Valheim's Smartest Design Choice Isn't The Survival Elements, It's The Portals | MMORPG.com

System · March 2021

Valheim's Smartest Design Choice Isn't The Survival Elements, It's The Portals | MMORPG.com

After almost 100 hours in Vaheim, Bradford is reflecting on some of the things he's loved when exploring the 10th world of Yggdrasil. However, the design decision that really keeps him coming back isn't the lax survival elements or the onion layers of complexity in the Viking game. It's the portals.

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Scot · March 2021

Is there any lore to the game? Portals strike me as rather magical in what seems like a low magic game.

Slapshot1188 · March 2021

The genius of the portals is that it lets you build and focus on one main base while just making smaller outposts elsewhere. Otherwise nobody would spend hours and hours making a beautiful home.

Viper482 · March 2021

Have enjoyed the game, but it is starting to feel like a culinary simulator. Food is way to short acting and takes too much time in game to gather/prepare when I rather be doing other things. I know it's a survival game but yea...

NicoleC · March 2021

Scot said:

Is there any lore to the game? Portals strike me as rather magical in what seems like a low magic game.

You are dropped off by a Valkyrie into Viking purgatory, are guided by a giant crow, Odin watches your progress, Thor rides the lightning through thunderstorms, and additional lore is found around the map via runestones.

There is lore, but there are no story type quests to guide you through it.

Kataal · March 2021

Personally, I think the distinct focus on pve while making pvp purely optional via a toggle is the best design decision, and something that makes this game feel very unique amongst the sea of survival games. I also love how most of the awesome stories I've heard players tell haven't involved an ounce of pvp, and have all been about some grand expedition or some crazy creature they encountered. I'm just really glad someone still realizes that there are many who prefer to play games WITH other people, not AGAINST other people.

mcrippins · March 2021

Viper482 said:

Have enjoyed the game, but it is starting to feel like a culinary simulator. Food is way to short acting and takes too much time in game to gather/prepare when I rather be doing other things. I know it's a survival game but yea...

Even though they're not directly supported, there is a mod out called Valheim+ that allows you to modify things like food timers, etc. I run it on my server, and it's pretty amazing. Although, it's still early in development.

Theocritus · March 2021

Viper482 said:

Have enjoyed the game, but it is starting to feel like a culinary simulator. Food is way to short acting and takes too much time in game to gather/prepare when I rather be doing other things. I know it's a survival game but yea...

THis is a problem I have encountered in every survival game I have ever played...I never enjoy cooking and having to eat in a game...It just is not fun.....It is one part of "realism" that I just don't need....THis is what I consider tedium.

Slapshot1188 · March 2021

Theocritus said:

Viper482 said:

Have enjoyed the game, but it is starting to feel like a culinary simulator. Food is way to short acting and takes too much time in game to gather/prepare when I rather be doing other things. I know it's a survival game but yea...

THis is a problem I have encountered in every survival game I have ever played...I never enjoy cooking and having to eat in a game...It just is not fun.....It is one part of "realism" that I just don't need....THis is what I consider tedium.

Well.. to be honest... a lot of the time I would just be scooping up berries and eating those unless I needed to get high HP or stamina. Just something to start ticking some regen. Then by the time you do the swamps those Draugr drop their entrails by the boatload. The duration of food goes up as you progress as well.

Maybe it's because I had a group and we shared everything but I thought they kind of hit the sweet-spot with the food.

Groqstrong · March 2021

Scot said:

Is there any lore to the game? Portals strike me as rather magical in what seems like a low magic game.

I thought about the portals too. The only connection I could make is how you can travel from Asgard via portal to other planets somehow a lesser technology is available in Valheim. Since Odin and Thor are apart of the game I just justified it like that.

Wizardry · March 2021

So a game that doesn't really support the magic theme is good for having magic portals...sigh.
Makes as much sense as needing a fire to place a bed.
A Crow with a marker over it's head makes sense though,i see crows flying around all the time with markers over their heads.
The crafting is okish the game design though is bad and lacks soooooooooo much.

Groqstrong · March 2021

Wizardry said:

So a game that doesn't really support the magic theme is good for having magic portals...sigh.
Makes as much sense as needing a fire to place a bed.
A Crow with a marker over it's head makes sense though,i see crows flying around all the time with markers over their heads.
The crafting is okish the game design though is bad and lacks soooooooooo much.

There are literally undead skeletons, necromancy is a form of magic lol.

Asheram · March 2021

Wizardry said:

So a game that doesn't really support the magic theme is good for having magic portals...sigh.
Makes as much sense as needing a fire to place a bed.
A Crow with a marker over it's head makes sense though,i see crows flying around all the time with markers over their heads.
The crafting is okish the game design though is bad and lacks soooooooooo much.

