5 base building tips for beginners in Valheim

Valheim bases
5 base building tips for beginners in Valheim (Image via Iron Gate Studios)

The Swedish developer has once again crafted an awesome sandbox survival game called Valheim. It was released on Steam for Windows and Linux in 2021 and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 14 March 2023. Players must endure and conquer the realm of Valheim, a Viking-inspired world, to progress within the game.

As a beginner, base building is an essential aspect of the gameplay. Your base is the place where you can rest, store your resources and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. In this article, we have explored the five base-building tips, especially for beginners in Valheim.


Structure strength, Indoor Campfire, and three other building tips in Valheim

1) Using a hoe

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Most of the players of Valheim will have an idea of how to build a workbench that has a radius of 20 meters. Out of this area, you will not be able to make anything. Now that you have a workbench, you can use a hoe to terraform the land or the area where you will make your base.

When holding the hoe in your hand, right-click to see what activities you can perform using it. You can select the flatten land option and left-click on the land to level it. If there are any hilly surfaces or uneven ground, you can quickly level it using your hoe.


2) Indoor Campfire

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In Valheim, you must consider that your character's health is affected by weather conditions and how much you have rested. You will need a source of warmth that you can easily obtain by building a campfire.

Rain can extinguish the fire if you build your campfire outside your house with no proper shade or roof. You will need to make your fireplace inside your home. You cannot place the fireplace on any wooden floor. For this, you will have to break your floor, place the campfire on the ground, and then if you want, you can place the floor back in the same place again.

If you do not leave any opening in your roof, the smoke from the fire will not get out and can harm your character. You can build a chimney by making a hole in your roof and placing the same block by flipping it in the opposite direction. This will prevent the rain from falling on the campfire and put it out.


3) Build near the water

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In Valheim, you can consider building your bases near water bodies such as rivers. The reason is that you will be able to make a port and place a boat in the river that can be later used to explore the nearby areas on the map. Rivers are an excellent way for explorations in Valheim, similar to Vikings, who used rivers to do the same.

Ladders can be placed in shallow waters, which makes it a lot easier to build the docks, thus allowing you to get better angles to place the supports and beams. Constructing your dock on the ground close to the water and removing the ground below it is recommended, which will be time-consuming but easier to perform.


4) Structure strength

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While building your base, you must ensure that the structure's integrity and strength are enough to support the next block you want to place next to each other.

You will notice that the block will turn into different colors when you hover the pieces as you build them. Valheim classifies the building pieces into five colors, each denoting their strength.

Blue means they are connected to the ground and are the strongest. Green means the pieces you are placing above the blue-colored ones, and they have pretty good strength. The strength decreases as the color changes from green to yellow, orange(or deep yellow), and red. You cannot place any pieces attached to the red ones, as it will result in a breakdown.

Making your house strong and having a good foundation will require good planning, and you should know whether adding any piece will break your structure.


5) Support your roof

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After building your house, you must make a roof for it. You can use regular wood beams to assemble a house with two floors. Ladders can also be used to construct your home's roof as they will help you see the outside of your house and give a really lovely look.

If the house is higher than two floors, core logs can be used to make the roof structure. Iron beams are the best materials that can be used to build the roofs of your house. Connecting the iron beams to the ground and ensuring that the beams turn blue will create a strong foundation for your base.


Building your base is the first and foremost task you must do to survive in Valheim. After your base is ready, you can go on quests and adventures exploring the world, encountering various creatures and epic bosses.

To beat them, you need to obtain rare materials such as black metal to craft your weapons, shield and make your strategies before attacking your adversaries. By following these tips, you will be ready to embrace the challenges in Valheim and make progress within it.

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