One Valheim fan constructs a massive multi-building stronghold in only 197 in-game days. This feat took the Valheim player around 85 hours in real-time, longer than it takes to complete many AAA games.
Developed by Iron Gate Studio, Valheim launched in early access in 2021. Set in a hypothetical Norse version of purgatory, players take the role of a Viking warrior who must prove themselves worthy of entering the halls of Valhalla. Players must prove themselves by defeating the enemies of the Norse god Odin. Starting from nothing, players must craft items and bases, explore the procedurally generated environment, and level up their character until they are ready to challenge Valheim’s monstrous bosses.
Reddit user AlwaysBlue86 created an impressive Valheim base, sharing a quick tour of it on the game’s subreddit. The multi-level stronghold contains several large wood and stone buildings surrounded by walls and watchtowers. The tour begins in AlwaysBlue86’s character’s cabin/trophy room decorated with banners, creature heads, and suits of armor. It continues into the foundry down the street. Other notable facilities include an open air-observation area, a Portal hub, and a large feast hall. The base also includes farmland and a windmill, though AlwaysBlue86 doesn’t show that area up close.
The Valheim player further explained this project in the comments under their post. They initially guessed that the construction took about 165 days but was actually on day 197. AlwaysBlue86 also explained that they spawned 8000 units of Stone to make this build possible. However, those resources still ran out well before they finished, and they gathered everything else manually. In addition to clearing the forest and digging a moat, AlwaysBlue86 spent a significant amount of time mining for tar and metals. The massive Valheim fortress also required a rather extreme amount of Resin to keep its torches lit, with AlwaysBlue86 admitting they only relit them for the video.
While spawning the Stone was a significant time saver, it doesn’t diminish what this dedicated Valheim player accomplished. AlwaysBlue86 estimates that it took about 85 hours in real-time, which is nothing to sneeze at. By comparison, assuming the player isn’t going for 100% completion, a standard-length playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom should only take players around 54 to 55 hours to complete.
AlwaysBlue86 also revealed just how much this build tanked their game’s performance. They have a relatively powerful setup and can usually push Valheim’s FPS up to the low 100s. However, it drops as low as 45 frames per second in the base, and the game is also pretty choppy. Still, that’s the price someone pays for building these massive in-game strongholds.
Valheim is out in early access on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.