Valheim Crafting & Building Guide: How To Unlock

Crafting and building in Valheim can be quite confusing early in the game especially if you’re just starting your adventure as a Viking and that’s because you won’t receive too many tips on how to build new structures such as a workbench, or a Cooking Station.

In fact, it may take a while until you figure out how to even build a campfire in Valheim, in order to survive your first night and not freeze to death.

So if you want to know how to build in Valheim early in the game, I am going to quickly tell you what you have to do.

Don’t worry because is quite easy, but it’s essential to learn it as soon as you start the game, otherwise, your Viking won’t survive long.

The idea here is pretty simple and as soon as you get it, you’ll be on the right track.

So let’s start from the beginning.

How To Unlock New Items & Buildings In Valheim

The moment you start the game, you’ll notice that your Viking is poorly equipped.

You’ll have no shelter, no weapons, and basically, nothing.

The only thing you’ll have is Hugin, or if you want one of Odin’s ravens. The other one is Munin, in case you want to know.

So, obviously, you’ll want to talk to Hugin, and let me tell you that this raven is only partially helpful. Hugin won’t tell you how to build a campfire in Valheim, but the bird does offer an important hint. A hint that you may want to remember for as long as you play the video game.

This hint basically explains how you unlock new things in Valheim. And to summarize it, you’ll have to pick new items, because your Viking can’t remember the true shape of objects.

You can see it below.

So obviously your first goal here is to start picking new items, and the most basic ones are stones and wood.

That’s all you have to do early in the game. Now let’s take them one by one.

Stones, since you don’t have a pickaxe to deal with large boulders (yet); can be found by exploring the areas near your starting point.

Look for small stones and pick them up by pressing E.

Now, you’ll need wood, and, again you won’t have an axe when you start; so you’ll need to get this crafting material from small branches.

Keep doing this and in the upper left corner of your screen, you’ll see the recipes you can unlock.

So this is how you unlock new items in Valheim.

How To Craft In Valheim

Once you get enough wood and stone, the very first item you’ll want to craft is a club.

No, it will not help you build a mansion, but it will help you defeat the enemies you encounter faster.

To do this press Tab and in the crafting window (pictured below), you’ll see the list of items you can craft.

Just remember that these items appear only after you remember the shape of objects (aka finding new items). As you can see a club requires 6 wood.

Get this one first, then keep looking for wood and stone so you can craft a hammer.

A Valheim hammer requires 3 wood and 2 stone.

Why do you need a hammer you ask? Because this is how you unlock the building option in Valheim.

Without a hammer, you won’t be able to build even a basic campfire.

How To Unlock Building In Valheim

Right so now that you have your first hammer, it’s time to put it to good use. As in building the Valheim workbench and cooking station.

But to do so first you’ll have to equip your hammer; which means that you’ll press Tab to open your inventory and then right-click on the hammer.

This action will unlock the building menu in Valheim which is also accessed by pressing the right mouse button.

Easy right? With or without the help of Hugin.

As you can see below, both the workbench and the cooking station require even more materials, which you already know how to get.

Make sure you get these basic buildings as fast as possible. Preferably before nightfall.

And that’s it! Now you know how to start building and crafting in Valheim, and also how to set the foundation of your new settlement; however, the moment you start investing in your new place you may want to learn how to save the game.