When you first get the crude bow and start to get used to firing arrows in Valheim, they don’t seem particularly powerful.
You can’t pick up arrows you’ve already fired, even if they miss.
Each shot is a drain of your resources, so make sure you’re using the best arrows for each situation!
Rankings are determined not simply by damage, as the method of acquisition is also important.
Some arrows are simply not worth crafting unless you happen to have a ton of spare ingots and materials.
Note: All arrows, except one, have a small knockback effect.
10. Flinthead
Damage: 27
Crafting:
Flint is a self-sustaining source of resources to create arrows, with flinthead arrows being your ideal early game choice.
Decent damage during the early game will allow you to deal with trolls, greydwarf shamans/brutes, and skeletons pretty easily.
9. Bronzehead
Damage: 32
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 1 x Bronze
With decent damage and the next arrow upgrade over the previous entry, bronzehead arrows are a nice boost during the early adventure stages.
The thing is, you really need your bronze around the time you can make use of bronzehead arrows.
Only 5 bronze ingots are needed for 100 arrows, but that’s equal to 10 copper and 5 tin.
A lot of work for some arrows that provide only 5 more damage than flinthead arrows.
8. Ironhead Arrows
Damage: 42
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 1 x Iron
Similar to the bronzehead arrows, you really need your iron for other things, such as building or upgrading your equipment.
That being said, you can find ironhead arrows in sunken crypt chests.
42 damage is very nice and can deal a ton of damage with a surprise critical hit.
Use it to shoot an unsuspecting enemy, then switch to your cheaper arrows to finish them off!
7. Silver Arrows
Damage: 72
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 1 x Silver
Crazy high damage, and you can get quite a lot of silver spare, as 3 silver veins will be enough for a full set of upgraded equipment.
Silver arrows deal 52 pierce damage, and 20 spirit damage.
Spirit damage only affects undead creatures, and blobs, making this variant a bit lacklustre against the likes of fulings, drakes, and trolls.
6. Wood Arrows
Damage: 22
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
Sporting the lowest damage of any arrow in the game, wood arrows rank so high for their puny crafting costs.
If you’re simply roaming the Meadows or Black Forest, you’ll encounter tons of Deer, Boar, Greyling and Necks.
You don’t want to be wasting your high-tier arrows on these mobs, so always make sure you have wood arrows equipped, as they’ll one-shot these mobs anyway.
5. Fire Arrows
Damage: 33
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 8 x Resin
My go-to arrow type for hunting lox, fire arrows are an easily obtainable arrow variant to make use of the hundreds of resin that builds up in your chests.
22 of the 33 damage is dealt as fire damage, so mobs like surtlings will be all but immune to the fire arrow.
Otherwise, the fire arrow should be crafted by the hundreds, ready to take on all but the strongest of mobs.
4. Poison Arrows
Damage: 78
Crafting:
Hefty crafting requirements, but well worth it.
Poison arrows are exceptional for taking out fulings, you can massacre entire villages without stepping foot nearby.
52 of the 78 damage is dealt over-time as poison, good for fighting groups of enemies as you switch between targets.
3. Obsidian Arrows
Damage: 52
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 4 x Obsidian
Obsidian is a ridiculously easy resource to get, acquiring hundreds within 10 minutes on a mountain.
Many items require obsidian to craft, or upgrade, but the amount isn’t a problem, you’ll have more than enough for some obsidian arrows.
Highly recommend running poison arrows alongside obsidian arrows as your main damage, until you can afford masses of the next 2 entries.
2. Frost Arrows
Damage: 78
Crafting:
- 8 x Wood
- 2 x Feathers
- 4 x Obsidian
- 1 x Freeze Gland
Spending some time to farm drakes in the mountain is a good strategy, as frost arrows are the best arrows to take down fulings.
Upon being hit, 52 frost damage is dealt, the rest being pierce.
Any affected targets will also be slowed by a frost effect, which is invaluable against those pesky fulings who move like Neo in the Matrix.
High crafting requirements mean it is just about pipped to first place.
1. Needle Arrows
Damage: 62
Crafting:
- 2 x Feathers
- 4 x Needles
Deathsquitos drop needles, they are notorious for being the most feared mob in the game.
With a decent shield, you can easily tackle a deathsquito, simply block, then attack.
Spend some time in the plains, attract deathsquitos whenever you see them, as they lock on from far away.
It really doesn’t take long to get a few hundred needle arrows.
They have the strongest pierce damage of any arrow in the game, so they’re effective against literally every type of enemy!
Needle arrows also have a slightly boosted knockback effect, the only arrow in the game to have one higher than the default value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilizing a bow and arrow is simply the best ranged damage method in the game.
Melee weapons provide higher burst damage for sure, but nothing offers the safety of firing arrows from range.
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