Skills
Skills in Valheim improve as you use specific weapon types or perform certain actions. Higher skill levels increase damage, efficiency, or effectiveness in that category. However, dying reduces all skills, making survival an important part of long-term progression.
Getting Started • Combat • Weapons • Shields • Damage Types • Biomes
🧾 How Skills Work
- Skills increase by performing related actions.
- Each skill ranges from **0 to 100**.
- Higher skill = improved performance in that category.
- On death, you permanently lose a percentage of all skill levels.
- The **No Skill Drain** buff temporarily prevents skill loss after death.
Skill progression slows significantly at higher levels.
⚔️ Combat Skills
| Skill | Affects | Increased By |
|---|---|---|
| Swords | Slash damage with swords | Hitting enemies with swords |
| Axes | Axe damage (combat only) | Hitting enemies with axes |
| Clubs | Blunt damage | Hitting enemies with clubs/maces |
| Spears | Spear damage | Hitting enemies with spears |
| Polearms | Atgeir damage | Hitting enemies with polearms |
| Knives | Knife damage and backstab scaling | Hitting enemies with knives |
| Bows | Bow damage and draw efficiency | Hitting enemies with bows |
| Crossbows | Crossbow damage | Hitting enemies with crossbows |
| Elemental Magic | Staff damage scaling | Using magic staves |
| Blocking | Block armor and stagger resistance | Blocking attacks |
🧭 General Skills
| Skill | Effect | Increased By |
|---|---|---|
| Run | Reduced stamina cost while running | Sprinting |
| Jump | Reduced stamina cost and improved jump control | Jumping |
| Sneak | Improved stealth effectiveness | Sneaking near enemies |
| Swim | Reduced stamina drain in water | Swimming |
| Pickaxes | Pickaxe damage vs terrain and nodes | Mining |
| Woodcutting | Axe efficiency vs trees | Chopping trees |
📉 Skill Loss on Death
When you die:
- A percentage of each skill is permanently reduced.
- This penalty increases with higher skill levels.
- The **No Skill Drain** effect prevents additional skill loss for a short time after respawning.
Because of this system, consistent survival has long-term benefits.
📈 Scaling Overview
At higher levels:
- Weapons deal noticeably more damage.
- Blocking becomes more reliable.
- Stamina efficiency improves.
- Magic becomes significantly stronger in late-game builds.
Skill scaling is gradual but impactful over time.
🛠 Strategy Tips
- Specialize in 1–2 main weapon types rather than leveling everything.
- Train Blocking early — parry builds scale extremely well.
- Avoid unnecessary deaths to protect long-term skill investment.
- In multiplayer, assign combat roles to maximize skill specialization.