Thanks everyone for the answers!

Solo play was cool for me, played at my own pace.
just have to prepare a little more before doing a boss.
423 hrs on record about 3/4 was solo play before my wife started playing :)

I'm playing solo due to the fact that I have no broad-band, only ADSL. Enjoying it though. Would probably put in some group play with my son and granddaughter on son's server if I could as well just to see how that went, but very happy as a loner.

It's great, especially if you mod the game!

You can have human npc bros backing you up against enhanced challenges. Once you acquire gear and general know-how, the game isn't too difficult. I modded it for more difficulty, and it's wonderful.

Plus, there's a mod which adds new tiers of difficulty based on unused parts of the map generation. Get the game and go HAM!

The game and bosses are designed to be beaten as solo, and in my opinion are actually too easy when playing multiplayer.

But the grinding, transporting ressource, crafting, etc are 100x more fun in multiplayer.

I think that the best way to play the game would be to play with a small group of players but having a good repartition of tasks, beat the boss with your group if you want, but I strongly advise to try them at least once as solo.

This game is fun both in Solo and Multiplayer and with the mods that are available it really shines!
I have a solo world i play on as well as a server for a few friends and solo you just need to prepare properly. Go to the black forest but upgrade your equipment first. Fight the second boss but use fire arrows, kite it round and watch for roots etc. If going to the swamp take healing potions and poison resist potions etc etc...

Its not easy mode and it is a challenge in places but it is fun and achievable while playing solo.

Very subjective. I'd probably lose interest fairly quickly if playing solo all the time. That said - doing stuff solo in Valheim is still okay between sessions of co-op.

edit: All games are pretty much pointless if you want to view them in a negative manner. It's a waste of time, a decent distraction, escapism or a valuable experience, depending on the game and who you are.

Originally posted by Daniel:

Playing solo is very hard after beating the first boss, going in the black forest (which is the next objective after beating the first boss) alone is very risky and part of it, is because the combat is not too good, it is hard to target effectively an enemy. If you are a casual player, you should pass on this game but if you don't mind investing a lot of time in increasing your statistics, upgrade to the max all your weapons, equipment and structures, and explore the whole map to find merchants and rare resources, etc. to be able to progress then you can give it a try but the game is overrated, playing solo is not that fun, the only thing interesting, is how some creatures behave in combat, it is funny to see.

Totally disagree. The combat is simple and effective, you need to understand the game isn't a hack N slash, you need to block and dodge enemy attacks and not run around mindlessly blowing your stamina. As long as you don't approach it with button mashing, and you maintain your buffs, its one of the easiest survival games by far.

You simply stay out of the Black Forest at night. In general you should be at home asleep at night because of the cold debuff and harder enemies.
Single player doesn't take much more effort than multiplayer because the vast majority of resources you have to gather go into weapon and armor crafting. With a single player you only need enough for yourself, not several other people. And with no repair cost you don't have to farm more resources after you have enough.
There are no "rare" resources. Each biome has massive amounts of its resources easily at hand or inside crypts/tombs. A virtual endless supply.
Each biome, regardless of single player or multiplayer you should improve your gear as much as you can before facing the boss.
You never need to spend time training skills as they should natural improve as you play. As long as you aren't dying frequently you'll gain skills at a steady pace. If you are dying frequently, you need to recognize you are making mistakes and learn. Valheim is a game that rewards planning and caution and punishes mindless behavior. If you die, 99% of the time it is because you did something careless and easily avoided.

I play solo but have invited a friend into my seed to assist me in corpse runs or dangerous boss fights.

If you have 2 or 3 friends that you play a lot with, it is fun with a group.

Playing solo is very hard after beating the first boss, going in the black forest (which is the next objective after beating the first boss) alone is very risky and part of it, is because the combat is not too good, it is hard to target effectively an enemy. If you are a casual player, you should pass on this game but if you don't mind investing a lot of time in increasing your statistics, upgrade to the max all your weapons, equipment and structures, and explore the whole map to find merchants and rare resources, etc. to be able to progress then you can give it a try but the game is overrated, playing solo is not that fun, the only thing interesting, is how some creatures behave in combat, it is funny to see.

Originally posted by Daniel:

Playing solo is very hard after beating the first boss, going in the black forest (which is the next objective after beating the first boss) alone is very risky and part of it, is because the combat is not too good, it is hard to target effectively an enemy. If you are a casual player, you should pass on this game but if you don't mind investing a lot of time in increasing your statistics, upgrade to the max all your weapons, equipment and structures, and explore the whole map to find merchants and rare resources, etc. to be able to progress then you can give it a try but the game is overrated, playing solo is not that fun, the only thing interesting, is how some creatures behave in combat, it is funny to see.

I really can't understand how anyone could find the Black Forest too risky to endure. And the statement that it is hard to target an enemy is pure fantasy. It might be true if you were playing the game on an ancient computer that could barely handle it, but if you have any sort of adequate rig, the Black Forest is a trivial challenge. The swamp, the next biome, is worse, but if you take a systematic and meticulous approach to its dangers, they soon fade. I'm not in any way an "expert" player. My aim is terrible and I'm absent-minded. I wouldn't last ten minutes in some survival games, but Valheim is not only survivable, it's enjoyable.

There is literally nothing that the game can throw at you that can't be met successfully with a bit of forethought and planning. If you just go rushing into the Black Forest, or the Swamp, or the Mountains, or most of all the Plains, of course you'll get into trouble. If you prepare in advance and keep your eyes open, you won't. It's as simple as that. There was never a game that less deserved the term "brutal" than Valheim.

Is it "worth playing"? That's too personal a question to get any final answer. You may enjoy it; you may not. I can only say that after over 1200 hours in game, I still go back a few times a week to fiddle with my bases, and I'll be back playing regularly when there's a content upgrade.

Not at like like Ark, Conan etc that are tuned around multi player. You can do everything in SP.

I guess being "worth it" is subjective. Lots of people have played solo. You can explore and complete the game's content solo. I never played multiplayer in my almost 400 hours and beating all bosses.

I have heard of issues with griefing with public servers or playing with people you don't know well. Plus it'd suck to play at different times and others progress without you there. But if you have people you know, and play often enough to progress together in a new game, seems like it'd be a lot of fun also.