12 Essential Quality-of-Life Valheim Mods That Preserve the Vanilla Experience
Mods can improve many of the repetitive parts of Valheim without completely changing the vanilla experience. Inventory management, crafting, farming, building, exploration, and multiplayer can all be made more convenient while keeping the normal progression and difficulty largely intact.
This guide covers quality-of-life mods that help with that task. It starts with mods that have little or no effect on gameplay and then moves into optional additions that provide additional inventory, farming, portal, combat, and building functionality.
Some of these mods can make parts of the game easier depending on how they are configured or used. Where applicable, this guide includes the settings and usage restrictions used to keep the experience closer to vanilla.
If one of the mod is outdated or missing in your favorite store you can always find an alternative one.
Video Guide[edit source]
Check of the Video Guide for more detailed explanation:
Essential Quality-of-Life Mods[edit source]
These mods primarily remove unnecessary inventory management or interface friction without significantly changing normal gameplay.
CraftFromChests[edit source]
CraftFromChests allows crafting stations to use materials stored in nearby chests.
Normally, crafting requires moving the required resources from storage into your inventory first. With the mod installed, workbenches can access resources stored in chests within a limited radius.
This is especially useful in larger bases where crafting materials are spread between multiple storage containers. The range is not unlimited, so resources still need to be stored close enough to the crafting station.
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EasyRelocate[edit source]
EasyRelocate allows placed objects to be moved without destroying and rebuilding them.
This is useful when reorganizing a base and can also help when a cart or another movable object becomes stuck. The ability can potentially be exploited, so players trying to preserve the vanilla experience should mainly use it for relocating objects around the base and freeing stuck objects.
Avoid using EasyRelocate to move active portals. During the playthrough, moving portals sometimes caused them to glitch. Destroy the portal and rebuild it instead when it needs to be moved.
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Quick_Stack_Store_Sort_Trash_Restock[edit source]
Quick_Stack_Store_Sort_Trash_Restock greatly reduces the amount of time spent organizing inventory after returning to a base.
Pressing the quick-stack button, `Q` in the newly added UI, moves matching items from your inventory into nearby storage containers. With an organized storage room, resources and loot can be deposited without opening every chest individually.
The range is relatively limited by default and can be adjusted through the mod's settings if needed.
The mod also provides a restock function. If consumables such as healing potions are stored nearby, restock can refill the corresponding items in your inventory.
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ConfigurationManager[edit source]
ConfigurationManager provides an in-game interface for changing mod settings.
Instead of manually editing configuration files or tinkering with mod manager and restarting Valheim, supported settings can be adjusted through the configuration interface.
This becomes particularly useful when several mods are installed and some of their optional features need to be adjusted or disabled to keep the playthrough closer to vanilla.
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Achievements with Mods[edit source]
Using mods can disable achievements. The setup shown in the video used Unshamed by Azumatt to prevent this.
The version I used is marked as deprecated, so another compatible achievement fix can be used instead. Just look up Achievements or use the command.
Alternatively, the following chat command can be used:
/yesiuseddevcommandsbutiwantmyachievementsanyway
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Optional Gameplay and Inventory Mods[edit source]
The following mods provide more substantial conveniences. Some of their functionality can make Valheim easier, so how they are configured and used becomes more important if the goal is to remain close to the vanilla experience.
ExtraSlots[edit source]
ExtraSlots moves equipment and other items into dedicated slots instead of requiring everything to occupy the normal inventory grid.
The mod can provide dedicated slots for:
- Equipment
- Food
- Consumables
- Projectile ammunition
One particularly useful feature is the ability to consume equipped food through hotkeys. The demonstrated controls use:
- `Alt + Z`
- `Alt + X`
- `Alt + C`
This allows food to be refreshed during combat without opening the inventory.
Different projectile ammunition can also be equipped and switched using hotkeys, making it possible to keep multiple arrow types available.
ExtraSlots also includes Lightened Slots. This reduces the weight of items placed in the additional inventory rows and provides a more significant gameplay advantage.
To keep normal item weight restrictions, set the Lightened Slots weight reduction to 0% in the Mod Manager. This makes items in those rows weigh the same as usual.
Valheim also provides vanilla ways to obtain more inventory space through normal progression, making the additional space less essential later in the game.
