Valheim: How to craft Wood Axes, Pickaxes, and Battleaxes
That's a lot of axes.
Axes are one of the most versatile types of tool in Valheim. Wood axes chop lumber, while pickaxes help you mine stone and metals. And of course you can always whack a monster in the face with one, whether it's technically a battleaxe or not.
In true Viking fashion, there are a lot of axes to be had in Valheim. But because this is a survival game, you're going to need to craft them for yourself. On this page, we've detailed all of the axes in Valheim, and how you can craft them.
- Valheim: How to craft Wood Cutting Axes
- Valheim: How to craft Pickaxes
- Valheim: How to craft the Battleaxe
Valheim: How to craft Wood Cutting Axes
In-game these are referred to just as "axes", but for clarity in this guide, we'll refer to them as "wood cutting axes", since that's their primary use.
You begin Valheim with access to only one type of axe — the basic stone axe. Having plenty of wood to start building shelter and crafting better tools with is important from the get-go in Valheim. Don't underestimate the importance of investing in a good wood cutting axe early on.
Keep crafting new axes as they unlock and by the time you've progressed to the fifth and best axe — the blackmetal axe — you'll be in possession of one of the most powerful tools in the game, which also doubles as a very decent melee weapon.
| Item Name | How to unlock recipe | Where to craft | Materials needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Axe | Starting tool | In inventory | Stone x4 Wood x5 |
| Flint Axe | Craft a workbench | Workbench | Flint x6 Wood x4 |
| Bronze Axe | Unlock mining | Forge | Bronze x8 Leather Scraps x2 Wood x4 |
| Iron Axe | Discover Iron | Forge (Level 2) | Iron x20 Leather Scraps x2 Wood x4 |
| Blackmetal Axe | Discover Black Metal Bars and Linen Thread | Forge (Level 4) | Black Metal Bar x20 Fine Wood x6 Linen Thread x5 |
Valheim: How to craft Pickaxes
Pickaxes are primarily mining tools in Valheim. You can mine a few simple resources using your starting hammer tool, but to really get to the good stuff you're going to need a proper pickaxe.
| Item Name | How to unlock recipe | Where to craft | Materials needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antler Pickaxe | Defeat Eikthyr and collect its Hard Antlers | Workbench | Hard Antler x1 Wood x10 |
| Bronze Pickaxe | Discover Bronze and upgrade the Antler Pickaxe | Forge | Bronze x10 Core Wood x3 |
| Iron Pickaxe | Discover Core Wood and Iron | Forge (Level 2) | Core Wood x3 Iron x20 |
A starting Stone Pickaxe was originally present in the game but has been removed. This might be related to the fact that Valheim doesn't really want you to progress to mining until after you've finished the first boss fight.
Bearing in mind this is an Early Access game, the Stone Pickaxe might re-emerge one day. But for the time being, the Antler Pickaxe is the first one you'll get. For more information on how unlock it, see our guide to defeating Eikthyr the Stag.
Valheim: How to craft the Battleaxe
Similar to the warhammer (Stagbreaker), the battleaxe is currently a one-off. This two-handed weapon is comparatively resource-intensive to build, and is the only axe in the game that can't be used for gathering materials, but it makes up for that by packing a significant punch.
| Item Name | How to unlock recipe | Where to craft | Materials needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battleaxe | Discover Iron | Workbench (Level 2) | Ancient Bark x30 Iron x35 Leather Scraps x4 |
For more Valheim tips, here's our full guide hub.
Wondering what to do with all those raw materials you just mined with your pickaxe? Check out our guides on building a longship, crafting a farmland cultivator, and creating bronze alloys.
Or if you want to know how to keep your axes in top condition, see our guide on repairing and maintaining your tools in Valheim.