Valheim: Best seeds | Great world map seeds for resources and more

The world you inhabit in Valheim is procedurally generated, so in theory your world map should be almost unique. However, if you're hoping for a more structured experience, you could seek out a particular world seed. That way, you know what you're getting into ahead of time.

You can also have some fun typing in random words and seeing what Valheim makes of them.

Here are some of our recommendations for the best Valheim world seeds:

A nice centralised map (seed: W2hUEJUEcM)

Reddit user u/Goottimuikkunen took to the Valheim subreddit to recommend this seed.

The world of Valheim is designed around an archipelago, encouraging you to build and upgrade boats and go exploring.

If you're looking for a more localised experience, however, this seed could be for you. You'll start on an island where all the different ecosystems (known as biomes) are represented. The original poster estimates that 90% of the game's resources can be found without crossing the water. Altars for summoning the first two bosses (Eikthyr and The Elder) are also on the starting island.

This allows you to play almost half the game without leaving the first island unless you choose to. It's a good choice for players who want a speedy or simplified start to their game.

A merchant you can actually find (seed: Hu2N5rgDT5)

Credit for this one goes to a user named EugenesAxe1 over on the Valheim wiki.

Haldor the Merchant is one of the most illusive things in Valheim. There's only one of him in the entire game-world, and he spawns somewhere in the Black Forest and never changes his location. Trying to find his encampment can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

(For context: some of the best seeds out there have a massive "merchant location unknown" caveat attached to them. There have been players who've gotten pretty far into the game before realising there even is a merchant.)

Finding Haldor is actually quite important, as the items he sells can't be found anywhere else in the game. In particular, you can't craft Frostner — the best bludgeoning weapon in the game, which also deals frost and spirit damage — without purchasing some resources from him first.

Using this seed, finding Haldor becomes comparatively easy. Head south from the starting location until you hit the coastline, then continue to follow it to the south and west. The merchant's camp will pop up on the map when you get close enough to him, which you should do, since he's set up quite close to the beach. (How lovely.)

Pay your respects to Odin for a well-populated seed (seed: Odinisking)

In addition to inevitably trying out vaguely NSFW seed names, some Valheim players have elected to put words and phrases from Norse mythology to the test.

While there's no evidence that the Valheim devs have put any Easter eggs in for particular seeds, this one is nevertheless pretty good. Credit goes to u/Indyana80 over at the Valheim Seeds subreddit, which is well worth a browse for more recommendations.

This seed spawns you on a large starting island which is primarily Black Forest, but has at least some areas of all other biome types as well. The best part, though, is that four of the bosses and the trader can be found on it. Only Bonemass has set up housekeeping (well... swampdwelling) across the water, and even he's only on the next island.

Just remember that seeds in Valheim are case sensitive, so only the "O" should be capitalised. Odin likes you to remember who and what you're really doing all this for, apparently.

Attractive location with good swamps nearby (seed: nkkFzfrNPu)

Another good one from the Valheim wiki, with thanks to user Justheretohelpout.

While there's obviously a huge variety between the seeds you can find in Valheim, most islands are dominated by Black Forest, the largest biome on the map. Perhaps as a result, there seems to be a lack of decent swampland on a lot of starting islands, judging by the number of people who've taken to the internet asking for seed suggestions that will spawn them in or near the Swamp.

This seed sees you spawn in to an area composed of meadows and forest, but following the coast to the east and then to the north leads you to a huge Swamp area. It's absolutely full of crypts, giving you plenty of opportunities to start hunting for valuable resources almost straight away.

For an added bonus, following the route described will ping the Merchant's location on your map, too.

No-boat challenge (seed: IX7JpLYpLd)

Seeds where all five bosses plus the trader all appear on the starting island are in high demand. Whether you're looking to do a quick run through or playing a self-imposed resource challenge, having everything in one place can really come in handy.

While this seed — recommended by Reddit user u/IamJustJunior — doesn't quite feature a single contiguous landmass, the waterways on this map are so narrow that they barely count. You certainly won't need a boat, and the swim from bank to bank is about as arduous as hopping over a brook. Place down a couple of short bridges and you'll never even have to get your shoes wet.

Pleasingly, the bosses populate in order from top to bottom, too. Haldor's camp is placed at the mid-point like some sort of Viking motorway service station, an easy and convenient place to rest and stock up between boss fights.

The speedrunner's friend (seed: NmcpwFKAXF)

Valheim's old enough now that many people have finished their first play-through. Naturally, some fans of the game are now keeping things fresh by attempting speedruns.

This seed — uncovered by Reddit user u/strife_man — strikes a beautiful balance. Spread across two islands so you don't miss out on the Ocean biome altogether, you're still never more than one boat ride away from where you want to be.

The two islands are also very handily populated. The spawn point and the first two bosses are on the west island, which is dominated by the comparatively harmless Meadow and Black Forest biomes. A short trip across the water brings you to Haldor's camp before heading up to the harsher terrains where the three late-game bosses are found.

This means minimal doubling back on yourself, without missing out on anything the game has to offer.

Best worst seeds for hardcore Vikings

Turns out there are gluttons for punishment everywhere, and the Valheim fandom is no different. While most requests for seed recommendations focus on generous spawns with one big centralised landmass, some people are out there actively looking for the opposite.

There are loads painfully awful seeds to be had, but YouTuber Nizar GG has made the search for the worst one into an almost scientific pursuit.

Watch the below video for a nuanced examination of three candidates for Valheim's most challenging world seed. And if this is your thing, I wish you joy of it.

The Valheim World Generator

Not all of the seeds we've seen have been discovered in-game. Increasingly, people are using an unofficial companion tool called the Valheim World Generator to preview potential seeds before committing to starting a game in one.

To be honest, this is almost a game in itself. You don't even need to own a copy of Valheim to play with the World Generator. It's too easy to lose hours plugging in random alphanumeric babble, rude words, and the names of your favourite people and seeing what comes up. I heartily recommend giving it a try if you're shopping for something specific in a seed.

We'll keep adding to this list as we uncover more good seeds!

In the meantime, check out our Valheim tips page for absolutely everything we know about surviving Viking purgatory, alone or with friends.

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