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AdventureBackpacks[edit source]
AdventureBackpacks adds craftable backpacks that provide additional storage.
Backpacks occupy the back/cape slot rather than providing completely free equipment space. They also affect movement speed while providing additional carrying capacity, creating a tradeoff for the extra storage.
The backpack inventory can be opened using `I`.
Backpacks can be particularly useful during resource-gathering trips for materials such as wood and stone, providing another option alongside using a cart.
The mod was developed before Valheim received some of its normal inventory expansion options, so backpacks are no longer as necessary for additional inventory space. They remain an optional way to increase carrying capacity while accepting the associated equipment and movement tradeoffs or during the resource runs.
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balrond_DualMastery[edit source]
balrond_DualMastery adds the ability to dual-wield weapons and introduces a Dual Wield skill.
Unlike most of the mods in this guide, DualMastery can significantly affect combat balance. Equipping two weapons provides substantially higher attack speed and damage output.
During early-game testing, this made enemies considerably easier to defeat. Deer, boars, and several early enemies could be killed much more quickly, reducing the importance of timing attacks, defending, and retreating when overwhelmed.
For that reason, DualMastery isn't recommended for Vanilla experience.
Players who want to preserve normal Valheim combat difficulty should treat this as an optional gameplay modification rather than a pure quality-of-life mod.
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Farming Mods[edit source]
CropUtils[edit source]
CropUtils provides several farming utilities. For a mostly vanilla playthrough, its mass-planting functionality is the primary feature recommended here.
Planting large fields manually requires placing every crop individually. CropUtils can instead plant multiple crops while maintaining appropriate spacing between them.
Mass planting can be performed using:
Alt + Z
Holding `Alt` while planting can also create a line of plants. The line can be repositioned using the mouse wheel.
Crop spacing is handled automatically and changes depending on the plant, helping prevent crops from being placed too close together. Farming skill continues to increase while using the planting functionality demonstrated in the video.
CropUtils also provides mass harvesting. Holding `Alt` while using the pickup action can collect multiple crops in an area at once.
This feature affects normal farming progression more significantly. The mass pickup does not level Farming in the same way, while harvesting crops individually early in the game provides a chance to trigger additional seeds. Moreover, vanilla Valheim provides additional ways of faster crop harvesting.
For a playthrough intended to remain closer to vanilla, use CropUtils primarily for planting and continue harvesting normally.
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Exploration Mods[edit source]
HUDCompass[edit source]
HUDCompass adds an on-screen compass, but its most useful quality-of-life feature is automatically tracking important player objects.
It can display:
- Carts
- Ships
- Portals
This is useful when gathering resources away from established paths. A cart left in a forest, for example, can otherwise become difficult to find after moving away from it or being distracted by enemies.
The compass itself can be configured or disabled if only the object-tracking functionality is wanted.
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Portal Mods[edit source]
XPortal[edit source]
XPortal by SpikeHimself changes the way portal connections are managed.
Instead of maintaining a separate paired portal for every destination, interacting with a portal provides a list of existing portals that can be selected as the destination.
A portal can also be configured as the default portal. Newly constructed portals can then connect to that destination automatically.
With this system, a base can theoretically operate with a single main portal even when the player has many travel destinations. This greatly reduces the amount of space required for large portal hubs.
XPortal also provides an option to double portal construction costs to compensate for the additional convenience.
With doubled portal costs enabled, one portal requires:
- 20 Greydwarf Eyes
- 40 Fine Wood
- 4 Surtling Cores
The increased cost also means that more materials need to be carried when establishing a new portal.
XPortal does not allow metal to be transported through portals, so the normal restriction on portal transportation remains intact.
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Building Mods[edit source]
BuildOnShip[edit source]
BuildOnShip by Skarif allows structures to be constructed directly on ships.
This can turn a ship into a small mobile base during longer Viking expeditions. The demonstrated possibilities include:
- Workbenches
- Chests
- Portals
Having a portal directly on a ship provides a significant convenience compared with normal exploration, so whether to use this feature depends on how closely the playthrough should follow vanilla mechanics.
The mod can be particularly useful during single-player expeditions where establishing infrastructure manually at each destination would otherwise take additional time.
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PlanBuild[edit source]
PlanBuild by MathiasDecrock expands Valheim's building system with planning, copying, and blueprint functionality.
