Bases, armor, and weapons have one thing in common, and that is protection. Some enemies may be tougher than others, while some can be just pure annoyance, and either way isn’t good when talking about your safety. While the latter two are pretty simple things to cover, the former is usually something that players of Valheim either don’t utilize, ignore, or simply don’t bother with, and while that is a fair assumption for 90% of the things you do in a world, some people who stay and build their base can get a nasty surprise in the form of world events like a mob invasion. With that being said, how do you prep against a random, yet very possible mob attack? In the game’s current state, there are 3 common options, which we’ll touch on in this list.
From moats, wall placements, and even some creative terraforming, check out a few ways you can arm your base to withstand a few mobs wrecking your precious home/castle, and spoiler, we’ll be looking at variations of those things used in builds to give you an idea for your world.
As with all Valheim lists, this was written at the time of the games’ latest version (version 0.209.10) with names of some entries being given based on what they look like, as most of the videos have the same name. Entries in the list do include console-command/cheat-enabled builds but will be stated explicitly. The list is also in no particular order.
10. Moat and Spikes Fence Wall (Skippy0330)
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Simple, single-sided defense
- Decent enough for most mobs
- Expandable
9. Circular Perimeter Wall (Pickle Plays)
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Full defense coverage
- Controlled entry point
- Needs little Wood repairs
8. Classic Castle Build (Unknown Faction)
With the whole thing being a square area with circular towers, the castle we have here is sturdy and straightforward in its design, perfect for those who just want a castle to add to their world and do not want to do a lot of design work. A disclaimer to this build is that this build was done with a free mode command, but seeing how it’s done, it’s still possible to build in normal scenarios, but it will take a lot, and I mean a lot, of stone. Once you work out the logistics of the stone, next would be the rations of Iron, but that’s also what makes this build such a good defense plan in the first place. Again, the scale of this build will be tough to accurately recreate in a normal playthrough, but downsizing it to a more personal level may be more than enough for you to survive a modest to a large wave of strong enemies, and that’s better than pulling the whole earth for a nearly empty castle.
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Straightforward build
- Very sturdy support for the build
- Versatile plan for expansions inside
7. Mountain Castle Build (Xirotegnicrev)
If you wish to make a 1-1 recreation, then you’ll be enjoying massive walls, high cliffs, and winding paths that can aid you in terms of keeping any Drakes or Wolves at bay, as they are the most common mob you’ll find here. Should that be the case, they’ll be easy to deal with as the aforementioned walls and tall structures allow you to dodge attacks from both land and up above via Wolves and Drakes respectively. With that said, this is a huge task to build, and even bigger on Stone, but at least you’ll be beyond well-protected when the ice mobs hit.
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Very strong first defense
- Lots of space indoors
- Has an additional moat and wall defense inside to guarantee safety
6. Survival Castle with Lox Farm (JJ the builder)
While castles can be barren at most in terms of usage of the land or structures they are in, this one maximizes the space allotted by the build to create a multipurpose complex that has the shape of a fort. Inside the perimeter are supposed aesthetic choices such as crops, but as the video mentions, it can be turned into a little farm for personal needs as well as a coal making area for all the ores you’ll collect. Towards the inside parts of the castle, they are sectioned off to different functions, where one can be a treasure room, the other, a room serving as your personal quarters, and one as a blacksmith/workstation area for your metal repairs.
Function-wise, it’s jam packed with stuff like the steps leading to the balconies having smartly integrated portals for easy travel, a room that leads to your Longship for water traveling, and a Lox farm at the side to get meat or tame for riding that adds to the functionality a survival mode build should offer. This build is as efficient as it is clean to look at, with items being relatively easy to get with it mostly being the stone needed to make the stone walls and general shape of the base and that makes this castle build idea something to consider when building a function heavy base for your Viking.
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Lox can help kill any enemy that breaches
- Extremely function heavy
- Smart design allows for maximized space
5. Raised Entrance Defense Fortress (smskcntr)
Speaking of digging, the ground also is dug up a bit, making a tiny moat making the base even higher, and that should more than cover any mob you’ll encounter. The entire base is made from Stone, also adding a durable layer for the small area you house things in. The stairs are the only possible weak point, but they can be repaired and replaced, which can also be said with the angled steak walls flanking the sides of the stairs. This is overkill at its finest, but for anyone paranoid about a raid, overkill is good.
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Large yet compact build
- The tall build takes up little area space
- Easily rebuildable stairs
4. Water Entrance Wall Moat (StephenTube Gaming)
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Elevation on fences and moats
- Generous spaces per defense
- The dock area also acts as a narrow entrance chokepoint
3. Mountain Castle Build (Xirotegnicrev)
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Simple design
- Deep trench for large enemies
- Limited spikes needed
2. Fortress Gate Defense (Kage848)
The style is also interesting as the wall is formed around the perimeter with the elevation of the biome in mind, making for an aesthetic shape that also gives a mini-view of the space around your massive fortress. If you want to make this one yourself, do consider the size of the area you want as, again, it can be the difference between completing the fortress or wasting time on making a weak wall, but when those random mob events do happen, expect to have a clear way to funnel them into their dooms.
What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Heavy priority on defense
- Multiple layers to guarantee safety
- Flexible in furnishing
1. Sky Castle Build (Arch G)
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What’s Great About This Design?
The great standouts for this build are the following:
- Aesthetic build
- Mobs can’t hit you
- No mob should virtually be able to ruin your base
Conclusion
While there are a few unique ways to defend your base, the simple matter is that you don’t need a hulking defense mechanism for your base if you ever play with friends. Beefing up your base is only for those who wish to go extra on their worlds or don’t want to be bothered with repairing their bases constantly. It should be noted that the game is in early access, and while it may be a bad idea to heavily fortify your base, given the limited mobs capable of wrecking your base, it may be good practice for when the game inevitably gives you bigger, more dangerous mobs, and I guess, in that sense, your best defense can be your best offense… just not yet.
