The Deep North closes out Valheim’s biome progression, and with it comes the game’s strongest gear tier. There are more than 40 new weapons and 11 new armor pieces, all built around a fresh crafting loop that runs through moulds, casts, and a new station called the Frost Foundry.
Quick answer: To make Nord weapons and armor, find the matching mould in the overworld, spend Bloodgold and other materials to create the cast, then finish the cast in a Frost Foundry. Frostfire and Thunderblood weapons are upgrades applied to a finished Nord weapon using the matching essence, which drops after Ancient Altar encounters.
How Deep North crafting works
The new gear uses a two-stage process. First you locate a mould for the piece you want. That mould is combined with Bloodgold and other materials to produce a cast, and the mould is consumed in the process. The cast is then hardened in a Frost Foundry to produce the finished weapon or armor piece.
Bloodgold is the core metal for this tier and comes from smelting Petrified Tissue. Timberwood is a common secondary material for many recipes and is gathered from northern wooden resources.
Frostfire and Thunderblood weapons are not crafted from scratch. Each one takes a completed Nord weapon and infuses it with an essence. Frostfire Essence and Thunderblood Essence are earned by clearing Ancient Altar challenges, which are tied to the Deep North’s late-game encounters. If you would rather skip the gathering, you can spawn any piece with the game’s console commands.
Nord weapons stats and recipes
The Nord family is the base weapon set. Most share a 400 durability rating and are forged from a cast made with 20 Bloodgold and 10 Timberwood, then finished in the Frost Foundry. A few use different secondary materials, noted below.
| Weapon | Damage | Cast materials |
|---|---|---|
| Nord Sword (1H) | 170 Slash | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Mace (1H) | 170 Blunt | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Axe (1H) | 176 Slash | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Spear (1H) | 170 Pierce | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Dagger (1H) | 75 Slash, 75 Pierce | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Greatsword (2H) | 210 Slash | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 2 Frozen Branch |
| Nord Atgeir (2H) | 182 Pierce | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Greataxe (2H) | 188 Slash | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Sledge (2H) | 225 Blunt | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Knucklechains (2H) | 114 Blunt | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 2 Longclaws |
| Nord Bow (2H) | 100 Pierce, 10 Spirit | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Crossbow (2H) | 264 Pierce | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
Note: the Nord Crossbow and Knucklechains carry 300 durability rather than 400, and the Greataxe and Sledge apply a -20% movement penalty compared to the standard -5% on most other Nord weapons.
Frostfire weapons: frost and fire damage
Each Frostfire weapon is made by combining its finished Nord version with 20 Bloodgold and 1 Frostfire Essence. They trade some physical damage for added frost and fire, applying an ice-burn effect on hit. Every Frostfire weapon carries a flat 12 fire (10 on the dagger) and 88 frost alongside its physical damage.
| Weapon | Physical damage | Elemental |
|---|---|---|
| Frostfire Sword | 138 Slash | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Mace | 142 Blunt | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Axe | 144 Slash | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Spear | 148 Pierce | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Dagger | 62 Slash, 62 Pierce | 10 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Greatsword | 186 Slash | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Atgeir | 148 Pierce | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Greataxe | 154 Slash | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Sledge | 200 Blunt | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Knucklechains | 80 Blunt | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Bow | 68 Pierce, 10 Spirit | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
| Frostfire Crossbow | 232 Pierce | 12 Fire, 88 Frost |
Tip: the elemental totals look large, but enemies can resist individual components. Barka, for example, resist frost, so the frost portion is reduced against them.
Thunderblood weapons: lightning damage
Thunderblood weapons are the second upgrade path, made from a finished Nord weapon plus 20 Bloodgold and 1 Thunderblood Essence. Every one adds 45 lightning, a 25% chance to apply a lightning effect, and a 0.2% damage bonus for each point of missing health.
| Weapon | Physical damage | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderblood Sword | 180 Slash | 45 |
| Thunderblood Mace | 180 Blunt | 45 |
| Thunderblood Axe | 186 Slash | 45 |
| Thunderblood Spear | 180 Pierce | 45 |
| Thunderblood Dagger | 80 Slash, 80 Pierce | 45 |
| Thunderblood Greatsword | 220 Slash | 45 |
| Thunderblood Atgeir | 192 Pierce | 45 |
| Thunderblood Greataxe | 198 Slash | 45 |
| Thunderblood Sledge | 235 Blunt | 45 |
| Thunderblood Knucklechains | 122 Blunt | 45 |
| Thunderblood Bow | 110 Pierce, 10 Spirit | 45 |
| Thunderblood Crossbow | 274 Pierce | 45 |
Magic staves
Four new staves give Eitr builds a Deep North progression path. All are two-handed and finished at the Frost Foundry after their cast is prepared. Lightning Strike is the only one with a large flat damage value listed, at 300 lightning.