The mod introduces tools including a Plan Hammer, Plan Totem, and Blueprint Rune.
Structures can first be planned rather than immediately constructed. Required resources can then be supplied to the Plan Totem and used to complete the planned structure.
Existing structures can also be converted into blueprints and placed elsewhere. This makes it possible to prepare reusable structures such as workbench shelters or forward bases instead of manually rebuilding the same design at every location.
A basic blueprint workflow is:
- Build the structure that should be copied.
- Use the Blueprint Rune to create a blueprint of the structure.
- Give the blueprint a name.
- Right-click with the rune to access saved blueprints.
- Select and position the blueprint at the new location.
- Supply the resources required to construct it.
The mod contains more advanced building functionality, but the main use demonstrated here is creating reusable structures that can quickly be placed when establishing forward bases.
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Installing the Mods[edit source]
There are two main ways to install the mods: using a mod manager or manually copying mod files into the game directory.
Using a Mod Manager[edit source]
Using a mod manager is the recommended approach, particularly when maintaining several mods or separate single-player and multiplayer configurations.
The setup demonstrated in this guide uses r2modman.
With separate profiles, different groups of mods can be maintained without manually changing the game files whenever switching between playthroughs.
The required dependencies of each mod can also be handled by the mod manager. Support and dependency mods are not included in this guide's recommended mod list.
Manual Installation[edit source]
Mods can also be installed manually.
To locate the Valheim installation directory through Steam:
- Open the Steam Library.
- Right-click Valheim.
- Select Manage.
- Select Browse local files.
After the required modding framework has been installed (BepInEx is the main Mod dependancy), individual mod files are normally placed inside:
BepInEx/plugins
Using a mod manager is considerably more convenient when maintaining multiple profiles or a larger number of mods.
Multiplayer Quality-of-Life Mods[edit source]
The following mods were additionally recommended for multiplayer. They are not part of the main single-player mod list.
MultiUserChest[edit source]
MultiUserChest allows multiple players to interact with the same storage container.
Normally, only one player can access a container at a time. This can become inconvenient in a shared base where several players are trying to organize or retrieve equipment from the same storage.
The version I used is MultiUserChest_Valheim1Compat by donkeytuesday and is marked as deprecated in the mod manager, but still works for me.
If that version no longer works, use a currently compatible mod that provides the same functionality.
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RockTheBoat[edit source]
RockTheBoat allows additional players aboard a boat to assist with rowing.
When passengers row, they can contribute to the boat's movement and turning speed. This gives passengers an additional role during manual sailing and makes the mod primarily useful for multiplayer groups.
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ProperPortals[edit source]
ProperPortals reduces the amount of time spent waiting during portal teleportation.
Portal transitions are reduced from roughly 8-20 seconds to around 1-3 second.
The difference is less important in single-player but can save time in multiplayer sessions where players frequently travel through portals.
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BetterNetworking_Valheim[edit source]
BetterNetworking_Valheim is intended to improve multiplayer networking.
During the multiplayer playthrough synchronization problems may became noticeable around the Ashlands or Mistlands. Despite the three players being located in the same location, enemies sometimes appeared to teleport because of networking issues.
BetterNetworking helped me with those problems and can therefore be useful for dedicated servers experiencing similar synchronization issues.
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Keeping the Experience Close to Vanilla[edit source]
Not every mod in this guide affects Valheim equally. Players who want as little gameplay modification as possible can focus on the basic quality-of-life features such as crafting from nearby storage, faster inventory organization, object relocation, and easier mod configuration.
For the more substantial mods, several settings and usage choices can keep their effects closer to vanilla:
- Set ExtraSlots' Lightened Slots weight reduction to 0%.
- Use CropUtils primarily for planting rather than mass harvesting.
- Consider enabling XPortal's doubled portal construction costs.
- Avoid exploiting EasyRelocate to move objects in unintended ways.
- Avoid balrond_DualMastery if preserving normal combat difficulty is important.
- Treat AdventureBackpacks, BuildOnShip, and PlanBuild as optional additions depending on how much additional convenience is wanted.
The goal of this setup is to reduce repetitive inventory management, farming, building, exploration, and multiplayer friction without completely redesigning the Valheim experience.
