Races

Fifth Edition Fantasy adds 58 playable races on top of the vanilla Human: the Fairy plus 57 others. Each race can have:

• Passive traits: body size, carry weight, a damage resistance or immunity, move speed and so on. These are always on.
• Race ability (H): an active ability on a cooldown.
• Race ability 2 (J): a second active ability. Only the Fairy and the Aesborn have one.
• Racial spells: extra cantrips or spells added to your spell list (cycle with O, cast with P).
• Ability score bonuses and skill proficiencies (see the table under Senses, ability scores and skills).
• Darkvision and other senses, new in 1.2.0.
• A look of its own: skin and hair tint plus extra body parts such as horns, tails, ears, tusks, wings or plating.

You can rebind every key on this page under Settings > Keyboard & Mouse, in the Fifth Edition Fantasy section below the vanilla keys.

How to pick or change your race

• First pick is free. Press L, or click the character sheet tab next to Skills and Trophies in the inventory screen, to open the character sheet, then go to the Race tab. Hover over or click any race to read its traits, then press Change Race. The sheet shows your current race in green and the one you are previewing in gold.

• Human is also in the list. It is plain vanilla Valheim, with no bonuses and no drawbacks.

• Resetting at a vendor: talk to any trader, such as Haldor or Hildir. Before the shop, you get a small menu:

  • Shop opens the vendor's normal trade window.
  • Reset Race, Class & Feats (200 coins) wipes your race, class, subclass and feats, so you can choose again from the character sheet.
  • Customize Appearance (50 coins) opens the appearance customizer. Coins are taken only when you press Finish. Cancel costs nothing.

  See the Vendors & Appearance page.

Reading the numbers

• Size is your scale compared with a normal human (1.0). Your hitbox and camera height scale along with your body.
• Resistance (one tier) moves your modifier for that damage type one step toward "resistant". For example, Normal becomes Slightly Resistant and Weak becomes Slightly Weak. Immune means you take no damage of that type at all.
• Damage scales with level. Race-ability damage, and most race-ability healing, grows by 6% per character level above 1. The numbers on this page are the level 1 values.
• Stealth. "Creatures notice you from 15% closer" means a creature has to be 15% nearer than usual before it spots you. Stealth bonuses from race, class, feats and spells stack, and crouching and darkness still matter most. Wearing medium armor makes you 10% easier to spot unless you have the Mail Adept feat.
• Cooldowns. If you press a race ability too early, the game tells you how many seconds are left. Most race abilities start their cooldown when you press the key, even if they don't hit anything.
• Melee-range abilities (Talon Strike, Glide Pounce, Claw Swipe, Bite, Trunk Slam, Horn Charge) hit the nearest creature within about 4 m in front of you and play an unarmed strike animation. If nothing is in range, you get a "Nothing in range." message.
• Spell-type abilities (Poison Spray, Hellish Rebuke, Darkness, Mind Shield, Stone Body and Hex, plus the Fairy's and Duergar's racial spells) can't be used while you are in a Wild Shape.

Senses, ability scores and skills

New in 1.2.0:

• Darkvision. Races with darkvision see in the dark (night, dungeons, the Mistlands): the whole scene is lifted evenly, only for you, so snow and pale surfaces don't glare. Most have 18 m; the Owlkin, Deep Gnome, Duergar and Drow have superior darkvision (36 m). Turn it off for yourself with Darkvision in the [Races] config section.
• Stonecunning. Dwarves, Highland Dwarves, Duergar and Deep Gnomes sense metal ore every 20 seconds: nearby ore shimmers gold and gets a map pin. Buried silver veins count too. Setting: Stonecunning in [Races].
• Trance. Elves (High, Wood, Season, Shadow, Drow) and Half-Elves can take a long rest by sitting and meditating for 2 minutes, once a day.
• Other 2014 traits: Dwarven Resilience and Toughness (+2 health per level), Fey Ancestry (advantage against being charmed; magic can't put you to sleep), Gnome Cunning, Halfling Luck and Bravery, Stone's Endurance (Goliath), natural armor (Shellfolk AC 17, Lizardfolk 13 + DEX), Pack Tactics (Kobold), Mask of the Wild (Wood Elf), Infernal Legacy (Tiefling: Thaumaturgy, Hellish Rebuke at 3 as a reaction, Darkness at 5) and Celestial Resistance (Aesborn).

