Updated October 20, 2026 for Valheim 1.0, patch 1.0.20 (released October 15, 2026). Valheim left Early Access on September 9, 2026, and the Deep North added a full tier of Nord weapons above the Ashlands gear. Every Deep North number on this page was re-checked against the Valheim Wiki today, and we corrected three things our September version had wrong: the Thunderblood Sledge, the Thunderblood Crossbow and the Nord crafting chain. No patch changed them; our old numbers were off. All stats are base damage at quality 1 (a fresh craft).
There are well over a hundred weapons in Valheim once you count every Ashlands gemstone variant and every Deep North essence variant, and the game never tells you which ones are worth crafting. This tier list ranks them by the biome you unlock them in, gives you the single best pick for each stage, lists every weapon by type, and explains the one thing that decides your damage more than the weapon itself. For the armor that goes with it, see our Valheim armor tier list.
Quick answer: The strongest weapons in Valheim 1.0 are the Deep North Nord weapons, smelted from Bloodgold and finished in the Frost Foundry. The best overall is the Thunderblood Sledge (235 Blunt + 45 Lightning), the best one-hander is the Thunderblood Sword (180 Slash + 45 Lightning, keeps your shield) and the best ranged weapon is the Thunderblood Crossbow (274 Pierce + 45 Lightning). Before the Deep North, Frostner (35 Blunt + 40 Frost + 20 Spirit) is the best all-purpose weapon in the game. Whatever you pick, level one melee skill plus a bow, because skill level adds more damage than a fresh tier upgrade.
What is the best weapon in Valheim right now?
- Best overall (Deep North, Valheim 1.0), our pick: the Thunderblood Sledge, 235 Blunt + 45 Lightning. Its ground slam hits everything in a 4-metre radius and staggers at 2x, and the Thunderblood upgrade adds a 25% chain-lightning chance per hit plus +0.2% damage for every point of health you are missing.
- Best one-handed weapon: the Thunderblood Sword, 180 Slash + 45 Lightning. It keeps your shield slot, which matters more since the Call to Arms combat update made blocking feed Adrenaline.
- Best ranged weapon: the Thunderblood Crossbow, 274 Pierce + 45 Lightning. The Thunderblood Bow (110 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 45 Lightning) is the faster-firing alternative.
- Best all-purpose weapon before the Deep North: Frostner. Blunt, frost and spirit together hit almost every enemy's weakness, and the frost slow is the best crowd control in the game.
- Best "just tell me one weapon type to level": a mace for Skeletons and the Swamp's undead, plus a bow for everything else.
- Best magic: the Deep North Lightning Strike staff (300 Lightning) at the top end; the Staff of Embers is the best entry staff.
The full Valheim weapon tier list (patch 1.0.20)
Tiers rank weapons by how strong they are within reach of the endgame. An S-tier weapon is a best-in-slot you carry to the credits; a starter weapon can be great for its biome and still sit low because you replace it fast.
SS-Tier: Deep North (Valheim 1.0, new top tier) Thunderblood Sledge (235 Blunt + 45 Lightning) · Thunderblood Sword (180 Slash + 45 Lightning) · Thunderblood Crossbow (274 Pierce + 45 Lightning) · Thunderblood Greatsword (220 Slash + 45 Lightning) · Thunderblood Atgeir (192 Pierce + 45 Lightning) · Thunderblood Bow (110 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 45 Lightning) · Lightning Strike (300 Lightning)
S-Tier: base Nord weapons and the Frostfire line (higher listed totals, but frost and fire are resisted by more of the late game, including Kall) Nord Sledge (225 Blunt) · Nord Greatsword (210 Slash) · Nord Sword (170 Slash) · Nord Crossbow (264 Pierce) · Nord Bow (100 Pierce + 10 Spirit) · Frostfire Sword (138 Slash + 88 Frost + 12 Fire)
A-Tier: Ashlands best-in-slot (your entry gear for the Deep North) Nidhögg · Dyrnwyn · Berserkir axes · Slayer · Ash Fang · Ripper · Staff of Fracturing
B-Tier: Mistlands and the all-rounders Frostner · Mistwalker · Krom · Himminafl · Skoll and Hati · Skull Splittur · Spinesnap · Arbalest · Staff of Embers · Staff of Frost
C-Tier: solid workhorses Black metal sword · Porcupine · Iron mace · Iron sword · Silver sword · Bronze atgeir · Draugr Fang · Jotun Bane
D-Tier: good for their moment, then retire them Club · Flint spear · Crude bow · Finewood bow · Huntsman bow · Stagbreaker · Bronze mace
If a weapon isn't listed, it's a sidegrade or a niche tool (bombs, the torch for early Greydwarves, wooden training weapons), not a bad pick. It just isn't one you build a loadout around.
