The tenth Norse world sure is busy as Valheim hits 5 million sold

Soon they have sold more copies that there are people in Finland...

My question for those who have and play the game is, how is it as a single-player experience?

A lot of what I see from people is multiplayer, but I'm not all that interested in getting a group together, fitting their schedule, not being able to wander off and read something at my leisure, etc. So is there enough to keep someone like me engaged with the world?

Going to add a caveat that I do expect the next year or two to bring a LOT more content to the game, so it's obviously going to improve. But that said, in your experience so far what do you think its appeal is as a solo adventure? Particularly for someone who's just fine playing Minetest alone and loves stuff like Subnautica which is exploration and base building heavy.

I play exclusively single-player for similar scheduling reasons and it's fine. You have to do all the grunt work yourself (resource collection) so for me anyway it's slower going than those in the valheim channel on Discord but I'm still enjoying it after many hours.

So is there enough to keep someone like me engaged with the world?

It is still a survival game, so there is the part of grinding for resources that just takes more time when you do it alone. However, the game progression is actually quite suitable for solo play (which is what I've done so far) because it needs you to achieve goals to get new things and you can do that at your own pace. Haven't felt a specific need for additional hands yet.

I agree that there is more work to be done if you play single player. Good thing is while you get somewhat punished for not doing some menial tasks. If you don't like chopping wood, build only essentials. If you don't like farming, you can try to survive with less available stamina and health (there's plenty of unprocessed food available in the wild, some of it just might be hard to catch). If you don't like mining, build only essential weapons and tools.

It's up to you when to go explore and how much you want to prepare for that. Starting biome meadows is quite safe, especially during the day, so you can explore it whenever you want, just remember to get back before night falls. Though if you don't home early enough, you can be careful and sneak quietly around the enemies.

With some experience you start to figure out where to find the resource that seemed to be ultra rare at first. Just remember to mark spots with resources (double click on map and write something descriptive), so you can later run around and gather quite lot of the resource you need for something. Quite lot of them respawn at same places, it might just take few days.

In short I guess I wanted to say that it's still fun as single player. Doing multiplayer now and then should feel like fresh experience as nothing is in same place, so can have fun of exploring all over again. Also you might be able to find some biome that you haven't been able to yet find on your own map and get some resources back to your single player game that might help you progress bit faster.I haven't played the multiplayer myself so I can't tell much more about it.

Played it quite a bit now, coming from Vintage Story. My overall impression is positive.... But... In single player it has some really rough edges. Battles are a chore if you are not well rested, you will always be out of stamina and be at a great disadvantage because monsters don't have limited stamina like you do, and there's no one else to help you. When well rested and fed though, combat is really, really fun.

The main problem I see right now is the amount of grinding required to craft stuff past the stone age. I'm used to things taking a long time, as I said earlier, coming from Vintage Story, but mining in Valheim is just not fun at all. It's a huge hassle, and you will spend hours doing it. It takes way too much material to upgrade your items and armors. I'm pretty sure that they will change that before the release, as the feedback from everyone seems to be the same.

If you are not in a hurry to try the game, and don't plan to do multiplayer, I would recommend waiting until the game is closer to release and the game balance is improved.

The main problem I see right now is the amount of grinding required to craft stuff past the stone age. I'm used to things taking a long time, as I said earlier, coming from Vintage Story, but mining in Valheim is just not fun at all. It's a huge hassle, and you will spend hours doing it. It takes way too much material to upgrade your items and armors. I'm pretty sure that they will change that before the release, as the feedback from everyone seems to be the same.

Bronze is a horrendous waste of time. At most, pickaxe armor sword and a shield, but do not upgrade it. The next tier will quickly replace it. Trust me. I made every bronze item and upgraded them to the max, even after 300 copper ore it was barely enough. You'll end up regretting it if you do what I did.

Upgrading every tier to max is also a waste of time (except end-game materials really). Depends on how fast you want to get through content, but a lot of grinding is needed to max everything, and can really bum you out at the end. I didn't even have much desire to build stuff after I reached the last tier, despite having a few ideas.

Anyway, bronze is by far the worst tier in the game and needs a heavy rethink imo.


