Goo's Combat Overhaul

Goo's Combat Overhaul (GCO) makes Valheim combat more aggressive and gives weapons clearer roles. Running and jump attacks help you close distance; heavy weapons trade stamina for stagger and protection; tower shields hold their guard until a blocked hit empties your stamina. PvP has its own balance settings.

Use the default Goo ruleset, customize individual systems or weapons, or reset them to Vanilla.

Getting started

1. Install GCO and its dependencies, then launch your modded game once. Fresh configs are ready to play. Full installation instructions are below.
2. Use normal Valheim controls. Sprint into a primary attack for a Running attack, or jump and press primary while airborne for a Jump attack. Availability depends on the weapon.
3. Open Configuration Manager with F1 and use Config View to choose a weapon and system. The config file and console also work without the menu.
4. Updates preserve your saved tuning. Apply Goo replaces it with the current preset. Optional weapon YAML is Off on fresh installs; enable it for custom profiles and the bundled, manually fitted sword/spear reach profiles.

Default Combat Identity

This describes fresh installs and the Goo preset. Saved settings, host rules and enabled weapon profiles may differ. Primary is the normal attack; Secondary is the alternate attack; P1/P2/P3 are successive combo hits. Free movement means movement from your input; lunge is forward movement built into an attack animation.

What changes across combat

• Attacks turn more readily, but most melee swings stop turning after their hit. Many attacks restrict free movement while lunging forward. Most can transition into a block after the hit.
• Most sword, axe, club, knife and atgeir combos grow stronger with each hit, without placing so much damage in the finisher. Fists and native paired axes/knives retain their existing damage progression.
• A smaller base stamina pool comes with faster recovery and limited stamina debt. Running and jumping attacks provide new approaches, while conditional bonuses reward positioning and timing.
• Large incoming PvE hits are softened. PvP damage is more consistent, with separate stagger, knockback and defensive tuning.
• Heavy armor offers more resistance to being interrupted or pushed around, without its usual movement penalty. Weapons and shields still have their own equipment penalties.

Melee weapons

• Two-Handed Swords: gain base damage and stagger at a higher stamina cost. Planted primaries lunge strongly and cleave without losing damage across targets. Secondary trades damage for stagger, Counter and faster recovery. Running uses the second swing with a long lunge; Jump uses the finisher with extra stagger. Ordinary impact pauses are shorter.

• Two-Handed Axes: also trade more stamina for base damage and stagger. Planted primaries gain lunge, broader contact and penalty-free cleave; Secondary retains limited free movement and its own cleave rules. Running uses the second swing without lunge. The finisher and Jump have deliberately long impact pauses. Primary chopping is weaker, and the equipped axe slows movement more.

  Both heavy families reduce damage and stagger taken during primaries and Running. Ordinary attacks also resist knockback completely; Running does not. Their secondaries protect only at the instant their hit is being resolved, leaving wind-up and recovery exposed. That brief protection prevents PvE stagger and knockback; PvP instead gives strong stagger resistance. Jump attacks have no default hyperarmor.

• Sledges: keep their area damage and radius, swing faster, cost more stamina and inflict much more stagger with slightly less knockback. Primaries gain lunge. Protection lasts through the hit, reducing damage and preventing stagger/knockback; recovery is exposed. They have a heavier equipment penalty and no added normal Running or Jump attack. The optional [Beta] alternate moveset, Off by default, adds axe-inspired swings and Running, keeps the area finisher and borrows the two-handed axe Secondary. Sledges receive no extra Flank damage.

• Atgeirs: retain free movement and gain broader contact, lunge, stagger and primary Counter damage. The spinning Secondary cleaves without multi-target damage loss. Hyperarmor reduces damage; primaries and Running also reduce stagger buildup, while Secondary takes normal stagger and all attacks take normal knockback. Running adds movement and lunge; Jump uses the finisher without protection. Himmin Afl gains chain-lightning chances.

