Valheim raids: All raid types and how to survive them

Stand tall against the hordes.

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In the Viking-themed survival gameValheim, one of the most dangerous threats you’ll face are base raids. If you aren’t prepared for these coordinated attacks, hordes of enemies will kill youandheavily damage your base. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you’re not only aware of what attacks might be coming soon but that you’re also ready to defend yourself and your territory from attacks as well. Here’s an in-depth guide on everything you need to know about Valheim base raids, including what the different types of raids are, when they can happen, and how to adequately prepare yourself and your base for them.

Valheim raids: How do raids work?

In Valheim, raids can occur once the world you’re in has been active for nine days. You’ll know when a raid begins when you see an ominous message pop up on your screen in large yellow text, such as “The forest is moving” or “The ground is shaking.” The type of raid you’ll face depends on how far you’ve progressed in the world and/or which type of enemy you’ve killed a lot of recently (more on that later), but something consistent about all of the raids is that a wave of enemies spawn and attempt to kill you and destroy your base for around 2-3 minutes. You can fend the raid off by killing all of the enemies or by waiting the raid out, as once the raid timer ends, enemies run away and despawn.

It’s important to note that raids will only occur in a location when you’re in close proximity to a base (an area with a bed, campfire, and workbench qualifies as a base). This means that you don’t have to worry about any of your bases being attacked while you’re away from them, although it does mean that shelters you create while exploring a new biomecanbe raided.

Valheim raids: All raid types

There are several different types of base raids that can occur in Valheim, and the majority of them are ones that happen as you progress through the game’s world andfind, summon, and defeat Valheim bosses. Here’s a look at the main base raids that can occur:

In addition to the main base raids, there are also some other raids that only have a chance to occur when you’ve recently killed several of a specific enemy type. The enemies raiding your base correspond to the enemy that you’ve recently killed.

Valheim raids: How to defend against raids

Defending yourself and your base from raids can be tricky, but with smart planning, sufficient preparation, and some clever on-the-fly thinking, you’ll come out on top. Here are some strategies we recommend, as well as some helpful tips and tricks.

Questions?

Do you have any other questions about the raids you’ll encounter in Valheim? Let me know, and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, for more tips on how to build a sturdy, defensible base, check out myguide on creating Valheim bases and homes the right way.

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Valheim is available for $20 on Steam through Early Access. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend getting it as it’s one of thebest survival games for PCright now. If you do pick up the game, don’t miss ourbeginner’s guide to your first days and beyondin Valheim.

Norse-themed survival FTW

Valheim is a challenging yet entertaining survival game set in a world heavily inspired by Norse mythology. Build, craft, scavenge, and hunt your way to success.

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).