Goo's Combat Overhaul v1.0.0

Goo's Combat Overhaul is a configurable Valheim combat-feel overhaul focused on making weapon classes more distinct, responsive, and satisfying while preserving the structure of vanilla combat.

The mod adjusts combat behavior by weapon category rather than simply inflating damage numbers. It can tune hyperarmor, counter damage, stagger power, hit-stop, animation speed, attack rotation, knockback resistance, PvP damage, and other combat values for different weapon types and attack types.

The default install uses Goo's curated combat-overhaul preset. Players can also reset the config back to vanilla/no-op behavior or manually tune each weapon category.

Core Features

• Weapon-specific combat tuning
• Separate light/heavy attack settings
• Balanced hyperarmor system
• Counter-damage system
• Hit-stop / hit-freeze control
• Animation-speed tuning
• Attack rotation control
• Stagger multiplier tuning
• Knockback resistance tuning
• PvP damage modifiers
• Goo preset reapply button
• Vanilla reset button
• Master runtime enable/disable switch

Supported weapon categories include:

• One-handed swords
• One-handed axes
• Clubs and maces
• Knives
• Spears
• Atgeirs
• Two-handed swords
• Two-handed axes
• Sledges
• Dual axes
• Bows
• Crossbows
• Magic weapons
• Unarmed
• Other/fallback weapons

How the Mod Works

Goo's Combat Overhaul changes combat behavior by weapon category.

Most settings are split into:

• Primary = normal/light attack
• Secondary = heavy/special attack

Each weapon category can have different values for:

• Damage multiplier
• Stagger multiplier
• Animation speed
• Attack movement
• Attack rotation
• Hyperarmor mode
• Damage taken during hyperarmor
• Stagger taken during hyperarmor
• Knockback taken during hyperarmor
• Counter-damage eligibility
• Hit-stop behavior
• PvP damage scaling

The goal is not to make every weapon stronger in the same way. The goal is to give different weapon classes stronger identities.

Goo's Preset

Goo's preset is the default combat-overhaul setup. It applies my intended balance changes automatically on a fresh install.

The preset is designed to make weapon classes feel more distinct while keeping Valheim's combat rhythm intact.

In general:

• Heavy weapons receive stronger commitment tools.
• Some heavy attacks gain hyperarmor or knockback resistance.
• Some weak or clunky attacks gain animation-speed improvements.
• Some attacks gain stronger stagger identity.
• Counter damage rewards well-timed attacks against enemies during their attack animations.
• Melee attacks can turn more naturally during windup.
• Rotation is locked after the attack is released, so attacks still require commitment.
• Hit freeze is preserved or removed depending on weapon feel.

You can reapply Goo's preset at any time with:

ApplyGoosSettings = true This rewrites the config back to Goo's intended values, saves the config, and then turns itself back off.

Reset to Vanilla The mod includes a vanilla reset option: ResetToVanilla = true This resets combat values to vanilla/no-op behavior while keeping the mod installed. Use this if you want to start over, compare vanilla behavior, or manually rebuild your own preset. This reset affects combat/balance settings. It does not wipe every general/debug option.

ApplyModOptions ApplyModOptions = true This is the master runtime switch. When enabled, the mod reads and applies the current config. When disabled, the mod stops applying its combat changes and clears active runtime effects. This does not rewrite the config. It only turns the mod's functionality on or off.

Balanced Hyperarmor Balanced is the main hyperarmor mode used by Goo's preset. Hyperarmor means an attack can resist interruption while it is being performed. Depending on the weapon settings, hyperarmor can affect: Incoming damage Incoming stagger Incoming knockback Balanced hyperarmor is designed to protect the committed part of an attack without protecting the full recovery. In practice: Attack begins → Balanced hyperarmor starts

Swing / hit event happens → Balanced hyperarmor ends

Recovery frames → no hyperarmor This makes heavy attacks more reliable, but still punishable if they miss. Balanced mode is different from full-animation hyperarmor: FullAnimation: Protects windup, swing, and recovery.

Balanced: Protects windup and swing, but not recovery. Full-animation hyperarmor can make whiffed attacks too safe. Balanced mode gives commitment protection without removing punishment.

