stamina has brought me closest (and I'm very careful).

Which is a pretty good balance if you ask me. Games like No Man's Sky are a cakewalk. I love their world, but ultimately there's no challenge to it. Everything is there just to be there.

In Valheim I can survive and not die, but not at my leisure. I HAVE to be careful, think, size up the situation and even then, it's not a cakewalk - but completely fair and possible. I really love this about the game.