• One-Handed Swords: planted primaries gain lunge and penalty-free cleave. Secondary deals less damage but more stagger, swings faster, recovers more slowly and can Counter. It prevents knockback while taking normal damage and stagger. Running and Jump borrow the finisher; Running adds movement and Jump adds stagger. Equipped swords impose a modest movement penalty. Optional YAML contains reach fitted to each supported vanilla sword's visible blade length.

• One-Handed Axes: retain free movement, gain strong primary lunge and penalty-free cleave, swing faster and build more stagger. Primaries recover more slowly. Secondary gains more reliable contact and knockback protection, but no damage/stagger protection. Running triggers at a lower speed and uses the finisher with more movement and lunge; Jump uses a faster Secondary. Both have slower recovery. Ordinary chopping damage is reduced.

• Clubs and Maces: planted primaries gain lunge and stagger while pushing enemies less, keeping them in reach. Primaries retain multi-target damage loss. Secondary removes that penalty, deals less damage, swings faster and recovers more slowly, with knockback-only protection. Running and Jump use the finisher; Jump adds stagger. Equipped clubs impose a modest movement penalty.

• Knives: retain free movement and gain lunge, broader close contact and faster turning. Stronger Sneak, Flank and Execution bonuses reward openings. They gain no hyperarmor or extra ordinary stagger, and no enabled Running or Jump attack.

• Native Dual Knives: share the knife movement and conditional bonuses while keeping native combo damage. Primary PvP stagger lasts as long as a knife's but builds more strongly; secondaries stagger longer than primaries. Paired items such as Skoll and Hati are separate from SDW Daggers.

• Native Dual Axes: keep native combo damage and finisher bonuses. Planted primaries gain lunge and broad, penalty-free cleave. Secondary swings faster and builds more stagger, with less lunge and narrower, taller contact. Impact pauses are shorter. Hyperarmor and GCO Running/Jump substitutions are Off. These are separate from SDW Axes.

• Spears: retain a focused, single-target thrust with normal lunge and no free attack movement. Primaries gain a stronger Counter bonus. Throws travel faster, deal more stagger and receive no Flank bonus. Hyperarmor and special Running are Off; no Jump attack is added. Optional Spear Loyalty keeps a thrown spear from being consumed/dropped and is Off by default. Bundled YAML fits supported vanilla spear reach to the visible models; it does not change throws.

• Unarmed / Fists: keep native combo damage, animate faster, gain broader contact and adjusted lunge, and restrict ordinary free movement. Running borrows P2 and requires more speed than most weapons. There is no added Jump attack or hyperarmor. Secondary has extra PvP damage, strong stagger and more knockback. Sneak bonuses are above ordinary weapons but below knives.

• Pickaxes: keep native mining damage and mostly neutral local combat tuning. Shared combat/defense rules still apply. Turning locks after the hit through recovery; no Running or Jump attack is added.

• Other weapons and tools: use their applicable shared rules and exposed tuning. Running support depends on the item's existing attack. Custom weapon YAML can select the intended family or exclude an item from GCO weapon changes.

Smoothbrain DualWield weapons

Both hands still strike. Each hand's damage is modestly reduced; the left uses dual-wield skill and the right its ordinary weapon skill. Primaries, Running and Jump cost substantially more stamina; Secondary keeps its ordinary cost factor. All four families gain Running and Jump using P1, with no default hyperarmor and greatly reduced PvP knockback.

Running increases movement and lunge. Jump uses independently copied one-handed sword tuning, with lower damage, greater stagger and no added lunge, while keeping SDW contact shapes and stamina costs. Ordinary/Running impact pauses stay native; recovery waits for the last hand strike.