Hyperarmor Values Hyperarmor has separate values for damage, stagger, and knockback. Example: DamageTakenMultiplierDuringHyperArmor = 0.70 StaggerTakenMultiplierDuringHyperArmor = 0 KnockbackTakenMultiplierDuringHyperArmor = 0 This means: Take 70% damage Take no stagger Take no knockback A value of 1 means vanilla/no resistance. A value of 0 means full immunity for that specific effect. Some one-handed heavy attacks in Goo's preset only receive knockback resistance. That means they are harder to physically shove out of the attack, but they do not get free damage reduction or stagger immunity.

Counter Damage Counter damage rewards hitting an enemy during its attack animation. If counter damage is enabled for your weapon attack, the mod checks whether the target is currently in a real attack state. If so, your hit receives a counter-damage multiplier. This is meant to reward timing and spacing, not random damage spam. Counter damage can also play a short parry-style sound when it activates.

Hit-Stop / Hit Freeze Valheim briefly freezes the attacker's animation when a melee hit connects. This gives attacks impact, but it can also make some weapons feel sticky or sluggish. This mod can preserve, reduce, or remove that hit freeze depending on the weapon category. In Goo's preset, hit freeze is kept where it improves impact and removed where it makes the weapon feel worse.

Attack Rotation Goo's preset gives melee attacks better turning control during windup. This means you can aim an attack more naturally before the swing is released. However, once the attack trigger happens, rotation is locked through recovery. This prevents unrealistic mid-swing correction. In simple terms: Before the swing releases: You can turn normally.

After the swing releases: You cannot turn until recovery ends. This makes attacks feel responsive without becoming too forgiving. Dual axes heavy attacks and atgeir heavy attacks are excluded from this specific rotation behavior by default, because their attack identity depends more on commitment and positioning.

One-Handed Axe Heavy Attack Goo's preset gives one-handed axe heavy attacks a stronger identity. By default, the one-handed axe heavy attack has: Hit freeze enabled Increased stagger power Faster animation speed Balanced hyperarmor Knockback resistance only No hyperarmor damage reduction No hyperarmor stagger immunity This makes axe heavy attacks better at creating stagger pressure without making them overly defensive.

Design Rationale Valheim's armor system is highly sensitive to incoming damage size. When enemy damage is multiplied too aggressively, many attacks pass key armor breakpoints. Heavy armor then loses value, and melee defense scales poorly on higher difficulties. Valheim's melee combat also depends on stagger thresholds. Blocking, parrying, and weapon stagger create safe punish windows. Raw enemy damage scaling disrupts this rhythm by making more attacks break through blocks and stagger the player. At the same time, player damage penalties make it harder to stagger enemies back. For these reasons, difficulty is better increased through enemy density, aggression, raid pressure, and progression pressure rather than heavy enemy damage multipliers. This preserves Valheim's melee rhythm while still making combat harder.

Configuration Almost every feature is configurable. You can: Use Goo's default preset. Reapply Goo's preset after editing. Reset everything to vanilla/no-op behavior. Disable the mod's runtime effects without changing your config. Tune individual weapon categories manually. Adjust light and heavy attacks separately. Disable individual systems you do not want. The main general controls are: ApplyModOptions = true ApplyGoosSettings = false ResetToVanilla = false Recommended use: ApplyModOptions: Use this to enable/disable the mod's effects.

ApplyGoosSettings: Use this to restore Goo's preset.

ResetToVanilla: Use this to return the config to vanilla/no-op behavior.

Multiplayer For consistent behavior, all players in a multiplayer session should use the same mod version and preferably the same config. This is especially important for: Damage Stagger Hyperarmor Counter damage Animation timing Attack rotation PvP behavior Recommended multiplayer setup: All clients install the same version. Host/server and players use the same config.

Installation Install with a mod manager such as r2modman or Thunderstore Mod Manager. Manual install:

1. Install BepInExPack Valheim.
2. Place GooCombatOverhaul.dll into: BepInEx/plugins/GooCombatOverhaul/
3. Launch the game once to generate the config.
4. Edit the config if desired.

Notes This mod is highly configurable. If you dislike a specific balance choice, you can usually change it directly in the config.

Fresh installs use Goo's combat-overhaul preset by default. If you want vanilla behavior while keeping the mod installed, use: ResetToVanilla = true

If you later want to return to the intended preset, use: ApplyGoosSettings = true

The mod has been tested over a hundred times, but bugs can still exist. Feel free to share your feedbacks with me and I will update this mod within my abilities.