You can also build over tomb chambers, using them as your cellar. There are many disadvantages to using tomb chambers and troll caves -- if you store things in them, you just have to drop them on the floor, for instance, unless a troll cave already has containers -- but the huge advantage is that nothing can get in and attack you. Even in the very unlikely event that your entire structure outside the cave or above the tomb chambers gets demolished, you will still be safe. The yellow mushrooms in tomb chambers continually respawn as well (enemies and trolls don't), so you can harvest them for a low level food and to make stamina potions.

You can just dig out a cave under a rock and avoid any distractions like architectural ideas. The game becomes more challenging but maybe more fun.

Originally posted by Zep Tepi:

.....And here is where I converted an already existing building to make the fire work without smoking up the inside:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2754005745

One thing to note is that the Fire influence that you need to have a bed you can sleep in is not blocked or even impeded by a wall. So you can put your bed inside a small stone tower, and then build a lean-to enclosure beside the tower for the fire, with a roof attached to the tower's outside wall. The same with small wooden buildings; so long as it doesn't rain, you can put the campfire right outside the building if you are caught by evening away from base and need to convert a ruined house quickly. You can also put campfires in empty troll caves and tomb chambers without any danger of choking on the smoke, though you can't build anything else there except a log seat and a cooking rack for the fire. It makes for a rather dull but safe way to pass the night.

There are easy ways to build small, minimalistic homes purely for utility. Heck if you wanna go full oonga boonga you can once you get your first pickaxe and just dig into a big boulder structure and set up in there. As long as you have a roof, base structures out of the eyes of wandering AI and a place to store stuff its all you need. While you could theoretically always carry all the material for leveled up workstations, this implies dragging a cart everywhere which is a pain.

You could also re-purpose any structures you find. Setting up in a skeleton tower in the forest is a good option. Regardless, you will need to make a sort of base where you can smelt, cook, and craft consumables and items. With how workbenches work in this game they need to be upgraded with sub work stations near them.

Nah you good, rudimentary boxes made with walls and roof peices will get you what you need. Then you'll probably fall head over heals for the game and get excited to do the things you've never liked doing in games before.

Feeling like an explorer big tick.

Difficulty curve tick, but after dipping your toes and getting them bit off a dozen or so times you'll be heaps better than your initial foray. This game is made to solo aswell and easier imo, I'm always playing solo and constantly hinder myself for a challenge.

If you do ever want to have friends over, some good group activities are serpent hunting, attacking fuling villages, boat sledding. Playing through the game together feels fun but you end up spending double the amount of time finding materials because you need double the amount of materials to make and upgrade each others gear etc, maybe I'm just a cynical loner but friends are overated lol jk

You don't have to build much, or build fancy, but you gotta build something. Rested bonuses, gear, supplies all require you to build. Without them, you will always be weak. With them, you are stronger than anything.

I like having a central base that I work from. I do usually move my main base at least once during the progression, though. But I've seen other people pack up and move their bases multiple times. You WILL have a gigantic map to explore, and there's no reason you cannot build new small bases wherever and whenever you like. As others have said, you will need a structure large enough to fit several types of crafting stations. You will need the upgrades to explore the higher level regions. The upgrades are in armor, food, and weapons. So you will need a forge and 4 or 5 things to upgrade your forge (like anvils) and they all take up at least a little space. You'll need a workbench, and 4 or 5 things to upgrade that. And you'll need a kitchen area with 3 or 4 things to upgrade the food you can prepare. Your food determines how much health you have, and how much stamina you have. Different food mixes stress one or the other (you will want a lot of stamina, for example, if you're going on a long run). All that being said, the game is a lot cheaper than most others out there, so even if you hate it you won't be out a lot of cash. Oh, and yes, monsters can raid your base and do damage and/or destruction. But that's fairly rare. And I wouldn't rate myself as a top tier gamer, but I've finished the last boss a few times already.

If you play without building you will also play without crafting gear, and without a convenient respawn point, and without sleeping at night. Your crafting stuff needs to be sheltered and it can be picky if the wind is blowing the wrong way. But it doesn't need to be a castle. And when you tear things down, or if a troll does it for you, none of your materials are lost if you pick it up within a couple days. (Never lost at all if there's still a workbench in range.)

