Gamers will need the right tools to survive in Valheim. Like every survival game, players will need to gather recourses and materials for food, shelter, and clothing. The most important tools in the game will focus on those three principle requirements. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the useful tools, there are far too many to cover in one guide.
Instead, this article includes the most essential tools that players will not be able to progress without. Each of the following items serves a specific purpose in the game that is crucial to success in the biomes. Gamers will need to get their hands on these items.
10 Black Metal Axe
The Black Metal Axe is a weapon, but it is also the best woodcutting axe in the game currently. To craft the lowest quality Black Metal Axe, players will need to have at least level 4 Forge. Additionally, they will need 6 Fine Wood, 20 Black Metal, and 5 Linen Thread.
The axe can be upgraded with additional Black Metal and Linen Thread. As gamers should know by now, they will need an inordinate amount of wood for building materials and other items. The Black Metal Axe provides the most amount of wood (60-69) for each tree that is chopped down. That is 40 more wood than the Stone Axe players will craft to start the game.
9 Cultivator
Farming is another important aspect of the game, and players will not be able to grow plants without first cultivating the soil. The Linen thread needed to craft the axe above comes from Flax, one of the essential plants in Valheim. Survivors that want to upgrade their armor, craft items, and cook better food will need the Cultivator to prepare the land. It is an easy tool to use, and every single base will need one.
8 Hoe
This tool is loyal. Gamers will need the Hoe to level land and build structures. Any small gradient will make building difficult, so the Hoe is one of the more important items in the game. It is useful from the time players build their first structure and will remain vital throughout the life cycle of the game. The stamina cost of using it is annoying, but there are a few mods to eliminate it.
7 Iron Pickaxe
The Iron Pickaxe is currently the best pickaxe in the game because it can be used to mine Silver and Obsidian deposits. The base Iron Pickaxe can be forged at level 2 with 3 Core Wood and 20 Iron.
Survivors will need Silver to craft Silver weapons and Wolf Armor. Likewise, Obsidian is used to craft special arrows and the Tool Shelf. Gamers will need all of these items to progress in Valheim.
6 Hammer
It is crucial that players have a hammer to begin building their first home. The item can be crafted very early in the game with just Wood and Stone. Players will want to craft the Hammer within the first hour or so to create a basic sleeping structure. The Hammer is also used to create the Workbench and a fire, both of which are must-have tools.
5 Workbench
Every home needs a Workbench. All that is needed to create a Workbench is the hammer. To use the Workbench, it must be in a semi-enclosed structure with some form of a roof. Workbenches are needed to craft and upgrade weapons, as well as armor. The item has a 20 meter radius, but that range can be extended using mods. Workbenches can be upgraded by adding support structures to reach level 6. It is one of the most important tools because it can also upgrade the other necessary tools in the game
4 Forge
The Forge is used to convert all types of metal into usable items and armor. Gamers will need the following items to construct it.
- 6 Copper
- 10 Wood
- 4 Coal
- 4 Stone
Any player that wants to create new armor and weapons must have the Forge to do so. Like the Workbench, a Forge will need to be placed under a roof in some form of shelter. Survivors must have a Smelter and Charcoal Kiln to refine ore and scraps into metal.
3 Spinning Wheel
Survivors that have a farm with Flax will need a spinning wheel to create Linen, one of the essential crafting items in the game. As stated, Linen is an important material players will need to create higher level armor. Flax is useless without the Spinning Wheel. Gamers must kill Moder to unlock the Artisan Table, which makes the Spinning Wheel available in game. The item must be placed near the Artisan Table.
2 Smelter/Blast Furnace
Players must create the Smelter and Blast furnace to refine metals and use the Forge. The Smelter is crafted with 5 Surtling Cores and 20 Stone. Similarly, the Blast Furnace is crafted with 5 Surtling Cores and 20 Stone, as well as 10 Iron and 20 Fine Wood. After unlocking the Smelter, gamers will need to construct the Blast Furnace, which refines Black Metal Scrap and Flametal Ore.
1 Charcoal Kiln
The last item on the list is the Charcoal Kiln. Players will need a Kiln to convert the various types of Wood into Charcoal, which is used primarily to operate the Smelter and Blast Furnace. However, Coal is also an essential ingredient for a few capes and decorations. With all of the tools in this list, gamers will have everything they need to build, craft, upgrade, and progress in Valheim.