Stamina

0:41 Stamina is the yellow resource bar in Valheim that every sprint, jump, swimming stroke, weapon swing, block and dodge roll spends, and that refills on its own a second after the Viking stops exerting. Walking and interacting with objects are free; almost everything else costs something, which makes stamina the bar that decides whether a Viking can fight, flee or reach the shore. A new character has 50 points, and the only way to raise that maximum is food (Stamina, Valheim Wiki).

Quick facts

What drains stamina

3:41 Every action has a base cost that skills and gear then scale. A weapon swing costs what the weapon lists, cut by up to a third as its skill approaches 100; SnazzyGames' example is Frostner, whose 12-point swing falls to 8 at Clubs 100. Dodge rolls and jumps scale with the equipment speed penalty printed on each armor piece, so heavy armor makes both dearer. Running, swimming and sneaking drain by the second and shrink with their own Skills (Stamina, Valheim Wiki; Damage mechanics, Valheim Wiki).

A block's price depends on how much of the hit gets past the shield, and since the Call to Arms Update a perfectly timed block costs nothing (Parrying and Blocking).

How stamina regenerates

2:21 Regeneration begins one second after stamina was last spent and runs fastest when the bar is emptiest. The base rate is 6 + 6 × (1 − current ÷ maximum) points a second: 12 at zero, 6 at full. Refilling the bottom half averages about 10.4 points a second and the top half only 7.4, so the wiki and SnazzyGames advise recovering to about half before exerting again (Stamina, Valheim Wiki).

3:10 Status Effects scale that rate. Positive effects add together while negative ones multiply, so a Viking who is Rested (+100%), Resting by a fire (+300%) and on a Tasty Mead (+100%) regenerates six times as fast, and the same Viking made Cold drops to four and a half times. A fire dries Wet ten times faster and lifts Cold, CaptRobGames' cure along with sleeping through the night (Weather, Cold and Wet; Rested, Comfort and Sleeping). Set bonuses add a little more: +15% for the Bear set, +40% for Vilebone and +10% for 1.0's Vanguard set.

How to increase stamina

1:05 Food is the only permanent source. Each food adds its stamina value to the base 50 while it lasts, fading as it digests, and three different foods can be active at once (Food and Cooking). Yellow-fork foods are the stamina dishes, from raspberries (20) and honey (35) in the Meadows to Pancakes and Oatmeal (115 each) and Oat Milk (110) in the Deep North (Food, Valheim Wiki; BisectHosting).

Trinkets such as the Nimble Anklet, Resounding Shackle, Brimstone and 1.0's Witch Crown restore 50 to 100 stamina when their adrenaline fills but do not raise the maximum (Nimble Anklet, Valheim Wiki; Combat).

Meads, powers and gear that save stamina

1:35 Meads cover emergencies. The Minor and Medium Stamina Meads refill 80 and 160 points on a shared two-minute cooldown, while the Tasty Mead doubles regeneration for ten seconds on its own cooldown, so EmmaTpotato drinks both. The Berserkir Mead takes 80 percent off attacking, blocking and dodging for twenty seconds at the price of half again as much physical damage taken (Mead and Potions).

14:20 Three Forsaken Powers target stamina. Eikthyr's cuts running, jumping and, since its 2025 rework, swimming costs by 60 percent; Bonemass's makes blocks free and returns five stamina per block; The Queen's removes the cost of sneaking (Iron Gate, Patch 0.221.4). The Corpse Run effect after a Viking empties their tombstone cuts running and jumping by 75 percent, and with Eikthyr's power as well both become free (Corpse run, Valheim Wiki; Death and Corpse Runs).

1:44 Gear is the last lever: the Ask set, Asksvin cloak and Ashen cape each trim a cost (Armor and Capes). Version 1.0 added the Vanguard set (−10% running, −20% dodging), the Moose Hide Cape (−20% attacks and running), the Cape of the Caller (−10% dodging) and the Neckstabber trinket. The Crown of Valheim, made from Kall Fimbulbringer's Crown Jewel, lowers attack, swimming, sneaking and running costs by 20 percent (Game8, Crown of Valheim).

What happens when you run out of stamina

1:03 An empty bar stops every action that needs it: a sprint drops to a jog, an attack cannot start and a jump is cut short. A block attempted without enough stamina fails and the whole hit lands, though it does not stagger (Blocking, Valheim Wiki). In water a Viking at zero drowns, losing 5 percent of maximum health every second (Damage, Valheim Wiki). Carrying more than the Carry Weight limit is worse: an Encumbered Viking cannot run, jump, dodge or block, spends 5 stamina a second walking, and stops regenerating once the bar is empty (Encumbered, Valheim Wiki).

5:29 The practical rule is to keep a reserve. CaptRobGames never engages a troll with a low bar, always keeps enough for a dodge roll, and backs out of reach at a walk to recover, a habit he calls walk kiting.

Changes in Call to Arms and 1.0

6:28 The rules last changed in patch 0.221.4 of Sep 9, 2025. A Perfect Block stopped costing stamina, a roll through an attack that would otherwise have landed began refunding part of its cost (half, per the wiki), the movement penalties of battleaxes, sledgehammers and tower shields fell, and Encumbered Vikings lost the ability to dodge (Iron Gate, Patch 0.221.4). The 1.0 notes changed no stamina rule, adding only foods and gear (Iron Gate, Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived!). Splitting food into stamina and Health dishes dates from the Hearth & Home Update of 2021.

Frequently asked questions

How do you increase stamina in Valheim? Eat yellow-fork stamina foods: each adds its value to the base 50, three at a time. In 1.0 the best three, Pancakes, Oatmeal and Oat Milk, raise the bar to about 390.

Why does my stamina regenerate so slowly? Wet, Cold and Freezing multiply regeneration by 0.85, 0.75 and 0.4, and holding block cuts it by a fifth. Being Rested doubles the rate.

What is the base stamina in Valheim? A character with no food has 50 stamina.

Does blocking use stamina? Up to 10 points per hit, scaled by the damage that gets through. A perfectly timed block has been free since the Call to Arms update, and Bonemass's power makes every block free.

How do you get unlimited stamina without cheats? Trigger Eikthyr's power during a Corpse Run: together they make running and jumping free.

Sources

• Stamina, Damage mechanics, Damage, Blocking, Encumbered, Corpse run, Food and Nimble Anklet, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Patch 0.221.4 – Call To Arms, Iron Gate Studio (Steam news), Sep 9, 2025
• Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived!, Iron Gate Studio, Sep 9, 2026
• Valheim 1.0 New Foods, BisectHosting
• Crown of Valheim, Game8
• How to Manage Your Stamina Bar for Success, CaptRobGames (video)
• 6 Mysterious Valheim Mechanics YOU Misunderstand, SnazzyGames (video)
• Maximize Your STAMINA in Every Biome, EmmaTpotato (video)
• Valheim Call To Arms Guide, NickRawcliffe (video)
• So...You can be a GOD in Valheim Now, SnazzyGames (video)