Last edited by Interknet on 3 March 2021 at 6:17 pm UTC

Yeah, I have a level 3 axe, a level 2 pick axe and a level 3 helmet and that's it, I'm done with bronze. I wish I didn't upgrade them except for the axe, the increased durability comes in handy. Oh, I made a few nails too. Troll hide armor should get me through to the iron age and is much much easier acquire and craft than bronze.

Played it quite a bit now, coming from Vintage Story. My overall impression is positive.... But... In single player it has some really rough edges. Battles are a chore if you are not well rested, you will always be out of stamina and be at a great disadvantage because monsters don't have limited stamina like you do, and there's no one else to help you. When well rested and fed though, combat is really, really fun.

The main problem I see right now is the amount of grinding required to craft stuff past the stone age. I'm used to things taking a long time, as I said earlier, coming from Vintage Story, but mining in Valheim is just not fun at all. It's a huge hassle, and you will spend hours doing it. It takes way too much material to upgrade your items and armors. I'm pretty sure that they will change that before the release, as the feedback from everyone seems to be the same.

If you are not in a hurry to try the game, and don't plan to do multiplayer, I would recommend waiting until the game is closer to release and the game balance is improved.

I think for the stamina there's several things that help. First is that most common enemies in the beginning run around bit aimlessly which gives some time to recover stamina, especially if you get bit more distance by walking away. Bigger groups are a problem though. Tactic is to try to reserve some stamina as you might need it,

Spoiler, click me

especially when trying to avoid being hit by a troll.

Shield helps a lot too as if enemies don't come in too overwhelming numbers, you can actually recover stamina just by keep blocking the hits with the shield. Some of the harder enemies hit so hard and often that staying behind the shield is not viable as the only tactic.

Food is important stamina source, especially once you are able to farm carrots, carrot soup gives you lot of stamina. If you are able to cook some meat on top of that, you'll get lot of health and some stamina even on top of that. Just remember to keep stack of it with you. It helps to save good stuff just for the time when you actually need it.

As for mining, cart helps a lot if able to find route to the ore that you're able to drag the cart through (you can clear the route for the cart, but that can be also lot of work). You can always clean the route, though that's lot of work. If you are are able to get the cart next to the ore, it will double your inventory and doesn't count towards maximum weight. With the cart I might be able to empty one copper source totally if I throw all the rocks away.

I haven't utilized ships for mining, but anything bigger than raft has cargo hold, so you can transfer stuff with that. Should be even more helpful if you have your base next to place that you can access with the ship. You can create rivers by just digging with pickaxe from closest shore. Sometimes might be easier though just to move your base.

Yeah, I have a level 3 axe, a level 2 pick axe and a level 3 helmet and that's it, I'm done with bronze. I wish I didn't upgrade them except for the axe, the increased durability comes in handy. Oh, I made a few nails too. Troll hide armor should get me through to the iron age and is much much easier acquire and craft than bronze.

I actually already have extra troll hide that I don't know what to use for (I don't have high enough level workbench yet). Bronze is still somewhat short supply, but I have been doing upgrades to weapons and shields. I guess I'm more than adequately equipped for swamp once I find it.

I played 35-ish hours in singleplayer, and am only just getting out of the bronze age. I kinda over-prepared for the second boss and he was a bit of a pushover as a result. I've been having a break from the game, I don't typically play any single game for more than sixty hours, and I'm already feeling a bit burnt out on valheim, feeling as if I've seen everything I need to see, but simultaneously feeling as if I'd barely scratched the surface and that I really ought to get back into the swing of it before I completely lose interest.
The thing I'm currently dreading is looking for more surtling cores, I feel obligated to find a few more so I can build portals and smelters and make the next stage of the game easier, I've found three burial chambers and only one had any cores, kinda getting sick of scouring the black forest biome, especially since the biome's name always makes me hungry for ham.

Fully deserved - i've rented a server with 4 friends and it's been a fairly long time since we came together to play a game with such regularity as valheim ^^


Are there any numbers yet regarding the % of Linux sales? I remember there being a "we reached out to the devs, but no answer yet" - has that changed?

