Ways of the Gods

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Adds a multiplayer-ready RPG class system to Valheim. Build the Temple of Classes, pledge yourself to one of six ways, choose a branch and sub-class, then shape your build through a unified talent tree.

New in 3.3 — Temple Covenant

• English Temple text: the build-menu name, description and interaction prompt now remain in English when Valheim is set to Italian.
• Configurable talent costs: server admins can set TalentResetCost and ChangePathCost, including 0 for free resets or path changes.
• Simplified Temple recipe: build it with 20 Wood and 20 Stone.

New in 3.2 — Gates of Fate

• Boss-gated progression: optionally cap class levels until specific world bosses are defeated, with eight configurable caps from the start of the world through Fader.
• World-age progression: alternatively unlock class levels as the world grows older through WorldDaysPerLevel.
• Weak-enemy XP scaling: optionally reduce rewards from enemies far below your current progression while keeping strong enemies and bosses worthwhile.
• All new rules are disabled by default, server-enforced in multiplayer and never remove levels already earned.

New in 3.1 — Clear Sight

• Readable Talent Panel: set TalentUiScale under Accessibility to enlarge text, icons, buttons and click areas together.
• Resizable ability bar: open the inventory and drag the lower-right ◢ handle. Position and scale are saved automatically.
• Balanced Raven Form: flight consumes stamina, forces a controlled landing when exhausted and cannot be used for weapon attacks or other class abilities.

🔥 New in 3.0 — The Reforging

The entire roster has been rebuilt:

• One tree, three branches, six sub-classes for every class. Choose one of three exclusive branches at level 1; at level 10 it forks into two exclusive sub-classes.
• Five abilities per sub-class, unlocked at levels 1 / 10 / 20 / 35 / 45.
• Max level 50. A full build reaches about 67% of its tree, so every point matters.
• All talents on one screen, with branch and sub-class choices shown directly in the tree.
• Change path for 200 coins or fully respec for 100 coins.
• Existing characters are migrated automatically and receive a full talent refund.

The six ways

🐺 Druid shapeshifting

The Wild Shape branch transforms the Druid into a real wolf, bear or raven. Raven form can fly: Space to rise, Ctrl to dive. Flight drains stamina, and combat is disabled until you leave Raven form.

Multiplayer

• Install the mod on the server and on every client. Major.Minor versions must match; vanilla clients cannot join.
• Kill XP is shared with players within 64 m.
• Domes, blessings, heals, buffs and taunts work across the group.
• Abilities, summons and capstone auras are synchronized between players.
• Server admins control progression scaling and difficulty for everyone.

How to play

1. Build the Temple of Classes with the hammer (Misc): 20 Wood and 20 Stone.
2. Interact with the temple (E) and choose your class.
3. Gain XP by killing monsters or offering trophies and coins at the temple.
4. Open the talent panel with T, choose your branch, then your sub-class at level 10.
5. Cast abilities with Shift+1 … Shift+5 by default. Hotkeys are configurable.

Controller and handheld PCs

Native controller input uses Valheim's own mappings, so it works through Steam Input on Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Xbox-style controllers:

• LB + D-pad Up / Right / Down / Left casts abilities 1–4.
• LB + RB casts ability 5.
• LB + Y opens the Talent Panel.
• LB + X dismisses your permanent class summons.
• In the Temple and Talent panels, navigate with the D-pad or left stick, confirm with A, and close with B.

The ability bar automatically switches between keyboard and controller labels based on the last active input. Set Controller.Enabled = false to disable the controller shortcuts.

Permanent summons can also be dismissed with U by default (Hotkeys.DismissSummons). Temporary armies, packs and legions expire normally and are not dismissed by this command. Class summons never grant XP or drop loot.

Your progress is archived separately for every class: changing class does not erase it.

Progression and difficulty

Ability power follows world progression and class level. Damage, healing and summons scale from Meadows to the endgame; tooltips show their current effective values.

The server-enforced difficulty presets are:

Set ProgressionScaling = false for classic level-only scaling.

Configuration

BepInEx/config/gianl.waysofthegods.cfg: ability hotkeys, controller support, talent-panel hotkey, XP multiplier, HUD position, progression scaling and difficulty. Under Costs, TalentResetCost (default 100) and ChangePathCost (default 200) control the two coin prices; 0 makes the related action free. These costs are enforced by the server in multiplayer. Set TalentUiScale under Accessibility to enlarge all Talent Panel text, icons and buttons (1.0 default, up to 1.75; reopen the panel after changing it).

Open your inventory to customize the ability bar: drag the bar to move it, or drag the lower-right resize handle to change its size. Position and AbilityBarScale are saved automatically.

Server admins can optionally gate class levels through LevelGate:

• Off (default) — unrestricted class leveling.
• Bosses — uses the eight configurable caps in BossLevelCaps, from no boss defeated through Fader.
• WorldAge — unlocks one additional class level every WorldDaysPerLevel days.

Set ReduceWeakEnemyXp = true to reduce XP from enemies far below the strength expected for the player's class level. WeakEnemyXpPerTier controls the penalty and WeakEnemyXpFloor the minimum reward. These progression settings are enforced by the server in multiplayer.

Community and support

⚔️ Discord: discord.gg/QwthPaNAME

• 📣 News and changelogs
• 🐛 Bug reports — please attach BepInEx/LogOutput.log
• 💡 Suggestions for classes, abilities and features

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.