Crafting Stations and Upgrades

0:12 A crafting station in Valheim is a bench, forge or table at which almost everything a Viking wears, wields or builds is made, upgraded and repaired. Five main stations mark the tiers of the game: the Workbench of the Meadows, the Forge that follows the first copper of the Black Forest, the Artisan Table unlocked by Moder, and the Black Forge and Galdr Table of the Mistlands. Each can be raised through several levels by building extension pieces beside it, and each level unlocks new recipes and lets existing gear be upgraded a step further, to a normal maximum of quality 4, or quality 3 for Deep North gear (Valheim Wiki). The Valheim 1.0 Release of Sep 9, 2026 added five crafting build pieces for the Deep North: the Frigid Kiln, the Frost Foundry, Smith's Aprons, the Smoker and the Standing Loom (BisectHosting). Smelters and furnaces are covered under Metals and Smelting; the Forge of Potential, which pushes gear beyond quality 4, has its own page.

Quick facts

The five stations at a glance

How stations work

0:25 A station does three things. It crafts and upgrades the items whose recipes it holds; it repairs them for free; and it defines a build area around itself in which the hammer can place structures and in which hostile creatures do not spawn. The Workbench's area is a 20-meter radius, shown as a dotted circle when the Workbench is selected in the hammer menu, and every level added to it extends the circle by 4 meters, to 36 meters at level 5 (Valheim Wiki). Overlapping several stations covers a larger base. See Building and Structural Integrity.

1:29 Crafting and repairing require the station to be sheltered: it needs a roof and at least 70 per cent cover, and a wooden floor above it does not count as a roof. Building within the radius and spawn suppression work without any cover, so a bare Workbench dropped in the wild still lets a wall go up. Repairs cost nothing; a broken tool is never lost, only unusable until it is repaired at a station of the right kind.

4:41 Recipes are not bought or researched: one appears in a station's list once the player has picked up every material it needs and stands at a station of the required level. The extension pieces unlock the same way, so the advice for new players is to pick up every new material and build every upgrade the hammer offers. See Getting Started and Materials and Resources.

Extensions and levels

A station starts at level 1. Every distinct extension built within about two meters of it adds one level; a second copy of the same extension adds nothing. Each extension needs its own clear line to the station, drawn as a dotted line of light in the build view, so extensions cannot be stacked in a row on one side, although they can sit on the other side of a wall or floor. One set of extensions can serve two stations placed back to back (Valheim Wiki).

Workbench

The Workbench costs 10 Wood and needs nothing but a hammer, which is why it is the first thing built in every new world. It crafts the flint, leather, bone and wooden gear of the early game, arrows, and many basic build pieces, and it is the station at which most Tools are repaired.

The Adze and Tool Shelf need metals from later biomes, so a Meadows base typically stops at level 3 until bronze and iron arrive (Valheim Wiki).

Forge

3:39 The Forge is where metal becomes weapons and armor. It costs 4 Stone, 4 Coal, 10 Wood and 6 Copper and must be placed within a Workbench's area, so it cannot exist until the first copper has been mined and smelted after Eikthyr provides the antler for a pickaxe. Its recipes run from bronze through iron, silver and black metal; ship nails and iron build pieces such as braziers also come from it. See Weapons and Shields and Armor and Capes.

6:01 Six extensions take the Forge to level 7, the highest of any station, and each level also widens its build radius by 3 meters to a maximum of 38 (Valheim Wiki).

6:39 The Sharpening Stone for the Grinding Wheel is made at the Stonecutter (10 Wood, 2 Iron, 4 Stone), a station that has no levels of its own but unlocks stone, black marble and grausten building (Valheim Wiki). The Grinding Wheel is therefore the one Forge extension that waits for the Swamp's iron.

Artisan Table

7:18 The Artisan Table costs 10 Wood and 2 Dragon Tears, which drop only from Moder, so it marks the passage from the Mountain to the Plains. Its own recipe list is short (wooden, black metal and flametal missiles and the Mechanical Spring), but it is required within 40 meters to place the Blast Furnace, Spinning Wheel, Windmill and Stone Oven, the machines that turn black metal scrap, flax and barley into the Plains tier (Valheim Wiki). See Farming and Taming and Food and Cooking.

Its single extension, the Artisan Press (5 Black Marble, 5 Bronze, 1 Majestic Carapace), needs a drop from The Queen and raises the table to level 2 for ceramic plates and shield cores. In 1.0 the Moose Saddle for the Deep North's rideable Moose is also an Artisan Table level 2 recipe (Sportskeeda); see Carts, Mounts and Vehicles.

