Krom: Crafting, Stats & How to Master Valheim's First Two-Handed Sword

Krom is one of the most polarizing weapons in Valheim. It is the game's first two-handed sword, crafted at the Black Forge in the Mistlands, and it devastates anything it connects with. The secondary thrust alone deals 450 Slash at quality 1.

The catch: no shield, a -5% movement penalty, and a slow enough cadence that one mistimed swing against a Seeker Soldier can end your run. Krom rewards commitment. Learn its rhythm and parry timing and it delivers some of the most satisfying combat in the game; play it half-heartedly and you will spend your time fetching your gravestone.

How to Craft Krom

Krom is made at the Black Forge, the Mistlands crafting station. Building the forge costs:

• 10 Black Marble
• 10 Yggdrasil Wood
• 5 Black Cores

It needs a Workbench nearby and at least 70% roof cover. Unlike the Mistwalker, Krom skips Refined Eitr and Wisps entirely.

Gathering the materials

• Iron and Bronze: find Scrap Iron and Copper Scrap in Infested Mines and by breaking Dvergr structures, or bring smelted bars from earlier biomes.
• Scale Hide: dropped by Hares, the fast but fragile rabbits of the Mistlands. A bow or one quick swing kills them.

Farm plenty of Scale Hide: maxing Krom takes 35 in total.

Krom Stats Breakdown

Krom deals pure Slash damage, which is both its strength and its limit.

Primary combo

A wide 3-hit combo whose final hit deals double damage (300 Slash at quality 1) with 20% extra knockback. The swings are fairly vertical with long reach, so they hit several targets in a line, though the third hit narrows.

Secondary thrust

This is where Krom shines: a long-reaching thrust for 3x the primary damage. Its 3.0 range outreaches most enemies, so you can space yourself in a duel and punish attack recovery. Land it from behind and the 3x backstab multiplier turns it catastrophic.

Blocking and parrying

Blocking is respectable for a two-hander, and the 2x parry bonus is enough to parry Seeker Soldiers with solid timing. Each quality level also raises block force, adding stagger on successful blocks.

How to Fight with Krom

The biggest adjustment is losing your shield. Every sword before Krom is one-handed, so most players have muscle memory for the block, parry and strike loop. Krom needs a different approach.

Single targets: kite and thrust

Seeker Soldiers are slow and telegraph long combos. Against them:

1. Wait for the Soldier to commit to its attack sequence.
2. Parry the headbutt or dodge, then circle behind it.
3. Land a secondary thrust on its back for the backstab multiplier.

Veterans report crits above 1,600 damage when a parry bonus stacks with a backstab power attack. Patience is the key: never rush in swinging.

Groups

The primary combo's wide 90-degree arc and 2.6 range catch several enemies, with no multi-target damage penalty. Thin packs of regular Seekers with the combo, then switch to the thrust for high-priority targets.

Krom vs Mistwalker: Which Mistlands Sword?

Both are excellent, but they suit different playstyles.

Mistwalker: utility with a shield

The one-handed Mistwalker adds Frost damage to its Slash, plus Spirit from quality 2. The Frost slows every target, which is very strong against fast Seekers, and its glow clears Mist in a 5-meter radius. You keep a shield for consistent blocking.

Krom: raw damage

On paper Krom's 150 Slash beats Mistwalker's 115 combined. But Seekers resist Slash (0.5x), so Krom effectively hits them for 75, while the Mistwalker's 75 Slash and 40 Frost work out to about 77. Against Seekers the two are even.

Where Krom wins

Krom pulls ahead in duels and boss fights: the 450+ thrust and spammable power attacks give it much higher burst against a single large target. It also needs no Refined Eitr, which matters early in the Mistlands when Eitr is scarce.

Recommendation

Craft both if you can. Use the Mistwalker with a Carapace Buckler for exploration and groups, and swap to Krom for bosses, duels, and fights where a teammate holds aggro. If you can only pick one as a solo player, start with the Mistwalker: it is more forgiving and the slow is too valuable when you are the only target.

Best Builds and Pairings for Krom

With both hands full, your build has to make up for the missing shield. The Carapace set gives the best physical defense in the Mistlands, and you want every point of armor when you rely on parries and dodges.

Hybrid magic builds

Since you have no shield slot to lose, swap to a staff between engagements:

• Staff of Protection: its barrier acts as your shield in dangerous fights.
• Staff of Frost: adds the crowd control and slow Krom lacks.

Many veterans consider this hybrid the strongest Mistlands build.

Utility slot

Krom does not glow, so the Wisplight is the practical pick. In well-explored areas, Megingjord's extra carry weight is worth considering, and some players rely on a Wisp Torch at base and only equip the Wisplight for exploring.

Multiplayer

Krom is at its best with a team. Let a teammate with the Mistwalker and a Carapace Buckler hold aggro and apply the slow while you thrust into enemies' backs. This tank-and-damage pairing melts Seeker Soldiers.

Trivia and Lore

Krom's name nods to Crom, the god of the Cimmerians in Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories. The description reads "As deadly as it is shiny, and it's very shiny." Its internal ID is THSwordKrom, with TH standing for two-handed.

Brenna, the burning miniboss of the Smouldering Tombs in the Black Forest, wields a fiery Krom that swaps the thrust for a fiery explosion. If you learned to parry her, Krom's timing will feel familiar.

Two-handed sword progression

If you love Krom's playstyle, the line continues:

1. Slayer (Ashlands): with Brutal, Scourging and Primal variants
2. Nord Greatsword (Deep North, new in 1.0)
3. Thunderblood Greatsword (Deep North): upgraded from the Nord Greatsword with Bloodgold and Thunderblood Essence