Valheim features dozens of weapons that you can use against the monsters of the world. MeinMMO presents you the best weapons you can craft and provides the recipes as well. You will also find some special mentions in the list.
What are these weapons? We show you here the strongest weapons that you can craft in Valheim. In most cases, these are weapons made from the currently highest material: Black Metal.
However, in some special cases, other weapons made from earlier metals are stronger. We explain which weapons deal the most damage and how you can craft these weapons.
We have selected the weapons based on their raw damage. Most of them consist of the most advanced materials available currently. We have also listed some exceptions.
What is Black Metal? You get this metal from the Fulings in the Plains. The goblin-like creatures have the raw ore with them, and you need to smelt it. However, this cannot be done in a regular smelter.
You need a blast furnace for Black Metal. You can only get this after you build a workbench, which requires you to defeat the fourth boss: the dragon mother Moder. In our guide, you will learn how to summon and defeat all bosses in Valheim.
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The best one-handed weapons in Valheim
One-handed weapons are useful if you want to use them together with a shield. Shields are even better than armor and are useful in combat if you master parries and blocks. One-handed weapons come in various variations.
The best sword – Black Metal Sword
- 2 x Fine Wood
- 20 x Black Metal
- 5 x Linen Thread
You will receive the Black Metal Shield only late in the game. You need not only Black Metal from the Fulings but also Flax, which you need to spin on the spinning wheel. Only with the thread can you craft the sword. Swords have a strong thrust as a special attack.
The best mace – Hedgehog
- 5 x Fine Wood
- 20 x Iron
- 5 x Needles
- 10 x Linen Thread
Instead of Black Metal, you only need regular iron, but you need needles. You can get them from Deathmosquitos in the Plains, who are true to their name. These little beasts can’t take much damage but are extremely deadly. You should travel to the Plains well-equipped.
You can find iron in the Swamp by searching for deposits with the divining rod from the third boss or looting crypts. For the crypts, you need the swamp key from the second boss.
The best axe – Black Metal Axe
- 6 x Fine Wood
- 20 x Black Metal
- 5 x Linen Thread
The Black Metal Axe serves not only as a weapon but also as a tool. Like all one-handed weapons, you can use it to chop down trees and gather wood. If you don’t want to carry many weapons, you should go for a one-handed axe.
The best spear – Wolf Fang Spear
- 10 x Ancient Bark
- 4 x Wolf Fang
- 2 x Leather Scraps
- 2 x Silver
You can craft the Wolf Fang Spear with the Mountain biome and fully upgrade it. You only need little silver and instead a lot of wood from the swamp. It is ideal if you want to get a strong weapon early. You can throw a spear with the middle mouse button.
The best two-handed weapons in Valheim
Two-handed weapons do not allow you to carry a shield, but they have higher parrying strength. Dodging is still a better alternative with them. They compensate for the lack of protection with higher damage.
The best battle axe – Battle Axe
- 30 x Ancient Bark
- 35 x Iron
- 4 x Leather Scraps
The battle axe is currently the only weapon in its category. This weapon is used two-handed and is quite slow. However, its attacks hit in a wide arc and can deal damage to multiple enemies. As a special attack, you can knock back opponents with the axe head.
The best pole weapon – Black Metal Atgeir
- 10 x Fine Wood
- 30 x Black Metal
- 5 x Linen Thread
Atgeirs are sharp blades on long wooden poles that allow you to keep and fight enemies at a greater distance. With the special attack, you can knock opponents down in a radius and deal damage to them.
The best war hammer – Iron Hammer
- 10 x Ancient Bark
- 30 x Iron
- 4 x Ymir Meat
- 1 x Draugr Elite Trophy
For the Iron Hammer, you need a rare trophy from the Draugr elite warrior from the Swamp and Ymir Meat, which you can only find from the merchant Haldor. This allows you to build the hammer quite early. It is extremely useful if you want to defeat the third boss. In our guide, you will learn everything you need to know about the swamp and its boss.
The Ymir meat may sometimes be the last required part for the recipe. Haldor is not easily found on every map. If you can’t locate him, use a specific seed to quickly reach the merchant.
The best shields in Valheim
With shields, you can protect yourself from damage. Tower shields grant you the greatest protection, while parry shields allow you to parry, disrupting your opponents.
Best parry shield – Black Metal Shield
- 10 x Fine Wood
- 8 x Black Metal
- 5 x Chain
In addition to the materials from the Plains, you need chains. You can find them in crypts or from wraiths in the swamp. Look for ghastly figures that float in the air and kill them when you’re out in the swamp.
With a parry shield, you can stagger opponents if you block at the right moment. Just before an attack hits you, you need to raise the shield. Staggered opponents take increased damage for a short time, depending on the parry bonus of your weapon.