• SDW Swords: planted primaries swing faster, recover more slowly and lunge furthest on P2. Secondary restricts movement, deals less damage and can Counter. Running also has faster swings and slower recovery.
• SDW Axes: planted primaries gain strong lunge and faster swings, especially the finisher, with slower recovery. Secondary keeps its damage, recovers faster, allows limited turning before the hit and does no chopping damage. Its contact shape follows P1. Running swings faster.
• SDW Clubs: planted primaries gain lunge with ordinary swing/recovery timing. Secondary deals less damage, swings more slowly and recovers faster, with axe-style contact but club cleave rules. Running has slower recovery.
• SDW Daggers: primaries retain free movement and native lunge while gaining faster turning and stronger Sneak damage. Secondary restricts movement, deals less damage and can Counter. Running lunges less than the other SDW families.

Ranged weapons and utility

• Bows: retain draw speed, projectile speed and accuracy while allowing much freer turning during the draw. PvP damage is reduced, with no PvP stagger or knockback. Existing immobilizing effects have a low ordinary chance and become guaranteed against already-staggered or unaware targets.
• Crossbows: retain reload speed, projectile speed, spread and recoil. PvP damage is reduced, with no PvP stagger or knockback. Existing immobilization has no ordinary chance and becomes guaranteed against already-staggered or unaware targets.
• Harpoons: travel faster while retaining native rope strength. Grappling Hook keeps native hook behavior and has its own settings, separate from bow/crossbow balance.
• Throwables: retain native damage, stamina cost, projectile speed and throwing speed. Neither direct bomb hits nor lingering areas receive Flank damage.

Magic

Most spell damage, costs and casting behavior remain native. Shared damage rules still apply, but magic has no default Flank bonus or lasting PvP stagger. Older staves allow parrying and running while blocking; the four newer staves retain neutral staff-specific defense and spell tuning.

• Staff of Embers and Staff of Fracturing: keep their native spell damage, costs, projectiles and area behavior.
• Staff of Frost: fires a tighter spread and deals less PvP damage.
• Dundr: fires a tighter spread without recoil, builds more direct stagger and deals less PvP damage. Reload speed and pellet count stay native. Pellets gain a small chain-lightning chance, guaranteed against Wet targets.
• Staff of Protection: keeps native bubble strength and casting costs. Blocking with the staff is separate from the bubble's protection.
• Dead Raiser: permits one skeleton at starting quality and one more per upgrade. Other summon attributes and casting costs stay native.
• Staff of the Wild: permits ten active vines per caster, without increasing the cap on upgrades. Other vine attributes stay native.
• Trollstav: retains native casting and summoned-troll behavior; it does not share the skeleton or vine cap.
• Echo Spike and Lightning Strike: retain native spell-specific damage, costs, projectiles and areas.
• Northern Vengeance: retains native shield strength, costs, mitigation and retaliation.
• Spirit Caller: retains native summon limits, attributes and costs. Optional cap tuning covers that caster's phantom variants.

Shields and armor

• Bucklers and Medium Shields: keep their native block armor, parry bonus and timing, including the differences between the two classes. They allow running blocks at reduced movement, impose a modest equipment penalty and no longer push attackers away through block force. Shared PvP guard-break resistance applies.
• Tower Shields: hold until a blocked hit empties stamina. Successful blocks prevent stagger and knockback, cover a wider angle and reduce remaining physical damage. Elemental and untyped damage keep their normal blocked-hit treatment. Towers cannot parry or run while blocking and have a heavier equipment penalty.
• Light Armor: removes its armor movement penalty and adds the smallest per-piece stagger/knockback resistance.
• Medium Armor: removes its armor movement penalty and adds more resistance per piece.
• Heavy Armor: removes its armor movement penalty and adds the most resistance per piece. Armor ratings remain native across all three classes.

Core Combat Features

Running and Jump Attacks

Running: reach the weapon's speed requirement while sprinting, then start a primary attack. Holding sprint while stationary is insufficient. An existing queued combo stays a combo. Running allows brief airtime but is disabled on ice by default.

Jump: jump, then press primary before landing. Deliberate jumps qualify immediately; stepping off terrain requires one second airborne. Jump attacks take priority when eligible and spend attack stamina in addition to the jump cost. Secondary input stays Secondary. Feather Cape disables jump attacks by default.

