Summary
- Valheim immerses players in Norse mythology, featuring gods like Odin and Thor, adding to the game's appeal and lore.
- Players can encounter Odin in the game, with sightings increasing after defeating the first boss, but he vanishes if approached too closely.
- Odin's appearance in Valheim reflects his iconic one-eyed depiction in Norse mythology, symbolizing his wisdom and sacrifice for knowledge.
Valheim's core appeal comes from both its deep survival mechanics and its basis in Norse mythology. This latter aspect involves a certain god that Valheim players can find in the flesh if they look hard enough.
Valheim is steeped in Norse mythology, be it the game's bestiary or its lore. The former is plainly visible from all the trolls and draugr that assail the player, but the gods are actually introduced much earlier. Valheim's opening text crawl quickly sets up the player's mission as a divine one; they have been selected from the recently dead to war against Odin's enemies in the tenth realm. Should they succeed, they will be admitted into Valhalla.
Odin's Appearance In Valheim Explained
Odin is more than a backstory element in Valheim. Immediately upon landing in the tenth realm, the player will receive advice from Huginn — one of two ravens associated with Odin. Not only are they said to sit upon his shoulders in the Prose Edda, but Odin is referred to as 'Hrafnaguo' (literally meaning 'raven god') in that same compendium. Odin can also be found in Valheim watching the player, and a glimpse of him can be found with enough luck.
How To Find Odin in Valheim
Odin takes the form of a cloaked man in Valheim. He appears randomly, though it would appear that those who have defeated the first boss attest to seeing him more frequently. He appears for 300 seconds before disappearing, at which time he'll stand and watch the player. If the player gets within 20 meters of him, he'll instantly vanish in a puff of smoke. When he's present, Odin is wreathed in shadow. He wears a hooded cloak and leans on a walking stick. The only other discernible feature of this silhouette form is a single eye that glows blue.
Odin's not the only god that can be found in the tenth realm. In addition, Thor can be seen during Valheim's thunderstorms. Once Moder is defeated, there's a 50% chance for him to appear in the sky during this weather event. He'll be found far up in the clouds on his chariot, pulled along by his goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr.
Odin And His Design Explained
Odin, known by many titles in Norse myth but commonly as the 'Allfather,' is said to be chief of the Aesir (one of two groups of Norse deities). He's also husband to the goddess Frigg and associated with the domains of wisdom, poetry, war, death, life, sorcery, and knowledge. The earliest known depiction of him comes from the Tjangvide image stone, a relic from 700-900 CE that lies on the Swedish island of Gotland. This stone depicts a figure riding an eight-legged horse, which is typically identified as Odin riding his mount, Sleipnir. Thor, the other god that appears in Valheim, is said to be Odin's son, alongside the deities Baldr, Vioarr, Vali, Hoor, and more.
Odin's one-eyed depiction in Valheim is one with great mythological precedent. Whilst there have existed artifacts that show Odin with both eyes, such as the Gosforth Cross in the north of England from c900 CE, he is most often shown in contemporary art and writing with a single eye. The most notable attestation of this is the poem Voluspa, one of the best-known tales of Norse myth. In this poem, collected as part of the Poetic Edda, a seeress recounts how Odin swapped an eye in for wisdom at the Mimisbrunnr spring. Mimisbrunnr is likely to be synonymous with the Well of Urd that lies beneath the World Tree Yggdrasil. It's also where Mimir drinks from - a being of great wisdom, whose severed head is later referenced by the poem as a source of counsel for Odin.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- February 2, 2021
- ESRB
- r
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
- Publisher(s)
- Coffee Stain Studios
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally-generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin!
EXPLORE THE TENTH WORLD
Explore a world shrouded in mystery. Discover distinct environments with unique enemies to battle, resources to gather and secrets to uncover! Be a viking, sail the open seas in search of lands unknown, and fight bloodthirsty monsters.
BUILD MIGHTY HALLS
Raise viking longhouses and build bases that offer reprieve from the dangers ahead. Customise buildings, both inside and out, with a detailed building system. Progress through building tiers to upgrade, expand and defend your base.
GATHER, CRAFT AND SURVIVE
Struggle to survive as you gather materials and craft weapons, armor, tools, ships, and defenses. Decorate your hearths and sharpen your blades, grow crops and vegetables, prepare food, brew meads and potions, and progress as you defeat more difficult bosses and discover new recipes and blueprints.
- Platform(s)
- Linux, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- How Long To Beat
- 75 Hours
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1 GB (November 2023)
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Steam User Rating
- 95%
