How to build a ship in Valheim

The world of Valheim is a big place, don't believe me? Try zooming out and see for yourself; trust me, it's a huge map, and because of that you will need to build a ship. Here's how to do it and what resources you need.

How to get a ship in Valheim

To build a ship, you will need resources depending on the kind of ship you want to build; you will also need a workshop nearby and a hammer to make them. 

That being said, if you want to make a boat, you will first need to place a workbench close by to the water; the workbench doesn't need a roof over it; just slap one down, and you will be fine.

After that, you will need to grab a hammer and right-click and select the miscellaneous tab; inside this tab, you can find all craftable ships when they unlock. That said, there's a total of three ships in the game, so here's everything you need to build all three.

How to Build A Raft in Valheim  

The raft is the basic first-tier ship in the game; it will also already be unlocked when you start the game. A raft requires the following materials to build.  

• 20 Wood: Chop any tree down to get wood.
• 6 Leather: scraps: you can get the scraps from killing boars. 
• 10 Resin: Kill Greydwarfs to get resin.

How to build A Karve in Valheim

The Karve is the second tier ship in the game and honestly the one you should save up to get; you will also need to craft bronze nails to unlock it. A karve requires the following materials to build.

Related: How to make a workbench in Valheim

• 30 Fine Wood: Chop down birch trees to get fine wood.
• 10 Deer Hide: Hunt dear to get deer hides (duh). 
• 20 Resin: Kill Greydwarfs to get resin
• 80 Bronze Nails: Craft bronze bars to make bronze nails inside a forge.

How to build a Longship in Valheim

The last and best ship in the game is a Longship that you unlock by crafting iron nails; a longship requires the following materials to build.

• 100 Iron Nails: Craft iron bars to make iron nails inside a forge.
• 40 Fine Wood: Chop down birch trees to get fine wood.
• 10 Deer Hide: Hunt dear to get deer hides (duh). 
• 40 Ancient Bark: Chop down ancient trees in the swamp biome to get the bark.

Related: How to get copper in Valheim

How to control and sail a ship in Valheim

To sail a ship, you will need to hit e on the end of the boat that says use rudder; after this, you will need to set your sails down by pressing w and then taping again once and releasing to move forward.

You will also need to try and sail with the wind's direction; the wind's current direction can be seen via the small wind icon on the ship direction icon on the right of your screen while controlling the ship.  You can tell if you are sailing with the wind if the icon is white and lit up; if it is not, you are sailing against the wind's direction and will need to raise your sails. 

Your sails will also automatically face wherever the wind is pointing, so all you will need to do is either hit a to turn the boat left and d to turn it right. We recommend traveling in a zig-zag manner using both keys to sail with the wind effectively.

Also if you are sailing against the wind, you will need to raise your sails completely and use only the rudder or it will be like trying to digging a tunnel through a mountain with a plastic spoon. 

All Ship Controls

• W: Taping W will make the boat go forward; taping it will also lower the sails
• S: Taping  S will reverse the ship; taping it will also raise the sails
• A: Holding A will turn the ship left
• D: Holding D will turn the ship right

For more on Valheim, we at PGG have you covered with a ton of awesome guides like how to get a pickaxe  and how to get bronze in Valheim.