The best weapons in Valheim, biome by biome

Weapon damage in Valheim rises with each biome, but not in a straight line. This guide goes through the biomes in progression order. For each one it lists the strongest weapons, their damage at quality 1 and at their highest quality, and the stamina each attack costs. Weapons with 0 stamina are ranged weapons that cost nothing to fire.

Meadows

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Early Axes	Battleaxe	Two-handed	30	4	45	6
Flint Spear	Spear	One-handed	20	4	38	6
Flint Axe	Axe	One-handed	20	4	35	6
Crude Bow	Bow	One-handed	22	4	31	0
Club	Club	One-handed	12	4	30	6
Stone Axe	Axe	One-handed	15	4	30	6

Early Axes lead at both quality 1 and maximum quality, and every melee weapon here costs 6 stamina. The Flint Spear starts level with the Flint Axe but finishes higher. The Crude Bow starts above both at 22 and costs no stamina, but it ends lower than either at 31. The Club has the lowest starting damage, yet it climbs to 30, the same as the Stone Axe.

Black Forest

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Bronze Atgeir	Polearm	Two-handed	45	4	63	12
Bronze Axe	Axe	One-handed	40	4	55	8
Bronze Mace	Club	One-handed	35	4	53	8
Bronze Spear	Spear	One-handed	35	4	53	8
Bronze Sword	Sword	One-handed	35	4	53	8
Paws of the Bear	Fist weapon	Two-handed	25	4	37	6

The Bronze Atgeir is the strongest here, but it costs 12 stamina per attack against 8 for the one-handed bronze weapons. The Bronze Axe is the best of those. The Bronze Mace, Bronze Spear and Bronze Sword are identical on every number, so choose between them by weapon type. Paws of the Bear deal the least damage in this table and cost the least stamina.

Swamp

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Arbalest	Crossbow	One-handed	200	4	209	0
Battleaxe	Battleaxe	Two-handed	70	4	88	16
Iron Atgeir	Polearm	Two-handed	65	4	83	14
Iron Axe	Axe	One-handed	60	4	75	10
Ancient Bark Spear	Spear	One-handed	55	4	73	10
Iron Mace	Club	One-handed	55	4	73	10

The Arbalest stands apart. At 200 damage at quality 1, it is far ahead of the best melee weapon here, the Battleaxe at 70, and it costs no stamina. Among melee weapons, damage and stamina cost rise together: the Battleaxe costs 16 per attack, the Iron Atgeir 14 and the one-handed weapons 10. The Ancient Bark Spear and Iron Mace match each other on every number.

Mountains

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Crystal Battleaxe	Battleaxe	Two-handed	120	4	138	18
Silver Sword	Sword	One-handed	105	4	138	12
Fang Spear	Spear	One-handed	75	4	93	12
Draugr Fang	Bow	One-handed	52	4	76	0
Silver Knife	Knife	One-handed	62	4	68	10
Wooden Battleaxe	Battleaxe	Two-handed	1	4	4	8

The Crystal Battleaxe has the highest damage at quality 1, but the Silver Sword catches up to 138 at maximum quality while costing 12 stamina instead of 18. That makes the Silver Sword the more efficient choice once it is fully upgraded. The Fang Spear is a clear step below the top two. The Draugr Fang is the only free-to-fire weapon here, and its damage rises from 52 to 76. The Silver Knife starts above the Draugr Fang but gains the least from upgrades. The Wooden Battleaxe does almost no damage and is not worth carrying.

Plains

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Skoll and Hati	Knife	Two-handed	90	4	96	14
Wooden Atgeir	Polearm	Two-handed	1	4	4	8

Skoll and Hati is the only real option in this biome. Its damage at quality 1 is below the Crystal Battleaxe's 120 and the Silver Sword's 105 from the Mountains, and its 96 at maximum quality is well below the 138 those two reach. The Wooden Atgeir deals almost no damage.

Mistlands

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Krom	Two-handed sword	Two-handed	150	4	168	20
Carapace Spear	Spear	One-handed	115	4	133	16
Wooden Greatsword	Two-handed sword	Two-handed	1	4	4	8

Krom is the strongest melee weapon so far, at 150 damage at quality 1 and 168 at maximum quality, for 20 stamina per attack. The Carapace Spear is the cheaper option at 16 stamina and starts at 115, which is above anything from Plains. The Wooden Greatsword is another very weak weapon.

Ashlands

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Root Ripper	Crossbow	One-handed	230	4	239	0
Storm Ripper	Crossbow	One-handed	230	4	239	0
Ripper	Crossbow	One-handed	220	4	229	0
Wound Ripper	Crossbow	One-handed	220	4	229	0
Primal Slayer	Two-handed sword	Two-handed	180	4	198	20
Scourging Slayer	Two-handed sword	Two-handed	180	4	198	20

The Root Ripper and Storm Ripper are tied at the top with 230 damage at quality 1 and 239 at maximum quality. The Ripper and Wound Ripper follow with 220 and 229. All four crossbows cost no stamina. Of the melee weapons, the Primal Slayer and Scourging Slayer are identical, and both start above Krom's 150 at quality 1 and finish above its 168 at maximum quality, at the same 20 stamina per attack.

Deep North

Weapon	Type	Hands	Damage at quality 1	Max quality	Damage at max quality	Stamina per attack
Voidcaller	Knife	One-handed	24	4	30	6
Snowball	One-handed weapon	One-handed	15	1	15	8

Deep North breaks the pattern. Voidcaller reaches only 30 at maximum quality, which is what the Meadows' Early Axes deal at quality 1. The Snowball has a single quality level and stays at 15 damage.

How damage climbs

Here is the top damage in each biome, at quality 1 and at maximum quality:

Biome	Top damage at quality 1	Top damage at max quality
Meadows	30	45
Black Forest	45	63
Swamp	200	209
Mountains	120	138
Plains	90	96
Mistlands	150	168
Ashlands	230	239
Deep North	24	30

The Swamp is the biggest jump because of the Arbalest. Without it, the best melee weapon is the Battleaxe at 70, and the Mountains' Crystal Battleaxe at 120 is the next big step up for melee. Plains and Deep North fall below the biomes before them, and Mistlands and Ashlands then climb again. Ashlands' crossbows are the strongest weapons here, at 239 at maximum quality, and its two-handed swords at 198 are the strongest melee weapons.

Stamina cost rises along the same path. Melee attacks cost 6 in the Meadows, 8 to 12 in the Black Forest, 10 to 16 in the Swamp, 12 to 18 in the Mountains and 16 to 20 in the Mistlands. They cost 20 in the Ashlands. The crossbows and bows listed here cost nothing.

Written from the game data of Valheim 1.0.17, last updated October 10, 2026.

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