Valheim crafting progression is tied to biomes, bosses, and, most importantly, resources. Finding new resources unlocks new crafting recipes, which is as important to getting through the game itself as it is actual crafting. New crafting recipes means new gear, new ways to defeat Forsaken bosses and, ultimately, access to new Valheim biomes.
That said it's not always clear which material you should go for next - you have wood and stone, but now what? This Valheim progression guide explains every resource in order, plus how to obtain them, to help you get what you need faster and without trial and error.
Valheim crafting progression guide
The way our Valheim crafting progression guide works is by listing the core components you need to find in order to unlock all the craftable items and objects in the game.
Follow our explainer you'll slowly make your way through Valheim, taking down the bosses as you go. Valheim has countless resources and materials to continue upgrading your equipment, but this list is a general path that you should be looking to take through the game.
1. Wood
First up is an easy one; wood. As soon as you spawn in Valheim, you want to punch the small trees and collect some wood, which will allow you to make all of, but not limited to, the following:
- Workbench
- Walls and roofs
- Club
- Hammer
- Chests
2. Stone
Alongside punching trees at the start of the game, make sure you're also picking up loose stones. This will unlock various stone tools for you to use.
- Stone axe
- Stone pickaxe
3. Flint
Valheim flint is another core ingredient that you can acquire early. It spawns on the ground along water, so just run to the nearest coast and pick up as many as you can. This will get you some more weapons and tools.
- Flint spear
- Flinthead arrows
- Flint axe
4. Leather Scraps/Deer Hide
Both Leather Scraps and Deer Hide come under the same header because the two go hand in hand. You get them by killing boars and deer respectively, and these are vital for crafting early game armor, weapons, tools, and more.
- Boats
- Leather armor
- Bows
5. Bronze
Bronze is made by smelting Copper and Tin Ore, then combining the ingots at a ratio of two Copper to one Tin. This is needed for all bronze weapons and armor, along with the all-important Cultivator, used for farming. However, you can only start mining Copper and Tin when you've defeated Eikthyr, the first boss.
- Bronze weapons
- Bronze armor
- Cultivator
6. Core/Fine Wood
Core Wood can be found exclusively from Pine Trees in the Black Forest, while Fine Wood is found exclusively from Birch and Oak Trees in Meadows. Both are used for crucial building parts and tools, including Portals.
- Portal
- Log poles
- Ward
- Stagbreaker
7. Iron
Scrap Iron can be found from Muddy Scrap Piles in the Swamp biome, which is where you need to head after defeating the second boss, The Elder. Smelt it to make Iron, which is a step up above Bronze, and is used for all manner of weapons, armor, and tools.
- Iron axe
- Iron longsword
- Iron scale mail
- Stone cutter
8. Silver
Once you've defeated Bone Mass in the Swamp, you can mine Silver Ore with an Iron Pickaxe in the Mountains. Smelt it to get Silver, which is a step up from Iron, and needed for plenty of better gear.
- Frostner
- Silver sword
- Wolf armor
9. Black Metal
You can head to the Plains biome after you've defeated Moder in the mountains. Here you can kill Fulings to obtain Black Metal Scrap. Smelt it in a Blast Furnace and you'll get Black Metal Bars, which are mainly used for weapons, tools, and armor.
- Black Metal sword
- Black Metal axe
- Black Metal shield
