Ways of the Gods

⚔️ Join our Discord — news, bug reports and suggestions! (that's also where the "Website" button leads)

Adds an RPG class system to Valheim: build the Temple of Classes, pledge yourself to one of six ways — four damage dealers, a tank and a healer — and unlock 8 abilities per class by leveling up to level 80. Multiplayer ready: play your role in a real group.

Classes

🔥 Mage

Passive: elemental damage, stamina and eitr regeneration grow with level.

🪓 Berserker

Passive: melee damage, cheaper attacks and carry weight grow with level.

💀 Necromancer

Passive: poison/spirit damage, health and eitr regeneration grow with level.

⚡ Einherjar

Passive: lightning/spirit damage grows with level, jumps cost less stamina, fall damage fades away (none at level 80).

🛡️ Guardian (tank)

Passive: armor and health regeneration grow with level. Taunts work on every client in multiplayer.

🌿 Druid (healer)

Passive: pierce/poison damage and stamina/eitr regeneration grow with level. All blessings affect every ally in range.

Multiplayer

Version 2.0 is built for co-op:

• The mod must be installed on the server and on every client, with matching version — vanilla clients cannot join.
• Kill XP is shared: everyone within 64 m of a kill gets the full reward.
• Domes, blessings, heals and taunts affect your whole group; abilities, capstone auras and effects are visible to everyone.
• Summons remember their owner: caps and despawns only ever touch your own minions.

Progression scaling & difficulty

Ability power follows your world's progression, like weapons do: damage, heals and summons scale with the bosses you have defeated (from ×1 in the Meadows up to ×8 after the final boss), while your class level ramps you toward each tier's ceiling (×0.55 at level 0 → ×1.0 at level 80) — the same feel as vanilla skills. Tooltips always show your current effective numbers.

Pick your difficulty in the config (server-enforced in multiplayer, so the whole group plays by the same rules):

Prefer the classic behaviour? Set ProgressionScaling = false to scale with class level only.

Talent trees & synergies

Every 10 levels you earn a talent point: open the talent panel (hotkey T, or at the temple) and choose 1 of 3 passive talents per tier — 8 tiers, 24 talents per class, MMORPG-style.

• Synergies: talents come in colour-coded themes. Learn 3 of the same colour to unlock a set bonus — become a Flamelord, a Bloodrage berserker, a Thornlord, a Shieldbrother... 12 synergies to discover.
• Capstone auras: choose a level-80 talent and everyone will see it — a wisp orbits the Mage, the Berserker burns with sacred flames, a spectral mist shrouds the Necromancer, golden lightning dances around the Einherjar, a ward shields the Guardian, a green wisp crowns the Druid.
• Living tooltips: every ability description updates with your talents and synergies; the panel shows your aggregated bonuses.
• Chose poorly? Respec at the temple for 100 coins.

How to play

1. Build the Temple of Classes with the hammer (Misc category): 20 Stone, 10 Fine Wood, 3 Surtling Cores. A shrine with Odin's statue, stone pillars and ever-burning braziers.
2. Interact with the temple (E) and choose your way.
3. Gain XP by killing monsters (tougher monsters give more; bosses give triple) or by offering at the temple: trophies +50 XP, boss trophies +500 XP, 10 coins +20 XP.
4. Cast abilities with Shift+1 … Shift+8 (configurable in the BepInEx config). A Valheim-style ability bar at the bottom shows icons, hotkeys, cooldowns and unlock levels.
5. Ability power scales with your world's progression and your class level. You can abandon your way at the temple (resets progress).

Class and XP are stored in your character save.

Configuration

BepInEx/config/gianl.waysofthegods.cfg: ability hotkeys, talent panel hotkey, XP multiplier, ability bar position, progression scaling and difficulty (the last two are server-enforced in multiplayer).

Community & Support

⚔️ Join the Discord: discord.gg/QwthPaNAME

• 📣 News and changelogs
• 🐛 Bug reports (please attach your BepInEx/LogOutput.log)
• 💡 Suggest new classes, abilities and features

❤️ Enjoying the mod? Buy me a mead on Ko-fi — totally optional, always appreciated. Skål!