A ditch with steep sides around the outside and workbenches or campfires spaced regularly inside your base will keep out anything that doesn't fly. Use a simple wood beam as a bridge or leave a jump gap and the local mobs will be stuck outside. I've never had my base destroyed in a raid.

As for solo difficulty goes, it is quite doable. I always play solo. I would recommend reading guides to take down bosses, and for general playing tips. Be vary cautious about new biomes, especially while sailing. Get the proper gear, food, and mead (poison or frost) for the area, keep a functional bed nearby, and sneak around if you're not used to a place yet. Valheim is not too difficult, if you are careful and have some idea of what you are doing.

If you rush around in a biome above your level without the right gear then Odin will not help you.


Beyond all that, it is a fabulous exploration game. The map is different in every playthrough. You might find what you need right away. You might have to search. You might have big flat areas, or you might have ravines all over the place, or you might get a bunch of small islands. The scenery is fantastic, once you get used to the art style. Go look at the screenshots, but don't worry about the castles.

Here is an example of a base when I couldn't be bothered to build big. It's just barely big enough to hold my crafting stuff at the Black Forest level. Outside, are my kiln, smelter, and forge with a simple roof over it.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2782681501


And here is where I converted an already existing building to make the fire work without smoking up the inside:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2754005745

Originally posted by genesiset:

Probably a dum question, but...is there a point of me getting into this game if I don't want to build houses? I'm not familiar with this kind of games, I just watched a review and felt like building is the focus of the game and the main thing people are spending their time for. Maybe I'm wrong, that's what I'm trying to find out. Tell me.

I'm not into buildins, constructions. I never understood why should I care about making a home for my character, It's not like I'm going to sit there in four walls, I always skipped the housing part of MMORPGs that I played. I don't want to put effort into this, not my cup of tea. Also I heard in a video review that the mobs or even bosses can attack your house and destroy it, some people even rage quit and stop playing when a mob kills their base they spent 20-50 hours building. I'm REALLY not into this. I hate losing everything I earned/made/archieved. So screw this.

But what I love is to explore. I love big maps, I love different locations: from green forests to snow mountains. This is the part that made me interested in this game.

Also I heard the game has insane difficulty spikes between between the areas. And that to solo a boss you need to be a VERY good player, which I'm usually not lol. My friends don't play games like this, so I would have to play alone (don't want to find new buddies for games on discord or anything).

Soo...what can you tell me about everything I said? Can I find my place in this game and not butthurt, or not? Anyone plays without without building, housing? I'm fine collecting materials to craft my gear and basic essential stuff like...idk, chests to store my stuff lol. But don't want to make a damn castle for dozens of hours.
Or is it just boring and nothing else to do if I skip this part of the game?

You will want some kind of facilities for repair and upgrading gear, but beyond that, nah, you don't HAVE to make a full-on base. Hell, you can just clear out a zombie village, replace the missing building parts and boom. You got your own base, ready made and militantly acquired!

You don't even really have to make chests since many of the ruins at least have one or two, but you won't like the space constraints.

Some building is needed because crafting stations need roofs to fully function as well as your bed needs a roof. The fire for cooking should be protected from the weather. Other than these those elaborate homes are only for those who want them.

You don't need to build a fancy home, but you will need to do a lot of crafting and build stations to have access to better gear. You can just do it quick and dirty though.

The game is not hard, even in solo. You just need to understand that It's a crafting game, not an rpg to be rushed from one boss to the next.

The one thing that may not work is how punishing the game is when you die. All your stuff end up in your grave and you need to get it back. For a lot of players it is a crushing, devastating moment.

Also if you didnt build ANYTHING ie not even a bed when you die you would revert back to start location in game .. But practically speaking there are what i call Keeps Tall-ish stone structures that are not rare and you can easily add a bed fire and workbench maybe a chest. and with a couple of them you could be fine, just fix a few up so they can survive the odd attack (no spoilers)then as you progress have them dotted around so you can seek shelter from bad weather and rest up.
The game is A LOT about gathering resources and creating your gear from those resources and eating and creating food. To beat the next mobs and bosses. so you will need to sometimes to collect Heavy resources to make bronze and other metals by using smelters and forges that you also have to make and return to to upgrade said gear.. Also the Health /Stamina balance is never ending in the game... my suggestion is if you buy through steam be aware of the refund time limit and give it a whirl. its kinda beautiful,kinda scary and Still EA so a work in progress. Skall!!

