Build a pretty Workshop or Wizard Tower...

Since I use a ditch to keep trolls out, I use stone more for decoration or height than for defense.

A normal thatch roof will protect you from drakes. I once had an unexpected drake raid while I was in the area of my very first base. I just went inside and waited for them to leave. You will need a roof over your farm animals though. If you visit the frost caves, your animal shelter will have to be completely enclosed, no windows, no gaps.

Stone walls have 50% more durability than wooden or stake walls. Where you gain some ground is that you can build with the smallest stone blocks and the enemies have to break through multiple of them (instead of just one) to get inside.

Stone is definitely is more durable than wood. Stone walls usually stand the test of time for me, with occasional repairs if it's in a rough area.

I do have a natural wall around my base, so I'm not so concerned about Troll damage. I've heard that further along in the game there could be flying creatures attacking the base. So I guess a stone ceiling/wall would be more helpful there. I guess I should use stone for base "house" external walls/ceiling/floor and maybe wood inside as needed?

Where did you red that? Stone is much stronger than wood.

some of the discussions where people said Trolls can destroy it just in a few more hits than wood.

Stone walls (or any type of wall really) are not meant to stop monsters from getting to you at all times. They are there to unlock new build pieces, new architecture, and to buy you some time to get out of your base and face the invader(s). Stone is almost four times more durable than wood. Stone structures, artfully incorporating wooden build pieces, look awesome. :-)

If trolls are your bane, they do about half as much damage to stone than they do to wood. And since stone offers superior durability, a reasonably fortified base will ultimately provide vastly superior protection.

Also, this is Valheim's official knowledge base, endorsed by the devs themselves, and an awesome resource on the Valheim universe -- http://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Valheim_Wiki

...much of what I said here I took from the wiki.

If a Troll raid attacks my base, I will leave the base as soon as possible and lure the trolls away while kiting with a bow. Unless you have a natural wall defense, anything you put up at that point in the game can be destroyed by Trolls.

Build a pretty Workshop or Wizard Tower...

I did put a natural wall around my base and it works well. Thanks for the wiki link. I did compare a 1x1 stone wall to wood wall and the wood has 400 durability and the stone is 1500, so that is much better. Stone doesn't get water damage. Thanks everybody

Originally posted by jmt_steam:

some of the discussions where people said Trolls can destroy it just in a few more hits than wood.

I literally watched a video last night of a troll demolishing a stone wall.

you can also build a deep hole all around your base to avoid trolls from coming in

Trolls are wrecking balls if left unchecked and I'm pretty sure none of the structures we can place to date will allow you to safely afk a raid without losing anything.

That being said, wood buildings fall like a playing card house; at least the stone variations can survive a little bit.

Is it always worth tearing down and rebuilding with stone? No, at least not for material and time efficiency for a protection standpoint. Rarely will it be that useful.
You'll be better off making a outer stone wall for protection for another buffer layer between them and your building.

The best use of stone is building vertical or just the aesthetic.
The mistlands building pieces seem to be immune to a few more elements and have a bit more vertical stability, but are listed at the same durability as regular stone.

Kind of wish the mistland pieces looked a bit more like the regular stone, if using them together in a build the color and texture differences are too different and it stands out dramatically.

Just to put it out there, nothing under "building" has any benefit per se. You could literally finish the game with just a few wood panels and roof pieces for your bed and workstation. It's all about building "pretty " things if you're into that.

But yeah indisputably stones are stronger than wood - and black marble is stronger even. Nothing will completely stop ennemies so you can't just rely on your walls to fence raids.

apart from the durability of stone, a few minor perks:
- stone makes flat floors easier. You can have up to 1m variation in the ground and still keep a flat floor.
- stone floor makes a flat roof, but you need to support it with iron beams across.
- you can put fire on stone
- stone does not degrade in rain