| Staff | Key stats | Cast materials |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning Strike | 300 Lightning, 40 Eitr | 10 Bloodgold, 5 Nornathread, 1 Thunderblood Essence, Mould |
| Echo Spike | 25 Eitr | 10 Bloodgold, 4 Nornathread, Frostfire Essence, Mould |
| Northern Vengeance | 100 Eitr, 40% health, reflects damage | 10 Ice, 5 Nornathread, 1 Hexen Trophy, Mould |
| Spirit Caller | 100 Eitr, 40% health, summons spirits | 8 Frozen Branch, 5 Nornathread, Moose Trophy, Mould |
Shields
Four shields cover both parry-focused and defensive setups. Three are forged through the mould-and-cast route, while the Shield of Roots is crafted directly from wood and Writhan Roots.
| Shield | Block armour | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Nord Greatshield | 158 | Cast: 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 20 Timberwood |
| Nord Shield | 132 | Cast: 15 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Nord Buckler | 88 | Cast: 10 Bloodgold, Mould, 10 Timberwood |
| Shield of Roots | 48 | 10 Finewood, 1 Writhan Roots |
Armor sets and capes
There are 11 new armor pieces, split across three roles plus two capes. The Vanguard set is the standout because its three pieces grant a shared set bonus. Armor pieces are crafted the same way as weapons, finding the mould, building the cast, and finishing at the Frost Foundry.
Protector set (heavy melee)
The Protector pieces are the highest-armor option at 44 each, aimed at melee play, and the breastplate resists frost.
| Piece | Armour | Cast materials |
|---|---|---|
| Breastplate of the Protector | 44 | 10 Bloodgold, Mould, 8 Moose Hides, 4 Leather Straps |
| Trousers of the Protector | 44 | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 8 Moose Hides, 4 Leather Straps |
| Helmet of the Protector | 44 | 20 Bloodgold, Mould, 4 Moose Hides |
Vanguard set (agile, set bonus)
Each Vanguard piece has 34 armour. Wearing all three activates the Vanguard bonus, which grants -10% run stamina, +10% health regen, +10% stamina regen, -20% dodge stamina, and +10% pierce.
| Piece | Armour | Cast materials |
|---|---|---|
| Hood of the Vanguard | 34 | 5 Sea Pelt, Mould, 5 Moose Hides, 1 Moose Sinew |
| Chestpiece of the Vanguard | 34 | 12 Bloodgold, Mould, 8 Elaking Hair Bundle, 4 Leather Straps |
| Trousers of the Vanguard | 34 | 12 Bloodgold, Mould, 8 Elaking Hair Bundle, 4 Leather Straps |
Caller set (mage build)
The Caller pieces trade raw armor for Eitr regeneration, making them the choice for spellcasting. The robes and trousers each give +60% Eitr regen, and the headdress adds +40%.
| Piece | Armour | Cast materials |
|---|---|---|
| Robes of the Caller | 22 | 6 Bloodgold, Mould, 6 Moose Hides, 5 Nornathreads |
| Trousers of the Caller | 22 | 6 Bloodgold, Mould, 6 Moose Hides, 5 Nornathread |
| Headdress of the Caller | 22 | 2 Moose Sinew, Mould, 1 Moose Trophy, 3 Nornathreads |
Capes
Two capes round out the set. Both weigh 4.0, have 1200 durability, and resist frost, which matters in the biome’s cold.
| Cape | Bonuses | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Moose Hide Cape | 12 armour, -20% attack and run stamina | 6 Moose Hides, 2 Sinew, 5 Bloodgold |
| Cape of the Caller | 12 armour, +20% Eitr regen, -10% dodge stamina | 6 Seal Pelt, 2 Nornathread, 5 Bloodgold, 15 Refined Eitr |
If you are deciding where to start, upgrade a weapon class you already use well. Lock in one Nord weapon, complete its cast, and only then commit essence to a Frostfire or Thunderblood version. That keeps your Bloodgold and Timberwood stockpiles from being spread thin while you learn how the new tier handles against Deep North enemies.