Your race adds to your ability scores (set in Session Zero) and can give skill proficiencies:

Summary table

"L3" and "L5" mean the trait unlocks at that character level.

Fey and flyers

Fairy

The Fairy is the mod's signature race: a tiny, winged fey with glowing green eyes.

Look: pointed elven ears and a long cat-like tail that sways as you move. On your back are two pairs of translucent gossamer wings. On the ground they fold along your back and flutter gently. In flight they spread wide and beat rapidly.

Size: Small (0.7).

Flight

• Speed: up to 12 m/s horizontally and 6 m/s when climbing or descending.
• Stamina: moving drains 6 stamina per second. Climbing drains 1.8 times as much, 10.8 per second.
• Hovering is free. If you hover without pressing a direction, you get stamina back at the normal resting rate.
• Running out of stamina doesn't make you fall. You hang in place until enough stamina comes back to move again.
• Ceiling: you can't climb higher than 60 m above the ground below you.
• You can't fly while wearing a chest, leg or helmet piece that weighs 12 or more, swimming, sitting or at a ship's helm, inside a dungeon or other interior, over-encumbered, or in a non-flying Wild Shape. If one of these happens in the air, you stop flying.
• Feather-light: whenever you are in the air and not flying, whether you stepped off a cliff or turned flight off, you float down at no more than 4 m/s and keep your forward momentum. Fairies never take fall damage.

Small-size traits

• Carry weight: 0.75x normal. This becomes 1.2x while Enlarged and 0.5x while Reduced.
• Heavy two-handed weapons that weigh more than 3 cost double stamina per attack.

Race ability (H): Druidcraft. Unlocks at level 1 and has a 5 s cooldown. Everything within 10 m of you is affected:

• Each fire nearby is lit if it was out (with one log's worth of fuel) or put out if it was burning.
• Plants that were already picked become ready to harvest again.
• The current weather is shown to you.

Race ability 2 (J): Faerie Fire. Unlocks at level 3 and has an 8 s cooldown.

• Area: every creature in a 45° cone up to 15 m in front of you is outlined in glowing light for 30 seconds.
• Effect: every one of the outlined creatures' damage resistances drops one tier.
• Cost: the first cast after each rest is free. After that each cast costs 40 Eitr. If nothing is in the cone, the cast costs nothing and doesn't start the cooldown.

Racial spells (cycle with O, cast with P)

• Enlarge/Reduce (level 5):
  • Casting: P grows you to 1.35x your normal Fairy size. Shift+P shrinks you to 0.55x.
  • Returning to normal: cast it again. This is always free.
  • Cost: the first cast after each rest is free. After that each cast costs 30 Eitr, with a 3 s cooldown.
  • Flight: Enlarge/Reduce doesn't affect your flight.

Appearance customizer: available at any trader for 50 coins. It has a live, rotating preview: hold Left/Right to turn and Up/Down to zoom. Fairies get three extra sections:

• Ears: color, darkness, opacity
• Wings: color, darkness, opacity, glow strength
• Tail: color, darkness

Every race can also change skin tone, hair color and style, and beard color and style.

Skyfolk

Bird-folk with a hooked beak, a crest of feathers and large feathered wings.

• Size: 1.0
• Passive: Flight. Skyfolk use the same flight system as the Fairy: same keys, stamina, speed, ceiling and armor limit. The wings stay folded on the ground and spread and beat in the air. Unlike the Fairy, Skyfolk don't glide when not flying and do take fall damage.
• H: Talon Strike (8 s cooldown): you dive up to 4 m forward and down, then rake the nearest foe for 20 slash with a strong knockback.

Owlkin

Owl-folk with a short beak, feathered ear tufts and broad, soft-feathered wings.

• Size: 1.0
• Passives:
  • Flight works the same as for the Skyfolk.
  • Stealthy: creatures notice you from 15% closer.
• H: Silent Wings (20 s cooldown): for 8 seconds you are nearly undetectable (creatures notice you only from 10% of the normal distance).

Glidefolk

Monkey-like sailors with round furry ears, a long curling tail and furry gliding membranes stretched between their arms and body.

