Spelunkers of Valheim have I finally got a base idea for you. I think we’ve all seen enough of the Longhouses, mead halls and castles that players have been building over the first 2 and a half months of Valheim’s early access. All of you cave dwellers out there are in for a treat. Today I am going to show you how to build your own underground base.
Where to Build an Underground Base
In order to build an underground base in Valheim we are going to have to look for some very specific locations. As the only terra-forming you can do is to lower the ground to a certain point, there is no easy way to just dig a cave into the ground and call it a day. So, we are going to have to find very specific places that we can dig under in order to make our base. For this we have two options:
As each of these are static items, breaking the ground underneath them will not destroy them. By utilizing either of these places as a roof, you are able to dig out underneath them and create yourself an underground base.
Personally I prefer to use the Elder spawn point as an underground base as 1: There is already a lit fire which can never burn out in the middle of the area and 2: the surface area of the roof is greater and flatter than the rock formations which are found in the Black Forest. This allows you to have a nice flat roof in your base. However, if you are looking for a more natural little underground base you should go with the rock formation.
Check out this guide to finding every Vegvisir so you can find the spawn location for The Elder on your map. (and every other forsaken spawn point for that matter.)
How To Create an Underground Base in Valheim
Now that we have our locations scouted out and chosen, we will need very minimal things in order to start creating out base here. To begin with, you are only going to basically need a pickaxe, s instead of building a base and using precious resources we will be digging out our base. Is that economical or what?
Start by digging on one end your makeshift roof area with the pickaxe. If the area is on a bit of a hill, you can use the hoe to level the ground down a bit, by standing at a low part of the hill and using the lower ground function of the hoe. Otherwise, just get to diggin’.
As you can see in the image above, I start by digging down on a slope at the side of the spawn. You don’t necessarily have to do it the same way, or even in the same direction. As long as you just dig an entrance down under the level of the structure you will be fine. I have even built a little staircase leading down to my base. I will eventually put a roof over this stairwell to keep out any undesirables.
Once you’ve dug underneath the first part of the roof area just dig down to where you want the desired level of the floor to be. Once you have reached that point you can just keep digging in a straight line to dig faster. In Valheim, whatever point you dig at, the ground will end up going down to that level. So if you’re standing down 5 meters under the ground and break the piece next to you, the ground will sink down to that level. Once of the first things you will need to do when digging out your underground cave base is to build a workbench. As you use the pickaxe it will start to get worn down and you will need to repair it at the bench.
Luckily the structure above works as a roof and you will be sheltered when underground. This means you’ll be able to use the workbench without having do build some kind of roof over the top of it immediately. The only thing your will have to keep in mind is not to mine too far past the existing structure. Even then, if you do manage to accidentally cut out too much of the earth, you can use the Hoe’s raise terrain feature to patch the hole back in again.
Once you have completed the digging out of your base it is time to decorate! Obviously, if you plan on having some type of cooking fire underground you’ll have to have it next to a wall to dig up to the surface. As the smoke can kill, you’ll have to find a way to redirect the smoke out of the room. The smelter and the charcoal kiln currently don’t give any kind of smoke in my underground base at all which is great. If you do need somewhere to cook your meals it is actually possible to put cooking stations and a cauldron on the Elder’s altar at the top on your base. As the fire never goes out, you won’t even have to protect this fire from the rain.
Another thing to keep in mind when you need to place a bed down underground. The Elder Altar at the top of the building works as a fire source. As you will need a lit fire nearby when you go to sleep, it is advisable to build a bed somewhere near the middle of the altar. The pillar you can see coming out of the roof is the location of the fire on the surface. If you place down a bed near this location, you won’t have to build another fire underground in your base with you.
Check out this post on the Valheim Sub-Reddit which shows a fully fleshed out underground Elder base.
There you have it. Your very own underground base in Valheim. As there is no way to dig underground without destroying the ground layer above you’ll have to get creative with where you want to start your Valheim underground base. As aforementioned, copper and large rock deposits are another great place to dig under to make a little base in the Black Forest. There can also be multiple spawns for The Elder on the Valheim map so make sure you get to exploring if you want to create another underground base.
Another great idea is to build out a base underground and put a portal going there. That way you can seal up the entrance with rocks and create a secret base that can only be accessed through using the portal. One way in, one way out. Just make sure you have enough supplied before you decide to bunker down. Try out the First Person Mod for Valheim to really see your underground base come to life! Cheers warriors, until next time.
Under the alter…brilliant!