Notes

• Works in single player and multiplayer (in multiplayer the mod is required on server and all clients).
• Piece name is localized in English and Italian.

Credits

Built with Jotunn. Designed, tested and maintained by Hadorn96.

Changelog

3.3.2 — Handheld & Summon Hotfix

• Talent Panel now fits handheld screens: the complete tree automatically scales to the available resolution, keeping branch descriptions and confirmation buttons visible at 1280×720 and similar layouts.
• Reliable controller actions: LB combinations no longer leak into Valheim's vanilla hotbar, and controller focus moves directly to CONFIRM or Learn after selecting a branch, calling or talent.
• Dismiss permanent summons: press U on keyboard or LB+X on controller to dismiss only your own permanent class summons. Temporary armies, packs and legions keep their normal duration.
• No summon farming: class summons no longer grant class XP or drop vanilla loot, and players can no longer kill them with the butcher knife or other attacks.

3.3.1 — Controller & Wild Shape Hotfix

• Native controller and handheld support: cast all five abilities with LB combinations, open Talents with LB+Y, and navigate the Temple/Talent panels with D-pad or left stick, A and B. HUD labels switch automatically between keyboard and controller.
• Werebear balance and consistency: Bear health talents and capstone damage reduction now work, hidden capstone armor was removed, form weapon bonuses are melee-only, and Primal Bond healing has a shared cooldown.

3.3.0 — Temple Covenant

A clearer and more configurable Temple of Classes.

• English Temple localization: the Temple name, build-menu description and interaction prompt now stay in English when Valheim is set to Italian.
• Configurable talent reset cost: new server-enforced TalentResetCost setting under Costs (default: 100 coins).
• Configurable path-change cost: new server-enforced ChangePathCost setting under Costs (default: 200 coins).
• Set either cost to 0 to make that action free. The Talent Panel always displays the active configured price.
• New Temple recipe: 20 Wood and 20 Stone. Fine Wood and Surtling Cores are no longer required.

Multiplayer: the mod must match Major.Minor on the server and every client — everyone updates to 3.3 together.

3.2.0 — Gates of Fate

Server-controlled progression, tailored to every world. All new progression rules are disabled by default.

• Optional level gates: LevelGate supports Off, Bosses and WorldAge modes.
• Boss progression: configure eight level caps through BossLevelCaps, covering the world before any boss and every victory from Eikthyr through Fader.
• World-age progression: WorldDaysPerLevel controls how many world days unlock each additional class level.
• No forced deleveling: existing characters never lose levels when a gate is enabled. XP stops at the active cap instead of being banked for an instant jump later.
• Safe temple offerings: trophies and coins are not consumed while progression is gated.
• Optional weak-enemy XP scaling: ReduceWeakEnemyXp lowers rewards from enemies far below the strength expected for the player's class level. WeakEnemyXpPerTier controls the penalty and WeakEnemyXpFloor guarantees a configurable minimum reward; strong enemies and bosses remain worthwhile.
• Clear feedback: the HUD and Temple show when progression is gated and what requirement unlocks it.
• All progression settings are server-enforced in multiplayer.

Multiplayer: the mod must match Major.Minor on the server and every client — everyone updates to 3.2 together.

3.1.0 — Clear Sight

A focused accessibility and balance update.

• Raven Form balance fix: flying now drains stamina and automatically ends when exhausted. Weapon attacks and other class abilities are blocked in Raven Form; cast Raven Form again to land before fighting.
• Talent Panel accessibility: new local TalentUiScale option enlarges the complete talent interface, including text, icons, buttons and click areas (0.75–1.75, default 1.0).
• Resizable ability bar: open the inventory and drag the new lower-right resize handle to scale the complete ability HUD. Size and position are saved automatically; AbilityBarScale can also be edited in the config.

Multiplayer: the mod must match Major.Minor on the server and every client — everyone updates to 3.1 together.

3.0.0 — The Reforging

The entire roster reworked. Every class abandons the old class-tree + spec system for a single, unified talent tree.

