Viking Codex

Ever feel like you're missing something in Valheim, but can't quite figure out what it is or where to start looking? Or wish you had an in-game codex with a bestiary, crafting reference, and a way to track your discoveries?

Viking Codex brings it all together. Browse the items, creatures, recipes, and building pieces you've learned about, track your progress by biome, and spot the gaps in your knowledge without revealing every undiscovered name. Playing with friends? Share eligible material discoveries so your fellow Vikings can learn alongside you.

Features

Your own Viking encyclopedia

Browse items, creatures, crafting recipes, building pieces, and crafting stations from one native-styled panel.

• Filter by biome, category, and discovery status.
• Search known entries and sort by progression or alphabetically.
• Track discovery progress for each biome.
• See discovered entries first when viewing All.
• Keep future discoveries hidden behind question marks. Unknown item icons appear as silhouettes where an icon exists; unknown creatures are labeled ??? - Creature.
• Spot new discoveries with a NEW marker until you view them during that session.
• View an item and its recipes together without duplicate recipe rows.

Crafting information at a glance

Select an entry to review its description, materials, crafting station, and known recipe relationships. Details distinguish discovered content, known recipes, and whether normal crafting requirements are currently met. Missing materials and station requirements are highlighted to help you see what you still need.

Optional Wiki buttons open more information when you choose to use them.

Discover together

When a player learns an eligible material, Viking Codex shares that knowledge with other players on the same server. Their characters use Valheim's normal knowledge registration and recipe-unlock logic.

Players who reconnect can catch up on eligible discoveries recorded while they were away. Learned material knowledge belongs to each character, and shared history is stored separately for each world.

You still need the normal resources, crafting stations, station levels, and other requirements to craft or build. The mod does not grant items or reduce crafting costs.

Dependencies

Both dependencies are required:

• BepInExPack Valheim by denikson - 5.4.2351.
• Jotunn by ValheimModding - 2.30.2 or newer compatible version.

Thunderstore Mod Manager and r2modman use the package's dependency declarations to install the required packages.

Installation

Mod manager

Install Viking Codex and its dependencies through Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman, then launch the modded game.

Manual

With BepInEx and Jotunn installed, copy the VikingCodex folder from the manual package into BepInEx/plugins/.

Multiplayer and dedicated servers

Install the same Viking Codex version and its dependencies on the server and every connecting player's client. This version requires matching plugin versions even when sharing is disabled.

Restart the game or server after installation or an update.

How to use

1. Enter a world and press F8, or open your inventory and click Codex.
2. Pick a biome or category to narrow the list. Choose Discovered to browse known entries, or All to include unknown placeholders.
3. Type in the search box to find known content. Hidden names are excluded from searches.
4. Select an entry to read its details and crafting requirements.
5. Click Clear filters to reset the view. Press Escape or click Close to return to the game.

Material sharing is enabled by default and works automatically for eligible new discoveries. Existing eligible material knowledge is added to shared history automatically when characters connect. This is enabled by default; administrators can disable ImportExistingDiscoveries to share only new discoveries.

Configuration

The first plugin launch creates:

BepInEx/config/com.vikingcodex.cfg

You can enable or disable the Codex and shared discovery independently. Other options include the keyboard shortcut, unknown-entry visibility, Wiki links, inventory-button placement, offline catch-up, and modded content detection. Server settings control discovery sharing.

Restart the server and reconnect clients after changing server policy.

Compatibility and feedback

I have tested Viking Codex on my own dedicated server, and it is working in that setup. It has not been tested with every mod combination, so there may be compatibility issues with other mods.

If you run into an issue or a conflict with another mod, add me on Discord and message me: goon4207. Include your Viking Codex and Valheim versions, the other mods you are using, what happened, and any relevant BepInEx log errors so I can investigate.

Modded content can be detected, but its classification and discovery-sharing support depend on the content and available metadata. Some entries remain Unclassified, and complete catalog coverage and biome accuracy are still being reviewed. Extra crafting restrictions added by other mods may not all appear in the Codex; actual crafting remains controlled by the game and installed mods.

Powered by Astra

Code and documentation were created with assistance from OpenAI Codex, under the project owner's direction.

1.0.8

• Finalized the stable full release README with complete feature coverage and consistent JustQOL branding.

• Finalize the stable-release README, feature descriptions, installation instructions, dependency information, and support details.

• Clarify session-only contributions, joining-player catch-up, base-game scope, and preserved crafting restrictions.

• Record successful dedicated-server operation reported by the author.

• Correct outdated version and Unclassified-filter wording. No gameplay changes from 1.0.7.

1.0.7

• Give packaged files a deterministic, release-specific timestamp instead of reusing one timestamp across every release. This prevents different releases having identical packaged DLL timestamps.
• Correct outdated README version instructions and document safe upgrades.
• Clean-profile upgrade behavior still requires in-game verification.

