On this page5 sections
- Rag Armor is starting gear: 2 armor for the set, 4 at its Quality 2 cap.
- It costs only
Leather Scraps, mainly from 
Boars and Meadows chests. - Do not upgrade it. Save scraps for the
Crude Bow and hunt 
Deer for Leather Armor instead. - Aim to be in Leather Armor within your first 30 minutes.
Your First Line of Defense in Valheim
Every Viking wakes up on the sacrificial stones in a 
Rag Tunic. It looks like a raid on a medieval laundry basket, and it is your only protection until you hunt materials for something better.
The simplest set in the game
Two pieces, the Rag Tunic and 
Rag Trousers. No helmet, no cape, no set bonus. Each piece gives 1 armor at base quality, 2 for the set. A single Boar hits for 10 Blunt damage, so you are not exactly a walking fortress.
Rag Armor is not meant to last even your first few hours. Think of it as training wheels: it teaches you that armor exists, that crafting stations matter, and that you should always be looking to upgrade.
Rag Armor Stats
| Rag Tunic (Quality 1) | 1 Armor, 200 Durability, 2.0 Weight |
| Rag Trousers (Quality 1) | 1 Armor, 200 Durability, 2.0 Weight |
| Full Set (Quality 1) | 2 Armor, 4.0 Total Weight |
| Rag Tunic (Quality 2) | 2 Armor, 250 Durability, 2.0 Weight |
| Rag Trousers (Quality 2) | 2 Armor, 250 Durability, 2.0 Weight |
| Full Set (Quality 2) | 4 Armor, 4.0 Total Weight |
| Max Quality | 2 (most armor goes to 4) |
| Movement Speed Penalty | None |
| Set Bonus | None |
Crafting Recipes
Workbench (Level 1)Rag TunicChest armor · MeadowsStarting chest piece: replace it with a Leather Tunic as soon as you can
- Armor
- 1 (+1 per level)
- Durability
- 200 (+50 per level)
- Max quality
- 2
- Weight
- 2
Workbench: 5 Leather Scraps
Do not waste your Leather Scraps upgrading Rag Armor to Quality 2. Those same 10 Leather Scraps are far better spent saving up for Leather Armor or crafting essential items like the Crude Bow (10 
Wood, 8 Leather Scraps). The jump from 2 to 4 total armor is negligible, and you will need every scrap you can get for your real first upgrade.
How to Get Leather Scraps
Leather Scraps are the only material Rag Armor needs, and they are among the easiest resources in the Meadows.
Sources
- Boars: a 0-star Boar always drops 1 Leather Scrap and 1
Boar Meat. 1-star Boars drop 2 of each and rare 2-star Boars drop 4, but starred Boars only appear at least 800 meters from the world center. - Meadows chests: small ruined structures near spawn often hold a chest or two, a free head start before you craft a weapon.
- Later: Troll Cave chests and Bats (50% chance of 1).
Hunting Boars
Boars have just 10 HP, so a 
Club or 
Stone Axe kills them in a few hits. They hit for 10 Blunt with a 5-second cooldown, so dodge the charge and counterattack. Boars fear fire, Torches included, so put yours away or they scatter.
Leather ScrapsMaterial · MeadowsRag Armor, Crude Bow and Flint Spear all need it
- Weight
- 0.5
- Stack size
- 50
“The Rag Armor is not your destination. It is your reminder that everything in Valheim is trying to kill you, and you should probably do something about that.
Should You Upgrade Rag Armor?
In a word: no. Rag Armor caps at Quality 2, while almost every other armor set goes to 4. Even maxed, the set gives 4 armor, less than base Leather Armor's 7 (with the 
Deer Hide Cape).
Why it is not worth it
Quality 2 needs a level 2 Workbench, so you must build a 
Chopping Block (10 Wood, 10 
Flint) or a 
Tanning Rack (10 Wood, 15 Flint, 20 Leather Scraps, 5 
Deer Hide). By then you usually have enough Deer Hide to start Leather Armor.
Each Leather piece costs 6 Deer Hide and gives 2 armor at base, matching upgraded Rag per piece.
