Custom Audio Output Device

Choose where Valheim plays its audio, directly in Settings → Audio. Only the player needs this mod. Nothing is installed on the server.

Use

1. Open Settings → Audio from the main menu or while playing.
2. Choose Output device, below the existing audio controls. Changes preview immediately.
3. Click OK to remember your choice. Back restores the saved choice.

System default follows your operating system's default output. The mod routes Valheim's audio; it does not change the system default or move other applications. Device lists refresh automatically. If your selected device disconnects, the mod keeps its preference and retries when it returns.

Platforms

The Audio tab shows routing errors and whether a selected device is disconnected. Detailed errors also appear in BepInEx/LogOutput.log.

Installation

Install Custom Audio Output Device through r2modman or Thunderstore Mod Manager. Requires BepInExPack Valheim. For manual installation, copy Soundheim.dll into BepInEx/plugins/Soundheim in your profile, then restart Valheim.

Configuration is stored in BepInEx/config/augusdogus.mods.Soundheim.cfg. Windows also persists the per-app output preference in the operating system. Choose System default and save before removing the mod if you want to clear it.

Development

See development and testing and repository layout. Release tooling comes from ValheimModTemplate.

Changelog

1.0.3 (2026-10-03)

• Remove five-second audio polling that caused recurring gameplay stalls on Linux.
• Apply the saved output once at startup, then refresh only when opening Audio Settings or changing the selection.
• Preserve audio discovery errors and retry only on an explicit settings action.
• Reopen Audio Settings after reconnecting an output device to reapply the saved selection.

1.0.2 (2026-09-19)

• Restore saved Windows outputs when a new game session starts on another device despite a matching Windows preference.
• Wait for active game audio before restoring its output, without resetting correctly routed sessions.

1.0.1 (2026-09-15)

• Use a consistent tooltip panel in both the main menu and a loaded world.
• Fit tooltips to short device names while keeping long names wrapped at a bounded width.
• Show full device names in native hover tooltips on the dropdown and its options.
• Keep long output names inside the dropdown with bounded font sizing and ellipsis.
• Wrap status notices and hide them while the device menu is open.
• Support Windows audio device selection without an experimental notice.

1.0.0 (2026-09-14)

• Show the selected output only in the dropdown, with actionable notices below it.
• Support host audio commands when running inside Steam's Linux runtime.
• Align the output dropdown with native audio controls and remove the copied dropdown label.
• Add a native Output device dropdown to Valheim's Audio settings.
• Preview selections immediately, save with OK, and restore the saved selection with Back.
• Route only Valheim's audio on Linux using PulseAudio or PipeWire.
• Add experimental, untested Windows per-app output selection.
• Remember disconnected devices and retry when they return.