• Size: 1.0
• Passive: Flight. Glidefolk get full flight, the same as the Skyfolk. The membranes spread when you fly.
• H: Glide Pounce (8 s cooldown): you pounce up to 4 m forward and down onto the nearest foe for 22 pierce with a heavy knockback.

Aesborn

Celestial-touched mortals with pale, luminous skin and golden hair.

• Size: 1.0
• Passive: resistance to spirit damage (one tier).
• H: Healing Hands (20 s cooldown): heals 20 health (scales with level). It heals the other player you are looking at if they are within 6 m. Otherwise it heals you.
• J: Radiant Awakening (unlocks at level 3, 120 s cooldown). For 30 seconds:
  • A glowing halo appears above your head and translucent, radiant feathered wings grow from your back.
  • You can fly. Press F to take off. It uses the same flight system and armor limit as the other flyers.
  • Every hit you land deals +8 spirit damage (scales with level).

Small folk

All of these races are 0.85 size except the Harefolk (0.9).

Halfling

Plain human-looking small folk. They have no extra body parts or tint.

• Passive: stealthy: creatures notice you from 15% closer.
• H: Lucky (20 s cooldown): for the next 5 seconds, the next hit you take is halved.

Sturdy Halfling

A hardier halfling. New in 1.2.0.

• Passives: stealthy like the Halfling, and Stout Resilience: advantage on saves against poison and resistance to poison damage (one tier).
• H: Lucky, as the Halfling.

Gnome

Short, with small pointed ears and fiery orange hair.

• Passive: knows the Minor Illusion cantrip from level 1. It's on your O/P spell list.
• No race ability.

Woodland Gnome

A forest gnome. New in 1.2.0.

• Passives:
  • Darkvision (18 m).
  • Gnome Cunning: advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saves against magic.
  • Natural Illusionist: the Minor Illusion cantrip from level 1.
  • Slightly stealthy.
• No race ability.

Deep Gnome

Blue-grey skin, white hair and small pointed ears.

• Passive: stealthy: creatures notice you from 20% closer.
• No race ability.

Kobold

Rust-red scaly skin, a short reptilian snout, small backswept horns and a thick scaled tail.

• Passive: Pack Tactics. Your attacks deal +20% damage when another player is within 5 m of your target.
• No active ability.

Goblin

Green skin, dark hair and big swept-back ears.

• Passive: Small but Fierce. All your attacks deal a flat +15% damage.
• No active ability.

Harefolk

Rabbit-folk with tall furry ears and a fluffy cotton tail.

• Size: 0.9
• Passive: Nimble Feet. Everything that costs stamina costs 20% less.
• H: Hare Leap (8 s cooldown): a bounding leap about 10 m forward and 2.2 m high. You take no fall damage from the landing.

Elves and fey-touched

Half-Elf

Half human, half elf. New in 1.2.0.

• Passives:
  • Darkvision (18 m) and Trance.
  • Fey Ancestry: advantage on saves against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
  • Skill Versatility: proficient in Persuasion and Perception.
  • Slightly stealthy.
• No race ability.

Wood Elf

Warm-toned skin, brown hair and pointed ears.

• Passives:
  • Stealthy: creatures notice you from 15% closer.
  • Fleet of Foot: +8% movement speed.
• No active ability.

High Elf

Fair skin, golden hair and long pointed ears.

• Passive: stealthy: creatures notice you from 5% closer.
• Passive: knows the Fire Bolt cantrip from level 1. It's on your O/P spell list.
• H: Keen Senses (30 s cooldown): outlines every creature within 30 m (other than players and tamed animals) for 15 seconds and tells you how many it found.

Drow

Dark blue-violet skin, white hair and long pointed ears.

• Passives:
  • Stealthy: creatures notice you from 15% closer.
  • Drow Magic: Dancing Lights at level 1 and Faerie Fire at level 3, both on your O/P spell list.
• H: Darkness (30 s cooldown): a cloud of magical darkness makes you nearly undetectable for 10 seconds.

Season Elf

Pale, faintly glowing skin, autumn-orange hair and long pointed ears.

• Passive: stealthy: creatures notice you from 5% closer.
• H: Season Step (12 s cooldown): teleports you up to 9 m in the direction you are looking. You stop short of walls and other obstacles.

Shadow Elf

Pale blue-grey skin, black hair and pointed ears.

