Valheim drops you into a Norse purgatory with nothing but your hands and a raven who talks too much. You can play it alone, but it truly shines with other people: building a longhouse together, sailing into a storm, and panicking as a troll walks out of the trees. If your friends are busy or you want a bigger world, a community server is the answer.
How Valheim servers work
Valheim uses dedicated servers that anyone can host, and a server holds one world. By default a server is built for small groups, up to 10 players at once, though some modded servers raise that limit. Many communities run their server around the clock, so the world keeps growing even when you are offline.
One thing surprises new players: your character, skills and inventory belong to you, not to the world. You can take the same character from one server to another. Some servers allow this freely, others start everyone fresh to keep things fair. Check the rules before you bring a fully geared Viking into a new world.
Vanilla or modded
Vanilla servers play exactly like the game you bought. Every boss, biome and recipe is as the developers designed it. That is the best choice if you are new or want the intended challenge.
Modded servers add anything from small comforts, such as bigger stacks, better maps or building tools, to whole new creatures, weapons and biomes. They usually require you to install the same mods before joining, often through a mod manager and a list the server provides. Follow the server's own instructions, and only download mods from well-known mod sites, never from random links.
World modifiers
Newer versions of Valheim let a server change the world's rules: combat difficulty, how harsh death is, how many resources drop, how often raids come and whether metal can go through portals. Two vanilla servers can therefore feel very different. A server with "no portal restrictions" and boosted resources is relaxed; one with hard combat and a harsh death penalty is a real survival test. Good servers list their settings clearly.
PvE or PvP
Most Valheim servers are cooperative: you work together against the world and its bosses. On some, PvP is something each player turns on and off, and others are built around it, with clans, territory and raids on each other's bases. If you join a PvP server, ask how base raiding works before you build anything precious.
Crossplay
Valheim supports crossplay between PC and Xbox when the server enables it. If you play with friends on different platforms, look for servers that list crossplay support.
What to check before joining
- Progress. Has the server already beaten several bosses? Joining a world where others have reached the late game can still be fun, but some players prefer to start together from the first boss.
- Wipes. Find out whether the world is ever reset, for example when a big update arrives.
- Rules on building and griefing. Shared worlds need rules about where you can build and what you can take from others.
- Location and time zone. A nearby server means smoother combat, and people online at your hours mean someone to sail with.
- Community. A Discord where players share builds and plan boss fights is a good sign.
Find your server
On the Valheim server list you can filter by modded or vanilla, PvP or PvE and crossplay, then read votes and reviews from real players. Pick a world that matches how you like to play, grab your axe and go meet your new longhouse neighbours.
