Table of Contents
Introduction
Rafts are the most basic watercraft available in the survival game Valheim. They provide a low-cost way to travel across bodies of water early in the game before more advanced boats become available. While rafts lack many features of upgraded boats, they can still be extremely useful for exploration, transporting materials, or setting up mobile bases on water. This guide will cover everything you need to know about constructing and using rafts effectively in Valheim.
Constructing a Raft
Building a raft is quite straightforward, requiring only basic materials that can be gathered shortly after spawning:
- 20 Wood – Acquired by chopping down trees using any axe. Birch trees are common sources.
- 6 Leather Scraps – Dropped by boars which are found in the Meadows biome. Also found in chests.
- 10 Resin – Dropped by Greydwarfs in the Black Forest biome. Also gathered from damaged birch and oak trees.
In addition, you need access to a workbench within its radius to construct the raft.
To build the raft:
- Place the workbench near water deep enough to float the raft.
- Access the hammer in your inventory and select the raft from the misc crafting menu.
- Rotate and place the ghost model of the raft on top of the water. It will turn into a physical raft when placed.
Once built, up to 3 players can stand on the raft itself. More can accompany by swimming nearby.
Controlling the raft relies on player stamina, oars, sails, and the wind:
- Rowing – Press and hold W to row forward. Uses stamina.
- Raising/Lowering Sail – Press E to raise or lower the sail if not rowing.
- Steering – Press A and D keys to steer left and right.
- Wind Direction – Check the wind indicator to sail perpendicular or diagonal to the wind direction.
- Anchoring – Press Shift to anchor in position or Spacebar to raise anchor.
- Disembarking – Press S to stop rowing and stand on the raft.
The raft lacks storage space so carrying lots of materials is unwise. Bring extra food to regenerate stamina as rowing drains it quickly.
Avoid sailing during storms as large waves can destroy the fragile raft. Head to shore or drop anchor if caught in a storm.
Upgrading to a Karve
With some key materials, the raft can be upgraded to a Karve longship by using the hammer on the placed raft:
- 30 Fine Wood
- 10 Deer Hide
- 20 Resin
- 80 Bronze Nails
The Karve has space for up to 3 players to row, improved storage, faster speeds, and higher durability. But the raft may still be useful as a supplementary watercraft for its mobility.
Using the Raft Effectively
Here are some examples of effective ways to use basic rafts:
- Exploring – Search for new biomes and islands quickly.
- Transport – Carry small amounts of metal, stone, and other materials across waters.
- Mobile Base – Build a small hut with a bed on top to create a movable base.
- Loot Retrieval – Recover items from corpse run deaths by sailing back out.
- Fishing – Fish from the raft itself in peaceful waters.
While the raft lacks utility compared to bigger boats, its low cost and accessibility early in the game make it quite useful. Focus on upgrading to a Karve as soon as bronze can be smelted for ocean voyages. But even then, keeping a raft handy helps traverse rivers and coastal waters where the Karve may have issues navigating.
Conclusion
Rafts provide new Valheim players with the ability to explore oceans early on without a major investment of resources. Their fragility and limited capacity make them risky for extensive voyages. But they can serve other helpful purposes like material transport, mobile bases, and loot retrieval. Use rafts strategically in the early game while working towards acquiring materials for the upgraded Karve longship for advanced sailing activities.
