Enigma Mode

Enigma Mode is a new way to play Valheim, built using Expand World Prefabs. It reimagines Valheim as a persistent, exploration-focused experience with deep mechanical changes while remaining vanilla friendly. If the host player or server runs it, anyone joining their world experiences Enigma Mode! No mods required.

Enigma Mode works in singleplayer, hosted worlds, or on a server. Enigma Mode is fully compatible with Xbox and Mac players when placed on a server with crossplay enabled. It first launched alongside the Call to Arms update for Valheim in September of 2025.

Consider using Quality of Life for Enigma Mode, an optional companion modpack designed to improve usability, inventory management, and exploration.

What is Enigma Mode?

Enigma Mode guides players through the best of Valheim, turning the world into an immersive, long-term adventure. Progression is reworked encouraging discovery, exploration, and interaction in ways that make every journey feel fresh and rewarding.

At the heart of the experience are the Enigma Paths:

• Four great paths stretch from the center of the world to the edge, building themselves in front of you as you progress.
• Occasionally the paths stop requiring the player to pay tribute to continue forward.
• The paths weave through every biome, revealing a new way to see the world of Valheim.
• Enigma Mode works on both new and existing worlds, and on an old world, the paths serve as a guided tour, leading players past previous bases and creations.

Beyond the paths, Enigma Mode reshapes Valheim with several core systems:

• Boss Chest Progression – Each boss has a boss chest. Fill it with the correct items to earn the boss progression item plus extra rewards, tying progression to exploration, crafting, and strategic resource use.
• Expanded Dvergr Systems – Enigma Mode brings the Dvergr to life. Traders, blacksmiths, and quest givers populate the world, offering over 300 unique trades. Interacting with them adds value to exploration, crafting, and progression.
• Coin-Based Economy – Almost everything can be sold to the Dvergr for coins, easing inventory management and building wealth. Coins can be spent on building materials like Ashwood, Grausten, and Black Marble, available early in the Black Forest. This makes the world more rewarding and highlights Valheim’s strongest elements: exploration, building, and combat.
• Location Redistribution – The farther you travel from the center, the more unusual the world becomes. Goblin Camps can appear deep in the Black Forest, and Charred Fortresses may rise in the Plains, Mountains, or even Oceans.
• Respawning Dungeons – Dungeons reset automatically every Friday, refreshing exploration and combat opportunities. Players can also trigger resets by building a coin pile at a dungeon entrance or tossing 3 Ashlands gemstones into it.
• Tweaked melee and blocking mechanics for more dynamic combat
• Plus hundreds of other changes for you to discover...

The Role of the Dvergr

The Dvergr are central to Enigma Mode. They are not passive NPCs. They are the merchants, blacksmiths, and quest givers that tie the world together.

• Merchants – Hundreds of trades make exploration worthwhile, providing resources and upgrades.
• Quest Givers and Blacksmiths – Optional quests and crafting upgrades give players meaningful reasons to interact with the world beyond combat.
• Economic Backbone – Coins earned from trading fund progression and grant access to rare building materials.
• Exploration Incentive – Strategically placed Dvergr encourage players to revisit familiar areas and discover hidden encounters, keeping the world engaging.

The Dvergr make the world feel alive, giving exploration, crafting, and progression clear purpose, and linking Enigma Mode’s systems into a cohesive, rewarding experience.

Enhancing the Experience

Originally conceived as a small quality-of-life companion, Enigma Mode has evolved into a complete overhaul of Valheim that deepens Valheim’s progression, exploration, and survival. It doesn’t replace Valheim. it extends it, giving players new reasons to return to familiar places while ensuring that no two journeys feel the same.

Enigma Mode enhances Valheim in three key ways:

• Immersion – Paths carve themselves into the world, dungeons respawn, and locations appear in unexpected places. Exploration feels alive and full of surprises.
• Dvergr Overhaul – Traders, blacksmiths, and quest givers populate the world, providing meaningful interactions, a dynamic economy, and incentives to explore.
• Flexibility – Whether in singleplayer, multiplayer with friends, or on a crossplay server, Enigma Mode adapts to your playstyle and ensures everyone joining experiences the same world.

Nothing here requires mods for friends or guests. When the host runs Enigma Mode, everyone experiences it.

Start Exploring with Enigma Mode

You’ll discover changes gradually. Advanced materials like Grausten, Ashwood, and Black Marble become accessible earlier, while Dvergr outposts hide new crafting and trading opportunities. Whether building a long-term base or following the paths, there’s always something new to discover.

Consider using the Enigma Mode Quality of Life pack, an optional companion modpack that focused on immersion. Players can use it or their own preferred QoL mods.

Enigma Mode is a showcase of what is possible with Expand World Prefabs, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. Enigma Mode was originally developed by JPValheim. You can learn more about Enigma Mode on JPValheim’s YouTube.