Valheim Longship guide: How to build, controls and more

While Valheim’s primary allures are located on land, sometimes you need a boat in order to reach whatever is alluring you. 

Most Valheim players, after some time adventuring, have likely been stumped trying to get to a certain location. Whether it’s finding a new boss, biome or perhaps The Merchant, there are times when you can’t continue on foot due to water blocking your way. The only thing to do in this situation is to build a boat to navigate the open waters. 

Currently in-game, there are three ships, being the Raft, Karve and Longship. While the former two are alright in their own regard, the Longship is the premier sailing tool and is incredibly useful in all stages of Valheim. 

Unlocking and building a Longship in Valheim 

The Longship takes a solid amount of resources to create. (Picture: Iron Gate AB)

To unlock the Longship, you’ll need to have reached the Iron Age of Valheim. This occurs when you defeat the game’s second boss, the Elder. The large tree boss will drop the Swamp Key, which allows you to access the Sunken Crypts in the Swamp biome. The Crypts contain mass amounts of Iron, which are used in the construction of the Longship. 

Once you have a solid amount of Iron from the Sunken Crypts, attempt to look for any chests. You should be able to find 2-3 chests within every crypt. Inside of the chests, you’re looking for Ancient Bark, which will automatically unlock the recipe for the Longship once you add it to your inventory. 

With your helping of Iron and Ancient Bark, head back to your base and smelt down the scraps to form bars. You can then go to your Forge and turn the bars into Iron Nails, which you will need plenty of to create the Longship. 

After unlocking the recipe for the ship, you’ll need the following to build it: 

• Iron Nails x100
• Fine Wood x40
• Deer Hide x10
• Ancient Bark x40

Longships are four-man boats in Valheim that can sail the Ocean with ease. (Picture: Iron Gate AB)

The most daunting of these resources is the bark, as it’s not commonly found in Valheim. However, once you’ve managed to acquire all of the resources, make your way to a body of water with the materials plus 10 Wood for a Workbench. 

You then need to craft the Workbench and then equip your Hammer to construct the Longship. Drop the boat in the body of water and then you’re ready to sail. Head to the back of the ship to “hold fast” and man the tiller, which allows you to steer and accelerate the boat. 

The directional controls are the same for regular movement. You can press “W” multiple times to accelerate and press “S” to decelerate. Keep in mind though, the Longship is quite large, so it might not be best suited for smaller rivers and narrow turns. The Longship is more meant for sailing the open water and taking on Sea Serpents. 

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Aside from sailing, the Longship also comes with 18 storage slots, 1,000 hit points and four seats. It’s 22 meters long and six meters wide, making it perfect for a large group in Valheim.