• One tree, three branches, six sub-classes — for all six classes. Pick 1 of 3 exclusive branches at level 1; at level 10 it forks into 2 exclusive sub-classes. Five hand-picked abilities per sub-class at levels 1 / 10 / 20 / 35 / 45 — the roster changes with your path.
• New max level: 50 (was 80). A full build reaches ~67% of its tree: every build is a real choice, no two Vikings alike.
• The whole tree on one screen: three branch columns, the level-10 divider, six sub-classes below. Change your path for 200 coins; full respec 100 coins.
• All six ways reforged:
  • 🔮 Mage — Fire (Pyromancer/Flame Summoner), Frost (Cryomancer/Frostwarden), Lightning (Stormcaller/Tempest).
  • 🪓 Berserker — Crushing (Juggernaut/Earthshaker), Rending (Reaver/Ravager), Hunting (Lancer/Warhound).
  • 💀 Necromancer — Plague (Pestilent/Blightcaller), Spirit (Reaper/Banshee), Bone (Bonelord/Deathknight).
  • 🌿 Druid — Wild Shape (Werewolf/Werebear + a flying Raven form, real animal models), Warden (Skald buffs / Beastmaster companions), Restoration (Lifekeeper/Grovekeeper).
  • ⚡ Einherjar — Storm (Thunderer/Stormherald), Spear (Spearmaster/Valkyrie Knight), Valhalla (Valkyrie/Herald of the Slain).
  • 🛡️ Guardian — Bulwark (Warden/Sentinel), Vanguard (Crusher/Warbringer), Paladin (Templar/Lightbringer).
• New: Druid shapeshifting — Wild Shape turns you into a real wolf, bear or raven; the raven flies (Space rise / Ctrl dive).
• Dozens of new abilities across the roster and new capstone Avatars for each of the 36 sub-classes.
• Automatic migration: existing characters are refunded their talent points on first login — "The gods reforged your path!" Open the talent panel (T) and choose your branch.

Multiplayer: the mod must match Major.Minor on the server and every client — everyone updates to 3.0 together.

2.1.0 — The Specialization Update

• Sub-specializations: from level 10, choose one of 2 specializations for your class (12 in total). Your spec shapes your passive, reworks part of your kit (same slots, same hotkeys) and unlocks its own talent tree. Existing characters are automatically assigned the "classic" spec — no forced reset, you keep playing exactly what you know.
  • 🔥 Mage — Destruction (the classic caster) / Runeweaver (support: Empowering Nova buffs allies, Greater Rune Shield energizes everyone inside, Storm of Runes recharges stamina and eitr).
  • 🪓 Berserker — Slaughter (single-target executioner) / Ravager (area carnage: Endless Whirlwind, Fault Line, Cataclysmic Slam with a second shockwave).
  • 💀 Necromancer — Plague (the classic caster) / Overlord (minion commander: Summon Revenant, Bone Pact, Endless Legion — minions hit +50% harder and are +25% tougher).
  • ⚡ Einherjar — Stormcaller (the classic storm warrior) / Chosen of the Valkyries (group support: Valkyrie's Blessing, Aegis of the Host, Honor Guard).
  • 🛡️ Guardian — Bulwark (the classic living shield) / Vanguard (offensive tank: Skull Crusher, Shattering Shout, Rupture, Shield Storm, Battle Frenzy).
  • 🌿 Druid — Lifekeeper (the classic healer) / Thornweaver (pierce & poison damage: Thorn Sap, Poison Bloom, Nature's Fury).
• Talent trees completely rebuilt: a web of multi-rank nodes with prerequisites and depth gates, drawn as a real tree with icons and connecting lines. 1 talent point per level = 80 in total (40 for your class tree, 40 for your spec tree). Trees hold more ranks than you have points — every build is a real choice, no two Vikings alike.
• New capstones: each spec crowns its tree with its own Avatar talent and aura (Avatar of Destruction, Avatar of the Runes, Avatar of Slaughter, Avatar of the Ravager, Avatar of Ragnarök, Avatar of the Valkyries, Avatar of War, King of Bones, Avatar of Thorns, Avatar of Pestilence, Heart of Yggdrasil, Skjaldborg Eternal).
• Synergies become spec Masteries — notable talents of your chosen path: 12 new ones for the new specs (Runebinder, Wardkeeper, Bloodwhirl, Groundbreaker, Deathlord, Soulbinder, Lightbringer, Warbanner, Breaker, Shockwave, Sanctuary, Venomancer) alongside the 12 you know.
• Change your path at the temple or in the talent panel for 200 coins (class tree stays, spec talents are refunded). Full respec still 100 coins.
• Automatic migration: your old talent picks are refunded as points (1 per level, ready to spend) the first time you log in. Open the talent panel (T) — "The gods reforged your talents!"