Your character is dropped off in the mythical 10th purgatory realm of ygdrassil, totally magical.

You dont need a fire to place a bed, only to sleep the night away in said bed. The bed acts as a spawn point after dying. Most of the time on dedicated server with other players on you cant sleep anyhow unless all on the server do at the same exact time.

It's a raven not a crow, Hugin, one of Odins 2 raven messengers. The other raven is Munin, who isnt in game yet.

Image: https://www.ancientpages.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/odinravens179-1.jpg

The crafting and world manipulation puts atlas to shame.

You cant do any of this in atlas

Asheram · March 2021

https://www.reddit.com/r/valheim/comments/lu96kl/spent_all_night_building_a_mega_boat_ramp_it_was/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Aethaeryn · March 2021

Wizardry said:

So a game that doesn't really support the magic theme is good for having magic portals...sigh.
Makes as much sense as needing a fire to place a bed.
A Crow with a marker over it's head makes sense though,i see crows flying around all the time with markers over their heads.
The crafting is okish the game design though is bad and lacks soooooooooo much.

Falling asleep in the frigid cold is typically a bad survival move and the fire takes a few rocks and twigs.

it is a magical world but the idea of the character knowing how to make protals seems off to me. There are magical creatures and weapons though.

I think the portals are what actually has be continuing to play the game. The gameplay isn't based on time sinks so far.

etlar · March 2021

Wizardry said:

So a game that doesn't really support the magic theme is good for having magic portals...sigh.
Makes as much sense as needing a fire to place a bed.
A Crow with a marker over it's head makes sense though,i see crows flying around all the time with markers over their heads.
The crafting is okish the game design though is bad and lacks soooooooooo much.

you really seem to dislike Valheim, and it doesnt sound like you played it friend

Let me tell you this: i am sorry Atlas failed, i wanted it to be great too!

In Valheim, i have had only fun so far, even the scary corpse runs gave a thril and some good laughs on discord, i havent heard a single person on discord frustrated over valheim yet...

We are simply having fun. even when dying in hilarious ways. i would honestly give it a try if i were you m8.

and once again: i am sorry that Atlas failed, i know how you felt about it, by tdo not let that anger cloud your judgement of other games

kitarad · March 2021

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

Scot · March 2021

Torval said:

It's a high magic world where we're not mages. We're marshal weapons users.

This is what I picked up from the previous posts, even though set in a purgatory the players avatars are quite "grounded". That allows them to have a magical setting but use real life solutions which fits well for a survival theme. Indeed it is quite like how "Vikings" appeared in the legends, there is a magical world around them they have to deal with but magical practitioners are rare, which in turn has elements of the swords and (more accurately against) sorcery literary genre like Conan.

Asheram · March 2021

kitarad said:

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

1:09 minute in can help with pesky branch swinging pests.

Slapshot1188 · March 2021

kitarad said:

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

As for the portals and long distances... we eventually dedicated an entire building to them. Prior to going out we would build a new portal and name it (we used a number system). Then we would load up the mats to make it’s sister portal and go adventuring. When we landed on a far shore, the first thing we did was craft a workbench and that portal. This way if we died... it was a quick portal back to get our stuff.

We eventually had dozens of portals but realized our main base building did not need to have all the portals. You can rename them. So when we were done exploring someplace we would leave that portal but rename its sister portal in our base. If we ever needed to go back we would just change the name back in our base. You technically just need one origin portal in your base that you constantly rename to match the destination portal you wish to reach.

Some other advice... the Rested buff is very helpful. It increases (doubles?) your regen rates. The more comforts you build in your base the higher your Comfort rating. By the time we got to the last boss that buff was up over 20 minutes. Being cold and wet is your enemy so even when away from base a quick fire can be helpful, especially if you can find an abandoned shelter to pair it with.

For combat, learn to block with a shield or get a weapon that will slow/knock back. Defense if very important. If you use right mouse button and hold it your shield will block an incoming attack. The longer you hold it the more your stamina will drain so you want to time it to their actual attacks. Also, if you time it just right, your block will stun the enemy and give you a free swing or two at double (or more) damage.

kitarad · March 2021

Asheram said:

kitarad said:

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

1:09 minute in can help with pesky branch swinging pests.

I am not very sure but when there was a storm the water was coming in where I built the house. Hmm....perhaps not the best idea I had. I will collect more stone and raise the earth around the little mound my house is on. I have already completed the house and slept in there several times but when I was building the whole area was semi drowned in water. I am beginning to wonder if I might just drown in my sleep...

