One of the best parts of any game that focuses on combat is the wide array of weapons you have at your disposal to fight off enemies and bosses. In Valheim, the weapons you'll need to craft can make the difference between life and death. Each available weapon deals a specific type of damage (pierce damage, blunt damage, elemental damage, etc.), has block power and some of them even have a secondary attack.
Besides melee, bows are the other type of weapon you'll encounter in the game. These ones need to be equipped with arrows in order to deal pierce damage. There are 10 craftable arrows in the game, divided into two categories: basic and special. Here's how you'll obtain all of them and the difference between Valheim arrows.
Updated May 31, 2021, by Miguel Amaro: Valheim only released its early access merely four months ago on February 2021. However, the game already has a new content roadmap for 2021, with the nearest update being Hearth and Home. Nevertheless, there's still plenty to do in this Sandbox game at its current stage. For example, if you want to master ranged combat, here's everything you need to know about arrows in Valheim.
Things To Know Before Using A Bow And Arrow
Bows behave differently from swords or other melee weapons. This item requires you to have available arrows to use as ammo. Moreover, bows work at a range, so you don't need to get that close to your enemies. Finally, this weapon is especially useful against enemies who are weak to pierce damage, like the Trolls you encounter in the Black Forest Biome.
- Most weapons decrease how fast you move around, and bows are not an exception; they take away around 5% of your movement speed.
Another stat you should look for when deciding which bow or arrow to use is Knockback; this stat indicates how far an enemy will be knocked back when you attack them with that weapon.
Finally, like most things in this game, you'll have to craft your Valheim arrows before you can use them, each arrow type needs different ingredients, and one batch gives you 20 arrows.
Types of Arrows
Basic Arrows
Basic arrows are one of the two Valheim arrow types you'll find. The effectiveness of these arrows will rely on the materials they are made of.
For example, Wood Arrows are made of sharpened wood and deal only 22 pierce damage, while Needle Arrows require a material you'll only get from killing the terrifying Deathsquitos, so they deal 62 pierce damage.
Needle Arrow
These ones are objectively the best ones out of all Valheim arrows. Needle arrows will deal 62 pierce damage to your enemies with a 15 knockback. The catch? One of the resources you'll need to craft this arrow is a needle, an item that drops when you kill a Deathsquito (a flying creature from The Meadows that can instantly kill you with just one or two blows).
After you figure out the best way to kill Deathsquitos, just head over to the Workbench, where you'll be able to craft these arrows using x4 needles and x2 feathers.
Ironhead Arrow
You'll unlock these Valheim arrows after finding iron; alternatively, you can find these arrows in the Sunken Crypts that are in the Swamp biome.
Ironhead arrows deal 42 pierce damage, have a 10 knockback, and are crafted in the Forge using x8 wood, x1 iron, and x2 feathers.
Wood Arrow
These will be the first type of arrow you'll see in the game; they deal 22 pierce damage, have a 10 knockback, and limits your speed by -5%.
This arrow is made of sharpened wood, so you'll need x8 wood in order to craft them. Also, the recipe for these Valheim arrows will be available as soon as you craft your first Workbench.
Obsidian Arrow
This type of arrow requires obsidian, a resource you'll be able to find in deposits located at the Mountain Biomes. Keep in mind that you'll need to have equipped an iron pickaxe to mine this material.
After gathering the obsidian, just head over to the Workbench, where you can craft this type of Valheim arrows using x8 wood, x4 obsidian, and x2 feathers. Once you've crafted the arrows, they'll deal 52 pierce damage with a 10 knockback.
Flinthead Arrow
These Valheim arrows are an upgrade from wood arrows; these ones deal 27 pierce damage and have a knockback of 10.
You can craft them at the Workbench using x8 wood, x2 flint, and x2 feathers, but you'll need it to be a Workbench level of 2 or higher.
Bronzehead Arrow
These Valheim arrows are the flinthead arrow's evolution; Bronzehead arrows are sharper and deal 32 pierce damage with a 10 knockback. You can craft these ones using the Forge, but only after you've discovered bronze.
- Bronze is a material that can be crafted in the Forge by processing x1Tin and x2 Copper.
To craft these arrows, you'll need x8 wood, x1 bronze, and x2 feathers, and the Forge will produce 20 arrows each time.
Special Arrows
Special Arrows are the second Valheim arrow types you'll be able to craft in this game. What makes these arrows so special is that they not only deal Pierce damage, but they'll also deal elemental damage, like Poison or Frost.
Fire arrow
This arrow is very powerful because it deals both pierce (11) and fire (22) damage and has a 10 knockback. You can make this one in the Workbench using x8 wood, x8 resin, and x2 feathers.
These Valheim arrows are especially useful against enemies that are weak to fire, like Greydwarfs, Necks, Drakes, and many more.
Poison arrow
If you're lucky, you'll come across Valheim poison arrows inside the chests that are in the Sunken Crypts located in the Swamp biome. If not, you'll have to craft them. These arrows require two ingredients that are a little harder to get.
To craft poison arrows, you'll need x8 wood, x2 feathers, and here comes the tricky part, x2 ooze, and x4 obsidian. Obsidian is found in the Mountain biome in large deposits; you'll need an iron pickaxe to get the job done. The challenge here is to not die due to the mountain's freezing weather.
Now to get ooze, you'll need to kill Blobs; these slime-like monsters live in the Swamp biome and can poison you, so dealing with them is difficult. Nevertheless, once you have all the ingredients, you can head over to the Workbench, where you'll craft powerful Poison arrows that can deal 52 poison damage, 26 pierce damage, and have a 10 knockback.
Frost arrow
This type of arrow will deal 52 frost damage, and 26 pierce damage, as well as a special slowing effect (which is super useful against smaller enemies). You can craft frost arrows using the Workbench; all you'll need is x8 wood, x4 obsidian, x2 feathers, and x1 freeze gland (which you can find by killing the drakes that are in the Mountain biome).
Alternatively, you can look for these Valheim arrows in the chest that you'll find inside the ruins located at the Mountain biomes.
Silver Arrow
In order to unlock these Valheim arrows, you'll need to have a forge that's level 3 and already discovered silver. These ones are ideal for dealing with spirits, as they will inflict 52 pierce damage and 20 spirit damage. You can craft these arrows in the Forge using x8 wood, x1 silver, and x2 feather.