2.0.0 — The Fellowship Update

• MULTIPLAYER! Ways of the Gods now works in co-op: shared kill XP for everyone nearby, abilities and auras visible to your fellows, group-wide domes, heals and buffs, summons that respect their owners. The mod is required on the server and on every client (matching version).
• New class: 🛡️ Guardian, the living shield — Shield Bash, Challenge, Shield Wall (skjaldborg), Guardian's Leap, Iron Bulwark, Ground Slam, Living Fortress and Gjallarhorn. Taunts work on every client.
• New class: 🌿 Druid, nature's keeper — Regrowth, Thorn Burst, Forest Blessing, Healing Bloom, Wind's Grace, Grasping Roots, Forest's Embrace and Wrath of Yggdrasil. Blessings heal and empower every ally in range.
• 48 new talents and 4 new synergies (Shieldbrother, Earthshaker, Lifebloom, Thornlord) with their own capstone auras.
• Channeled casting — the mightiest spells now have a cast time (shown in tooltips and at the temple): press the hotkey, a golden cast bar charges above your ability bar, then the spell erupts. Moving, getting hit or staggering interrupts the cast — no stamina spent, no cooldown triggered. Mage: Lightning Storm 1.5 s, Wrath of the Gods 2.5 s · Necromancer: Toxic Cloud 1.5 s, Putrid Rain 2 s, Army of the Dead 2.5 s · Einherjar: Judgement 1.5 s, Ragnarök 2.5 s · Druid: Healing Bloom 1.5 s, Wrath of Yggdrasil 2.5 s. Berserker and Guardian stay fully instant — steel waits for no one.
• Progression scaling — ability power now follows the world, not just your class level. Damage, heals and summons scale with the bosses your world has defeated (the same progression keys vanilla uses), from ×1 in Meadows up to ×8 after Fader, with your class level ramping you toward each tier's ceiling (×0.55 → ×1.0 at level 80). No more one-shotting Ashlands mobs with level-20 skeletons — and no more grinding chickens in Meadows for endgame damage. Summons' health and damage are rescaled the same way. Ability tooltips always show your current effective numbers. Set ProgressionScaling = false in the config for the classic level-only behaviour.
• New difficulty setting (Difficulty in the config, server-enforced in multiplayer): Saga ×1.25 (relaxed power fantasy), Midgard ×1.0 (intended balance), Jotunheim ×0.75 (abilities support your weapons instead of replacing them), Ragnarök ×0.5 (class flavour and utility, the game stays hard).
• Balance pass for multiplayer:
  • Necromancer: summoned skeletons cap is now 2 baseline, up to 5 with the full summoner build (was 9); Army of the Dead is temporary — the fallen return to the earth after 60 s.
  • Berserker: passive melee scaling softened (max ×1.6, was ×1.8); Fury grants +30/45% (was +40/60%).
  • Guardian: Iron Bulwark, Living Fortress and Shield Wall no longer stack on you — rotate your shields, one at a time.
  • Druid: Healing Bloom heals ~half as much per second; Forest's Embrace regeneration slightly reduced.
  • Einherjar: Storm Herald's second bolt strikes at 60% damage.
• Talents now always arrive with their ability — some talents boosted abilities you hadn't unlocked yet. Rearranged tiers for Necromancer, Einherjar and Mage — with new talents Stormlance (Lightning Bolt +30%) and Blazing Ring (Ring of Fire +25%). ⚠️ If you had talent points in the rearranged tiers, use Reset talents (100 coins) to fix your picks.
• Class selection at the temple redesigned to fit six ways; long ability descriptions no longer get cut off.
• Fixed ghost shield bubbles littering the world in multiplayer (orphaned network fx that respawned forever). Shockwave visuals also fade faster.
• Thanks to our beta testers for two months of sharp eyes and broken shields! 🍻

