Valheim offers lots of different ways to build houses out of wood, a common material found in any biome. Unfortunately, wooden structures don’t always stand up to raids or attacks from bosses. For extra defense, you’ll want to build out of stone. That sounds easy enough, but there’s a catch: You’ll need to unlock a specific Workbench upgrade before you can build stone walls and houses in Valheim.
How to build with stone in Valheim
You need to unlock the Stonecutter to build stone structures in Valheim. It’s a Workbench item that becomes available after first discovering Iron. Once you craft a Stonecutter, you’ll be able to build stone walls, floors, arches, and the all-important hearth.
How to get the Stonecutter
Fortunately, it shouldn’t take too long to start building structures out of stone. The Iron you need to build the Stonecutter can be mined in abundance from Muddy Scrap Piles, which litter the Sunken Crypts spread throughout the Swamp biome. This is the game’s third biome — the one you’ll reach after braving the Black Forest.
You won’t be able to start mining Iron early in the game, however. First you’ll need to unlock the pickaxe, which require you to summon and defeat the first boss Eikthyr. After that, you’ll need to defeat The Elder to get the Swamp Key used to open Sunken Crypt gates. Plus, you’ll need a Smelter, which must be crafted using Surtling Cores. Luckily, those drop from the flaming Surtling creatures that roam the Swamps.
Once you have Iron, the rest is easy. It takes two Iron, ten Wood, and four Stone to build the Stonecutter. After it’s been placed, the Stonecutter opens up all of the stone building objects:
- Hearth
- Stone Arch
- Stone Floor
- Stone Pillar
- Stone Walls
- Stone Stairs
- Paved Roads
How to build stone walls and houses
Building with stone in Valheim works basically the same way as building with wood. You can use gathered or mined rock to build stone walls, erect archways over doors, place stone floors, and so on. The only real difference is that there are fewer stone building materials when compared to wood.
Notably, this means there’s no way to build a stone roof. One way or another, you’ll need to build a thatched roof over your house, even if it’s just to cover your Workbench. Stone floors do work as ceilings, assuming you build a solid foundation and structural beams. However, they won’t count as shelter, so they aren’t a good choice to cover your bed.
Still, the pros outweigh the cons. Stone walls are much, much more durable than wooden walls. This is especially important if you’re building a base next to a boss spawn area. Plus, the Stonecutter unlocks the hearth, which is the perfect match for Valheim players who intend to build a proper Viking longhouse.
