Oathbound

A work-in-progress Valheim mod by Lion And Otter. Version 0.16.0.

Ten classes, each with its own talent tree, kill EXP and an active ability you aim and time yourself. Swap classes freely while keeping separate progress. Optional biome sieges add varied warbands, portal objectives and commanders, and every seventh night brings a blood moon.

Want the classes without raid changes?

Sieges are enabled by default. Turn them off to keep vanilla raids alongside every class and progression feature.

After launching once to generate the config, close Valheim normally. For a dedicated server, save and stop the server normally. Open BepInEx/config/local.warrior.rpg.cfg and change the existing setting under [Sieges] to:

[Sieges]
Enabled = false

Save the file, then restart the game or server and load the world. In multiplayer, edit the server's config, restart the server and reconnect. A client's preference cannot override the host.

This restores vanilla random raids; it does not disable vanilla raids or alter your world's raid-frequency setting. Existing Oathbound sieges end and raiders withdraw as their areas load, without victory loot. Settings apply when a world starts, not during a running raid.

Choose your oath

Huscarl: sword-and-board fighting with critical hits, bleeding, ripostes and block knockback, plus Warcry: a shout that heavily staggers up to six enemies within 8 metres and weakens their next attack. Costs 30 stamina.
Shieldbearer: shield-wall defence and counters, plus Stand Fast: eight seconds of 30% less damage and no new staggers for you, and 15% less damage for nearby allies. Requires a shield.
Valkyrie: aerial strikes, battlefield aid and an extra midair jump, plus Call the Spear: a conjured spear thrown with none equipped and priced in stamina.
Ranger: placed ranged shots and movement, plus Piercing Shot: a conjured arrow that passes through up to four enemies in a line, with no bow or ammunition.
Mage: build Eitr through the tree, then unlock six staff-free fire, frost and lightning spells. The first spell is reachable at level 6; full progression provides 75 Eitr before food.
Warlock: grow Eitr and unlock blood wards, skeleton summons, Siphon and Wither. Several spells ask for a blood offering, and wards never stack with native barriers.
Rogue: stealth, opening strikes and evasive fighting, plus Vanish: nearby enemies lose track of you, and your first melee hit inside the window counts as a hit on an unalerted enemy. Shields and two-handed weapons are restricted.
Monk: develop unarmed combat, plus Clear Mind: eight seconds of bare-fist attacks that cost no stamina, deal 20% more damage and stagger twice as much. Weapons and shields are restricted.
Hunter: call a permanent wolf companion that grows with your level, plus Field Mending: crouch and press the companion key to heal it for 75% of its maximum health. If it dies, resummon it after a 120-second cooldown.
Berserker: discover the class by equipping paired axes and then fight with them alone, plus Whirlwind: a spin that strikes up to five enemies around you for heavy stagger and knockback. Shields are restricted.

Huscarl, Shieldbearer and Valkyrie run 75-node trees with twelve capstones. Ranger, Rogue, Monk and Berserker run 33 nodes, and Mage, Warlock and Hunter keep 25 nodes with six capstones. The level cap is 76, so a forked tree is fully affordable. Only your active class grants benefits and earns EXP. Vanilla skills continue to progress.

Progression and class switching

Find the Oathstone just outside the starting sacrificial-stone circle. Use your normal interact button to open the class browser and talent tree.
Different enemies give different EXP rewards. Higher levels need more EXP. Kill credit goes to the credited killer; EXP is not shared with nearby players.
Each level after the first grants one point. A 25-node tree is complete at level 26, and a 75-node tree is complete before level 76.
Drag to pan the tree, use the wheel to zoom, and hover over square nodes for effects and requirements. The class browser supports searching and scrolling.
Switch whenever you like at the stone. A high-level Huscarl can become a level 1 Ranger and later return to all their Huscarl progress. Resetting talents refunds purchases without resetting the class level.
Death removes half of the active class's unfinished level EXP, rounded up. No delevelling, lost talents or lost waiting points. Other classes are unaffected. Vanilla death consequences still apply.
A subtle class, level and XP bar sits below health. EXP notices are brief; level-ups use the native yellow skill-up burst.

Prefer a button instead of an Oathstone?

In the same config file, change the existing [Classes] setting:

[Classes]
AccessMode = MenuButton

Save and restart the game or server. This replaces the Oathstone with a Classes button below the inventory grid, opening the same panel anywhere. Progress is preserved. The default is AccessMode = Oathstone. The host also controls this setting in multiplayer.

These are standard BepInEx configuration entries. A configuration-manager mod is optional and not included. Its local values may differ from current server rules; changes apply on the next world start.