1.0.6 candidate

• Remove bulk character-knowledge import, including when legacy configs enable it.
• Observe repeated native item registrations so already-known item encounters can contribute to the server.
• Expand vanilla eligibility to collectible item entries with native icons; retain metadata denial and modded opt-in.
• Add packet/application counters to status and log malformed packets plus durable server commits.
• Preserve existing server history and normal crafting requirements.
• Dedicated-server gameplay verification remains pending. Not installed or published automatically.

1.0.5

• Add a native Viking Codex main-menu button above Viking Revival and Viking Meals.
• Add a main-menu guide to controls, discovery clues and biome checklists.
• Keep the existing in-game Codex and sharing behavior.

1.0.4

• Give hidden entries discovery clues in the list and detail panel; 165 verified base-game entries have specific clues, with gameplay-type clues for the rest.
• Search discovery clues while keeping undiscovered names and recipe details hidden.
• Show a biome checklist percentage and remaining count that stay stable while searching or filtering categories. Empty biomes do not claim 100% completion.
• Include base-game identities only, even when old configs enabled modded detection. Keep discovery sharing behavior unchanged for eligible base-game materials.
• Expose Unclassified entries separately and clarify that catalog and biome coverage still need review.
• Add the permanent JustQOL Valheim Mods Discord support invite.
• Build and automated verification completed; graphical and live multiplayer acceptance of this update remain pending.

1.0.3

• Replace Unity catalog JSON loading with the game-provided Newtonsoft.Json parser and reject empty embedded catalogs.
• Show All followed by named biomes, without Unclassified or progress text in the selector.
• Runtime verification of catalog loading fix remains pending.

1.0.2

• Enable existing eligible material knowledge import by default. Existing server configs retain their saved value; set ImportExistingDiscoveries=true to enable import after upgrading.
• Update the README to describe automatic existing-knowledge import.

1.0.1

• Enable import of existing eligible character material knowledge by default. Existing configs retain their saved setting.

• Rewrite the README with feature descriptions, usage instructions, dependencies, dedicated-server testing feedback, and Discord support contact.

• Combine the Astra credit and AI disclosure; remove text artwork.

1.0.0 initial release

• Label hidden creature entries as ??? - Creature instead of showing a generic placeholder icon.

• Triple wheel scroll speed; place discovered entries first in All view.

• Provide a generic codex-page icon when native icons are missing.

• Keep selected biome progress on one line; diagnostic exports report icon availability.

• Fix oversized scrollbar handle by clearing the default Unity RectTransform dimensions. Scrolling behavior unchanged.

• In-game visual verification of this fix remains pending.

• Updated plugin and package version to 1.0.0.

• Includes combined item/recipe rows, biome progress, silhouettes and scrolling improvements.

• Build and 65 automated checks pass. Actual multiplayer acceptance remains pending.

• 843 visible asset records remain Unclassified.

0.2.2 development

• Merge item/recipe rows; preserve recipe filtering and separate knowledge states.
• Show progress for the selected biome.
• Add missing-resource and station requirement guidance.
• Mark discoveries made during the current session NEW until viewed.
• Add reproducible read-only asset catalog coverage audit.
• Actual two-player gameplay verification remains pending.

0.2.1 development

• Add a draggable list scrollbar and consistent wheel scrolling.
• Fit detail scrolling to actual text height.
• Label biome/category controls and distinguish item, recipe, and building rows.
• Show dark icon silhouettes for unknown entries while hiding names and details.
• Game validation of these UI changes remains pending.

Changelog

0.2.0 — 2026-10-19 (development)

• Character-bound protocol v2 with batched atomic commits, explicit rejection acknowledgements, per-frame catch-up and testable authority/receiver cores.
• Read-only installed-asset catalog baseline, native spawn-biome metadata, progression relationships and exclusion of iconless NPC attack entries.
• Transactional registry rebuilds, alternative recipes, building requirements, known relationships, external text/icon/discovery policies and reload/export/status commands.
• Native key-based material identity fallback with ambiguity rejection; length validation before transport payload allocation.
• UI keyboard navigation, configurable inventory-button placement, preserved scroll position, coalesced refreshes, loading/error recovery and throttled warnings.
• 65 automated checks. Actual game/multiplayer/platform/installation acceptance remains pending.

Protocol v2 requires this same plugin version on every peer. World history schema 1 is unchanged. Earlier 0.1.0 archives remain available locally for rollback.

0.1.0 — 2026-10-19 (development)

Initial plugin foundation, Codex UI/data, native discovery sharing, checksummed sidecar storage, configuration, test probe and package automation. Initial automated checks passed; an isolated startup smoke test loaded the earlier DLL, but world entry was blocked by the game backend.

1.0.0 — unreleased

Reserved until approved specification 1.2 has passed actual game, multiplayer, platform and installation acceptance.