Now that I have completed the house and raised the floor I am hoping the water level does not rise. These all come from being totally inapt at architecture and building sensible structures.

I have not yet picked up the ability to cut through stone so I don't think I can raise the stone mound itself as I have seen people do in vids. However here's hoping the house stands.

Slapshot1188 · March 2021

kitarad said:

Asheram said:

kitarad said:

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

1:09 minute in can help with pesky branch swinging pests.

I am not very sure but when there was a storm the water was coming in where I built the house. Hmm....perhaps not the best idea I had. I will collect more stone and raise the earth around the little mound my house is on. I have already completed the house and slept in there several times but when I was building the whole area was semi drowned in water. I am beginning to wonder if I might just drown in my sleep...

Now that I have completed the house and raised the floor I am hoping the water level does not rise. These all come from being totally inapt at architecture and building sensible structures.

I have not yet picked up the ability to cut through stone so I don't think I can raise the stone mound itself as I have seen people do in vids. However here's hoping the house stands.

When we built our first boat we beached it... some time later the tide came in and swept it out to sea...

We learned to actually build a dock area and even when we explore an island we dig out a little boat space and fence it off so it can't float away.

Fun stuff

TacticalZombeh · March 2021

Slapshot1188 said:

kitarad said:

Asheram said:

kitarad said:

This idea of using that raising earth method helped me make two stone islands into my sleeping quarters and leaving my main big house with all my chests in another location close by so that when they attack they will always come to my stone islands well more like stone mound in the middle of some water. I hope with the fencing I can just shoot at them and kill them without them damaging my main house. Worried about that branch swinging troll will actually have the reach.

The portals are indeed genius and gives your base some security and the tedium of traversing long distances can indeed be a turn off.

1:09 minute in can help with pesky branch swinging pests.

I am not very sure but when there was a storm the water was coming in where I built the house. Hmm....perhaps not the best idea I had. I will collect more stone and raise the earth around the little mound my house is on. I have already completed the house and slept in there several times but when I was building the whole area was semi drowned in water. I am beginning to wonder if I might just drown in my sleep...

Now that I have completed the house and raised the floor I am hoping the water level does not rise. These all come from being totally inapt at architecture and building sensible structures.

I have not yet picked up the ability to cut through stone so I don't think I can raise the stone mound itself as I have seen people do in vids. However here's hoping the house stands.

When we built our first boat we beached it... some time later the tide came in and swept it out to sea...

We learned to actually build a dock area and even when we explore an island we dig out a little boat space and fence it off so it can't float away.

Fun stuff

I think the problem with boats floating away is that you have to come to a complete stop before getting out. I'll have to test it, but sometimes I have to tap the direction controls lightly to make sure the boat doesn't have a slight drift when I get out. I have had the boats stay in one place even at some of my stormier ports when I've paid attention to the drift.

I can see the efficiency of building just the one main portal and renaming it, but I do love having a building with an array of them. I'm developing a system that seems to work for me. I have a main portal labeleld "Home" which is my emergency in-case-I-forgot-a-name portal, a portal to "Porkbelly", my pig and carrot farm (only place I've seen two star porkers so far), one to the Forsaken ring for easy boss trophy turn in and buffs, one relay port in the swamp for mining steel when I need it, one to the merchant, one near two spawns of Surtlings and one labeled "Battle" which is a direct port to my workshop/smithy for easy repairs.

I carry mats for a portal on my ship and go a-viking!

Slapshot1188 · March 2021

Yeah, our portal room has 20 or so in there and looks cool, but we reached a point where we realized we just wouldn't need some so we started renaming them.

Rungar · March 2021

the game is full to the brim with excellent designs. The only weakness I see is the skills system which is a bit draconic on the losses. So much so you pretty much ignore it.

kjempff · March 2021

Portals are slightly out of place, but very necessary for the game to be more fun. Not really sure whether I actually like not being able to take metal through. Maybe they could have been tweaked somehow, to not make transporting metal trivial but also not a pain.
The carts are at least extremely annoyng to use for transport as they get stuck on everything constantly; so much that I prefer running several times over dragging that thing. Ships are much better for transporting, although they can hold way too little cargo.

As politically uncorrect and with risk of invoking the wrath of cancel culture, I also think having some form of thrall system for mundane tasks, would be nice. Hiring transport npc maybe ?

But anyways, the main issues are:
You are cold you are wet.
Can only sleep in single player, and you really really want to skip .. Nights..bad weather..
Too easy to dupe items (in a heavily grind based game, this is a problem)
And same goes for circumventing the metal limitation of portals (only takes swapping games a few time).
Food last too little time
You are cold you are wet
You just lost stuff that doesn't respawn to the buttom of the sea.

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