KEY POINTS

  • Food in "Valheim" increases maximum health and stamina values
  • Eating better food results in higher stat gains
  • Higher-quality food can only be obtained later in the game 

Food is a staple in any survival game, but “Valheim” takes this mechanic and twists it into something that’s more useful and, ultimately, more fun.

Instead of having a hunger mechanic that punishes players who don’t or can’t eat, “Valheim” rewards players for giving their Vikings a full meal in the form of increased health and stamina. The amount of health or stamina gained depends on the type of food that players eat; the better the food quality, the bigger the bonuses.

With that said, “Valheim” players will want to make sure that they’re stocked with the best food items in the game to make sure they’re at maximum capacity. Here are some foods that players should try to chase after:

  • Sausages
  • Serpent Meat
  • Carrot Soup
  • Neck Tails
  • Honey

While they aren’t ranked in any particular order, these food items will give players more stats than simple Cooked Meat or berries would. This comes at a cost, however, since these foods are harder to come by.

Sausages can only be made after first picking up Entrails, a cooking ingredient dropped by Draugr enemies in the Swamp biome. Mixing Entrails with Raw Meat and Thistles inside a Cauldron will create four Sausages, making this relatively ingredient-efficient.

Serpent Meat can be harvested from Sea Serpents. These monsters can be found in the middle of Ocean biomes, and they can be tough to take down. Players should try crafting an Abyssal Harpoon first to make serpent hunting easier. These can be cooked over a Cooking Station.

Carrot Soup is made with Mushrooms and Carrots. Mushrooms can be found in the Meadows and Dark Forest biomes, while Carrots can only be farmed after planting Carrot Seeds. A Cauldron is also required to craft this meal.

Cooked Neck Tails are the perfect complement for Raw Meat. They’re relatively easy to get and can give a big HP buff to players so long as other food is consumed. They are dropped by Necks, small lizard-like creatures that are only found near streams or along shorelines.

Honey can be gathered from player-created Beehives. These hives can be built after finding a Queen Bee, which only drops after destroying hives that spawn in abandoned houses or on tree branches in the Meadows biome. Honey also provides the highest healing per second among all of the food in the game, making it very helpful during big fights.

Valheim players hunting for Sea Serpents during a storm
Valheim players hunting for Sea Serpents during a storm. Valheim