The best Valheim weapons, and how to get them

What are the best Valheim weapons? There's a lot to juggle in Valheim, from exploring each biome, to building epic Viking homes. No matter where you are, there's always an enemy around the corner, and you need the most reliable tools to keep them at bay.

Naturally your personal preferences will impact which weapons most appeal to you. However, if you're struggling to beat a specific enemy, I'm here to steer you in the right direction with this Valheim weapon tier list. Here are the best weapons in Valheim, when to use them, and how to craft them.

Stagbreaker

Best Valheim early-game weapon: Stagbreaker

• Equipment: Workbench
• Crafting level: Two
• Repair level: Two

The Stagbreaker is a two-handed war hammer perfect for clearing early game mobs. When you're just starting out, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by Greylings and skeletons, but you can ward off these pests with this wooden weapon. The best part about this club is that it deals AoE damage, so it can knockback and damage multiple enemies at once.

If you're yet to craft one, save your leather scraps and deer trophies, then head to the Black Forest to collect a stack of Core Wood  by chopping down Pine trees. Chris has kindly shared everything you need to know about the Stagbreaker in his guide, but here's what you need to craft it:

• Core Woodx20: Chop down Pine trees in the Black Forest.
• Deer trophy x5: Dropped by deer.
• Leather scraps x2: Dropped by boar and found in chests.

Needle arrows

Best Valheim arrows: Needle

The beauty of Valheim's arrows is that there are several different types, each specialising in a status effect. Here are all the elemental arrows, which deal pierce damage as well as the following damage values (per arrow):

• Fire arrow: 22 fire damage.
• Frost arrow: 52 frost damage.
• Poison arrow: 52 poison damage. 
• Silver arrow: 20 spirit damage.

For the best pierce damage, I recommend using needle arrows, which deal a whopping 62 damage per arrow. This recipe crafts 20 needle arrows at a time:

• Needle x4: Dropped by Deathsquitos in the Plains.
• Feather x2: Found in chests and dropped by gulls.

Draugr Fang bow

Best Valheim bow: Draugr Fang

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Two
• Repair level: Two

There are just four bows in Valheim, and the Draugr fang is the best of the bunch. Offering superior pierce and poison damage, this is a durable bow that should be your weapon of choice when taking down enemies from afar. You'll need to upgrade your forge at least once and brave the Swamp in search of ancient bark and guck, but you won't find a better companion for your fire, frost, and poison arrows.

• Ancient bark x10: Chop down ancient trees in the Swamp.
• Deer hide x2: Dropped by deer.
• Guck x10: Use an axe/pickaxe to break glowing gucksacks in the Swamp.
• Silver x20: Mine silver ore in the Mountains.

Blackmetal axe

Best Valheim axe: Blackmetal

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Four
• Repair level: Four

Axes are intended for chopping down trees first and foremost, but there's no reason why we'd can't use them as weapons too. The blackmetal axe is incredibly durable and even has the ability to backstab enemies. Some may prefer the Battleaxe, a two-handed weapon with considerable knockback and parry potential. While it's much easier to craft, there's no beating the Blackmetal axe with regards to damage and the fact that you can still equip a shield alongside it. Here's how to craft your own:

• Black metal x20: Smelted from black metal scrap, dropped by Fulings in the Plains.
• Fine wood x6: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).
• Linen thread x5: Crafted from Flax, using a Spinning Wheel.

Frostner

Best Valheim club: Frostner

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Three
• Repair level: Three

Looking for a hard-hitting melee weapon? Frostner deals frost, spirit, and blunt damage, so crafting it is a no brainer thanks to the slowing effect it has on enemies. You'll need to upgrade your forge to level three and squirrel away a sizable stash of silver before you can even dream about making this one-handed weapon. You'll also need to pay Haldor the trader a friendly visit. Here's how to craft Frostner:

• Ancient bark x10: Chop down ancient trees in the Swamp.
• Freeze gland x5: Dropped after defeating a drake.
• Silver x30: Mine silver ore in the Mountains.
• Ymir flesh x5: Purchased from Haldor for 120 Coins.

Blackmetal & silver swords

Best Valheim sword: Silver & blackmetal

Silver sword

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Three
• Repair level: Three

If you want to wield the best Valheim sword, it's time to find some silver ore. Searching for silver is a lengthy process, and you'll need to smelt the unrefined ore before you can craft the best armor and weapons. If your next adventure involves a trip to the Swamps, consider crafting a silver sword first. You'll run into skeletons and Draugr often in this region, and this sword has the highest spirit damage stats, making quick work of these mobs.

