Understanding melee weapons in Valheim

Combat may be the single most complex part of Valheim, but anyone used to RPGs will find it very intuitive and easy to get into.

Valheim is too addicting. Survival, Norse mythology, extensive crafting, building, engaging combat, deep exploration, and more. Its only in Early Access too. pic.twitter.com/CCCa8c4XI6

— Sin Eater (@Chicag0JR) February 16, 2021

Those looking to understand Valheim combat in greater detail will definitely appreciate a deeper dive into its mechanics. In general, a player’s combat performance is calculated by weapons, resistances, and skill modifiers.

How Valheim calculates damage

Since Valheim is still in early access, it’s not important to pay attention to which weapons deal the most damage right now, as it’s highly likely that those damage numbers will change as time goes on.

Rather, it’s better to understand how damage is calculated in Valheim. It will aid in deciding what weapon to go for and why.

The first thing to consider for melee weapons is what damage type a weapon has. Valheim has three damage types: piercing damage, blunt damage, and slashing damage.

Enemies will have resistances and weaknesses to these damage types. It’s generally best to change weapons based on these resistances. For example, it’s a chore to use slashing damage against a skeleton, but blunt weapons bring them down with ease.

After looking at damage types, players should think about how they want to use the weapon. Weapons that work well in a chaotic brawl in Valheim won’t be the same as those that work best when sneaking up on someone. With these in mind, each weapon features a backstab multiplier and knockback value.

Most weapons have a 3x multiplier, though two-handed clubs only get a 2x multiplier, and the Abyssal Harpoon only has a 1x multiplier. Knives, however, sport a 10x multiplier, making them best when used as part of a sneak-attack-focused combat style.

The earliest knife most players will make, the flint knife, will hit for six slash and six pierce damage under optimal conditions, increasing to 60 slash and 60 pierce when done as a backstab. This means a flint knife, in the current build, can hit harder than some iron weapons do from the front.

The last stat in Valheim to consider is knockback. Knockback can be a useful way to get some breathing room between attacks and ensure that enemies don’t get a turn to hit back.

However, too much knockback will make it difficult to hit with multiple followup attacks. In general, clubs and two-handed weapons have more knockback, while spears and knives have a lot less.

First few hours of Valheim have been SO much fun so far and I think we've only just scratched the surface! There's loads of crafting, the building element is fun, combat feels great and it's just absolutely gorgeous!! @Valheimgame you've made an absolute gem! pic.twitter.com/rRwhaURk0w

— Jess 💀 (@NeonRupee) February 15, 2021

Defensive considerations when picking melee weapons

Melee combat in Valheim isn’t all attacks. Players are going to have to defend themselves at times. One-handed weapons will have greater defensive options than two-handed weapons because they can be used alongside a shield or a torch.

When considering a weapon’s (or shield’s) defensive properties, the most important stats are block power and parry bonus. Block power is the amount of damage absorbed when the weapon or shield blocks.

Parry bonus is how much that number is multiplied by when the player times their block to be just before receiving an attack.

In almost every defensive stat, even weak shields will have better defensive properties than the strongest weapons. Without a shield, the best defense is to avoid getting hit.

For two-handed weapons, however, this can be difficult. In these cases, it’s best to use the weapon’s knockback and parry force to keep enemies away, rather than blocking everything.

Parry force is a special kind of knockback that happens when an attack is parried. It can often be more valuable to knock enemies away than to simply block, but because parries have to be timed, this defensive option is much riskier than others.

The final defensive consideration is movement speed. Every equipped weapon and shield can give players a movement speed debuff. For most one-handed weapons and small shields, this is just 5% less movement speed.

Larger weapons and shields can give players as much as 20% slower movement speed. Valheim players should consider whether they want to rely on blocks and parries or evasion when selecting their loadouts.