Valheim offers a surprising number of weapons and weapon types to choose from, which makes for varied gameplay. With each new material, you can forge a new weapon and put it through its paces. There’s no outright winner—each option has its pros and cons. Choose your weapon based on the situation, study your enemies, and strike at the right moment. But how do you judge those situations? Today we’ll look at every weapon type and when you should use them.
Valheim melee weapons at a glance: Swords, axes, shields, and more
Valheim axes and battleaxes: More than woodcutting tools
Axes are primarily meant for chopping trees, but they can double as weapons. Most are one-handed and deal slash damage. They’re light and fast, which makes them very flexible. In a pinch, you can always defend yourself with one. You’re even faster with certain dual axes you can dual-wield with the right gear. Battleaxes, on the other hand, are two-handed and therefore slower, but they deal more damage in a wide sweep. Pick the right axe for your playstyle. If you rent a Valheim server for you and your friends, you can test different axes against each other, find the best build, and trade resources.
Clubs, maces, and hammers: Heavy blunt damage
Clubs and maces are often among the first weapons you craft. There are one-handed and two-handed variants that deal blunt damage. One-handed clubs are strong but relatively slow. Some, like Frostner, also inflict elemental damage. Two-handed hammers typically feature a dominant attack, a ground shockwave that knocks enemies back. That’s especially effective in group fights.
Swords and greatswords in Valheim: All-rounders for any situation
Swords are stamina-friendly, easy to use, and ideal all-rounders. Later blades like Dyrnwyn or Mistwalker add elemental damage. Paired with a shield, they cover a lot of situations. Large greatswords swing slower but deal significantly more damage. You’ll find them later in the game.
Spears in Valheim: Reach and precise pierce damage
Spears thrust forward and deal focused pierce damage. They don’t have long attack strings but shine with reach and the option to throw them. This keeps you flexible and lets you land precise opening strikes.
Polearms (atgeirs): Speed with great reach
Polearms are often underrated in Valheim but are among the strongest all-round weapons. They combine the speed of spears with the flexibility of swords while offering great reach. They primarily deal pierce damage. The final hit in their combo is a sweeping attack that hits nearby enemies. The late-game atgeir Himmin Afl even adds lightning damage.
Knives and dual-wield: Perfect for stealth attacks
Knives aren’t ideal against large groups or big foes, but they excel at sneaky attacks. Their range is short and base damage lower, but they make up for it with a high damage multiplier on undetected hits. Use the leaping attack to close distance quickly. Later, you’ll find dual knives like Sköll and Hati. Knives are a powerful secondary weapon for quick maneuvers.
Fists and claws: Fast combos at close range
Fists are very flexible and offer different damage profiles depending on the variant. Your bare hands count too, but later claws deal slash damage and enable rapid combos at short range. Players who favor aggressive and mobile combat benefit from this class.
Valheim shields: Master blocking and parrying
Shields aren’t weapons, but they’re a core part of your armor and defense setup. You can pair them with any one-handed weapon, such as swords or clubs. There are round shields, bucklers, and tower shields. You can block, and with most variants, also parry. From beginners to pros: A shield plus one-handed weapon is almost always a very safe choice.
Valheim ranged weapons: Bow, crossbow, and bombs
Bows in Valheim: Precise kills from a distance
Bow and arrow are your most important ranged weapons. As you progress, you unlock better bows. The right arrows are critical: Beyond higher base damage, there are elemental arrows like fire, frost, or poison. Know your enemies’ weaknesses and use the right ammo. Your shot damage depends on how long you draw the bow and the arrow type you use.
Crossbows in Valheim: Precise alternatives to the bow
Crossbows aren’t direct upgrades over bows, but they’re a precise alternative. You don’t need to draw them; instead, you reload bolts. Their shots are straight and accurate, with comparable damage. Currently, there are no elemental bolts, only variants with pierce damage.
Bombs in Valheim: Area damage and status effects
Bombs are perfect for area damage and applying status effects. There are poison and fire bombs, as well as smoke bombs for distraction. Ooze or slime bombs create poison clouds that weaken enemy groups. Use bombs strategically to achieve crowd control.
Valheim magic weapons: Eitr, staves, and blood magic
Elemental staves: Fire, frost, lightning, and poison
Later in the game, you gain access to magic. Staves with elemental damage use Eitr as a resource and specialize in fire, frost, lightning, or poison. Their attack patterns differ significantly, so it pays to experiment. Most are designed for ranged combat and shine in controlled duels or against large targets.
Blood magic: Shield barriers and summoning minions
With blood magic, you can sacrifice some of your health and Eitr to unleash powerful effects. One staff creates a shield barrier, another summons minions like skeletons to fight for you. These spells are risky but extremely effective. Use blood magic only when you know your combat strength and keep a close eye on your health bar.
Conclusion on Valheim weapons: The right choice for every situation
In Valheim, you can choose from many weapon types: from the classic sword-and-shield combo, to polearms, spears, and knives, all the way to bows, crossbows, bombs, and magic staves. Choose your weapon based on the situation and stay flexible so you can quickly adapt to enemies. There’s no universally best type. What matters is your balance, your build, and how well you match your weapon to your strategy.