Black Forge

7:46 The Black Forge arrived with the Mistlands Update as the Forge's successor for Mistlands and Ashlands gear. It costs 10 Black Marble, 10 Yggdrasil Wood and 5 Black Cores, the cores coming from Infested Mines, and it crafts the carapace and flametal weapons and armor, the Arbalest and the Snow Shovel and Grappling Hook of 1.0 (Valheim Wiki).

3:12 Its extensions were added one update at a time. The Black Forge Cooler shipped with the Mistlands; the Vice came with the Hildir's Request Update in 2023 (PCGamesN); the Metal Cutter and Gem Cutter came with the Ashlands Update, taking the station to level 5; and Smith's Aprons in 1.0 add one more, for level 6 with all five extensions.

Galdr Table

8:19 The Galdr Table is the station of Magic and Staves. It costs 10 Black Metal, 20 Yggdrasil Wood, 5 Black Cores and 5 Refined Eitr, the last made at the Eitr Refinery from Sap and Soft Tissue, and it crafts the staves, the Eitr-weave and Embla robes, the Feather Cape and the Sealbreaker that opens the Queen's lair (Valheim Wiki). In 1.0 the casts for the Deep North's magic gear are also made here, while every non-magic cast is made at the Black Forge.

32:58 The Standing Loom's recipe unlocks on picking up Nornathread, the drop of the Hexen in the Gates of Mörkhalla, and it raises the table one level for the Caller set and the new staves. See Deep North Creatures.

Quality levels 1 to 4

2:03 Every weapon, tool and piece of armor is crafted at quality 1 and can be upgraded at its station up to quality 4. Each upgrade adds durability, and for weapons and armor it also raises damage or armor value. Each upgrade needs the station one level higher than the step before it, and each costs more of the item's materials than the last: the Bronze Axe, for instance, needs a level-1 Forge and 8 Bronze to make, then 4, 8 and 12 Bronze at Forge levels 2, 3 and 4, its durability climbing from 125 to 275 and its slash damage from 40 to 55 (Valheim Wiki).

45:48 Quality 4 is the ceiling of every ordinary station. 1.0 added the only way past it: the Forge of Potential, a hidden location in the Mountain that gambles a Battle or Protection Idol on raising an item one level further, to at least quality 10 in testing (Game8). Guides put the risk of destroying the item at about 35 percent an attempt, so they recommend doing the guaranteed upgrades at the regular station first. See Forge of Potential and Battle and Protection Idols.

2:51 Deep North gear stops one step lower. SnazzyGames found armor and capes "capped at level three" even with the Smith's Aprons and Standing Loom built, and says the same of staves. Timesaver.gg explains why for the Black Forge: its Deep North recipes start at level 4, so a fourth quality level would need level 7, and the Black Forge stops at 6 (Timesaver.gg).

The 1.0 crafting pieces

8:02 The Deep North replaced the old "gather metal, craft at the forge" loop with casting. Weapon and armor Moulds are found in the Winding Tunnels and in Mörkhalla; a Mould is combined with its materials at the Black Forge or Galdr Table to make a cast; and the cast is hardened into the finished item in the Frost Foundry, which runs on Liquid Frost from the Frigid Kiln. Moulds are consumed, so a second copy of a weapon needs a second mould (AllThings.How). See Deep North Update (1.0 Patch Notes).

24:46 The Frigid Kiln unlocks with Frostcore, the floating blue orbs of the Winding Tunnels, and is built near a Workbench from 20 Stone, 10 Frostcore and 5 Ice, on flat ground that is not wood or water (Valheim Wiki). Loaded from behind with up to 25 Ice, it turns each 25 into 5 Liquid Frost, exactly the amount one casting needs.

25:39 The Frost Foundry costs 10 Frostcore, 15 Iron and 20 Stone and holds 20 Liquid Frost, enough for four items (NerdsChalk). Each unit of Liquid Frost burns for 10 seconds, and only while an unfinished cast is inside, so an idle foundry wastes nothing (Valheim Wiki). A cast is dropped in, sinks, and resurfaces as the finished item after about half a minute to fifty seconds; the first cast most players make is the Intricate Key (one Mould and 5 Bloodgold at the Black Forge) that opens the Gates of Mörkhalla.

2:47 Smith's Aprons are the Black Forge's 1.0 extension, built from 5 Bloodgold, 8 Timberwood and 2 Moose Hide. With the aprons in place the Nord weapon recipes appear, and the Frostfire and Thunderblood versions follow once their essences have been won at a Memorial Site.