You can get away with 2x2 shacks, or 3x3 shacks later in game.
You need a roof over your head for:
- Crafting new gear at a crafting bench or repairing your gear (building a boat requires a workbench nearby etc too)
- - (Same applies for the Forge)
- Setting a bed as your spawn point for when you die and respawn, and using it to skip night time (also requires a lit fire nearby)
- and when it rains, having a roof over a fire (with proper ventilation for the smoke) will keep it lit and functional.

Other constructs will be needed arm and feed yourself:
- Cooking rack on top of a fire to cook meats.
- Cooking pots on top of a fire to cook better food buff items.
- Smelter to smelt ores into metal
- Storage chests to keep materials.

Etc, etc, etc.

You might not NEED to build to beat the game, but some essential items will certainly make the game easier to beat.

Also! you can play with others online, so if you don't want to build, play with someone who likes building, and they'll take care of it for ya while they enjoy your love of killing stuff (which they might need help with themselves)

I might not be the best example out there as I do enjoy building. However, you don't need to build great castles or villages to be able to enjoy this game. You will need to build some, as this is a crafting and exploring game, and those different workbenches do need a roof above them and some walls around them to keep them out of the elements. And then there are the upgrades to said benches.

Some are able to put everything into an area of 4x4, while others prefer something a little bigger. As long as you have enough space for your things and for the benches where you craft, then you're golden.

Now, the reason why some prefer to make things more homelike started out as a way to get as much restbonus as possible, this being a huge boon while in a fight or exploring.

So, invest as much or as little time as you want. You can build a castle, repair some ruins or just make the absolute minimum building. Whatever you find works for you.

Regarding the difficulty, you can solo it as long as you take enough time to gather the necessary resources to upgrade your gear.

Now, one of the biggest reasons for ragequits from new players is, as vinyblaster said, your deaths. The game punishes you when dying in two ways:
1. It drains an amount of your skills, though will not drain more should you die again immediately.
2. Everything you had on you when you died sill be at the gravestone that marks where you died. You can get them back, in one or more trips, but you need to get there again. This is one of the reasons why so many of us make several small bases around the map, often with a portal inside connecting them so that we can return and get our things. Just four walls, a bench, a portal and a roof.

So yes, "some assembly required", but no way as much as those videos made you think. A fire, some chests, the eternal benches, some walls to keep the wind out and a roof is all you need for a safe place
And it will be done in minutes instead of hours as long as you have the resources at hand.
Just try to put your base in a safe place. Otherwise, you might wish to make a palisade around it.

Originally posted by genesiset:

Also I heard in a video review that the mobs or even bosses can attack your house and destroy it, some people even rage quit and stop playing when a mob kills their base they spent 20-50 hours building. I'm REALLY not into this. I hate losing everything I earned/made/archieved. So screw this.

I've never lost any building due to a mob raid.
A lot of players like to discuss about building defenses and all manner of ways to protect the architecture they have lavished their time on.
None of this is necessary though.
Raids are a mechanic the dev's included to encourage players to keep moving and explore. There is a time threshold for staying within the vicinity of your buildings and when that elapses, a raid will be triggered.
However, the thing you have to keep in mind is that raids target you. It is only when and if you are inaccessible that mobs will turn their aggression on structures you have built.
Therefore, the best way to deal with a raid is not to hunker down and rely on a defensive strategy, but rather to get out and in to the open and slaughter them. This is entirely possible ;)
So... worry not.
The game actively encourages you to explore and work towards completing the mission Odin set for you... namely to kill the bosses and eventually beat the game. There will be a game ending, it just hasn't been implemented yet.
Now, you do need somewhere to rest up, collect resources and craft better foods and better gears, but that doesn't mean you are required to build elaborate bases. You may of course, but it isn't mandatory and it certainly is not at risk of mob destruction ;)