The ocean in Valheim is vast, mysterious, and full of hidden dangers and opportunities. From sailing and fishing to dealing with deadly sea serpents and elusive Leviathans, mastering the ocean is essential for any Viking looking to explore beyond the safety of the land. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the ocean, including boats, fishing, creatures, and strategies for survival.

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Surviving the Ocean: How to Deal with Serpents

One of the most dangerous encounters you can face while sailing is a sea serpent. These creatures spawn more frequently at night in the ocean biome, making nighttime voyages a risky venture.

What Not to Do

• Never set sail at night unless absolutely necessary.
• Avoid the ocean entirely if you’re still using a raft—serpents can easily destroy it.
• Always check the minimap to confirm when you’re officially in the ocean biome, as serpent spawns are far less likely outside of it.

How to Kill a Serpent

• The easiest way to defeat a serpent is by using a bow and arrows.
• Frost arrows are particularly effective, but most late-game arrows will work well.
• Serpents don’t have much health, so a well-equipped Viking can take one down relatively quickly.

Why You Should Hunt Serpents

Serpents drop some of the best food resources in the game. Their meat can be cooked or crafted into Serpent Stew, one of the most powerful food items available.

• Cooked Serpent Meat: 70 Health, 40 Stamina, 2000s duration, 3 HP regeneration per tick.
• Serpent Stew (crafted with mushrooms and honey): 80 Health, 80 Stamina, 2400s duration, 4 HP regeneration per tick.

Additionally, marking serpent spawn locations on your map can help you farm them efficiently for food later in the game.

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Choosing the Best Boat

In Valheim, you have three boats to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Boat Comparison

Boat	Speed	Storage	Durability	Best Use Case
Raft	Slow	None	Low	Only for emergencies; avoid using in open waters.
Karve	Moderate	Small	Medium	Can outrun serpents; ideal for mid-game exploration.
Longship	Fastest	Largest	High	Best for late-game exploration and serpent hunting.

A longship is the safest choice for ocean travel, as it has the most durability and speed. If attacked by a serpent, you’ll have enough time and space to fight back without worrying about sinking.

Boat Crafting Requirements

• Raft: 20 Wood, 6 Leather Scraps, 6 Resin.
• Karve: 30 Fine Wood, 10 Deer Hide, 20 Resin, 80 Bronze Nails.
• Longship: 100 Iron Nails, 10 Deer Hide, 40 Fine Wood, 40 Ancient Bark.

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Leviathans and Abyssal Barnacles

Leviathans, often referred to as giant turtles, are non-hostile creatures that appear as floating islands. They house Abyssal Barnacles, which can be mined for Chitin.

Mining Leviathans Without Drowning

• Mining a barnacle has a 10% chance of triggering the Leviathan to sink.
• If you hear a loud howling sound, you have 20 seconds before it disappears.
• Ensure you have enough stamina to swim back to your boat before it sinks.

What Can You Craft with Chitin?

• Abyssal Razor (Knife): 4 Fine Wood, 20 Chitin, 2 Leather Scraps.
• Abyssal Harpoon: 8 Fine Wood, 30 Chitin, 3 Leather Scraps.

The Abyssal Harpoon is particularly useful for capturing and dragging sea serpents to shore, which leads us to the next point.

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Using the Abyssal Harpoon to Capture Serpents

Instead of fighting serpents at sea, you can use the Abyssal Harpoon to drag them to shore, where you can kill them more easily.

How to Harpoon a Serpent

1. Equip the Abyssal Harpoon and get close to a serpent.
2. Attack with the harpoon to tether the serpent to your boat.
3. Use a Longship and sail at the slowest speed setting to tow the serpent to land.
4. Kill the serpent on shore to collect its Serpent Scales, which would otherwise sink in the ocean.

What Can You Craft with Serpent Scales?

• Serpent Scale Shield: 10 Fine Wood, 4 Iron, 8 Serpent Scales.
• While not the best shield in the game, it’s a cool item to obtain early on for style points.

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Mastering Sailing and Wind Mechanics

Before setting sail, pay attention to the wind direction in the bottom left of the minimap. The wind plays a major role in determining how fast you can travel.

Understanding Wind and Boat Controls

• If the wind icon is white, your sails are catching wind.
• If the wind icon is black, your sails are not getting wind.
• Boats have three speed settings:
  • One Arrow: Manual paddling, useful when there’s no wind.
  • Two Arrows: Medium speed, requires some wind.
  • Three Arrows: Fastest speed, requires full wind.

Moder’s Ability: Always Tailwind

After defeating Moder, you gain an ability that ensures the wind is always at your back, significantly improving your travel speed across the ocean.

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Fishing in Valheim

Fishing provides a great food source, especially in the early game. The best way to get fish is by purchasing a fishing rodfrom the trader for 350 gold and buying bait for 10 gold per stack of 50.

How to Fish

1. Find a patch of water with visible fish.
2. Cast your line by holding left click.
3. Wait for a bite, then hold right-click to reel in the fish.
4. Mouse over the caught fish and press E to collect it.

Cooking and Crafting with Fish

• Cooked Fish: 45 Health, 25 Stamina, 1200s duration, 2 HP tick.
• Fish Wraps (2 Cooked Fish + 4 Barley Flour): 60 Health, 90 Stamina, 2400s duration, 4 HP tick.

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Conclusion: Master the Ocean and Reap Its Rewards

The ocean in Valheim is filled with both danger and opportunity. By understanding how to handle serpents, choosing the right boat, utilizing Leviathans for Chitin, harpooning serpents for scales, mastering wind mechanics, and fishing efficiently, you can transform the ocean from a death trap into a valuable resource hub.

With these strategies in mind, you’re now fully equipped to explore Valheim’s seas like a true Viking. Safe travels!