What is the best weapon for each biome?
Valheim is a ladder: every boss unlocks the material for the next tier of gear. Here is the single best weapon to craft at each stage.
| Biome (boss) | Best weapon | Damage type | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadows (Eikthyr) | Flint spear / Club | Pierce / Blunt | Cheap, throwable spear or a Club that staggers early enemies |
| Black Forest (The Elder) | Bronze atgeir | Pierce (AoE sweep) | 45 Pierce; the spinning secondary clears Greydwarf packs. Carry a Bronze mace for Skeletons |
| Swamp (Bonemass) | Iron mace | Blunt | 55 Blunt; Skeletons and Blobs are weak to blunt |
| Mountain (Moder) | Frostner | Blunt + Frost + Spirit | 35 + 40 + 20; slows everything and punishes undead |
| Plains (Yagluth) | Black metal sword / Porcupine | Slash / Blunt + Pierce | 95 Slash, or 50 Blunt + 45 Pierce that never hits a full resistance |
| Mistlands (The Queen) | Mistwalker or Krom | Slash + Frost / Slash | Mistwalker clears the fog; Krom hits 150 Slash |
| Ashlands (Fader) | Nidhögg / Berserkir axes | Slash | Gemstone variants; your entry gear for the Deep North |
| Deep North (Kall Fimbulbringer) | Thunderblood Sledge | Blunt + Lightning | 235 Blunt + 45 Lightning; blunt is not on Kall's resistance list |
Meadows and Black Forest. Start with a Flint knife or Flint spear and a Crude bow (22 Pierce). Bronze unlocks the atgeir, a polearm whose secondary attack is a spinning sweep with no damage penalty against multiple targets. Carry a Bronze mace too: Skeletons resist pierce and are weak to blunt.
Swamp. The Swamp is Draugr, Skeletons and Blobs. The Iron mace covers all three, and Bonemass is weak to blunt. Bring a poison-resistance mead and the fight is a formality. For the full biome walkthrough, see the Valheim Swamp guide.
Mountain. This is where Frostner earns its reputation: 35 Blunt + 40 Frost + 20 Spirit. It punishes undead, slows anything it touches and staggers with the physical hit, and it stays useful to the end of the game.
Plains. Black metal unlocks a full set. The Black metal sword (95 Slash) is the cleanest raw-damage pick; the Porcupine mixes 50 Blunt with 45 Pierce. Keep your Draugr Fang for ranged until the Mistlands.
All Valheim weapons by type (1.0.20)
Every melee and ranged weapon family in the live build, in crafting order, with the Deep North weapon that tops each line. Pick your family first; the table tells you what you are climbing toward.