Controls

Press H to cast your class's active ability. Mage and Warlock hold B to choose among their six spells, then release and press H; a class with a single ability skips the selector. Every shortcut is configurable, costs and cooldowns appear in the HUD line, and casting never equips or hides an item.

Mage capstones unlock Ember Bolt, Frost Volley, Stormburst, Cinder Barrage, Frost Nova and Chain Lightning. Eitr talents add to food Eitr and regenerate naturally. Switching class does not refill Eitr or reset cooldowns.
Warlock capstones unlock Blood Ward, Raise Guardian, Raise Archer, Siphon, Crimson Pact and Wither. Siphon heals for a share of the damage it actually deals, and Wither weakens an enemy's attacks for eight seconds.
0.16.0 improves blood casting feedback: a refused cast now says what blocked it, an interrupted release says so, and Siphon or Wither still strikes the enemy you aimed at when it moves out of your crosshair during the windup.
For Hunter, press H to call or recall your wolf and crouch plus H to mend it. The wolf gains health and bite damage as you level, and its stat talents are percentages, so they stay relevant at every level. It stows on portals, logout or class changes and keeps its saved health; it cannot remain as a fighter for another class.
Abilities with no gesture of their own (Warcry, Stand Fast, Vanish and Clear Mind) land the moment you press the key. Whirlwind and Piercing Shot keep a native swing or draw.

Blood moons

Every seventh night the moon runs red. Enemies notice you from much further away, your noise carries further, and what spawns is likelier to carry stars. Ordinary nights are untouched, sneaking stays exactly as proportionally effective as it was, and a siege storm outranks a blood moon. The server owns the schedule and publishes it when you connect.

[BloodMoon] in the config holds Enabled, Interval, SenseMultiplier and StarMultiplier.

Optional biome sieges

Sieges use vanilla raid timing, chance and world frequency settings. Taking a portal does not itself trigger a raid.

Two assault stages lead to a named, high-star commander. Defeat the commander to resolve the siege and earn its bounded reward.
24 warbands, three per biome, mix different enemies. Successive raids choose a different available band where possible.
Danger rises with the biome. Meadows encounters cause reduced but real structure damage. Later-biome attacks can deliberately threaten poorly defended portals.
Raid areas and participating enemies appear on the map/minimap. Messages explain objectives and escalation.
A stalled commander can bring sparse, warned lightning strikes with storm effects and sound. Engage the attackers and commander instead of relying entirely on inaccessible terrain.
When everyone leaves the targeted area, the siege pauses there and resumes on return. No unattended destruction.

Defend portal approaches, intercept attackers and deal with the commander. Siege balance is a work in progress; use the opt-out above if you prefer vanilla raids.

Installation and updates

Tested with Valheim 1.0.12 and BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2350. Back up characters and worlds before upgrading this work-in-progress mod.

Mod manager: install Oathbound into your Valheim profile. The Thunderstore package declares BepInExPack Valheim as a dependency. Launch through that profile.

Manual standalone: close Valheim, install the appropriate BepInEx loader, then merge the ZIP's BepInEx folder into your game directory. Both mod DLLs belong in BepInEx/plugins/WarriorRpg/.

Windows all-in-one: close Valheim and extract all ZIP contents directly beside valheim.exe, merging folders and replacing matching files. It includes the Windows loader. Start through Steam. Use either this route or a mod manager's dependency installation.

Use this same 0.16.0 release on the server and every client. Save and stop a server normally before replacing its DLLs, then restart. Linux servers need a Linux-compatible BepInEx loader; the Windows all-in-one is for Windows clients.

Upgrading to 0.16.0 refunds every spent talent point once, so you can spend those points on the changed trees. EXP, levels and class selection are untouched, and your original save string is kept on the character. Replace both DLLs and remove duplicate Oathbound installations. The internal WarriorRpg folder and filenames are retained for compatibility. Characters saved by 0.16.0 use a new save schema that 0.15.0 and earlier cannot read, so keep a pre-upgrade character backup if you might downgrade. Existing config files are preserved; check the two settings above after upgrading.

Work in progress

Developed for small co-op groups. Progression, native gameplay and multiplayer checks have been exercised, and a dedicated-server session has been played with a matching client. The six newest abilities are initial values for playtesting rather than a balance verdict, and long-term balance, controller-only menus and broad mod compatibility still need player feedback. Xbox/crossplay is not verified. Native burning final hits can lose attacker attribution and may not award class EXP.

No Valheim game assets or saves are included. Oathbound uses the game's existing models, animations and effects at runtime.

Report issues through the listing or Oathbound's website. Include game/mod versions, other mods and reproduction steps. Remove personal information and server credentials from logs you share.

Oathbound is an unofficial mod by Lion And Otter, not affiliated with or endorsed by Valheim's developers. Valheim is required and sold separately.