The one exception: a server where Deer are scarce and you have piles of scraps from Boar farming. Even then, it is a stopgap, not a strategy.
Chest Slot: Rag Tunic vs Leather Tunic
| Stat | Rag Tunic |  Leather Tunic |
|---|---|---|
| Armor | 1 (+1 per level) | 2 (+2 per level) |
| Durability | 200 (+50 per level) | 400 (+100 per level) |
| Max quality | 2 | 4 |
| Weight | 2 | 5 |
| Crafted at | Workbench | Workbench 2 |
Rag Armor vs. Leather Armor
| Stat | Rag Armor (Max Quality) | Leather Armor (Base Quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces | 2 (Tunic + Trousers) | 4 (Helmet + Tunic + Trousers + Cape) |
| Total Armor | 4 | 7 |
| Max Quality | 2 | 4 |
| Crafting Station | Workbench Lv. 1 | Workbench Lv. 2 |
| Upgrade Station | Workbench Lv. 2 | Workbench Lv. 3-5 |
| Materials | Leather Scraps only | Deer Hide +  Bone Fragments |
| Total Cost (Craft + Upgrade) | 20 Leather Scraps | - |
| Movement Penalty | None | None |
| Set Bonus | None | None |
| Total Cost (Base Craft) | - | 22 Deer Hide, 5 Bone Fragments |
IronWhen to Move On to Leather Armor
Your priority in the first 30 minutes of a new world is getting out of Rag Armor.
Early game plan
- Craft a Club (6 Wood) and hunt Boars for Leather Scraps and Boar Meat.
- Hunt Deer for Deer Hide. They flee when you approach, so sneak up and use a
Flint Spear (5 Wood, 10 Flint, 2 Leather Scraps) or a Crude Bow (10 Wood, 8 Leather Scraps). - Collect about 22 Deer Hide and 5 Bone Fragments (from night
Skeletons or Viking Graves in the Meadows). - Craft the full Leather Armor set at a level 2 Workbench.
Base Leather gives nearly double maxed Rag, scales to Quality 4, and fills your helmet and cape slots.
After Leather
In the Black Forest you choose between the Troll Set (light, with a Sneak set bonus) and Bronze Armor (heavy, with much higher armor). For now, focus on Deer Hide and leave the rags behind.
Early Armor Progression
Do not stress about armor early on. Valheim rewards smart play over raw stats, and dodging, parrying with a 
Wood Shield and using terrain matter far more than 2 vs 4 armor. Focus instead on:
- Food for health:
Cooked Boar Meat, 
Grilled Neck Tail, 
Raspberries - The Rested buff from sitting near a fire, which adds health and stamina regeneration that outweighs any early armor
Rag Armor FAQ
A few common questions new players have about the Rag Armor set.
Can I get back the Rag Tunic I started with if I accidentally destroy it?
Yes. You can craft a new Rag Tunic at any Workbench for just 5 Leather Scraps. The one you start with is not unique in any way. It is identical to a freshly crafted one.
Why does Rag Armor only go to Quality 2 when other sets go to 4?
Carapace
FlametalIs there a Rag Armor helmet or cape?
No. Rag Armor is just the Tunic and Trousers. Your helmet and cape slots stay empty until you craft the 
Leather Helmet (6 Deer Hide, Workbench level 2) and the Deer Hide Cape (4 Deer Hide, 5 Bone Fragments, Workbench level 2). Filling all four slots makes a real difference, another reason to move to Leather quickly.
Does Rag Armor have any movement speed penalty?
No. Rag Armor has zero movement speed penalty. Neither does Leather Armor. Movement speed penalties only start appearing with heavy armor sets beginning in the Black Forest, where the Bronze Plate Cuirass and 
Bronze Plate Leggings each reduce movement speed by 5%.
Recommended Early Meadows Loadout
Leather Trousers
NecksRecent Updates
- Updated for Valheim 1.0: renamed Rag Pants to Rag Trousers, fixed quality cap and crafting station claims, and reorganised for easier reading.