| Weapon type | Progression (earliest to latest) | Top of the line in 1.0 | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axes (1H) | Stone, Flint, Bronze, Iron, Black metal, Jotun Bane, Berserkir axes (dual-wield), Nord Axe | Thunderblood Axe (186 Slash + 45 Lightning) | Axes |
| Battleaxes (2H) | Battleaxe, Crystal battleaxe, Black metal battleaxe, Skull Splittur, Nord Greataxe | Thunderblood Greataxe (198 Slash + 45 Lightning) | Axes |
| Clubs and maces (1H) | Club, Bronze mace, Iron mace, Frostner, Porcupine, Flametal mace, Nord Mace | Thunderblood Mace (180 Blunt + 45 Lightning) | Clubs |
| Sledgehammers (2H) | Stagbreaker, Iron sledge, Demolisher, Nord Sledge | Thunderblood Sledge (235 Blunt + 45 Lightning) | Clubs |
| Swords (1H) | Bronze, Iron, Silver, Black metal, Mistwalker, Nidhögg, Dyrnwyn, Nord Sword | Thunderblood Sword (180 Slash + 45 Lightning) | Swords |
| Greatswords (2H) | Krom, Slayer, Nord Greatsword | Thunderblood Greatsword (220 Slash + 45 Lightning) | Swords |
| Spears | Flint, Bronze, Ancient bark, Fang, Carapace, Splitnir, Nord Spear | Thunderblood Spear (180 Pierce + 45 Lightning) | Spears |
| Polearms (atgeirs) | Bronze, Iron, Black metal, Himminafl, Nord Atgeir | Thunderblood Atgeir (192 Pierce + 45 Lightning) | Polearms |
| Knives | Flint, Copper, Abyssal razor, Silver, Black metal, Skoll and Hati, Nord Dagger | Thunderblood Dagger (80 Slash + 80 Pierce + 45 Lightning) | Knives |
| Fists | Paws of the Bear, Flesh Rippers, Vilebone Maulclaws, Nord Knucklechains | Thunderblood Knucklechains (122 Blunt + 45 Lightning) | Fists |
| Bows | Crude, Finewood, Huntsman, Draugr Fang, Spinesnap, Ash Fang, Nord Bow | Thunderblood Bow (110 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 45 Lightning) | Bows |
| Crossbows | Arbalest, Ripper, Nord Crossbow | Thunderblood Crossbow (274 Pierce + 45 Lightning) | Crossbows |
| Elemental staves | Staff of Embers, Staff of Frost, Dundr, Staff of the Wild, Staff of Fracturing, Lightning Strike | Lightning Strike (300 Lightning) | Elemental Magic |
| Blood magic staves | Staff of Protection, Dead Raiser, Trollstav, Spirit Caller, Northern Vengeance, Echo Spike | Northern Vengeance (75 Frost) | Blood Magic |
The table shows that the Deep North extended every family, so no weapon type is a dead end in 1.0. The utility Butcher knife (only hurts tamed animals) is left out on purpose.
Which weapon type should I actually main?
Every weapon belongs to a skill (Swords, Knives, Clubs, Axes, Polearms, Spears, Bows, Crossbows, Fists, plus Elemental and Blood Magic). Each skill levels from 0 to 100 as you use it, and each level adds damage. Spread your hits across six weapon types and all six stay weak.
So commit to one or two. The proven loadout is one melee skill you level to the cap plus a bow. If you had to pick one melee skill for the whole game, Clubs is the safest: it handles Skeletons and the Swamp's undead outright, Frostner keeps it relevant through the midgame, and it ends on the Thunderblood Sledge, the best weapon in 1.0. Swords pair best with a shield. Atgeirs are the best answer to being swarmed. Knives are pure burst: Skoll and Hati deal 6x damage against unalerted enemies.
One underrated multiplier: food sets your max HP and stamina, which changes how aggressively you can fight. See the Valheim food tier list for the combos by stage.
Best weapon by role: quick reference
| Role / what's killing you | Best pick | Skill to level |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-undead (Swamp, burial chambers) | Frostner, then Thunderblood Sledge | Clubs |
| AoE / mob clear | Bronze atgeir, Himminafl, then Thunderblood Atgeir | Polearms |
| Boss DPS / single target | Krom, Nidhögg, then Thunderblood Sledge or Greatsword | Swords / Clubs |
| Ranged | Ash Fang, then Thunderblood Crossbow or Bow | Bows / Crossbows |
| Stealth / burst | Skoll and Hati (6x on unalerted foes), then Thunderblood Dagger | Knives |
| Final boss (Kall Fimbulbringer) | Thunderblood Sledge or Nord Greatsword | Clubs / Swords |
Damage types and enemy weaknesses (the real tier list)
Valheim has three physical damage types (Slash, Pierce, Blunt) and five elemental ones (Fire, Frost, Poison, Lightning, Spirit). Enemies resist some and take bonus damage from others, and matching the type often beats bringing a "better" weapon.