Best tower shield – Black Metal Tower Shield
- 15 x Fine Wood
- 10 x Black Metal
- 7 x Chain
Tower shields can block significantly more damage than parry shields, but they cannot be used for parrying. If you only want to avoid damage, such as a tank for your group, you should opt for a tower shield.
There is another tower shield that, while having worse block value than the Black Metal Tower Shield, performs better overall. We will tell you more about it later.
The best bow in Valheim – Draugr Bite
- 10 x Ancient Bark
- 20 x Silver
- 2 x Deer Hide
- 10 x Slime
The Draugr Bite is tricky to obtain since you can only find slime very tedious in the swamp. You will have to painstakingly collect the green, glowing slime sacks from the trees. For this, you need to build ladders that bring you high enough to the trees while avoiding the many enemies in the swamp.
The bow itself has the great advantage of already dealing additional poison damage by default, even without corresponding arrows.
The best knife in Valheim – Black Metal Knife
- 4 x Fine Wood
- 10 x Black Metal
- 5 x Linen Thread
Katanas are technically one-handed weapons, but they are generally not used with a shield and serve a different purpose. With knives, you rely on stealthy attacks.
The special property of these weapons is to deal tenfold damage from stealth, meaning when enemies do not notice you. Sneak up to them and attack them before they notice you.
With the special attack of knives, you leap at an enemy from a distance to better exploit the bonus. If the Black Metal Knife is too costly for you, you can craft an Abyssal Razor early on using Chitin from the ocean.
Special weapons in Valheim
Some weapons in Valheim may not necessarily be the best later in the game, but they are still worth mentioning.
Stag Breaker – Best Weapon for Beginners
- 20 x Core Wood
- 5 x Stag Trophy
- 2 x Leather Scraps
The Stag Breaker is an optimal starting weapon in Valheim that you learn to craft immediately after defeating the first boss. It is somewhat weaker and significantly cheaper than the Iron Hammer.
To craft it, you only need core wood, which you find in the Dark Forest. With the hammer, you can keep opponents at a distance while dealing substantial damage. In our guide, we explain to you how to obtain core wood in the Dark Forest.
Silver Sword – Better than Black Metal
- 2 x Wood
- 40 x Silver
- 3 x Leather Scraps
- 5 x Iron
Strictly speaking, the Silver Sword is better than the Black Metal Sword in terms of pure damage. It does have only 75 “slash” damage compared to the 95 damage of the Black Metal. However, it additionally deals 30 “spirit” damage, making it overall more.
This special type of damage is useful against corrupted creatures like werewolves. It does less damage against others, so the weapon isn’t always better overall. Additionally, it costs an enormous amount of silver for crafting and upgrading.
Frostner – The best mace?
- 10 x Ancient Bark
- 30 x Silver
- 5 x Ymir Meat
- 5 x Freezing Gland
Overall, the damage of Frostner and the Hedgehog is identical. However, the types of damage are different. The Hedgehog adds additional “piercing” damage to the typical “blunt” damage.
The Frostner, on the other hand, relies on “ice” and “spirit” damage, elements against which some opponents may be stronger or weaker. For example, it is less useful in the Mountains but can be stronger in the Plains or Swamp. Like the Iron Hammer, Frostner also requires Ymir Meat from Haldor.
Abyssal Harpoon – For Easier Hunting
- 2 x Fine Wood
- 30 x Chitin
- 3 x Leather Scraps
The harpoon is a special weapon. You don’t attack directly with it, but stab it into enemies from a distance and then pull them along behind you. This is useful for luring sea serpents from the ocean onto land to gather their resources. It’s also extremely useful against tougher opponents in a group.
Unlike spears, you do not lose the harpoon when throwing it; it returns to you even if you miss. You can collect chitin from krakens that may randomly appear in oceans. However, be careful; once you collect the material, the kraken will submerge shortly after.
Serpent Scale Shield – Better than Black Metal
- 10 x Fine Wood
- 4 x Iron
- 8 x Serpent Scale
This special tower shield has less block value than the Black Metal Tower Shield, but it has other advantages. The Serpent Scale Shield hinders your movement less and has more durability, so it needs to be repaired less often.
Additionally, you can craft and upgrade it significantly earlier and easier. You only need serpent scales for it. The catch is that it is difficult to achieve this alone – you need a second player for this.
For many of these weapons, you need a lot of time and patience to gather the materials, but it’s worth it. Enemies will literally melt under their strikes – and as soon as new bosses arrive, you’ll be well-equipped.
What are your favorite weapons? Which ones did you use to defeat the bosses, and which ones do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
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