a weapon of such flexibility, it does need a lot of things, as listed below.
You can craft it by combining:
- 10 Ancient Bark
- 30 Silver
- 5 Ymir flesh
- 5 freeze gland
What is different from the Silver Sword, is that, in addition to silver, it also needs ancient bark, a type of wood that grows in the swamps, which is pretty heavy to carry (although portal friendly), Ymir’s flesh, an item the trader, Haldor, exclusively sells, and finally freeze glands, that can be obtained by killing drakes in the mountains. Once you collect everything though, you only need silver to further complete the mighty hammer (good luck with the mountain runs for that).
Again, its multi-stat giving prowess is what makes it unique and it also gives you the ability to use a shield with it, so that further gives this weapon the safety against the toughest of mobs, just make sure you are worthy enough to make it in the first place.
- Strongest blunt weapon in the game
- Multi-stat debuffs for the enemy
- Doesn’t need Blackmetal to be created
3. Draugr Fang: The Best Bow Within Range
From crafting to shooting, a look at how this long range bow is made in short time. (Youtube Channel: 04AM)
Just looking at it, it already feels like an upgrade, visually. We touched on how the Finewood Bow is only a stopgap weapon for it, and here is why.
First of all, it’s aim is one of the straightest among the bows (with the Huntsman being similar if not better, range-wise), making it the bow for high precision shots. What this does differently compared to the Huntsman Bow is that it naturally gives a poison debuff to those hit by it, and if we are talking about the best of the best, this wins out, just for that small increase in utility.
You can craft it by combining:
- 10 Ancient Bark
- 20 Silver
- 2 Deer Hide
- 10 Guck
Similar to getting the Frostner, you skip the flesh and glands, for something more attainable (and found the same place), Guck. As you get ancient bark, you may have noticed those green, snot-like things on the tree, welp, that’s your gateway to the best bow in the game. Just take extra care on building up as fall damage here can leave you falling hard like the arrows you shot while getting supper. Once you do get all the materials, bask in the glow of the bow you have forged and admire it as you inevitably hit the goblin camp next door, after that, the events, won’t be so pretty to look at anymore (or run, that’s also fine).
- Best bow in the game
- The natural poison effect makes it better than the similarly good Huntsman Bow
- Straight flight for a precise aim
2. Blackmetal Sword: The Best Sword Right Now
The same video as the Blackmetal Atgeir as they share core material. Blackmetal Shield discussion starts at 6:55. (Youtube Channel: ESO)
Do you want to slash enemies easily? Do you want to turn Eikthyr into a fancy lamb kebab? Do you wish to have a charge attack that can put big enemies into a pile of loot? If you say yes to all of that then the Blackmetal Sword is for you.
To put it sharply (forced joke, I know), it’s the best slashing weapon in the game. Once you do craft this big sword of suffering, try it out on the weaker mobs you used to have issues with. Take Eikthyr (my favorite punching bag) for instance. It only takes a couple of swings (or 2 to 3 charged attacks) to make quick work of him. It’s ridiculously powerful, and you don’t need any fancy add-on to make it kill, just you, stamina, and the poor soul getting hacked into pieces.
You can craft it by combining:
- 2 Fine Wood
- 20 Black Metal
- 5 Linen Thread
As with the Blackmetal Atgeir build, you only need to get Blackmetal for the bulk of the crafting. What is different however is the presence of Linen thread, a crafted material made by Flax, and that in itself is a whole different challenge as you will need to raid Fuling camps for a chance to get it. Other than that, it’s pretty easy to make and since it’s a Blackmetal item, you’ve most likely learned the ins and outs of getting this majestic slasher, just don’t lose it when you get killed raiding for it, it isn’t a nice feeling (trust me).
- Best sword in the game
- Very high slash damage, that can duel with many enemies, low or high level
- Cool charged attack for that one kill opportunities
1. Porcupine: The Best All-Rounder
Spiky, deadly, and simply the best. (YouTube Channel: ESO)
Here we have, arguably the best weapon in Valheim, the Porcupine. It nearly does everything to every kind of enemy. If you were to compare this to the already good Blackmetal Sword, you’ll see that, not only is it cheaper to make (by material tier) but unlike the sword, it does blunt and pierce damage (though the Porcupine doesn’t do slashing) and when you look at the enemies that the sword can go through, you’ll find that the Iron Golem (a tricky guardian up in the mountains) can be damaged pretty well with the Porcupine, while the Sword gets relegated into a plastic knife by visual damage contrast (yikes!). So what makes “the best” weapon of Valheim the top pick for this list? Well let’s check the material list for upgrades.
You can craft it by combining:
- 5 Fine Wood
- 20 Iron
- 5 Needles
- 10 Linen Thread
Well, how about that? A great weapon that doesn’t cost you half your lifetime to grind for. Its upgrades are within reason and so attainable in the latter part of the game that, for what it does for you overall, is indeed the best Valheim weapon on this list.
- Doesn’t cost you much time to make
- Reliable towards all sorts of enemies
- The uppercut charged attack can do a number on stronger mobs
In the end, Valheim is still a game that you can do with your style, and the list above serves as an overview of what the weapons of the game can bring to your style of gameplay. While some are omitted from the list (again, my apologies knives and spear users), the list above can get you to the end by going through each at the right time and use case, but, at the end of this guide, whether you use the Porcupine, or somehow finish the game with the weakest of swords, we are all winners (Except for Greydwarfs, just kill them with whatever).
