Nero

A very good boy for your Viking adventures.

Nero is a spawnable dog built on the vanilla Wolf: same AI, same animations, same follow/guard behavior — with a completely custom dog model. He's a bit smaller than a wolf, he arrives already tamed, he's invincible, and everyone on the server can see him on the map.

Vanilla wolves are not modified in any way. Nero is registered as his own creature.

Spawning

Console spawning only (no natural spawns):

1. In a world, press F5, type devcommands, then:

spawn Nero

He spawns tamed. His owner (see OwnerName below) interacts with him (E) to make him follow / stay; everyone else gets to pet him.

Configuration

BepInEx/config/com.tronn.nero.cfg

How it works

The mod clones the Wolf prefab at runtime (via Jötunn), then rebuilds Nero's mesh from raw data and binds it to the wolf skeleton by bone name — no asset bundles, so it is resilient to game updates. All movement, combat, and tame behavior is the vanilla Wolf's.

Manual installation (non-mod-manager)

Copy the plugins/Nero folder into Valheim/BepInEx/plugins/ so you have:

BepInEx/plugins/Nero/Nero.dll
BepInEx/plugins/Nero/nero_mesh.bin
BepInEx/plugins/Nero/nero_albedo.png
BepInEx/plugins/Nero/nero_normal.png
BepInEx/plugins/Nero/nero_map_icon.png

Requires BepInEx and Jötunn.

Dedicated server installation (Bisect Hosting etc.)

The mod syncs — server and all players need it (it declares network compatibility, version-strict to the minor: everyone must be on 1.4.x).

1. BepInExPack_Valheim and Jötunn on the server
2. Upload the plugins/Nero folder from this zip into the server's BepInEx/plugins/ (replace the old one)
3. Update the server's BepInEx/config/com.tronn.nero.cfg (or delete it and let it regenerate) so DamageMultiplier, Invincible and OwnerName match the new defaults
4. Restart the server; players join with the same mod version installed

Known issues (v1.4.0)

• The death ragdoll briefly shows a wolf shape
• Nero uses wolf sounds (howls included — he's proud of it)
• Jaw doesn't open separately during bite/eat animations
• The map pin shows Nero's live position while his area is loaded for you; otherwise it stays at his last known spot

Credits

Model: custom dog model (Meshy). Built with BepInEx + Jötunn.

1.7.2 (2026-10-02)

• Fixed duplicate balls: a throw that hit several things in the same instant (Nero + the ground) was processed twice, handing back an extra ball and a spurious "Nero is already out!" message. Each throw now counts exactly once.

1.7.1 (2026-10-02)

• Capture and release sounds are much louder and carry across the whole set.

1.7.0 (2026-10-02)

• THE MASTERBALL. Purple, pink bumps, crafted with Moder already inside (5 Stone + 5 LeatherScraps + 2 Coal at a workbench). Throw it anywhere and a TAMED Moder bursts out, loyal to the thrower. Throw it at her to put her back. Same catch-and-release ball logic as the Neroball, same sounds.
• Only one tame Moder at a time; a wild Moder at her lair doesn't block the ball (yes, you can try to catch the real one with it).

1.6.5 (2026-10-02)

• The held ball sits in the palm instead of hiding behind the hand. Tune it in the config: [Neroball] HeldOffsetX/Y/Z (meters, restart to apply). Only our cloned item is moved - vanilla BombOoze is untouched.

1.6.4 (2026-10-02)

• Follow order survives the ball: capture him while he follows you and he resumes following the moment he pops back out.
• The map pin now tracks the ball itself when Nero is inside it - in your inventory it moves with you; dropped in the world it marks the ball's real spot. Never find a stale "last seen" pin again.

1.6.3 (2026-10-02)

• Capture now plays its own ball-close sound (plugins/Nero/nero_capture.wav).
• Neroball is half its old size.

1.6.2 (2026-10-02)

• The classic ball-open sound plays at the spot where Nero pops out (plugins/Nero/nero_summon.wav - swap the file to change the sound).

1.6.1 (2026-10-02)

• Nero now comes OUT of the ball exactly as he went in: tamed state is forced onto the summoned instance and its ZDO, and he is claimed to the summoner (the ball only opens for his owner anyway). No more wild Nero on release.

1.6.0 (2026-10-02)

• ONE Neroball: the same ball now captures Nero when empty and summons him when full (state lives in the item). NeroballFull remains only as a legacy item.
• Fixed duplicate balls appearing after throws (vanilla projectile respawned the item on top of ours).
• One icon for all balls; removed the extra full-ball projectile prefab.
• Ball mesh now renders double-sided so the open seam no longer looks hollow.

Changelog

1.4.1 (2026-09-20)

• Fixed the double map icon. When the local player briefly went away (death/respawn, sleep transitions), the mod lost track of its pin without removing it, leaving a frozen orphan icon and adding a second one. The pin is now removed properly, and a once-a-second sweep deletes any stray unsaved "Nero" pin that isn't the live one. Player-placed saved markers named Nero are never touched. Client-side fix only — 1.4.0 stays compatible.

1.4.0 (2026-09-20)

• Map pin for everyone: Nero shows on the map and minimap like a player marker for every player running the mod (custom icon). If his area unloads, the pin stays at his last known spot. Config: General/MapPin.
• Invincibility actually holds now. 1.2.0 turned all damage back on whenever devcommands was active — and ServerDevcommands keeps it active for admins, so Nero could die. Damage is now blocked at all three engine layers (Damage, RPC_Damage, ApplyDamage), covering mobs, falls, fire and everything else. The only way to hurt him: a player hitting him directly while devcommands is enabled (the removal path).
• Softer bite: damage Nero deals lowered from 50% to 25% of vanilla Wolf damage (config: General/DamageMultiplier).
• Owned by Flyn: new Ownership config (from the 5.x line). Only the configured character (OwnerName, default Flyn) can claim and command him; everyone else who presses E pets him instead.

1.2.0 (2026-09-15)

• Nero is now invincible by default (config: General/Invincible)
• Nero now deals medium damage to enemies — 50% of vanilla Wolf damage

1.1.0 (2026-09-15)

• Nero now spawns already tamed; breeding removed (no wolf cubs)

1.0.0 (2026-09-15)

• Initial release for Valheim 1.0 (Deep North); spawn Nero, custom model on the Wolf skeleton at runtime, configurable scale