Valheim’s mod community behaves unlike the other big Thunderstore games. On Risk of Rain 2 the top of the chart is API plumbing; on Valheim the fourth most-installed package is a farming mod. With 4,426 packages and only 70 of them tagged as libraries, this is a community that ships features rather than frameworks — which makes a “best mods” list genuinely useful here, and also makes server agreements load-bearing.
Install path
- r2modman (10,762,875 downloads). Handles BepInEx, profiles and dependencies.
- BepInExPack_Valheim (7,566,759) — the loader, preconfigured with the correct entry point for Valheim specifically.
- Launch through the manager. A Steam launch runs vanilla.
- One profile per server. If you play on a shared dedicated server, spend the extra minute to clone the profile rather than editing it.
Jotunn (4,914,292) is the one library that matters here: it is the framework most content mods are built on, so if two mods both ask for it, that is normal rather than a conflict.
The mods that carry the community
| Mod | Downloads | Tags | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advize-PlantEverything | 2,934,210 | Server + client | Plant berry bushes, thistle, dandelions, mushrooms with the cultivator |
| RandyKnapp-EpicLoot | 2,403,930 | Server + client | Loot drops, magic items, enchanting |
| RandyKnapp-EquipmentAndQuickSlots | 1,603,222 | Client-side | Dedicated equipment slots plus up to six hotkey slots |
| Therzie-Warfare | 1,560,380 | Server + client | Fills the vanilla weapon and shield gaps with new tiers |
| shudnal-ExtraSlots | 1,391,115 | Server + client | Extra slots for equipment, food, ammo and misc |
| Advize-PlantEasily | 1,313,757 | Client-side | Evenly spaced crops, one at a time or in bulk |
| JereKuusela-Server_devcommands | 1,277,567 | Server + client | Enables devcommands and admin utilities on a server |
| Vapok-AdventureBackpacks | 1,264,862 | Server + client | A catalogue of backpacks |
| OdinPlus-OdinArchitect | 1,117,468 | Server + client | More building pieces and tools |
| Goldenrevolver-Quick_Stack_Store_Sort_Trash_Restock | 1,052,662 | — | Quick stacking, sorting, trashing in one package |
Read the tags column before the descriptions. Five of the top ten are server-side, so in a shared world they are not personal choices — they are the server’s configuration.
The three mods that fix a specific pain
Valheim’s QoL mods are unusually load-bearing compared to other games — most of the top ten remove a repeated manual action rather than adding content.
PlantEverything + PlantEasily is the most-recommended pair in the game and the reason is arithmetic: Valheim’s farming loop is manual planting, one seed per click, on a grid the game does not help you with. PlantEverything expands what you can plant; PlantEasily fixes how. Installing one without the other solves half the problem.
EquipmentAndQuickSlots or ExtraSlots — pick one, not both. They occupy the same design space (dedicated equipment slots) and running both is a classic source of duplicated or vanished gear. EquipmentAndQuickSlots is client-side; ExtraSlots is server-side, so the choice also decides whether the server needs to care.
Server_devcommands answers the question every server admin eventually asks: the vanilla console refuses to grant cheat commands on a dedicated server. This mod exists precisely to lift that restriction. See Valheim console commands for what the commands do once you have them.
Reading the update tags
Every package carries tags naming the game updates it declares support for — Deep North, Bog Witch, Ashlands, Hildir’s Request. These are not marketing labels; they are the author’s compatibility statement.
A mod tagged only for an older update has not declared support for the current one. That does not guarantee it is broken, but it means nobody has said it is not. Test on a throwaway world before adding it to a world you have 200 hours in, and prefer packages whose date_updated is recent — the top of this chart updates within days, which is a good sign of a maintained mod.
Multiplayer rules that matter
- Server-side mods must match on host and clients. 1,460 packages carry the tag. PlantEverything is tagged both, so a client without it cannot join a host with it.
- Client-side mods are yours alone. 2,616 packages are client-only — UI, camera, sorting. Installing those without telling anyone is safe.
- Configs can desync. Several popular mods add a config-sync library precisely because per-player configs cause “it works for me” arguments. If a mod behaves differently for two players, suspect config before suspecting the mod.
- Modded worlds are not vanilla worlds. Removing a content mod can leave orphaned items and missing pieces in a save. Back up before you strip a profile.
What not to install first
New players tend to install EpicLoot in hour one. It is the most ambitious mod in the top ten — loot drops, magic items, enchanting — and it changes the game’s reward structure before you have experienced the vanilla one. The order that works better: QoL first (slots, sorting, planting), content second (Warfare, Monstrum), overhaul last (EpicLoot).
Related guides
- Valheim hub — all guides for this game.
- Valheim console commands
- Valheim world seeds
- Valheim crafting guide
- Valheim survival guide