Valheim, an open world creation and survival sandbox that takes place in Viking purgatory, is full of deadly enemies. There are goblins, skeletons, Draugr and trolls that will fight any player they see. But the greatest absolute danger in the world is proving not to be a gray dwarf or a moose that shoots lightning, but the humble tree.
This is not a supernatural phenomenon, like a terrible terror or a spell from nature. Large normal trees in the world are proving surprisingly deadly. Valheim has a robust physics system, especially compared to many other survival games. When you mine ore, the rocks around the copper are pulled out; enemy corpses will fall on a steep hill.
This also applies to trees. In some games, a tree falls without causing damage and then disappears without collision detection. At the Valheim, when a tree trunk falls, it falls Difficult. Falling trees can hit players unprepared with a shot and destroy wooden bases. They don’t play. This is a game where shouting “WOOD” is absolutely necessary, or you will crush your friends (or yourself) like little insects.
To make matters worse, enemies can cut down trees by making area effect attacks. There is nothing that makes a Viking feel more foolish than standing at a distance, hitting a troll with arrows, only to lose the giant trunk falling on his head.
If you are not already worried about deadly trees, trolls and other big monsters can pick up fallen logs and use them as makeshift weapons. There is nothing more frightening than to fly a troll through the Black Forest and feel a wave of triumph as your health falls … only for it to crush you with a log, turning you into Viking sauce.
Most players are taking this in a good mood, but some are already trying to find ways to get around the tree issue. Some groups are building logging camps, away from their main base, where they can cut trees without having to worry about losing long houses or workstations carefully built in the process. Other players are trying to use the logs as makeshift bridges – or even as a base for other construction projects that go so far in the sky that nothing can touch them.
Valheim it is a very new game, still in initial access. It is likely that as development continues, the developer Iron Gate will add many more deadly threats to the world. But for now, tree trunks seem to be one of the most lethal elements in the Valheim. No one suspects that an innocent-looking tree is a weapon of mass destruction. For now, the best thing players can do is keep their physics in mind, shout “WOOD” when necessary and never stand at the foot of a hill while cutting trees. If you die, don’t worry – at this point, it’s basically a rite of passage.