Valheim Arrows: Every Arrow Type, Crafting Recipe & Which to Use When

Arrows are arguably the most important consumable in Valheim. With 13 arrow types from the Meadows to the Deep North, it is easy to waste materials on arrows you do not need, or bring the wrong ammo to a boss. This guide covers every arrow, when to craft it, and the veteran habits that save thousands of resources.

How Arrow Damage Works

Arrow damage is added to your bow's base damage before anything else, so a strong bow with cheap arrows often beats a weak bow with expensive ones. Bow skill matters a lot too: higher skill means faster draw, more damage and better accuracy. Leveling it early with cheap Wood Arrows is one of the smartest investments you can make.

Switching arrows

With several arrow types in your inventory, right-click the stack you want to equip. Carry budget arrows for trash mobs and premium ones for the boss.

Elemental damage and stagger

Fire and Poison deal damage over time, and that does not count toward stagger; only the Pierce part does. A Wood Arrow (22 Pierce) staggers better than a Fire Arrow (11 Pierce), even though the Fire Arrow deals more total damage.

Every Arrow Type: Stats and Crafting Recipes

Early game (Meadows and Black Forest)

Wood Arrow (22 Pierce). Your bread and butter, and it stays relevant far longer than most expect. It is the only arrow that needs no Feathers: 8 Wood at a level 1 Workbench makes 20. Veterans land about 75% of their bow kills over a playthrough with Wood Arrows and sneak attacks.

Flinthead Arrow (27 Pierce). A noticeable accuracy and damage upgrade from a level 2 Workbench, and Flint is abundant along shorelines. If the Crude Bow feels inaccurate, these help. You also find them in Meadows, Black Forest and Burial Chamber chests.

Fire Arrow (11 Pierce, 22 Fire). Your first elemental arrow, fantastic against fire-weak Greydwarfs. Stuck into surfaces they give off light, handy in dark dungeons. They also work in the rain: enemies only stop burning when submerged in water. Buried treasure in the Meadows can hold a free stack.

Mid game (Swamp and Mountain)

Bronzehead Arrow (32 Pierce). Your first Forge arrow, and honestly a trap. Bronze is better spent on weapons, armor and tools, so most veterans skip it and stay on Wood or Flinthead until the Swamp.

Ironhead Arrow (42 Pierce). Same advice: do not craft these at a level 2 Forge, because Iron is too precious. Grab every free stack from Sunken Crypt and Swamp chests instead.

Obsidian Arrow (52 Pierce). This is where things get exciting. It is a level 3 Workbench recipe, so it costs no metal, and Obsidian is plentiful in the Mountain once you have an Iron Pickaxe. These become your everyday ammo: the sweet spot of the arrow economy.

Poison Arrow (26 Pierce, 52 Poison). The Poison is dealt over time. The level 3 Workbench recipe adds 2 Ooze from Blobs and Oozers in the Swamp. They are excellent against Moder, the Mountain boss, who does not resist Poison, and the effect stacks with the Draugr Fang's innate poison for a potent combo.

Late game (Mountain and Plains)

Silver Arrow (52 Pierce, 20 Spirit). A level 3 Forge recipe. Spirit is situational: Wraiths, Ghosts and the Charred in the Ashlands are weak to it, but The Elder, Moder, Greydwarfs, Trolls, Leeches and Abominations are immune. Not a straight upgrade over Obsidian Arrows.

Frost Arrow (26 Pierce, 52 Frost). One of the best arrows in the game. The damage lands upfront rather than over time, and the slow is devastating against fast enemies like Fulings. It needs a level 4 Workbench and a Freeze Gland from Mountain Drakes. Save them for the Plains and Mistlands, where the crowd control is invaluable.

Needle Arrow (62 Pierce). The Plains workhorse, with higher knockback (15 against the standard 10). Just 4 Needles and 2 Feathers at a level 4 Workbench, no Wood. Needles drop from Deathsquitos, which are easy to farm once you learn their charge. The best pure-Pierce arrow before the Mistlands, and ideal for Lox, which resist Frost but not Pierce.

Endgame (Mistlands, Ashlands and Deep North)

Carapace Arrow (72 Pierce, 15 knockback). Crafted at the Black Forge with Carapace from Seekers, this is your standard ammo once you are settled in the Mistlands. Ashlands chests can also hold them.

Charred Arrow (82 Pierce, 15 knockback). The Ashlands arrow, from Ashwood (chopped from burned trees) and Charred Bone (dropped by Charred Warriors, Marksmen and Twitchers). At nearly four times a Wood Arrow's damage, it is a huge step up. Stacks also turn up in shipwreck, Morkhalla and Deep North village chests.

Bloodgold Arrow (new in 1.0). The Deep North tier and now the top of the arrow line, crafted at a level 1 Black Forge from 8 Timberwood, 1 Bloodgold and 2 Feathers per 20. Bloodgold is smelted in a Blast Furnace, so plan your Deep North mining around it.

Which Arrows to Use in Each Biome

Meadows and Black Forest

Wood Arrows handle everything; most creatures die in one or two shots, especially from stealth. Switch to Fire Arrows if you meet an Abomination early: it is weak to Fire and very resistant to Pierce.

Swamp

Arrows struggle here. Draugr, Blobs and Oozers resist Fire, Leeches are immune to it, and Bonemass is very resistant to both Fire and Pierce. Many players go melee with Blunt weapons in the Swamp, keeping a few Fire Arrows for Wraiths, which are weak to Fire.

Mountain

Move to Obsidian Arrows for everyday use and farm Obsidian hard once you have an Iron Pickaxe. Bring Poison Arrows for Moder.

Plains

Needle Arrows become standard; let Deathsquitos charge, sidestep, and collect Needles. Use Needle Arrows on Lox, where a sneak attack can stagger and kill one in 4-5 shots. Keep Frost Arrows for Fuling camps.

Mistlands, Ashlands and Deep North

Upgrade to Carapace, then Charred, then Bloodgold Arrows as materials allow. Frost Arrows stay useful for their slow.

Farming Materials: Feathers, Wood and More

Every arrow except the Wood Arrow needs Feathers, the archer's biggest bottleneck. Three reliable sources:

1. Seagulls: take 100 Wood Arrows to a wide-open Meadows area and spend a couple of in-game days sniping birds.
2. A chicken farm: tamed Hens drop Feathers when harvested, and a proper breeding setup fills chests. Keep your slaughter farm separate from your egg farm.
3. Felling trees: Feathers occasionally drop, but not reliably.

Wood

A Greydwarf farm is essential for bow-only runs, since Greydwarfs drop Wood, Resin and more. You can also lure a Troll into a forest and let it knock down trees for you.

Craft in bulk

Hold Shift to craft in batches of 5 (100 arrows at once). It is much faster than clicking each craft.