8:28 The Smoker extends the Cauldron rather than a gear station (5 Bloodgold and 6 Timberwood, within 5 meters of the Cauldron), the sixth extension that takes it to level 7: it unlocks the smoked moose and seal dishes and the Northern feasts, and the Standing Loom (5 Timberwood and 10 Nornathread) extends the Galdr Table, to level 5 with all four of its extensions. Together the three extensions let the new gear be upgraded to quality 3 at its normal station. The Cauldron's earlier extensions and the Food Preparation Table and Mead Ketill of The Bog Witch Update are covered under Food and Cooking and Mead and Potions.

0:33 1.0 also rebuilt the hammer and serving-tray menus through which stations are placed. Pieces are grouped by category and material, with a recent-builds list, a favorites list and a search filter, and every build piece's description was rewritten (AllThings.How). See Furniture and Decoration. The casting stations have their own page: Frost Foundry.

History

The Workbench, Forge, Artisan Table and their original extensions date from the early-access launch of Feb 2, 2021. The Mistlands Update of Dec 6, 2022 added the Black Forge and Galdr Table; Hildir's Request, the Ashlands Update and 1.0 each added the extensions listed above, and 1.0 completed the set with the Frigid Kiln, Frost Foundry and Smoker. See Development History.

Frequently asked questions

How do you upgrade a crafting station in Valheim? By building extension pieces beside it. Every distinct extension within about two meters adds one level, a second copy of the same extension adds nothing, and each piece needs its own clear line to the station, drawn as a dotted line of light in the build view.

Why can't I craft at my workbench? Because it is not sheltered. Crafting and repairing need a roof and at least 70 per cent cover, and a wooden floor above the station does not count as a roof. Placing build pieces inside the radius and suppressing spawns work without any cover.

Does repairing cost materials in Valheim? No. Repairs are free at a station of the right kind, and a broken tool is never lost, only unusable until it is repaired.

What is the maximum quality in Valheim? Quality 4 at every ordinary station, and 3 for Deep North gear. The Forge of Potential, added in 1.0, is the only way past it: it gambles a Battle or Protection Idol on one further level, and a failed attempt can destroy the item.

What is the highest level of each crafting station? Workbench 5, Forge 7, Artisan Table 2, Black Forge 6 and Galdr Table 5.

Why can't I upgrade Deep North gear to quality 4? Its upgrades stop at quality 3 at the Black Forge and Galdr Table even with every extension built. The only way further is an idol at the Forge of Potential.

What do you need for Smith's Aprons in Valheim? 5 Bloodgold, 8 Timberwood and 2 Moose Hide, built beside a Black Forge; with the aprons in place the Black Forge reaches level 6 and the Nord weapon recipes appear.

How do you build the Frigid Kiln and Frost Foundry? Both need a nearby Workbench and 10 Frostcore from the Winding Tunnels: the Frigid Kiln also takes 20 Stone and 5 Ice, the Frost Foundry 15 Iron and 20 Stone. The kiln turns Ice into Liquid Frost, which the foundry burns to harden casts.

How do you unlock a recipe? Recipes are not bought or researched. One appears in a station's list once the player has picked up every material it needs and stands at a station of the required level, which is why the advice for new players is to pick up every new material and build every upgrade the hammer offers.

Sources

• Workbench, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Forge, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Stonecutter, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Artisan table, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Black Forge, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Galdr Table, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Cauldron, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Smith's Aprons, Standing Loom, Smoker, Frigid Kiln and Frost Foundry, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop), read Oct 26, 2026
• Bronze axe, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived!, Iron Gate Studio, Sep 9, 2026
• Valheim 1.0 Patch Notes, BisectHosting
• Valheim 1.0 New Content: Deep North Biome and Kall Fimbulbringer, AllThings.How
• Valheim Frostcore Guide, NerdsChalk
• Forge of Potential guide, Game8
• Valheim Forge of Potential guide: chances and idols, Timesaver.gg, Oct 25, 2026
• So...You can be a GOD in Valheim Now, SnazzyGames, YouTube
• How to tame and feed Moose in Valheim 1.0, Sportskeeda
• Valheim Hildir's Request patch notes, PCGamesN
• Valheim's Bog Witch update explained, Screen Rant
• Valheim Crafting Stations and Upgrades ~ Full Guide, Golden Gek's Guides, YouTube
• Valheim 1.0 Deep North Full Guide!, Kysen, YouTube
• How To Craft Nord End Game Gear, Jade PG, YouTube
• So... Valheim 1.0 Is the Most AMBITIOUS Update EVER, SnazzyGames, YouTube
• Valheim: Hildir's Request Patch, GlensGames, YouTube
• Valheim Starter Guide, Xaine's World, YouTube