Valheim skills: all of them, what they do and how they level
Skills in Valheim improve the things you do most, from sword damage to how much stamina you burn while running. This guide lists every skill with what it does, its gain factor (how quickly it levels), and how many weapons or shields train it. It also covers how much you lose when you die.
All skills at a glance
| Skill | What it does | Gain factor | Items that train it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swords | Damage with swords. | 1 | 24 |
| Bows | Damage with bows. | 1.5 | 25 |
| Axes | Damage with axes. | 1 | 23 |
| Wood Cutting | Axe damage when hitting trees. | 1 | 0 |
| Fists | Damage when unarmed. | 1 | 7 |
| Knives | Damage with knives. | 1 | 12 |
| Clubs | Damage with clubs. | 1 | 21 |
| Polearms | Damage with polearms. | 1 | 8 |
| Spears | Damage with spears. | 1.5 | 14 |
| Blocking | Damage absorbed when blocking with a weapon or shield. | 0.5 | 20 |
| Pickaxes | Damage with pickaxes. | 1 | 0 |
| Jump | Jump height. | 0.5 | 0 |
| Sneak | Stamina drain and stealthiness when sneaking. | 0.5 | 0 |
| Run | Speed and stamina drain when running. | 0.2 | 0 |
| Swim | Stamina drain when swimming. | 0.3 | 0 |
| Riding | Animal speed and stamina drain. | 0.2 | 0 |
| Elemental Magic | Damage and eitr usage when using elemental magic. | 1 | 6 |
| Blood Magic | Damage, eitr and health drain when using blood magic. | 1 | 0 |
| Crossbows | Accuracy and damage with crossbows. | 1 | 18 |
| Fishing | Stamina drain and pull speed when fishing. | 0.25 | 0 |
| Cooking | Cooking speed, serving tray wear and chance for bonus yields. | 0.25 | 0 |
| Farming | Stamina use, cultivator wear, harvest radius and chance for bonus yields. | 0.25 | 0 |
| Crafting | Crafting speed, hammer wear and building stamina use. | 0.25 | 0 |
| Dodge | Stamina drain when dodging. | 0.25 | 0 |
How to read the table
The gain factor tells you how quickly a skill levels. A higher number means faster progress. Most skills sit at 1, so they level at the same base pace. Bows and Spears are the fastest at 1.5. Run and Riding are the slowest at 0.2.
The last column counts the weapons or shields that train the skill. A 0 means no weapon or shield is tied to that skill.
Weapon skills
Most weapon skills do one thing: they raise the damage you deal with that weapon type. Swords, Axes, Fists, Knives, Clubs and Polearms all have a gain factor of 1. Bows and Spears level faster, at 1.5.
The number of weapons behind each skill varies a lot:
- Bows: 25 items, the most of any skill.
- Swords: 24 items.
- Axes: 23 items.
- Clubs: 21 items.
- Crossbows: 18 items.
- Spears: 14 items.
- Knives: 12 items.
- Polearms: 8 items.
- Fists: 7 items.
Crossbows add accuracy to damage. Wood Cutting and Pickaxes are tool skills. Wood Cutting covers your axe damage against trees, and Pickaxes covers your damage with pickaxes. Both have a gain factor of 1, and no weapon or shield trains either.
Blocking works for both weapons and shields, and 20 items train it. Its gain factor is 0.5, half the rate of most weapon skills.
Magic skills
Elemental Magic and Blood Magic both have a gain factor of 1. Elemental Magic affects damage and eitr usage and is trained by 6 items. Blood Magic affects damage, eitr and health drain. No weapon or shield trains it.
Movement skills
These skills reduce stamina costs or improve how you move. They level more slowly than the weapon skills.
- Jump: raises jump height. Gain factor 0.5.
- Sneak: cuts stamina drain and makes you stealthier. Gain factor 0.5.
- Swim: cuts stamina drain when swimming. Gain factor 0.3.
- Run: raises running speed and cuts stamina drain. Gain factor 0.2.
- Riding: improves animal speed and stamina drain. Gain factor 0.2.
- Dodge: cuts stamina drain when dodging. Gain factor 0.25.
Run and Riding have the lowest gain factors of any skill, so expect them to level slowest.
Crafting and life skills
Fishing, Cooking, Farming and Crafting all share a gain factor of 0.25, and no weapon or shield trains any of them.
- Fishing: reduces stamina drain and raises pull speed.
- Cooking: improves cooking speed, reduces serving tray wear and gives a chance for bonus yields.
- Farming: reduces stamina use and cultivator wear, widens your harvest radius and gives a chance for bonus yields.
- Crafting: speeds up crafting, reduces hammer wear and lowers building stamina use.
What you lose when you die
Dying costs you 5% of your skills. Skills that you have raised high are worth protecting, but the loss is small next to what you gain by continuing to use them.
Written from the game data of Valheim 1.0.17, last updated October 10, 2026.