1.2.0 — The Einherjar Update

• New class: ⚡ Einherjar, chosen of Valhalla — 8 abilities: Spear of the Gods, Sky Dive, Battle Blessing, Judgement, Spear Volley, Aegis of Valhalla, Call the Fallen and Ragnarök. Radiant spears leave a bright golden trail; the Aegis wraps you in a visible protective bubble.
• Einherjar passive: lightning/spirit damage grows with level, cheaper jumps, fall damage fades away (none at level 80).
• 24 new talents and 2 new synergies (Stormlord, Spearmaster) with a golden capstone aura.
• Class selection at the temple redesigned to fit four ways.
• The ability bar is now movable: drag it with the mouse while your inventory is open (or set the offsets in the config). Fixes the bar covering the stamina bar on ultrawide (21:9) screens — thanks for the reports!
• Fixed summons exceeding their cap after a relog (returning minions are now always recognized as yours).

1.1.1

• Fixed: Glass Cannon and Archmage boosted every damage type in the game (blunt/slash/pierce included). They now boost spell damage only (fire, frost, lightning, poison, spirit); Warlord likewise now boosts physical damage only. Thanks to our beta testers for the sharp eyes!
• The talent panel now shows active synergies on their own line, with their bonuses spelled out — no more guessing where that extra 10% comes from.
• The aggregated stats line no longer gets cut off at the panel border.

1.1.0 — The Talent Update

• Talent trees: every 10 levels choose 1 of 3 passive talents — 8 tiers, 24 talents per class, 72 total. Open the panel with hotkey T or at the temple.
• Synergies: learn 3 colour-coded talents of the same theme to unlock a set bonus (6 to discover: Flamelord, Frostborn, Bloodrage, Colossus, Plaguelord, Lord of Bones).
• Capstone auras: level-80 talents grant a permanent visual aura (orbiting wisp / sacred flames / spectral mist).
• Living tooltips: ability descriptions and the ability bar now reflect your talents and synergies; the talent panel shows aggregated bonuses.
• Respec at the temple for 100 coins. Talent point notifications on level up and on the ability bar.
• The debug key (F9) is no longer present in official releases — it now lives only in beta builds.

1.0.4

• Fixed: temple braziers were sunk below the platform (fire particles poking through the floor). Parts now rest exactly on the platform surface — thanks for the report!
• Rune Shield is now clearly visible from inside AND outside: a translucent dome marks the protected area.
• Summon fixes: skeletons and Army of the Dead use separate pools, survive relogs correctly, and crumble when you change class.
• Fixed Ice Shards locking the character in the casting pose.

1.0.3

• The Discord server is now mentioned in the mod description and at the top of this page (the "Website" button also leads there). Come say hi: https://discord.gg/QwthPaNAME

1.0.2

• Fixed: the Temple of Classes could not be placed (always red / "invalid placement"). The decorative parts of the temple (floors, pillars, braziers, statue) carried leftover colliders that made the placement check fail everywhere. Decorations are now collider-free and the temple places normally. Thanks to the Discord community for the report!

1.0.1

• Added the official Discord server link (news, bug reports, suggestions): https://discord.gg/QwthPaNAME

1.0.0

• First release.
• Three classes: Mage, Berserker, Necromancer.
• Buildable Temple of Classes (class selection, offerings for XP).
• 8 abilities per class, unlocked every 10 levels up to level 80, damage scaling with level.
• Class XP from kills (bosses give triple) and temple offerings.
• Valheim-style ability bar with icons, hotkeys (Shift+1..8, configurable) and cooldowns.
• Class passives that grow with level.
• Debug key (F9) to temporarily unlock all abilities.