Valheim 1.0 — Deep North

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Valheim raids (random events)

A raid is a wave of monsters the game sends at a player who is at their base. Every 46 minutes the game has a 20% chance to start one of the raids your world has unlocked, so with a raid available one starts about every 3 hours 50 minutes of play on average. It only targets a player standing within 20 m of at least 3 base pieces, such as a workbench, fire or bed, and it lasts 1 minute 20 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds.

  • 20% every 46 min raid check at the default raid rate
  • 3 base pieces within 20 m of you
  • 18 raids unlocked by kills, 3 more by Hildir’s quests
  • From the game files Valheim 1.0.21

How raids work

Read from the game’s random event system.

  • A roll every 46 minutesWhile the world runs, the game rolls every 46 minutes with a 20% chance. When it succeeds it picks one raid at random from those your world has unlocked and that a player can get right now. The Raid Rate world modifier multiplies the wait by its value and divides the chance by it; at a rate of 0 the game skips the roll.

  • Only at a baseA raid can only target a player standing within 20 m of at least 3 base pieces, in one of the raid’s biomes. The exception is the wolf hunt, which can find you anywhere in Mountains and Plains.

  • Boss kills decide which raidsEach raid needs certain bosses dead, and the bosses’ own armies stop once that boss is killed. The world’s progress counts, not yours, unless the world uses player based raids. The 3 quest raids (Brenna's raid, Geirrhafa's raid and Zil and Thungr's raid) need no kill: each becomes possible once you hand its chest back to Hildir.

  • 1 minute 20 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds, paused when you leaveThe raid area is 96 m around the player it picked. The timer only runs while a player is inside it, so running away pauses the raid instead of ending it.

  • Raiders hunt you, then leaveRaid creatures go straight for players. Most spawn without stars; Tick, Skeleton, Skeleton (Meadows), Rancid Remains, Fenring, Cultist, Fuling and Fuling Berserker can roll up to 2 stars. When the raid ends they stop hunting, and once they have no target they walk away and vanish.

What each raid message means

The message that appears in the middle of your screen when a raid reaches you.

MessageRaidMonsters
“Eikthyr rallies the creatures of the forest” Eikthyr's army
“The forest is moving...” The Elder's army
“A foul smell from the swamp...” Bonemass's army
“The ground is shaking” Troll attack
“You stirred the cauldron” Bat swarm
“A foul smell from the swamp...” Blob attack
“You feel a chill down your spine...” Ghosts and wraiths
“A cold wind blows from the mountains” Moder's drakes
“A skeleton surprise!” Skeleton surprise
“There's a smell of sulfur in the air...” Surtling attack
“You are being hunted...” Wolf hunt
“The horde is attacking!” Fuling horde
“What's up, Gjall?!” Gjall attack
“They sought you out” Seeker army
“The undead army marches” Charred army
“The dead have been summoned” Monuments of Torment
“They emerge from below...” Elaking uprising
“The Jotun have found you” Krigen army
“She's hot on your tail!” Brenna's raid
“You get the chills...” Geirrhafa's raid
“They were bros, man” Zil and Thungr's raid

Every raid, in boss order

When each raid becomes possible, when it stops, where it can happen and what it sends.

The Elder's army

“The forest is moving...”

With player based raids: hits players who have found Antler Pickaxe, Bronze Pickaxe, Iron Pickaxe, Hard Antler or Eikthyr Trophy and not yet found The Elder Trophy or Swamp Key

Wolf hunt

“You are being hunted...”

  • Possible onceBonemass is dead For good
  • Where Mountains and Plains, anywhere Anywhere
  • LastsCounted only while a player is within 96 m. 2 minutes
  • WolfUp to 6 at a time. ×6

With player based raids: hits players who have found Wishbone or Bonemass Trophy

Brenna's raid

“She's hot on your tail!”

With player based raids: hits players who have found Hildir's Brass Chest

Geirrhafa's raid

“You get the chills...”

With player based raids: hits players who have found Hildir's Silver Chest

Zil and Thungr's raid

“They were bros, man”

With player based raids: hits players who have found Hildir's Bronze Chest

What counts as a base

A raid needs a player within 20 m of at least 3 of these pieces. Walls, floors and chests do not count; fires, crafting stations, beds and lights do. Planning one? See your first base.

8 world objects you cannot build count too, such as the campfires at the traders’ camps.

How to avoid or stop raids

What the game code allows; none of these needs mods.

  • Be away from your baseA raid only picks a player who is near 3 or more base pieces when the roll succeeds. Out exploring or at a small camp with fewer pieces, base raids cannot start on you.

  • Leave the area to pause itMoving more than 96 m from where it started pauses the timer. It resumes when someone comes back, so it does not end the raid.

  • Kill the boss to end its armyEikthyr’s, the Elder’s, Bonemass’s and Moder’s raids and the Fuling horde stop for good once their boss is dead. Later bosses unlock other raids instead.

  • Change the Raid RateThe Raid Rate world modifier (“Governs how often enemies may raid your base”) multiplies the 46-minute wait by its value and divides the 20% chance by it, and a rate of 0 skips the roll. The game’s Casual and Hammer presets say there are no raids on your base. None: No raids; Much Less: Raid checks every 92 minutes at a 10% chance; Less: Raid checks every 69 minutes at a 13.3% chance; Normal: every 46 minutes at 20%; More: Raid checks every 27.6 minutes at a 33.3% chance; Much More: Raid checks every 13.8 minutes at a 66.7% chance. All world modifiers

Questions

How often do raids happen in Valheim?

At the default raid rate the game rolls every 46 minutes with a 20% chance, so once a raid is possible one starts about every 3 hours 50 minutes of play on average. Nothing happens unless a player is at a base when the roll succeeds.

What does “The ground is shaking” mean?

It is the troll attack: up to 2 trolls come for your base. It is possible once a troll has been killed and The Elder is dead, and it lasts 1 minute 20 seconds.

What counts as a base for raids?

At least 3 base pieces within 20 m of you: fires, crafting stations, beds, portals, wards and lights. Walls, floors and storage do not count.

Can raids happen when nobody is home?

No. A raid starts at a player’s position, and its timer only runs while a player is within 96 m of it.

Do raid monsters have stars?

Mostly no. Tick, Skeleton, Skeleton (Meadows), Rancid Remains, Fenring, Cultist, Fuling and Fuling Berserker can roll up to 2 stars; every other raid creature spawns without stars.

How do you stop raids in Valheim?

Stay away from your base when you can, kill the boss whose army keeps coming, or lower the Raid Rate world modifier. Leaving the area only pauses a raid that has started.

Raids, messages, biomes, durations and spawns come from the RandEventSystem in the main scene of game build 26249040; base pieces from each build piece’s PlayerBase area. The 46-minute roll, the base rule, the pause and the despawn come from the game code (assembly 9f959c03…).

Sources & credits · Game data 1.0.21 · Updated

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