• Wood x2: Chop down trees. 
• Leather scraps x3: Dropped by boar and found in chests.
• Iron x5: Smelted from scrap iron, found in Muddy Scrap Piles in the Swamp.
• Silver x40: Mine silver ore in the Mountains. 

Blackmetal sword

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Four
• Repair level: Four

If you're looking for the best all-rounder sword, the black metal sword offers the highest base slash damage, and it can be upgraded. Naturally, it's difficult to come across the materials you need to craft it, so you'll need to slay Fulings to collect black metal scrap in the Plains biome. If you thought the Swamps were unforgiving, tread carefully when you explore this area on your Valheim map. You also need a forge and blast furnace for this recipe. Here's how to craft a blackmetal sword:

• Black metal x20: Smelted from black metal scrap, dropped by Fulings in the Plains.
• Fine Wood x2: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).
• Linen thread x5: Crafted from Flax, using a Spinning Wheel.

Blackmetal Knife

Best Valheim knife: Blackmetal

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Four
• Repair level: Four

If you're like me and prefer to charge into groups of enemies with a sword, then there's little reason to craft a knife in Valheim. However, stealthier players will certainly benefit from the blackmetal knife's stats. You only need half the number of black metal bars to craft this knife, compared to its sword counterpart. You can still parry with it (albeit with weaker force), and most importantly, it won't affect your movement speed. To craft a blackmetal knife you need:

• Black metal x10: Smelted from black metal scrap, dropped by Fulings in the Plains.
• Fine Wood x4: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).
• Linen thread x5:  Crafted from Flax, using a Spinning Wheel. 

Fang spear

Best Valheim spear: Fang

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Three
• Repair level: Three

When taking on the most fearsome creatures in the depths of the forests, and chilly mountain ranges, it's a good idea to keep a sharp spear handy. The fang spear is much stronger than the flint equivalent, although it's significantly harder to craft. Ideally, its best to pair this spear with a shield as its block and parry stats are very low. If you're not a fan of clubs and swords, give this spear a try.

• Ancient bark x10: Chop down ancient trees in the Swamp.
• Leather scraps x2: Dropped by boar and found in chests.
• Silver x2: Mine silver ore in the Mountains.
• Wolf fang x4: Dropped by Fenrings and wolves.

Blackmetal & Serpent scale shields

Best Valheim shield: Blackmetal & serpent scale

There are a variety of shields to choose from, but they fit neatly into two categories. Round variants are smaller shields that allow you to block, whereas tower shields offer superior block protection, but won't let you parry.

Blackmetal shield

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Three
• Repair level: Three

This shield offers sufficient block, while still affording you the option to parry enemy attacks. As you'd expect, this shield is quite hefty, but it'll keep you safe from nearby foes, and help you land a few devastating hits here and there.

• Black metal x8: Smelted from black metal scrap, dropped by Fulings in the Plains.
• Chain x5: Dropped by Wraiths and found in Sunken Crypt chests.
• Fine Wood x10: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).

Serpent scale shield

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Three
• Repair level: Three

If you're not interested in parrying, craft the Serpent scale shield instead. This is the strongest tower shield with the smallest movement penalty, plus it looks really pretty thanks to all those glistening serpent scales. Here's how to make it:

• Fine wood x10: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).
• Iron x4: Smelted from scrap iron, found in Muddy Scrap Piles in the Swamp.
• Serpent scale x8: Dropped by serpents.

Porcupine

Best Valheim late-game weapon: Porcupine

• Equipment: Forge
• Crafting level: Four
• Repair level: Four

I've already highlighted the Stagbreaker as the best early game weapon, so it makes sense to round off our guide with a lethal melee weapon that you can work your way towards. The Porcupine is a spiked mace capable of dealing blunt and pierce damage. It's effective against most enemies and serves as a powerful jack of all trades. Here's what you need to craft one yourself:

• Fine wood x5: Chop down Birch and Oak trees (requires a bronze axe or better).
• Iron x20: Smelted from scrap iron, found in Muddy Scrap Piles in the Swamp.
• Linen thread x10: Crafted from Flax, using a Spinning Wheel.
• Needle x5: Dropped by Deathsquitos in the Plains.

Repairing weapons

How to repair weapons

Repairing weapons in Valheim only takes a few moments, but the process is slightly different depending on the materials your weapon is made from. Basic wooden weapons are repaired at a workbench, whereas metal weapons require a forge. Either way, all you need to do is head over to your workbench/forge, interact with it by pressing E, then click the 'Repair an item' icon. For more details, take a look at my guide on how to repair tools, items, and buildings.