LeanHeim

Client-side performance fixes for Valheim, made for big bases, storms and weak PCs.

LeanHeim fixes parts of the game that waste CPU time. It does not lower your graphics quality by default.

Multiplayer

• Install it only on your own PC. Other players and the server do not need it.
• It adds no network messages and no version check, so you can join vanilla servers and play with vanilla friends.
• On a dedicated server (no graphics device) it does nothing.

What it does

Buildings

• Snow speed bug fixed. In vanilla, snow on buildings piles up faster at low FPS (about 3x faster at 20 FPS than at 60 FPS). LeanHeim makes it grow at vanilla's 60 FPS speed on every PC.
• Fewer snow network updates. In a snowstorm, vanilla writes the snow level of every building piece to the network about once per second. LeanHeim writes it only when it changed by a visible amount. You get less CPU work and less network traffic, and snow looks the same.
• No once-per-second spike. Vanilla updates the roof and ash state of all building pieces in a single frame every second. LeanHeim spreads the same work over several frames.

Creatures

• Purely visual creature updates (slope tilt, water and slide effects) run once per frame instead of on every physics step. At low FPS there are 3 to 5 physics steps per frame. AI, combat and movement are untouched.

Memory cleanup (unload unused assets)

• Vanilla runs this cleanup once per hour at a random moment, which causes a freeze, even in combat. LeanHeim postpones it to the next loading screen.
• It also cleans up during long-distance teleports (portals and dev commands) while the screen is black.
• On respawn, vanilla's own cleanup runs while the screen is still black instead of after you appear.
• Sleep and pause-menu cleanup stay exactly as in vanilla.

Optional (config)

• Weather: lower rain and snow particle density, and turn off particle collisions.
• Low-end GPU: settings below the lowest in-game preset (texture resolution, LOD, grass, shadow cascades, reflection probe), for laptops and integrated graphics.
• Rendering: shadow distance cap and a draw-distance limit for small clutter.
• Profiler: a built-in profiler and freeze detector that write to the BepInEx log.

Configuration

The config file is BepInEx/config/leanheim.performance.cfg. It is created on the first start.

Every feature has its own Enabled switch. Turning a switch off restores vanilla behaviour.

Compatibility

• Requires BepInExPack Valheim.
• It patches WearNTear, WearNTearUpdater, Character, Player.UpdateTeleport, Game cleanup methods, EnvMan weather particles and graphics settings. Other mods that completely replace these methods may conflict.
• If the game updates and a patch no longer fits, LeanHeim writes a warning to BepInEx/LogOutput.log. The rest of the game keeps working.

Reporting problems

Enable [1 - Profiler] Enabled = true, play until the problem happens, and attach BepInEx/LogOutput.log.

Support

If LeanHeim made your game smoother, you can support its development. Thank you!