- Skeletons: weak to Blunt, resist Pierce. Bring a mace; spirit damage also punishes undead.
- Greydwarves and Wraiths: weak to Fire. Fire arrows or the Staff of Embers melt them.
- Trolls: weak to Pierce, resistant to Blunt. A spear or arrows beat a mace here.
- Blobs and Oozers: weak to Blunt; never bring poison to the Swamp's slime.
- Draugr: immune to Poison; physical damage (a mace, or a bow) is your best bet.
- Fallen Warriors (Deep North): weak to Spirit, resistant to Blunt, Slash, Pierce and Fire, immune to Poison. The Nord Bow's 10 Spirit and Frostner's 20 Spirit both matter here.
- Kall Fimbulbringer: resists Pierce, Fire, Frost and Lightning and is immune to Spirit. Blunt and Slash are not on his resistance list.
The lesson: keep a blunt weapon and a fire source on your hotbar at all times, and you have an answer to nearly every enemy in the game.
Best Mistlands weapons
The Mistlands adds the Black forge and the magic system, and its weapons are the first true late-game gear.
- Mistwalker (sword): 75 Slash + 40 Frost, and its light clears the mist, which is worth more than the stat line in a biome built to blind you.
- Krom (two-handed sword): 150 Slash, the biggest single-hit melee damage at this tier.
- Himminafl (atgeir): 85 Pierce + 40 Lightning. Its secondary is a 3-metre AoE swing with 6x stagger that also calls down random lightning bolts.
- Skoll and Hati (knives): 45 Slash + 45 Pierce, 6x damage on unalerted enemies.
- Spinesnap (bow, 72 Pierce + 5 Spirit): the Mistlands bow, crafted from Finewood, Bone Fragments and Refined Eitr.
- Staff of Embers / Staff of Frost for mages: Embers lobs a fireball with stacking burn; Frost is a rapid-fire 30 Frost projectile.
For the biome itself, see the Valheim Mistlands guide.
Best Ashlands weapons
The Ashlands (patch 0.218.15, May 14, 2024) was the endgame until 1.0. Its weapons are crafted at the Black forge from Flametal and Charred materials, and most of them can be upgraded with gemstones into elemental variants. Nidhögg, for example, becomes Nidhögg the Bleeding (Bloodstone), the Thundering (Iolite) or the Primal (Jade).
- Nidhögg (135 Slash) and Dyrnwyn (145 Slash + 10 Fire): the top one-handed swords.
- Berserkir axes: dual-wielded, 140 Slash, the best sustained-DPS melee option of the tier.
- Slayer (two-handed sword, 170 Slash) for two-handed builds.
- Ash Fang (bow, 82 Pierce) and Ripper (crossbow, 220 Pierce): the best ranged weapons before the Deep North. Ash Fang also takes gemstone variants such as Storm Fang (Iolite) and Root Fang (Jade).
- Staff of Fracturing for late-game mages.
Gemstone gotcha: an upgraded Ash Fang or Nidhögg does not keep its upgrade level when you apply a gemstone. Apply the gem first, then spend materials upgrading the variant. For the biome, see the Valheim Ashlands guide.