Fully deserved - i've rented a server with 4 friends and it's been a fairly long time since we came together to play a game with such regularity as valheim ^^


Are there any numbers yet regarding the % of Linux sales? I remember there being a "we reached out to the devs, but no answer yet" - has that changed?

Nope, no reply on that. Don't blame them though, can't imagine how busy they are.

I played some 35 hours and am slowly getting into the end of the bronze age.

Speaking of which, how come it takes 2 copper ingots and 1 tin ingot to forge(!) 1 bronze ingot? It should be 3 copper and 1 tin ingot (in a smelter), and from the weight alone you should get 4 bronze ingots. And it's not like you loose material, unlike when smelting ore. And that would also reduce the disproportionate grind with bronze.

It's not really a "historical" game; progression is more or less gated behind boss fights; and sometimes ... well there are other idiosyncratic choices; like only being able to mason stone in the iron age. In fact, stone age civilizations like the aztecs did a lot of extreely intricate stone masonry. Or requiring bronze age technology for planting things.

Bronze is a PITA, but those who say it's quickly replaced must've been extremely lucky when it came to exploring swamps. I've played for ~60 hours and have yet to find any

Spoiler, click me

sunken crypts

They can thank the success of the sales because of two main factors: Multi-platform crossplay and the easy way to host dedicated servers.

Even I bought the game, and I'm personally not very found of "survivor games" genre.

So only kudos for the team, and I hope they can still improve a lot this success game.

Soon they have sold more copies that there are people in Finland...

So then, The Bock Saga i just discovered is very appropriate in this concept!

https://www.bocksaga.info/

They can thank the success of the sales because of two main factors: Multi-platform crossplay and the easy way to host dedicated servers.

Even I bought the game, and I'm personally not very found of "survivor games" genre.

So only kudos for the team, and I hope they can still improve a lot this success game.

Don't forget the price. Fresh release, popular genre, price is bit less than older releases roughly in same genre.

With those numbers we gotta hope Odin stays on the ground.

While that kind of success and money is well received, it often leads to over ambition and failure.

Let's hope the world tree keeps him and the team well grounded.

Lets hope the norns are in good will of what Odin favours.


Last edited by STiAT on 5 March 2021 at 2:46 am UTC

You can create rivers by just digging with pickaxe from closest shore.

Yay! I once tried doing this in 7 Days to Die and the water wouldn't flow, it just sort of globbed up and fell about like gelatine --- a very disappointing end to my aqueduct project.

Speaking of which, how come it takes 2 copper ingots and 1 tin ingot to forge(!) 1 bronze ingot?

I expect you were being rhetorical, here, but, nevertheless, it's been my experience that this is a common mechanic in survival-crafting games, melding several "lesser" elements to create a "greater" one. I expect this is is just more of the same, though your point in this particular case is a good one.

there are other idiosyncratic choices; like only being able to mason stone in the iron age. In fact, stone age civilizations like the aztecs did a lot of extreely intricate stone masonry. Or requiring bronze age technology for planting things.

These sort of constraints are always so inanely artificial and, I believe, almost always unnecessary, aren't they? They make me crazy. I'm disappointed to hear that the devs have resorted to this sort of ham-fisted world-building. I mean, I do get why they're doing it, as a means to reward effort, but it's still, just so ... cLuNky.

The better approach is to improve stats, to reward effort and technological advancement by making construction and activities easier and more effective as one progresses. For example, stone work: From the beginning one could build stacked-stone walls, which might be better than wood, but require more effort and time to fashion and bear the risk of collapsing immediately upon being built. One could then mason softer stones, like sandstone & limestone, using bronze age tools, and only with the advent of iron age technology could one mason and build with granite.

Similarly, gardening could be done early on, but only with some plants, only after some slow ground preparation using labor intensive, not very durable wooden and stone tools. Bronze tools would then be faster and more durable, and could actually cultivate the soil, allowing for all plants to be grown. Iron tools could be the same as bronze, but faster and more durable yet still.

And so on.

Here's hoping that the devs are planning to create a more sophisticated tech-progression system in the (very near) future, that the current crude one is just a placeholder. I expect the devs may be open to suggestions, and, at any rate, I'm nevertheless delighted by their success.


Last edited by Nanobang on 5 March 2021 at 3:59 pm UTC