Even though Valheim has great swords and powerful axes, clubs and maces are sometimes simply the better choice! They have a large hit radius and can strike multiple enemies at once. They’re slower than most other weapons, but they make up for it with their strong damage. Many of these weapons also add extra knockback, letting you keep tough enemies at a distance. On your journey through Valheim you’ll find all kinds of maces to fight with! We recommend testing them against other weapons to see which attack pattern fits you best. Some enemies are also more vulnerable to blunt damage—keep that in mind as well.
One-handed maces in Valheim: crafting, damage, and upgrades
Valheim torch as a weapon: fire damage and utility
Yes, the torch you start your Valheim adventure with is also your first possible weapon. You can swing it, but it deals only minimal base damage. Don’t underestimate it, though, because it can also apply 15 fire damage. Or simply use it to drive away monsters when they get too close. Otherwise, the torch isn’t great, breaks easily, and has no upgrades.
Crafting the Valheim club: upgrades and damage
A reliable early weapon is the Club, a sturdy cudgel with solid damage. You can craft it right away as soon as you’ve gathered wood. Its upgrades use bone fragments at a workbench—and they’re absolutely worth it! You can raise its damage from 12 to 30, which is especially effective against skeletons in the Black Forest. The club performs a three-hit combo, with the final swing dealing double damage. It does not have a secondary attack.
Bronze Mace in Valheim: special attack and knockback
Once you’ve made bronze from copper and tin, you can combine it with wood and leather scraps to upgrade to a new mace. This mace starts at 35 damage with no improvements, making it a very strong weapon for the Black Forest. You also gain a powerful secondary attack that deals 2.5x damage. With all bronze upgrades you can push the weapon up to 53 damage. Knockback is stronger as well, rising from 30 on the Club to a full 80 on the Bronze Mace.
Iron Mace: cost and swamp damage
In the Swamp you can upgrade your mace again thanks to a new metal. You’ll find iron, which is needed for many weapons and armors—including the Iron Mace. It starts at 55 damage and reaches up to 73 damage at all four upgrade levels. It’s a bit costly, though: all told you’ll need 80 iron bars.
Crafting Frostner: frost and spirit damage in the Mountains
Frostner is one of many players’ favorite Valheim weapons—and for good reason! You can craft this massive hammer from ancient bark, silver, Ymir Flesh, and Freeze Glands in the Mountains. Its damage profile is quite unique. Like all clubs, it deals 35 blunt damage, which doesn’t increase with upgrades. In addition, it deals 40–58 frost damage and 20 spirit damage. Frostner thus combines three different damage types in one and covers a wide range of weaknesses. It also applies 100 knockback.
Porcupine: combining pierce and blunt damage
Porcupine can also apply multiple damage types, making it a very practical weapon for later biomes. You can craft it in the Plains with fine wood and iron, plus needles from Deathsquitos and linen thread from flax. The weapon’s spiky look hints at how it hits. As usual for maces, it deals 50 blunt damage that stays constant through upgrades. On top of that, it adds 45–63 pierce damage thanks to its sharp spikes. That makes Porcupine very versatile in combat!
Flametal Mace in the Ashlands: gemstone conversion
One-handed maces skip the Mistlands; the next upgrade only becomes available in the Ashlands. There you’ll find Flametal, and together with Charred Bones, sulfur, and Asksvin hide you can craft Valheim’s current final one-handed mace. Its damage profile focuses purely on 135–153 blunt damage, but like all Ashlands weapons you can socket gemstones (Iolite, Bloodstone, Jade) to convert the weapon to your liking.
Two-handed maces in Valheim: area damage and knockback
Stagbreaker: two-handed mace for the Black Forest
Two-handers are another form of maces, and there are currently three of them in the game. They have only one attack: a mighty ground slam that hits and knocks back enemies in a circle around the player. Stagbreaker is the first of these powerful weapons. You’ll need core wood, a deer trophy, and leather scraps, so you can craft it as early as the Black Forest. This two-hander deals 20–38 blunt damage plus 5 pierce damage.
Iron Sledge: crowd control in the Swamp
In the Swamp, alongside the Iron Mace, you can opt for the big Iron Sledge. To craft it you’ll need iron bars, ancient bark, Ymir Flesh, and a Draugr elite trophy. With a massive slam, the Iron Sledge deals 55–73 damage, can stagger enemies, and knocks them back at the same time. It’s perfect for fighting groups, letting you strike multiple monsters at once while protecting yourself. In the end you’ll have to decide what you prefer: the one-handed mace with faster attacks or the two-handed sledge with powerful knockback. Of course, you can use both in parallel!
Demolisher: Mistlands two-hander with maximum damage
Since the Mistlands were skipped for one-handers, the final two-hander fills that gap. Use Yggdrasil wood, iron, and refined Eitr to craft the Demolisher. Once again, it’s a weapon that attacks with a ground slam around you, dealing 145–163 damage. With 210 knockback, it’s also the strongest option here. In terms of area damage, it even surpasses the Flametal Mace from the Ashlands.
Conclusion: maces and clubs in Valheim for blunt damage
Clubs and maces are a great weapon choice for anyone who likes to hit with a lot of raw damage. You can specialize in them from the very start, and every biome offers a fitting upgrade for the weapon type. You can also switch to the two-handed versions, which deal significantly more damage and knock enemies back even farther. Many later maces also add extra damage types, making them more adaptable to different situations.
