How to craft the best armor in Valheim

Looking for the best Valheim armor? If you want to venture into some of the tougher zones that the unforgiving Valheim map has to offer, it makes sense to ensure you're adequately equipped before venturing forth. While it's true you can get by with simple troll armour for a lot of the game, some later biomes will have you scurrying for protection against the cold, or padding to help defend against the troublesome locals.

The best Valheim armor sets are mostly unlocked naturally as you progress and acquire new materials. But if you're curious about what you need to get the next upgrade so you can plan accordingly, this guide has you covered. So before you get distracted by building yet another lavish base, here are the best Valheim armor sets as well as what you need to craft them.

Valheim leather armor: Great for beginners

You can only wear a rag tunic and pants for so long. If you're looking for something more durable, but haven't had the chance to fully explore your island, then Leather armor is for you. The entire set requires 22 deer hide, and five bone fragments, so you'll want to craft a crude bow (Wood x10, Leather Scraps x8) and hunt for these skittish animals. Remember, you need a Valheim workbench to begin crafting armor.

• Leather helmet: Deer hide x6
• Leather tunic: Deer hide x6
• Leather pants: Deer hide x6
• Deer hide cape: Deer hide x6, bone fragments x5

Valheim troll armor: Feeling blue

If your leather armor isn't quite cutting it, and you feel brave enough to venture into the Black Forest, it's time to update your wardrobe with a splash of blue. Trolls wander around in the forest, and while they're keen to swing their club your way, they're quite slow. Equip a bow, keep your distance, and attack them from afar. If you manage to collect 25 troll hide, you can craft the troll armor set for a cheeky 25 percent boost to your Sneak stats. This set also calls for some bone fragments, which are dropped by skeletons, and found in Burial Chambers.

• Troll leather helmet: Troll hide x5, bone fragments x3
• Troll leather tunic: Troll hide x5
• Troll leather pants: Troll hide x5
• Troll hide cape: Troll hide x10, bone fragments x10

Valheim bronze armor: Shine bright

Sitting on a cache of Valheim copper and tin? Put your metals to good use at a forge to make bronze. Not only can you make a sturdy new pickaxe and sword, if you have 15 bronze and six deer hide, you can make a full set of shiny armor. This provides better protection than troll and leather variants, but it will slow you down.

• Bronze helmet: Bronze x5, deer hide x2
• Bronze plate cuirass: Bronze x5, deer hide x2
• Bronze plate leggings: Bronze x5, deer hide x2

Valheim iron armor: Now you're a knight

Bronze armor is ideal for getting you through some early Valheim boss fights, but you need something stronger if you want to test your skills against the strongest enemies in Viking purgatory. Valheim iron armor is the next step up, but the materials required for this recipe aren't easy to come across. You'll need to pay the Swamp a visit to mine scrap iron, then smelt a whopping 60 bars before you can craft this set.

• Iron helmet: Iron x20, deer hide x2
• Iron scale mail: Iron x20, deer hide x2
• Iron greaves: Iron x20, deer hide x2

Valheim wolf armor: Frosty furs

You've likely seen streamers showing off their fancy wolf armor. This set is the peak of Norse fashion, but it's also functional. The fluffy cape, chest piece, and leggings will protect you from the bitter wind in the Mountains. I recommend equipping an iron helmet to round off your build, as this set doesn't feature one.

• Wolf armor chest: Silver x20, wolf pelt x5, chain x1
• Wolf armor leggings: Silver x20, wolf pelt x5, wolf fang x4
• Wolf fur cape: Silver x4, wolf pelt x6, wolf trophy x1

Valheim padded armor: Strong and comfortable

This is Valheim's top tier armor. The Padded armor set comes complete with a helmet, cuirass, and greaves, so you'll need another stack of iron to craft it. You won't be able to begin working on this until after you've defeated Moder, though. 

Once you have an artisan table, you can craft a spinning wheel, which is used to turn flax into linen. As well as being the most protective, equipping this armor won't have a negative effect on your movement speed. Don't feel bad if you haven't reached this point just yet. This is endgame armor.

• Padded helmet: Iron x10, linen thread x15
• Padded cuirass: Iron x10, linen thread x20
• Padded greaves: Iron x10, linen thread x20