Valheim Workbench Guide: How To Upgrade & Materials Required

Valheim features several stages of progression during the first few hours that are all headlined by various achievements. One of the key milestones in Valheim to upgrade your Workbench, which we will help you with in this step-by-step guide.

Your first goal is to simply survive and collect materials followed by building a base using tools you’ve crafted. You can read how to construct a beginner base in our previous article. Next, you begin to build up your collection of materials for future expansion and upgrades. 

However, once a player has crafted a Flint Axe or Crude Bow, Valheim doesn’t really tell you how to upgrade them. The option is present in the WorkBench menu but it requires the bench to be Level 2.

How to do this isn’t so clearly outlined in-game but luckily, there’s a simple solution that allows you to keep progressing in the game. 

Valheim Workbench: How to upgrade

To begin this process, you simply need a base with enough room for a Workbench and something beside it.

You’ll also need a hammer and 10 wood and 10 flint, the latter of which can be found near rivers and lakes. Once you have all of these materials, you can start the process of upgrading your Workbench. 

A Workbench is essential to any base in Valheim. (Picture: Iron Gate)

Equip your hammer and hit the Build Menu keybind. This will bring up the menu of available items for you to build. Navigate to the tab with the Workbench and right beside it will be “Chopping Block.” You need to craft this and place it right beside the Workbench. 

After this is done, your Workbench has been upgraded to Level 2. It’s that easy and doesn’t require anything else. You’ll notice some stars fluttering from the Chopping Block to the Workbench if you’ve done this correctly. 

• Read more: Valheim Crafting Guide: All recipes, upgrades, items, weapons, and armour

Now, when you go to the upgrade tab on the Workbench, you can make weapons and tools Level 2 with some extra materials. 

Upgrading your Workbench is a key milestone in Valheim. (Picture: Iron Gate)

If you want to go even further and upgrade your Workbench to Level 3 and 4, you need to construct a Tanning Rack and Adze and place them next to the Workbench as well.

Unlocking the Tanning Rack is done by killing one deer and the Adze is accessed by receiving a piece of fine wood from a Birch tree and craft bronze nails.

Of course, the nails come from bronze ingots, which need to be smelted in a forge. You can read about all of the materials in Valheim in a previous article. 

• Read more: Valheim: How to build a campfire inside your house

Currently, there are only four levels of Workbench upgrades in Valheim but that could change as the game progresses through its Early Access stage.