The Headless Wanderer

A seasonal Halloween mini-boss, summoning altar, wild roaming encounter, and helmet transmog mod for Valheim.

When darkness falls and the chilling mist rolls across the lands, the terrifying Headless Wanderer stalks the wilderness wielding the molten cleaver Hálsskera. Challenge the restless spirit through an intentional sacrificial ritual at the Altar of the Wanderer, encounter him roaming high-tier biomes under cover of night and fog, or repel his chilling base raids. Defeat the monster to claim his glowing Jack-o'-Lantern as a wearable helmet or transmog visual, alongside wicked weapons and sugary Halloween treats.

Work in Progress: Please note that this mod is in active development and is not 100% finished. Additional features, balance adjustments, animations, and visual refinements are ongoing.

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Features

• Altar of the Wanderer: Construct an ancient executioner's stump etched with glowing runes using your hammer. Place 3 Fuling Trophies into the executioner's bucket under cover of night to summon The Headless Wanderer with thunder, lightning, and rolling mist.
• Wild Roaming Encounters: The Headless Wanderer roams high-tier biomes (Plains, Mistlands, Ashlands) naturally. Wild spawns strictly require night-time and dense fog or mist, ensuring organic, atmospheric world exploration.
• Optional Base Raid Event: A seasonal mini-boss raid event targeting player settlements accompanied by dense eerie fog and ominous announcements. Can be customized or disabled entirely.
• The Headless Wanderer Mini-Boss: Towering spectral terror complete with a custom 3D model, dedicated boss health bar HUD, glowing Jack-o'-Lantern, and devastating moveset with fiery cleaves and shockwaves.
• The Wanderer's Jack-o'-Lantern & Transmog: Wearable carved pumpkin helmet with glowing eyes, jagged grin, and candle illumination. Includes a transmog hotkey to project the pumpkin visual over any equipped helmet without sacrificing endgame armor stats.
• Thematic Halloween Loot:
  • Hálsskera: Brutal executioner's battleaxe forged from cursed iron and living embers.
  • Spooky Candy: Halloween confection that grants the Sugar Rush buff (+20% movement speed, +50 max stamina, +50 max eitr, accelerated recovery).
  • The Wanderer's Trophy: Sinister spectral trophy mountable on item stands.

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Controls & Keybinds (if applicable)

Action	Shortcut	Description
Toggle Pumpkin Transmog	F8	Toggles the glowing pumpkin helmet transmog visual over your equipped helmet
Offer Fuling Trophy	E	Deposits Fuling Trophies from your inventory into the Altar bucket
Use Selected Trophy	1-8	Places a hotbar-selected Fuling Trophy directly into the Altar

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Configuration

The configuration file is generated automatically at BepInEx/config/com.jubaroo.theheadlesswanderer.cfg. All settings can be adjusted in-game via configuration managers (e.g. BepInEx Configuration Manager or ConfigForge) or edited directly:

Setting	Default	Description
ServerConfigLocked	true	If true, only server admins can modify configuration settings
EnableWildSpawn	true	Enables or disables natural wild roaming encounters
WildSpawnBiomes	Plains,Mistlands,Ashlands	Comma-separated biomes where the Wanderer can roam
WildSpawnChance	15	Percentage chance per spawn check interval to spawn
WildSpawnInterval	120	Spawn check interval in seconds for wild roaming
WildSpawnRequireFog	true	Whether wild spawns strictly require foggy or misty weather
WildSpawnRequireNight	true	Whether wild spawns strictly require night-time
EnableAltar	true	Enables the craftable Altar of the Wanderer hammer piece
AltarRequireNight	true	Whether the altar can only be activated under cover of night
AltarTrophyRequirement	3	Number of Fuling Trophies required to summon the Wanderer
AltarWoodCost	10	Wood cost to construct the Altar
AltarCoreWoodCost	4	Core Wood cost to construct the Altar
AltarTurnipCost	1	Turnip cost to construct the Altar
AltarBlackMetalCost	2	Black Metal ingot cost to construct the Altar (requires smelted ingots, not raw scrap)
AltarTarCost	2	Tar cost to construct the Altar (requires Plains tar pits)
AltarBoneCost	4	Bone Fragments cost to construct the Altar
EnableRaid	true	Enables or disables the base raid event
RaidDurationSeconds	180	Duration of the base raid event in seconds
RaidRequiresBase	true	Whether the raid only targets player bases
RaidBiomes	Meadows,BlackForest,Swamp,Plains,Mistlands,Ashlands	Biomes where the raid event can trigger
BossHealth	1800	Maximum health points of the mini-boss
BossDamageMultiplier	1.0	Multiplier for all damage dealt by the Wanderer
TransmogToggleKey	F8	Keyboard key to toggle pumpkin helmet transmog
TransmogAlwaysActive	false	Automatically show pumpkin helmet over any equipped helmet
PumpkinHelmetLight	true	Enables candle lantern illumination on the helmet

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Installation

Using a Mod Manager (Recommended)

Install via Thunderstore Mod Manager, r2modman, or Gale:

1. Search for TheHeadlessWanderer.
2. Click Download with Mod Manager.

Manual Installation

1. Ensure BepInExPack Valheim is installed.
2. Extract the mod package archive.
3. Place TheHeadlessWanderer.dll into your Valheim/BepInEx/plugins/ directory.
4. Launch the game!

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Compatibility & Multiplayer

• Client vs Server: Both client and server must install the mod for the custom altar piece, assets, and boss creature to synchronize properly.
• ServerSync: Dedicated servers enforce configuration locking and automatically synchronize all altar costs, spawn chances, and boss stats to connected clients.
• Controller Support: Full gamepad and keyboard/mouse compatibility for interacting with the altar and battling the boss.