The Valheim community is trying to yeet themselves into orbit

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A "Viking Space Race" to see which norseman can fly the furthest.

Forget tree roulette or wooden spaceships. The latest trend sweeping Valheim's Nordic forests is the so-called "Viking Space Program", which sees players flinging themselves across the sky to see who can fly the furthest.

Viking Space Program from r/valheim

Using this basic mechanic, would-be astronauts have begun refining the process to achieve greater heights. Doors can be used to keep the projectile player in place while the launcher runs off in the other direction, building tension. Naturally, sloped roof pieces make for ideal ramps.

Further improvements involve setting up a launch runway, improving the accuracy of your human cannonballs. This first example also has the added benefit of shooting towards the ocean, handily avoiding a messy landing. A mountaintop launch, meanwhile, delivers some truly impressive altitude.

Naturally, Valheim isn't exactly built to handle 300mph flying Norsemen. Our flying Vikings quickly start crossing the world faster than the game can load it in.

Joint Viking space missions between NASA and SpaceX from r/valheim

Nobody really seems clear on what the point of it all is, besides a challenge to see who can hurl themselves the furthest. A few commenters toy with the idea of using it to ferry iron ore across the map, a kind of human delivery drone that leaves a meaty mess on the recipient's doorstep. Others have noted that Valheim's fall damage caps out at 100—if you're well fed enough, you've a good chance of sticking the landing.

If you really want to immerse yourself in Valheim's fledgling space program, it might be worth plugging in the game's surprisingly solid first-person mod. Sorry: no sick bags included.

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.