• Passive: resistance to spirit damage (one tier).
• H: Shadow Blessing (15 s cooldown): teleports you up to 10 m in the direction you are looking. You stop short of obstacles.

Satyr

Large ram horns that curl around, drooping furry ears and a short tufted tail.

• Passive: +10% movement speed.
• H: Mirthful Leap (10 s cooldown): a high leap about 4.5 m up and 5 m forward. You take no fall damage from the landing.

Dwarves

Dwarf

Ruddy skin and red-brown hair.

• Passive: Dwarven Resilience. Resistance to poison damage (one tier).
• No race ability.

Highland Dwarf

A stout mountain dwarf. New in 1.2.0.

• Passives:
  • Darkvision (18 m) and Stonecunning (you sense metal ore nearby).
  • Dwarven Resilience: resistance to poison damage (one tier) and advantage on saves against poison.
  • Dwarven Toughness: +2 health per level.
  • Carries 25% more.
• No race ability.

Duergar

Grey-blue skin, white hair and small pointed ears.

• Passives:
  • Resistance to poison damage (one tier).
  • The Invisibility spell joins your O/P spell list at level 5.
• H: Enlarge (unlocks at level 3):
  • Casting: grows you to 1.35x your size. Press H again to return to normal size, which is free.
  • Cost: the first cast after each rest is free. After that each cast costs 30 Eitr, with a 3 s cooldown.

Big folk

Goliath

Grey stone-toned skin, dark hair and stony plates on both shoulders.

• Size: 1.1
• Passive: Powerful Build. 2x carry weight.
• H: Stone's Endurance (25 s cooldown): for the next 5 seconds, the next hit you take is cut to 60%.

Firbolg

Blue-grey skin, brown hair and long drooping ears.

• Passive: Powerful Build. 2x carry weight.
• H: Fade Step (25 s cooldown): for 12 seconds you are nearly undetectable (creatures notice you only from 10% of the normal distance).

Tuskfolk

Elephant-folk with grey skin, large flapping elephant ears, ivory tusks and a trunk.

• Passive: Powerful Build. 2x carry weight.
• H: Trunk Slam (10 s cooldown): a heavy trunk blow to the nearest foe for 24 blunt with a big knockback.

Minotaur

Brown hide, a pair of horns, drooping furry ears and a tufted bull's tail.

• Size: 1.1
• H: Horn Charge (12 s cooldown): you charge up to 4 m forward and gore the nearest foe for 22 blunt + 10 pierce with a very heavy knockback.

Orc

Green skin, black hair, pointed ears and small tusks jutting up from under the lower lip.

• Passive: Powerful Build. 1.5x carry weight.
• H: Aggressive (10 s cooldown): you dash up to 7 m along the ground toward where you are looking, in about a third of a second. You stop short of walls, trees and creatures, and you take no fall damage from the dash.

Half-Orc

Grey-green skin, dark hair, small tusks under the lower lip and pointed ears.

• Passives:
  • Savage Attacks: weapon hits deal +10% damage.
  • Relentless Endurance: once, a blow that would kill you leaves you at 1 health instead. It recharges when you rest (become Rested).
• No active ability.

Bugbear

Furry skin and round furry ears.

• Passives:
  • Stealthy: creatures notice you from 10% closer.
  • Surprise Attack: a hit deals +50% damage, at most once every 20 seconds. It triggers on your first hit after the timer is up.
• No active ability.

Beastfolk

Catfolk

Cat-folk with golden fur, pointed cat ears and a long, lively cat tail.

• H: Claw Swipe (8 s cooldown): a quick claw strike on the nearest foe for 20 slash.

Lionfolk

Lion-folk with a full shaggy mane, round ears and a tufted lion's tail.

• Passive: +10% movement speed.
• H: Daunting Roar (25 s cooldown): stuns every enemy within 8 m for 3 seconds. Bosses are unaffected. Stunned enemies can't move and take double damage from hits.

Lizardfolk

Green scaly skin, a reptilian snout, a spiny head crest and a long, heavy scaled tail.

• H: Bite (10 s cooldown): bites the nearest foe for 20 pierce and heals you 5 health.

Shellfolk

Green skin and a large shell on your back.

