Valheim building guide — Creating your first base

The chimney and ventilation system

Your Valheim base simulates how fires spew smoke, slowly enveloping an enclosed space. If your home fills with smoke, it’ll suffocate you while you’re inside and your health will slowly deplete until you die.

As such, you’ll want a neat ventilation system, also known as a “chimney.” Granted, this is a misnomer since you won’t see the Vikings of Valheim waiting to greet Santa Claus and chimney sweepers. Instead, a chimney is basically an opening that’d let out the smoke.

Bear in mind that a campfire has to be placed on the soil and that a roof has to partially cover it in case of rains. Given this idea, you could simply place a thatched roof that’s facing away so that there’s an opening high up.

It can look a bit weird, but it gets the job done.

Alternatively, you can surround the campfire with walls. Use smaller walls or those with an opening (i.e. crossbars or beams). This style would look more pleasing and thematic, too.

Anyway, since we’ve discussed chimneys and fires, let’s talk about cooking and healing in Valheim.

Valheim is available on Steam as part of the Early Access program. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.