The Viking-themed survival game Valheim has taken the PC gaming community by storm since its February 2, 2021 launch, with the game even recently reaching over three million copies sold. My colleagues and I have dived into the game quite deeply ourselves, and we all agree that the attention and fame are well-deserved — there's no doubt in our minds that it's one of the best survival games for PC out there. But as amazing as Valheim is, there are some potential additions to the game that we think would make it an even better game. Here's a look at five things we think would improve the Valheim experience.
Ridable mounts
One of the biggest things we'd like to see come to Valheim are mounts. Specifically, it would be nice to have some horses, but other types of mounts would be cool too. Since Valheim's landmasses are often very large, having a mount to ride would help shorten the time it takes to cross them. Perhaps they could be attached to carts as well so that you can transport ore and other heavy loot back to your base faster.
To make horses balanced, the developers could make it so that we have to tame them first, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Hop on them, try and wrangle them to a pen you've prepared, and throw some carrots over the fence for taming — it fits right in with Valheim's taming process for boars and wolves. Riding them could require a saddle as well, which would give leather scraps and/or deer hide another good use.
A way to throw things away
While it's hardly a problem, it is quite annoying that as it stands right now, there's no way to get rid of items you're not using or plan to use again in Valheim. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that nothing in the game despawns naturally; you have to use the "removedrops" cheat in the console.
Related: Valheim console commands list and all cheats
My current solution to this has been to toss items I don't want taking up space (looking at you, Greydwarf eyes) into the ocean, but this isn't exactly economical. It also doesn't make the items disappear, which means that eventually, all the drops will start lagging your game.
Therefore, it would be awesome if we had some sort of incinerator or composter that would allow us to either destroy old items or turn them into something useful. It would also be cool if we had a reforging station of some kind that allowed you to break down old pieces of gear for a partial resource refund.
More building options
Building structures using Valheim's robust building system is one of the best parts of the game (check out my guide to building your base the right way if you're looking for tips), but there have been a few times where the lack of structure pieces such as vertical 1x1 walls, diagonal 1x1 support beams, or upside-down triangular wall pieces has restricted my creative vision a bit. More options are always better, and as Valheim's incredible community has proven, the game's building system can be used to create some truly amazing things. Improving it can only make the game even more fun to play.
More weapons and armors
Valheim has a good variety of gear as it is, but adding even more weapons and armors would help make the game's sandbox feel even more varied and fun to experiment with. For weapons, we'd love to see halberds, morningstars, flails, and additional types of swords such as greatswords, claymores, zweihänders, and falchions. Bring on the blades! More unique weapons like the Stagbreaker and Frostner hammers would be cool, too.
In terms of armor and clothing, it would be awesome if more unique armor pieces were added. Currently, there's the Megingjord belt for increased carry weight and the Dverger circlet for a permanent headlamp in dark areas, but it would be interesting to see what other types of unique apparel pieces the developers could think up.
Customizable items and gear
While it's far from being important, it would nevertheless be really cool if players could customize certain items and pieces of gear like banners, shields, and capes with some sort of custom designs. This would help players bring some personal flair to their Vikings, and it would also give groups of friends a fun opportunity to roleplay as a unique Viking clan. These customizations could extend to ship sails, too.
Your thoughts
What do you think of the suggestions in this list? What are some other things you'd like to see in Valheim? Let me know.
Valheim is available now for $20 on Windows 10 PCs via Steam Early Access. I highly recommend you pick it up, as it's one of the best survival games for PC) out there. If you do decide to try it out, make sure you catch our beginner's guide to your first days and beyond in Valheim for some tips and tricks to get you started.
Valheim
Norse-themed survival FTW
Valheim is a challenging yet incredibly fun 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. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.