• H: Shell Guard (toggle, no cooldown): press H to pull into your shell and press it again to come out.
  • While you are in your shell, your resistance to blunt, slash and pierce rises one tier, but you can't move.
  • Shell Guard ends automatically if you change race.

Moonbloods

Three shifter lineages. Each has a different beast form on the same key: H: Shift lasts 30 seconds and has a 60 s cooldown.

Dragonborn

All ten colours have a scaly reptilian snout, a pair of backswept horns, a spiny crest and a thick scaled tail. They are size 1.05. Each colour has its own resistance and breath weapon, on H with a 20 s cooldown. Breath hits every enemy in the area with a strong stagger and push.

Since 1.2.0 the breath follows the 2014 rules: 2d6 damage, 3d6 at level 6 and 4d6 at level 11. Targets make a saving throw against DC 8 + CON modifier + proficiency (Dexterity for lines and fire or lightning cones, Constitution for cold and poison) and take half on a success.

Planar and elemental

Tiefling

Red skin, black hair, large curling horns and a thin tail with a spade tip.

• Passive: Hellish Resistance. Resistance to fire damage (one tier).
• H: Hellish Rebuke (8 s cooldown): hurls a bolt of hellfire for 18 fire.

Emberkin

Ember-toned skin, flame-orange hair and a crown of glowing, flickering flames that light up the area around you.

• Passive: resistance to fire damage (one tier).
• H: Kindle Flame (12 s cooldown): a burst of flame deals 14 fire to every creature within 6 m of you. It doesn't harm you.

Windkin

Pale sky-blue skin, white hair and a ring of softly glowing wisps drifting around your head.

• Passives:
  • Resistance to lightning damage (one tier).
  • You never take fall damage.
• H: Gust (15 s cooldown): a blast of wind hits every enemy within 6 m for 6 blunt and hurls them away from you.

Stonekin

Grey stone-toned skin with glowing crystal clusters on your shoulders and head.

• Passive: 1.25x carry weight.
• H: Stone Body (45 s cooldown): for 20 seconds, blunt, slash and pierce damage you take is halved.

Tidekin

Sea-blue skin, dark teal hair and finned ears.

• Passives:
  • Resistance to poison damage (one tier).
  • Stamina doesn't drain while swimming.
• H: Water Whip (10 s cooldown): a lash of water that deals 18 frost and yanks the target toward you.

Triton

Bright blue skin, dark blue hair, finned ears and a fin crest on your head.

• Passive: Guardians of the Depths. Resistance to frost damage (one tier).
• H: Call the Tide (12 s cooldown): a wave hits every creature within 8 m for 14 blunt + 10 frost with a heavy knockback.

Serpentblood

Pale green skin, dark hair and small scale patches at the temples.

• Passive: Poison immunity. You take no poison damage.
• H: Poison Spray (6 s cooldown): spits a bolt of venom for 16 poison. Poison Spray is also counted as a spell you know.

Mindwarden

Pale green-yellow skin, dark hair and swept-back pointed ears.

• Passive: resistance to spirit damage (one tier).
• H: Mind Shield (30 s cooldown): for 6 seconds you take 70% less damage from everything.

Witchblood

Pale teal skin, mossy green hair, small twisted horns and pointed ears.

• Passive: stealthy: creatures notice you from 5% closer.
• H: Hex (30 s cooldown): curses the creature you are looking at, within about 20 m, for 60 seconds. Your hits against it deal +20% damage. If nothing is in front of you, the cooldown isn't used.

Constructs

Runeforged

Living constructs. Metal plates cover your head, chest, back and shoulders, with bands around your forearms and thighs.

• Passives:
  • Integrated Plating: take 10% less damage from everything.
  • Resistance to poison damage (one tier).
• No active ability.

Human

The vanilla Valheim baseline, with no traits, bonuses or drawbacks. You can pick Human at any time from the Race tab.

Versatile Human

New in 1.2.0: a human who gets one extra feat at level 1 and proficiency in Perception, with +1 STR and +1 CON.

Notes on appearance

• Every race except the Fairy, Human and Halfling has its own skin and hair tint. The Gnome tints only your hair. For those races the tint is kept in place automatically, so changing skin or hair color in the appearance customizer won't show. Hairstyle and beard style still apply.
• Changing to another race removes the old race's body parts and puts your original skin and hair colors back.
• Other players in multiplayer see your race's body parts too.