ComboBrawler

An AI-built, hand-tuned animation mod that gives every fist weapon a fighting style of its own.

Valheim's fist weapons all share the bare-hand punches: two jabs and a kick. ComboBrawler gives each kind of fist weapon its own combo, its own finishers and its own special chain. Every clip in this mod is authored for these weapons; none of them is a vanilla animation with its timings nudged.

What you get

Three fighting styles, each with a three-hit combo, a finisher after every hit (press special during the combo) and a three-move special chain (press special from neutral).

• The Bear - Paws of the Bear and Vilebone Maulclaws. Heavy and slow: paw swipes and double-paw rakes, a crush, a cross-rip, an X-slash into a back leap, and a special chain that pounces 3 m, sweeps flat and ends in an overhead slam.
• The Wolf - Flesh Rippers. Nimble and fast: clean slicing cuts, a twin cut that glides in and springs back, and Phantom Fang - a dash straight through your target with the claws locked in a pierce, a snap turn behind it and an X-slash under a glowing claw outline.
• The Brawler - Knucklechains (all three kinds). A brutal Viking brawler with nine moves of its own: every punch steps in with the whole body behind it - a breaker-step cross, a rib-splitter hook, a long iron uppercut, a joined-fist skullbreaker, a double-fist anvil drive, a warlord's overhand, a berserker ram, a wrecker's hook and a two-fist overhead smash.
• Gloves stay gloves - the hand stays closed in a proper fist while a style weapon is equipped, idle included.
• True damage numbers - the floating number shows the damage a hit really deals (when ComboSpear is installed, it does this for both mods).

Bare fists stay vanilla.

Balanced for fair play

Bigger moves hit harder, and they cost the time and stamina to match. The styles are tuned for fair play, which makes ComboBrawler a great fit for challenge runs.

Compatibility

Block and parry are untouched.

Config

One setting, in BepInEx/config/andythedemon.combobrawler.cfg (created on first launch):

[General]
Enabled = true

Set it to false to play with vanilla fist weapons. It takes effect the next time the game starts.

Installation

Use a mod manager (r2modman, Thunderstore Mod Manager), or install by hand:

1. Install BepInExPack Valheim.
2. Copy this package's BepInEx folder into your Valheim folder. It holds one file, BepInEx/plugins/ComboBrawler.dll: the whole mod, animations included.

When it runs, the log shows Combo Brawler 1.0.2 loaded.

Notes

• Every player should install ComboBrawler. Your attacks are sent to other players under the mod's own names: players with the mod see your moves, players without it see no attack animation - the hits you deal still land.
• If a game update moves the attack states the mod borrows, it logs a warning instead of breaking your game.

Fists deserve more than two jabs.

Mod family

These companion mods are optional.

• Combo Axe — Raider and Executioner axe combos.
• Combo Spear — spear combos, defense and throws.
• ValheimWeaponClasses Continued — recommended weapon-class progression.

Changelog

1.0.3

• Vertical aim: your torso bends toward where you look while you attack, and the hits follow. Capes and armour move with the body, and other players see the same aim.
• Souls-like input: longer input buffer, and some recoveries can be cut short with a roll.
• The Wolf has a new shadow form - find it yourself.
• The Bear's and the Wolf's moves settle smoothly into the idle stance instead of cutting off.
• The Bear's paws keep their claws out on both hands.
• Multiplayer: special effects now show for everyone, and a vanilla swing after using fist weapons shows as vanilla.
• Works with ComboSpear, ComboKnife, ComboAxe and ValheimWeaponClasses Continued.

1.0.2

• All three styles reworked with new moves; the Brawler now has nine moves of its own. Find them in game.
• The Wolf's damage and movement were rebalanced.
• Feet stay planted through steps and recoveries; no hand clips into the face.
• Multiplayer: other players no longer see your combos play late or as the wrong move when you attack fast.

1.0.1

• The Wolf (Flesh Rippers) reworked: edge-first cuts, new combo moves, finisher and special chain. Feet no longer twitch.

1.0.0

First release of ComboBrawler.

• Three fighting styles for fist weapons: the Bear (Paws of the Bear, Vilebone Maulclaws), the Wolf (Flesh Rippers) and the Brawler (Knucklechains).
• Each style: a three-hit combo, a finisher after every hit, and a three-move special chain from neutral, each with its own animation.
• A closed fist inside the gloves, idle included.
• True damage numbers: the floating number shows the damage a hit really deals.
• Works together with ComboSpear.
• One setting: turn the mod on or off.
• The whole mod is a single DLL.