Best Deep North weapons (Valheim 1.0)
Valheim 1.0 launched September 9, 2026 with the Deep North, the game's final biome, and a full weapon tier above the Ashlands. Nord weapons are now the strongest weapons in the game, and every Nord weapon can be turned into a Thunderblood or a Frostfire variant.
| Weapon | Nord (base) | Thunderblood | Frostfire | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sledge (2H club) | 225 Blunt | 235 Blunt + 45 Lightning | 200 Blunt + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Best overall; 4 m ground-slam AoE, best vs Kall |
| Greatsword (2H) | 210 Slash | 220 Slash + 45 Lightning | 186 Slash + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Highest 2H slash; Kall alternative for sword mains |
| Sword (1H) | 170 Slash | 180 Slash + 45 Lightning | 138 Slash + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Best with a shield |
| Atgeir | 182 Pierce | 192 Pierce + 45 Lightning | 148 Pierce + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Crowd control |
| Crossbow | 264 Pierce | 274 Pierce + 45 Lightning | 232 Pierce + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Best single ranged hit |
| Bow | 100 Pierce + 10 Spirit | 110 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 45 Lightning | 68 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 88 Frost + 12 Fire | Faster sustained ranged DPS |
Thunderblood vs Frostfire. Thunderblood adds 45 Lightning and slightly more physical damage, plus a 25% chance per hit to trigger chain lightning and +0.2% damage for every point of missing health. Frostfire trades away roughly 22 to 34 physical damage for 88 Frost + 12 Fire (10 Fire on the dagger), so its listed total is actually higher (Sledge 300 vs 280, Sword 238 vs 225). We still rank Thunderblood first: it keeps more physical damage, its procs scale in long fights, and Kall Fimbulbringer resists both frost and fire. Pick Frostfire if you fight big groups and want the frost slow.
The crossbow numbers come with a catch: per the Valheim Wiki, a bolt takes 3.5 seconds to load and the full cycle only allows a shot roughly every 6 seconds. The Nord Bow fires far more often, which is why many players still carry a bow for mobile fights.
Patch notes that touch Deep North weapons. Patch 1.0.14 (September 17, 2026) fixed the two-handed axes; the note reads: "Fixed Deep North battleaxes tool tier, can now cut all the trees." Patch 1.0.20 (October 15, 2026) cleaned up a launch bug that wrongly flagged gear: "Reset the cheated flag on all items and build pieces from previous versions, to undo the damage done by a bug in the initial 1.0 release that marked some validly obtained items as cheated." (Both from Iron Gate's patch notes on the Valheim Steam news feed.) No Deep North weapon damage values were changed in patches 1.0.10 through 1.0.20.
How do you craft Nord weapons in Valheim?
Nord weapons can't be crafted directly. Every one goes through the same five steps:
- Find the Mould. Each weapon has its own Mould (Mould: Nord Sledge, Mould: Nord Sword and so on). Moulds drop from trash piles in the Winding Tunnels, from buried chests at Memorial Sites, from the weapon stands on the last floor of Mörkhalla and, for some weapons, from barrels in Abandoned Villages.
- Smelt Bloodgold. Bloodgold is smelted from Petrified Tissue in a Blast Furnace, one bar per piece. Our Bloodgold farming guide covers the full chain.
- Make the Cast at a level 4 Black Forge. A melee cast costs 20 Bloodgold + the Mould + 10 Timberwood (the Greatsword uses 2 Frozen Branch instead of Timberwood). Staves are cast at a level 3 Galdr Table.
- Harden it in the Frost Foundry. The Frost Foundry burns 5 Liquid Frost (made in the Frigid Kiln) and takes 50 seconds to turn the cast into the finished weapon.
- Upgrade, or add an essence. Quality 2, 3 and 4 cost 10, 20 and 40 Bloodgold (plus Timberwood, or Frozen Branch for the Greatsword) and add +10 physical damage per level on most melee weapons (+8 on the Knucklechains, +5 Slash and +5 Pierce on the Dagger). Upgrading a Thunderblood or Frostfire variant costs 10, 20 and 40 Bloodgold plus 1, 2 and 4 essences instead, so a maxed variant takes 8 essences counting the one that created it. To make a Thunderblood or Frostfire variant you need 20 Bloodgold + the Nord weapon + 1 Thunderblood or Frostfire Essence.
