VikingMastery

Testing preview · JustQOL Viking Series

VikingMastery is an in-progress skill-tree rework for Valheim. It covers the 24 vanilla skills and adds Druid, Sailing, Exploration, Alchemy, Foraging and Animal Husbandry. Each tree has earned points, prerequisites and a mastery choice.

What is in this preview

• Connected radial talent maps with circular perk nodes, mastery diamonds and F9 access.
• Milestone point progression, retained points after death, and sheltered paid respecs.
• Combat, gathering, movement, crafting and profession perk systems.
• Druid restoration staff, healing grove, guardian or wolf-pack familiars, and optional MagicPlugin Healing Staff support.
• Blood Magic specialization paths that remain distinct from Druid restoration.
• Server-authoritative progression synchronization, payment escrow, familiar lifecycle and companion actions.

Install for testing

Install this package with Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman. It declares BepInExPack Valheim and Jotunn 2.30.2 as dependencies.

For a manual test, merge the package's BepInEx folder into a new, isolated Valheim/BepInEx copy. The plugin files belong at:

BepInEx/plugins/JustQOL-VikingMastery/

Do not install this preview into an active save, profile or live server. Use a new character and world.

Multiplayer

All players and the server need the same VikingMastery version and declared dependencies. Start with a host/client compatibility pass before using the test build on a persistent world.

Testing focus

Confirm the plugin loads without Harmony errors, all 30 trees display, basic perk purchase and respec work, and Druid healing/familiar actions behave correctly. Then test two-player purchases, healing, familiar cleanup and companion actions.

Status

Version 0.1.1 compiles against the local Valheim 1.0.20 reference set. This revision has automated build, progression and graph-layout checks, but has not been tested in-game, for balance, saves or multiplayer. This is a testing preview, not a stable release.

Support

Join JustQOL | Valheim Mods for testing feedback. Include your VikingMastery version, Valheim version, client/server setup, reproduction steps and relevant BepInEx log lines with personal information removed.

Updating from VikingSkills

Remove the old VikingSkills plugin folder before installing VikingMastery. Do not install both. The existing com.justqol.vikingskills.cfg and progression identifiers are retained for compatibility. The old unmodified F7/F8 shortcut migrates to F9 on first launch. Other custom shortcuts are preserved; choose F6 in Interface > OpenSkills if preferred. VikingMastery has its own UI and does not require VikingCodex.

Opening the talent map

Press F9, or open Inventory > Skills > VikingMastery. Each skill has its own connected map. Select a node to read its effect, required level, rank and prerequisite in the detail panel. Circular nodes show ordinary perks; diamond nodes show mastery choices. Gold is learned, sea green is available, and slate is locked. Rank pips and requirement text provide additional state cues. Unlocks remain personal to each character.

Changelog

0.1.1 — Talent map redesign

• Replaced the wooden button grid with radial, connected talent maps on a dark surface.
• Added compact perk glyphs, rank pips, mastery diamonds, and distinct learned/available/locked states.
• Preserved skill choices, requirements, explicit purchases, respec and companion controls.
• Changed the default shortcut to F9; previous unmodified F7/F8 bindings migrate once. Custom shortcuts such as F6 remain unchanged.
• Kept the entry in the vanilla Skills menu.
• Restored UTF-8 transport/storage encoding after an unintended earlier text replacement.
• Preserved the existing plugin ID and character progression keys.

Changelog

0.1.0 — Testing preview

• First test build of VikingMastery.
• Adds 30 skill trees: Valheim's 24 vanilla skills plus Druid, Sailing, Exploration, Alchemy, Foraging and Animal Husbandry.
• Adds skill-point progression, prerequisites, exclusive masteries and sheltered paid respecs.
• Adds Druid restoration/grove/familiar systems and optional MagicPlugin Healing Staff attribution.
• Adds server-authoritative progression, purchase, respec, healing, familiar and companion synchronization source.

This release is intended for isolated testing. Gameplay balance, runtime compatibility, saves and multiplayer behavior require testing before a stable release.

Package revision

• Renamed the mod and interface to VikingMastery; default interface shortcut is F7.
• Standalone interface: VikingCodex is not required. Legacy progression/config identifiers retained.