How to get bronze in Valheim

How to make Valheim bronze
(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

Wondering how to make bronze in Valheim? As you progress through the Viking afterlife you'll find all sorts of useful resources. But it's not until you defeat Eikthyr, the first Valheim boss, that you'll be able to mine ore and gain access to the new gear and upgrades it provides. Indeed, bronze is vital for surviving many dangers as you push into new biomes. And while you may be in no hurry to put yourself in potential danger early on, if you're planning on growing your own crops, you'll need bronze to craft a cultivator to plant Valheim seeds

The only real downside, as with all ores, is that you can't take them through Valheim portals. But a bit of extra walking or even a lengthy journey by sea is worth your while to get hold of this vital resource. So if you want to know how to get your hands on Valheim bronze—as well as everything you can craft with it—read on to find out everything you need to know. 

Valheim bronze: How to craft it

Bronze is very easy to make. However, tracking down the materials and equipment that you'll need for the job is both time consuming and challenging. You need a Valheim workbench and a forge before you can begin making these precious bars, as well as the following materials:

  • Copper x2
  • Tin x1

First, you'll need to know how to find copper in Valheim. You can mine copper deposits in the Black Forest biome. Look out for hefty green rocks with copper-coloured veins running through them, and use an antler pickaxe (or better) to chip away at the deposits and retrieve the ore. With the hard work out of the way, combine your copper ore with coal in a smelter to create copper.

Now, let's talk about tin. Similar to copper, you'll find and mine tin ore in the Black Forest. You need to check near the water's edge for this material, so pay a visit to nearby lakes in this biome. Tin ore is also unrefined, so you need to smelt it with coal to form tin.

When you're ready to turn your copper and tin into bronze, head over to your forge to begin crafting bronze items. Remember, the recipes for bronze items will automatically unlock once you have all the items required to craft them. 

If you're still fighting early bosses like Eikthyr and The Elder, one of the best Valheim armor sets is easily the bronze variant. It's also worthwhile upgrading your weapons as you find and make more valuable materials. Here are all the bronze items you can craft in Valheim:

  • Bronze atgeir
  • Bronze axe
  • Bronze buckler (shield)
  • Bronze helmet
  • Bronze mace
  • Bronze nails 
  • Bronze pickaxe
  • Bronze plate cuirass
  • Bronze plate leggings
  • Bronze spear
  • Bronze sword
  • Bronzehead arrow
  • Cultivator

(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

Valheim bronze: How to craft a bronze axe and pickaxe

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Tools are just as important as armor when it comes to staying alive as you bravely clear the fog on your Valheim map. Once you're rich in bronze stocks, consider crafting a bronze axe. This tool allows you to chop down Birch and Oak trees to collect Fine Wood—something that isn't possible with stone and flint axes. Here's what you need to craft a bronze axe:

  • Equipment: workbench and forge.
  • Wood x4
  • Bronze x8
  • Leather scraps x2

Think of Valheim's resources in tiers. You need to work your way up as you find and process each resource, which eventually helps you extract better materials later on. 

If you're keen to begin crafting items from Valheim iron, you need a sturdy bronze pickaxe to hack away at the Muddy Scrap Piles in the Swamp biome. Unfortunately your trusty antler pickaxe isn't up to scratch for this challenge. Here's how to craft a bronze pickaxe:

  • Equipment: workbench and forge.
  • Core Wood x3: Chop down Pine trees in the Black Forest.
  • Bronze x10
Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.