Essence gotcha: like the Ashlands gemstones, applying an essence resets the weapon's upgrade level. Add the essence first, then upgrade. Essences drop from Fallen Warriors, which you summon at a Memorial Site by offering 3 Memorial Coal (mostly from fire pits in Mörkhalla; Krigen also drop it). The two essence drops are independent, so one warrior can drop both, one, or neither. Bring spirit damage: Fallen Warriors are weak to it.
What is the best weapon against Kall Fimbulbringer?
The Thunderblood Sledge, with the Nord or Thunderblood Greatsword as the sword-main alternative. Per the Valheim Wiki, Kall resists Pierce, Fire, Frost and Lightning and is immune to Spirit, while Blunt and Slash land at full value. The Sledge's 235 Blunt is your main damage (the 45 Lightning is resisted, but its missing-health bonus still helps late in the fight). Leave the crossbow on your back for this one, and skip Frostfire entirely. Note that in the middle phase Kall hides in an ice block and is immune to all player damage while the boss aspects attack, so that phase is about surviving, not DPS. The full fight is in our Kall Fimbulbringer guide.
The Call to Arms combat layer
If you have been away since before September 2025, combat has changed. The Call to Arms overhaul (patch 0.221.4, default branch September 9, 2025) added Adrenaline, a resource you build by hitting enemies, landing Perfect Blocks and Perfect Dodge Rolls, and using Forsaken Powers. When the bar fills it triggers the effect of your equipped Trinket. Fader's Forsaken Power gives +100% Adrenaline gain for 300 seconds.
What this means for your weapon: one-hander and shield builds got stronger, because blocking now feeds Adrenaline, and that is why the Thunderblood Sword ranks so high despite lower raw damage. Our trinkets tier list ranks all 15 trinkets, and the Forsaken power tier list covers which boss power to run with each build.
FAQ
What is the single best weapon in Valheim? In Valheim 1.0 (patch 1.0.20) it is the Thunderblood Sledge: 235 Blunt + 45 Lightning, a 4-metre ground slam, a 25% chain-lightning chance and +0.2% damage per missing health point. If you haven't reached the Deep North yet, the best all-purpose weapon is still Frostner (35 Blunt + 40 Frost + 20 Spirit).
Is Thunderblood or Frostfire better? We rank Thunderblood first. Frostfire has the higher listed total (it swaps physical damage for 88 Frost + 12 Fire), but Thunderblood keeps more physical damage, adds 45 Lightning with chain-lightning and missing-health procs, and works against Kall Fimbulbringer, who resists both frost and fire. Frostfire is the pick for its slow against large groups.
Why did my upgraded Nord weapon go back to level 1? Applying a Thunderblood or Frostfire Essence resets the upgrade level, exactly like Ashlands gemstones do. Always add the essence first and upgrade afterwards.
Is Frostner still worth making? Yes. It is a Mountain-tier silver mace that stays useful deep into the late game, because so many enemies are undead (weak to its spirit damage) or slowed by frost. Its spirit damage even helps against the Deep North's Fallen Warriors.
What's the best bow in Valheim? The Thunderblood Bow (110 Pierce + 10 Spirit + 45 Lightning) for sustained fire, or the Thunderblood Crossbow (274 Pierce + 45 Lightning) for the biggest single hit. Before the Deep North it is the Ash Fang (82 Pierce, gemstone variants), then the Spinesnap and Draugr Fang.
Sword vs atgeir vs mace: which is best? They do different jobs. Maces and sledges win against undead and are the best line into the endgame. Atgeirs are the best answer to being swarmed. Swords have the best shield synergy and a fast combo. Pick based on what's killing you and level that one skill.
Do I need magic to beat Valheim? No. Every boss can be beaten with melee and a bow. Magic needs Eitr, which is gated behind the Mistlands, plus eitr food, so it's a late-game commitment. If you want to try it, the Valheim magic guide covers the staves and the best mage build.
What is the fastest way to level a weapon skill? Use that weapon for every kill. Skill XP comes per hit, so fast weapons (one-handed swords, knives) level quicker than slow two-handers. Never split your hits across two melee skills once you have committed.
More Valheim guides
Building your loadout is only half the ladder. Here's the rest of the climb:
