PackBeasts

Saddlebags for mounts, a riding handle for any tamed creature, a leash for any creature, and tie-up rings with real ropes between them.

A tamed mount carries a rider and nothing else, and most tamed creatures can't be ridden or kept in one place. PackBeasts hangs a chest of saddlebags on any saddled mount, lets you ride any tamed creature with all of its attacks, and adds a leash and tie-up rings to lead creatures, tie them up and fence them in. Tamed creatures also get a passive switch, working healers, and taming that goes on while you are away.

Features

Saddlebags

• A chest on every mount. For a saddled lox, asksvin, moose, OdinHorse's horse, or any creature a mod lets you saddle. A leather bag hangs on each side of the saddle; the bags open as a 4×2 chest, also while riding.
• More creatures. Tamed creatures that can't wear a saddle can be added in the settings.
• Nothing is lost. Bags that hold items can't be taken off, and neither can the saddle. When the animal dies, the bags and their contents drop on the ground. An empty saddle takes the empty bags with it when it comes off.
• Adjustable look. Size, position and angle of the bags, for all animals and per animal.

Riding

• Riding handle. A small leather grip that works like a saddle on any tamed creature that can't wear one: boars, wolves, bears, trolls, and anything a taming mod lets you tame. Spot, seat height and riding pose are fitted to each creature's model. No saddlebags hang on a handle.
• Hold E to ride. Hold E while looking anywhere at a saddled or handled creature to get on. A short press still commands or pets it.
• All its attacks. Left click uses the mount's quick attacks, right click its heavy ones, a different one each press: a troll punches, slams the ground and throws stones. A mount with three abilities or fewer has them all on the mouse: left, right and middle click (pressing the scroll wheel), so a dvergr support mage's bolt, heal and shield are each one click. A mount with more abilities but exactly three attacks has those on the three buttons.
• Every ability on a number key. 1 to 9 and 0: attacks, then spells for friends (a support mage's heal goes to whoever is under the crosshair, or to you), then roars and calls. Unused numbers stay on your hotbar. Key hints at the bottom right list every key.
• Aim and move. Shots fly towards the crosshair. Jump makes the mount jump, and only then; A and D move it sideways and S backs it up.
• Mount stamina. Running uses 3% a second (about 33 seconds from full), a quick attack 6%, a heavy one 12%, a jump 4%; riding skill lowers it, down to half. It refills from empty in 15 seconds of rest, twice that when the mount is hungry.
• It waits for you. A ridden mount stands still, facing the way it faces, when you stop steering, and walks around only after 30 seconds, without turning on the spot. H makes it wait as long as you like.
• Smooth turns. A mount you steer keeps moving through a turn and slows down in sharp ones, instead of stopping dead to turn.
• Flying mounts. Hold jump to climb and crouch to dive, nose down, at up to 30 m/s, over mountains or into caves. Near the ground it pulls out of the dive, and a creature that also walks lands and takes off again.
• Smooth riding. You stay exactly on your seat every frame, and the creature under you moves smoothly, so riding doesn't jitter, fast flying included.
• Use things from the saddle. Doors, chests, berries, items on the ground and workbenches.
• Trolls pick up logs. Ride a troll to a felled trunk and press E: it fights with the log and keeps it.
• It follows you. When you get off, the mount stays put a moment and then follows you; E makes it stay, also on a lox. Big creatures keep a distance that fits their size instead of pushing into you.

Leash

• Lead any creature. Tamed or wild (not bosses), several at once, on a 3 m rope. It comes along through portals and is brought to you if it falls more than 40 m behind.
• Tie it up. To a post, a fence, any building piece or a peg in the ground. It roams within 5 m; tied higher up than that, it hangs from the rope.
• Wild ones stay calm. A leashed wild creature doesn't attack or flee unless hit, and doesn't vanish at daybreak.
• Wild ones resist. A wild creature hangs back and has to be dragged, which costs stamina while the rope is tight; run out and it breaks free. It doesn't tame while on a leash.
• A rope that holds. Tied to the creature's neck, it holds in every direction and never stretches. It never pulls a creature through a wall or the ground: a stuck one is put at the nearest free spot the rope reaches.
• Hanging. Only tied creatures hang. A hanging creature goes limp and dangles from its neck as a ragdoll, dressed like the creature, swinging on its rope. What it holds in its hands hangs down from them and swings.
• Tied means tied. A tied creature can't be ridden and won't follow anyone. If you die, log out or travel far without a portal, the creatures you lead are tied to a peg where they stand. Ties are kept when the world loads again.
• Clean-up. A dead creature drops its leash. If its post or ring is torn down, it stays tied to a peg in the ground below.
• Drag things. With a Leash in your inventory, press T on a dropped item, a cart, a log, a boat or a building piece (a chest, a lantern, a workbench, up to 4 m) and drag it behind you on a 2.5 m rope. Everything on the rope moves with real physics: it swings, slides, bumps, tips over and falls off edges. A piece settles where it lands when you let go and is a building piece again (a chest keeps what's in it). One thing per Leash you carry. Hold Ctrl a moment to let go of everything, or press T on a thing to let go of it; the rope also slips off when it gets stuck far behind you, and when you die, log out or use a portal.

Tie-up rings and ropes

• Tie-up ring. Built with the hammer on a post, a beam, a wall, a roof or the ground; it fits itself to what it's built on.
• Its own rope length. 0.5 to 30 m, used instead of the Tie length for creatures tied to the ring. Built high with a short rope, they hang from it. A new length also goes to the ropes hanging from the ring, and whatever hangs on them goes up or down with it.
• Ropes between rings. Up to 4 ropes start from each ring, to rings up to 30 m away or hanging free. A rope is as long as the first ring's length (never shorter than the gap); with no length set, it is strung tight. E on a rope sets its own length.
• Rope physics. Ropes sag, sway in the wind, drape over beams, walls and rocks, and swing when someone walks into them. Leash ropes do the same, and a rope can't be strung through a wall.
• Fences. A rope between two rings stops creatures and players (a low one can be jumped), so rings and ropes make a pen.
• Tie creatures to a rope. At the end of a hanging rope, that rope becomes their rope; on a rope between rings, they are tied to the spot you look at.
• Tie things to a rope. With a rope taken from a ring, Shift + E on an item, a cart, a log or a building piece (a lantern, a brazier, a sign, a chest) ties it to the rope's end. Loose things hang and swing on it, or lie where it is slack; pieces hang still straight below the ring at the rope's length, or stand on the ground under it when the rope reaches. The rope holds a piece up, so it doesn't fall for want of support. Change the length on the ring or the rope; Shift + E on the rope takes it down (a piece is put down on what's under it).
• Wards. Only players a ward allows can change a ring or its ropes.

Tamed creatures

• Passive switch. A passive tamed creature never starts a fight: it ignores enemies, also ones attacking you, and only fights back against what attacks it.
• Healers heal. A tamed creature with a healing spell, such as a dvergr support mage, heals hurt players, tame animals and itself, the most hurt first, in a fight or not. In the game it rarely heals at all.
• Taming while away. A creature more than about 150 m from every player isn't loaded, so its taming stops. When it loads again, the time it stayed fed counts, and it eats food left within its reach each time it got hungry. Time the game is closed doesn't count.
• Pal stones. With Portable Pals, a pal stone keeps a creature's saddlebags, and a released creature stays calm for 15 seconds and follows you.

How to use

1. Craft Saddlebags, a Riding handle or a Leash at a workbench.
2. Tame a creature and saddle it, or use a Riding handle on it from your hotbar.
3. Use the Saddlebags from your hotbar on the saddled mount, as you would a saddle. Its hover text then shows [G] Saddlebags and the item count.
4. Hold E on the creature to ride. Crouch, or E while looking at nothing, gets you off.
5. To lead a creature, use a Leash on it. Look at a post or building piece within 5 m, a Tie-up ring within 8 m, or the ground, and press T to tie up every creature you lead.
6. To drag a thing, carry a Leash, look at it and press T. Hold Ctrl to let go.

Key	Action
G	Open the saddlebags of the animal you look at or ride
Shift + G	Take empty saddlebags off
Hold E	Get on a creature with a saddle or riding handle
Shift + E on the handle	Take the riding handle off
Left / right click	While riding: quick / heavy attack (middle mouse also heavy)
Left / right / middle click	While riding a mount with three abilities or fewer (or exactly three attacks): one each, as the key hints show
1 to 9, 0	While riding: the mount's abilities
Jump / Crouch	While riding: jump / get off. On a flying mount: climb / descend
H	While riding: make the mount wait, or let it walk around
E on a log	While riding a troll: pick up the log
T	Leash: put on, tie up, lead again, take off; on a thing: drag it, or let go
Hold Ctrl	Let go of everything you drag
Ctrl + E	Switch a tamed creature between fighting and passive
E on a ring	Set the ring's rope length
Shift + E on a ring	Take a rope; on another ring, tie it; on nothing, let it hang; on the first ring, put it back
Shift + E on an item or piece, carrying a rope	Tie it to the rope's end
E on a rope	Set its length
Shift + E on a rope	Take the rope down

Building pieces and items

Item or piece	Made at	Default recipe
Saddlebags	Workbench	8 Leather scraps, 4 Deer hide, 10 Bronze nails
Riding handle	Workbench	4 Leather scraps, 2 Deer hide
Leash	Workbench	4 Leather scraps
Tie-up ring	Hammer, Misc tab, near a workbench	1 Copper

Ropes cost nothing. The Saddlebags recipe appears once you have had bronze nails.

Configuration

Settings are in BepInEx/config/anwo.PackBeasts.cfg and can be changed in game with a configuration manager. Look and handle settings apply right away. Creature lists and recipes use prefab names (as in the game's files); recipes are Item:Amount pairs.

1 - General

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Creatures	Rideable, Lox, Asksvin, Moose, Moose_spiritcaller, rae_OdinHorse	All players	Creatures that can carry bags; Rideable = every creature that can wear a saddle. Restart needed. Every player should use the same value
Bags must be crafted	true	Server	Off: every listed animal has bags without crafting
Saddlebags recipe	LeatherScraps:8,DeerHide:4,BronzeNails:10	Server	Cost of the Saddlebags
Require saddle	true	All players	Animals that can wear a saddle only carry bags while saddled. Every player should use the same value
Open key	G	Client	Opens the bags you look at or ride
Take off key	G + LeftShift	Client	Takes empty bags off
Keep bags in pal stones	true	Client	Adds the bags to Portable Pals' Mod ZDOs setting. Off: pal stones lose bags and items

2 - Bags

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Columns	4	All players	Bag width (2-8). Restart needed. Every player should use the same value
Rows	2	All players	Bag height (1-6). Restart needed. Every player should use the same value
Name	Saddlebags	Client	Title of the bag window (after a restart) and hover text
Window close distance	10	Client	The window closes beyond this distance, in m (4-30)

3 - Look

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Show bags on the animal	true	Client	A leather bag on each side of the saddle
Bag offset sideways	0	Client	Out (+) or in (-), in m (-3 to 3)
Bag offset up	0	Client	Up or down, in m
Bag offset back	0	Client	Towards the tail (+) or head (-), in m
Bag size	1	Client	0.2-5; 1 = sized from the saddle
Bag tilt	0	Client	Degrees (-90 to 90): + swings the bottoms out
Bag turn	0	Client	Degrees: + swings the front ends out
Bag tip	0	Client	Degrees: + lowers the front ends

4 - Bag look per animal

Seven settings, on top of 3 - Look, for each of Lox, Asksvin, Moose, Moose_spiritcaller, rae_OdinHorse and any other name in Creatures (for example Lox size).

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Animal size	2 Lox and rae_OdinHorse, 2.6 Moose and Moose_spiritcaller, 1.8 Asksvin, 1 others	Client	Times Bag size
Animal out	-0.2 Lox, -0.08 Moose and Moose_spiritcaller, -0.05 Asksvin and rae_OdinHorse, 0 others	Client	Out (+) or in (-), in m
Animal up, back	0	Client	In m
Animal tilt, turn, tip	0	Client	Degrees

5 - Riding handle

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Riding handles	true	Server	Off: handles can't be made or put on; ones on creatures keep working
Handle recipe	LeatherScraps:4,DeerHide:2	Server	Cost of the Riding handle
Handle spot	Back	Server	Back, Shoulders or Head; on upright creatures, Back means the shoulders
Spot per creature	(empty)	Server	For example Troll:Head, Wolf:Shoulders
Rider pose	Auto	Server	Auto picks by the creature's width; or Lox, Moose, Asksvin everywhere
Seat height	0	Server	Rider up or down, in m (-1 to 1)
Seat forward	0	Server	Rider towards the head (+) or tail (-), in m (-1 to 1)
Handle size	1	Client	Size of the grip (0.3-3)
Show handle	true	Client	Off: no grip shows; riding works the same
Hold the handle	true	Client	Riders hold the grip and put away what they hold

6 - Riding

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Jump and attack	true	Client	Off: jumping, attacking or dodging gets you off, as in the game
Use things while riding	true	Client	Off: nothing can be used while riding
Attack stamina	6	Server	Quick attack cost, % of the mount's stamina (0-100)
Heavy attack stamina	12	Server	Heavy attack cost, % (0-100)
Jump stamina	4	Server	Jump cost, % (0-100)
Three attacks on the mouse	true	Server	A mount with three abilities or fewer has them on left, right and middle click; one with more but exactly three attacks has those there. Off: quick and heavy attacks take turns
Right click turns the mount	false	Client	Holding right click also turns the mount towards where you look, as in the game. Off: right click only attacks, and a mount you sit on turns only when you steer it
Standing mounts keep their facing	true	Server	A mount you sit on without steering only turns when you steer or attack (a dvergr otherwise turns to face you, round and round). Off: as in the game
Wander after	30	Server	Seconds a ridden mount stands still before it walks around (0 = at once)
Smooth turns	true	Server	A mount you steer keeps moving while it turns, slower in sharp turns, instead of stopping to turn on the spot. Off: as in the game
No turning on the spot when wandering	true	Server	A mount walking around on its own with you on it turns only to walk somewhere or to fight; one that still turns round on the spot stands still until you steer it. Off: as its AI likes
Wait key	H	Client	Makes the mount wait until pressed again
Fly up and down	true	Client	Off: a flying mount keeps its height
Climb speed	3	Client	How fast a flying mount climbs, times its flying speed (1-10), up to 30 m/s. 1: as fast as it flies ahead
Dive speed	6	Client	How fast a flying mount dives, times its flying speed (1-10), up to 30 m/s; it slows near the ground. 1: as fast as it flies ahead
Dive tilt	40	Client	Degrees a flying mount tips its nose down in a dive (half that up in a climb). 0: as in the game
Smooth riding	true	Client	Keeps you on your seat every frame and the mount moving smoothly. Off: as in the game
Follow when you get off	true	Client	Off: the mount stays where you left it
Full WASD movement	true	Client	Off: A and D do nothing and S only stops
Aim with the crosshair	true	Client	Off: shots fly straight ahead, level
Ability keys	true	Client	Number keys use the mount's abilities. Needs Jump and attack
Write the attack list	false	Client	Writes every creature's attacks to BepInEx/config/anwo.PackBeasts.attacks.txt at start-up
Key hints	true	Client	Riding keys at the bottom right (not with a gamepad). Needs Jump and attack
Stamina refill time	15	Server	Seconds from empty to full at rest, fed (0 = the game's own)
Running stamina	3	Server	% per second running or swimming (0-50; 0 = the game's own)
Trolls pick up logs	true	Server	A ridden troll picks up a fallen log with E
Hold E to ride	true	Client	Off: only the saddle or handle gets you on

7 - Leash

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Leashes	true	Server	Off: no new leashes can be made
Leash recipe	LeatherScraps:4	Server	Cost of the Leash
Lead length	3	Server	Rope from your hand to a led creature, in m (1.5-15)
Tie length	5	Server	Rope of a tied creature, in m (1.5-30); also a ring's length until set
Leash key	T	Client	Puts on, ties up, leads and takes off leashes
Show the rope	true	Client	Off: nothing is drawn; leashes work the same
Leash wild creatures	true	Server	Off: only tamed creatures
Wild ones stay calm	true	Server	Off: a leashed wild creature stays wild
Wild ones pull	true	Server	A wild creature you lead has to be dragged, costing stamina; it breaks free when you run out. Off: it follows like a tame one
Wild pull stamina	5	Server	Stamina per second while dragging a wild creature (0-50; 0 = free, never breaks free)
No taming on a leash	true	Server	A wild creature doesn't tame while leashed. Off: it does
Rope holds up and down	true	Server	Off: measured across the ground only, pulled back at walking pace
Rope thickness	0.06	Client	In m (0.01-0.2)
Rope never stretches	true	Server	Off: a stuck creature stays stuck and the rope stretches
Drag things	true	Server	T on an item, cart, log or boat (carrying a Leash) drags it behind you. Off: leashes only go on creatures
Drag building pieces	true	Server	Building pieces up to 4 m can be dragged too, where a ward allows. Off: they can't
Drag length	2.5	Server	Rope from your hand to a dragged thing, in m (1-10)
Dragged pieces tumble	true	Server	A dragged building piece moves with real physics and lies as it lands. Off: it slides upright
Let go key	LeftControl	Client	Hold it a moment to let go of everything you drag. None: only T lets go
Hanging creatures hang still	true	Server	Off: a hanging creature keeps walking in the air
Ragdoll when hanging	true	Client	At most 10 near you. Off: they hang limp
Ragdoll for every creature	true	Client	Creatures without a ragdoll of their own (skeletons, blobs...) get one built from their skeleton. Off: they hang limp
Held gear hangs down	true	Client	What a hanging creature holds (sword, shield, bow, torch) hangs down from its hand and swings. Off: held out as it was
Steady name tag when hanging	true	Client	The name and health bar stay steady over a hanging creature (over the ragdoll's head). Off: as over any other creature
Led creatures stay on the ground	true	Server	Off: a led creature can hang from your hand

8 - Tamed creatures

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Tamed healers heal	true	Server	Off: as in the game
Heal below	90	Server	Health % under which healers heal (1-100)
Walk over to heal	true	Server	Off: a healer only heals within its reach
Taming goes on while away	true	Server	Off: as in the game
Eat while away	true	Server	Off: only the time it stayed fed counts
Passive switch	true	Server	Off: nobody can switch; all tamed creatures fight
Passive key	E + LeftControl	Client	Switches the creature you look at
Calm when released	15	Server	Seconds a creature from a pal stone ignores enemies (0-600)
Follow when released	true	Client	Off: it stays where it lands
Big followers keep their distance	true	Server	A big tamed follower stops further away the bigger it is, and waits a moment after you get off. Off: it stops 3 m away, as in the game

9 - Tie-up rings and ropes

Setting	Default	Scope	Description
Tie-up rings	true	Server	Off: rings can't be built; built ones keep working
Tie-up ring recipe	Copper:1	Server	Cost of a ring
Ropes between rings	true	Server	Off: no new ropes
Ropes are solid	true	Server	Off: everyone passes through ropes
Longest rope	30	Server	In m (2-30)
Rope physics	true	Client	Ropes within 60 m sway and swing. Off: they hang still
Ropes bump into things	true	Client	Ropes and leash ropes rest on beams, walls and rocks, and a rope can't be strung through them. Off: ropes pass through
Ropes hold things	true	Server	Shift + E with a rope on an item, cart, log or piece ties it to the rope's end. Off: nothing new can be tied; what is tied stays

Multiplayer

• Everyone needs PackBeasts, with the same major and minor version (1.5.x with 1.5.x). Players without it, or with another minor version, can't join.
• Server settings come from the host and apply to everyone who joins, recipes included, without a restart.
• All players settings (Creatures, Require saddle, Columns, Rows) are not synced: set them the same on every PC.
• Saddlebags work like a chest: items are saved with the animal, and one player at a time can open them.

Compatibility

• Portable Pals (optional): PackBeasts adds anwo_pb_bags,items to its Mod ZDOs setting, so pal stones keep saddlebags.
• Mounts and taming mods: any creature a mod lets you saddle gets bags; creatures from taming mods such as LetMeTameYou can wear a riding handle. GoodestBoy's dog can be ridden.
• A creature that already has storage from another mod gets no saddlebags. Container mods that only use player-built chests, such as AzuAutoStore and AzuCraftyBoxes, leave the bags alone.
• It changes the game's riding controls, tamed creature behaviour and taming.

Uninstalling

• Saddlebags: items stay saved on the animal but can't be reached until PackBeasts is back. Empty the bags first.
• Items: Saddlebags, riding handles and leashes in inventories are removed by the game. Handles and leashes on creatures disappear; take them off first to keep them.
• Creatures: leashed and tied creatures are free again.
• Pieces: Tie-up rings and their ropes disappear.

About

Made with Claude (Anthropic's AI model) and tagged AI Generated, as Thunderstore's rules ask. Built for Valheim 1.0.17 (Deep North; also 1.0.16) with BepInEx 5.4.2351 and Jotunn 2.30.2.

Found a bug or a clash with another mod, or have an idea? Tell us on GitHub. For a bug, attach your BepInEx/LogOutput.log from the game where it happened.