#5 – Gear Up For The Day Ahead
Just in case you missed it, the survival gaming genre has been taken over by a brand new IP made by a team of just five developers. This game serves up your usual survival tropes such as base building, combat and exploration but with a unique Viking themed twist and gamers have taken to it like a moth to a flame. The game rapidly became Steam’s most in-demand title with a player base that at the time of writing exceeds five million players. We are of course talking about Valheim.
This game offers a unique survival experience like no other. It has an expansive world to explore, mythical beasts to slay and plenty of loot to plunder. In short, there is a lot to do and in truth, it can be a little intimidating at first. So with that in mind, we have created a day one guide that will help set you up for the journey ahead and make you the best Viking warrior you can be. Without further delay, here is our Valheim day one guide.
#1 – Tools of The Trade
When you begin your adventure, you’ll find yourself in a randomly generated world. However, you will always spawn at a starting point with large standing stones and a handful of resources laying around. So what you will want to do immediately, is collect the twigs and stones lying around and fashion yourself some primitive tools. Just with what’s laying around, you’ll be able to open your inventory and craft both an axe and a hammer. The former is used for gathering wood for building, whereas the hammer is for the building process itself. With these tools, you will have what you need to fashion your first makeshift shelter.
#2 – Gather Wood and Set Up Camp
The next thing you’ll want to do is put that new axe to good use. You’ll want to go to a collection of trees and get chopping. This will allow you to gather building resources that will be key for making a base of operations for yourself. Then once you feel like you have enough wood to get things started. You’ll want to craft a workbench and this will allow you to build a base. It will show a circular radius in which you can build and within this space, you can craft structures, usable furniture and many other useful things for resting your weary bones.
A top tip for those that want to gather wood fast is to make use of pre-built structures you find in the world. If you build a workbench near them, you can quickly strip down these structures for all of their resources, which is not only faster, but often provides much more usable building resources. So when you see a building, don’t walk past. Tear it down.
#3 – A Place To Call Home
Now that you have an abundance of resource materials, it’s time to build your home. To do this, simply use your workbench to put up some walls, give the place a roof and be sure to build carefully. If you choose to build a fire pit inside, be sure to slant the roof at a 45-degree angle, smoke inhalation will kill you if you don’t air out your space properly. Though if you slant your roof too far, your fire pit will constantly be put out by rainfall. So in short, be sure to take your time and craft a home that is fit for purpose as you will be spending a lot of time here in the early game.
#4 – A Balanced Diet
So now that you have a place to call home, you might want to attend to the rumbling stomach you’ve been ignoring up until now. So what you’ll need to do is hunt down some game. Hopefully, you’ll have crafted a fire pit in your home, so now you’ll need to craft a cooking station that can be placed above the fire. Then you’ll want to head out and find a target. Wild boars and frog-like creatures called Necks are in good supply in the wild, so take your trusty axe and chop one down to size.
Then once you have your dinner bagged, you simply need to place it on the cooking station and let the meat smoke until edible. Just be sure not to forget about it because if you let it but to a crisp, that tasty meal is forever inedible. Also, a top way to supplement meaty meals when there is less wildlife available is to forage for berries and mushrooms. These can be a lifesaver when you are low on resources and the night rolls in.
#5 – Gear Up For The Day Ahead
The last thing you’ll need to do on your first day is gear up for the next day. After you rest and wake for day two, you’ll want to head out into the Valheim wilderness and explore all it has to offer. Well, we are here to warn you that what awaits you isn’t all that welcoming or friendly. So with that in mind, what you will need to do is stock up on ways to protect yourself. You’ll need a trusty knife or any other weapon that you can fashion with the limited resources you have. Plus, you’ll need a shield to protect yourself too. So if you have the time, make sure to be equipped and ready to set off in the morning.
If you do all these things, you will have completed your first day successfully, have a base to serve as a saving point and you’ll be fed and kitted out, ready for the adventure ahead. Not bad for one day’s work. We hope you find this guide useful and wish you luck when braving the wonderful world of Valheim.
So that’s our Valheim day one guide. Did you find our beginners tips and tricks helpful? Is there anything that we missed that would help beginners succeed? What do you think has made Valheim as successful as it is? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.