Use the Running Attacks and Jump Attacks global switches, then the weapon's matching section. The global switch, per-weapon Apply and attack-enable setting must all permit the attack. Changing a primary's tuning does not automatically change a Running/Jump attack that borrows its animation.

Hyperarmor and stagger

Hyperarmor separately controls damage, stagger buildup and knockback taken. Protection against one does not imply protection against the others. It does not erase an existing stagger meter.

Mode	When it protects
Off	Never.
Balanced	From entering the attack animation through the hit event.
FullAttackAnimation	Throughout the attack, including recovery.
WhileHoldingWeaponType	While holding that weapon type.
DuringHitRay	Only at the instant the attack's hit is resolved.

PvP hyperarmor replaces PvE hyperarmor, then combines with armor and other applicable mitigation. Armor pieces and hyperarmor multiply their remaining-damage factors: two protections do not simply add their percentages. Zero stagger taken means immunity to new buildup; partial values reduce it. Jump hyperarmor is Off by default.

Outgoing stagger strength, how much buildup a target can withstand, and stagger duration have separate controls. An actual stagger clears the meter and preserves facing.

Positioning and timing bonuses

Bonus	Opening it rewards
Sneak	An unaware target. It scales with Sneak skill and can award Sneak XP.
Flank	A hit from behind; the allowed rear sector is narrower in PvP. Adds damage and stagger where enabled.
Execution	An already-staggered PvE enemy.
Counter	A target currently in an attack animation. Only players deal it by default.

Sneak and Flank can multiply together. Execution and Counter compete with the other eligible combinations; the stronger result wins. A qualifying Flank still plays its enabled ding when Execution wins, without a second Execution/Counter ding on the same hit.

Movement, timing and impact

Attack Movement changes free movement during a swing; Lunge changes its animation-driven forward travel. Swing speed, recovery speed and turning are separate. Recovery starts after the final hit event, including misses and attacks with multiple strikes. Interrupting an attack releases its timing changes.

Movement settings can apply during wind-up, recovery or the full animation. DuringHitbox covers the interval from the first through final hit event; it is longer than the brief DuringHitRay hyperarmor window. GroundOnly, under Jump Attacks, limits attack-movement changes to grounded movement. Added lunge amplification is neutralized while airborne, gliding or on ice.

Block Canceling: use your normal block input during the permitted part of a swing. Goo permits this after the hit, so you can end recovery by blocking but still commit to the wind-up. Hit-Stop controls the pause on impact. These and attack turning have separate ordinary, Running, Jump and PvP settings. Supported melee attacks also earn more adrenaline by default.

Weapon effects

These settings tune effects a weapon already supplies; they do not give every weapon Root or lightning. Ordinary fire, frost, poison and spirit damage effects are separate.

Root immobilization lasts five seconds by default in every weapon category, including bows. Bow chance is 5% normally; Crossbow chance is zero normally. Both guarantee existing Root effects against already-staggered or unaware targets. Existing lightning chains are guaranteed against Wet targets. The target must meet the condition before the hit; staggering it with that same hit does not qualify.

Under a weapon's Effects, rows are grouped by Unconditional, On Wet, On Staggered and On Unaware, then by effect. The highest matching conditional chance replaces the ordinary chance.

Control	How to use it
Chance Percent	Enter a direct chance. Unconditional -1 keeps the native chance.
Chance Multiplier	Scale that chance; for example, 20% at 0.5x becomes 10%. Conditional -1 with 1x is inactive; another multiplier scales the ordinary chance.
Duration / Damage	Shared by that effect's conditions. Duration 0 prevents new timed applications. Lightning has no duration control.
Exact Effect Names	Override a specific effect, such as Root=40, ahead of its group setting.

Exact-name -1 inherits native/base chance under Unconditional and disables that conditional override elsewhere. Tooltips show the active chance and duration. Extra lightning visuals and Disable Weapon Particles are independent options in Misc, both Off by default.

PvP Damage

Goo makes PvP damage rolls consistent and reduces the advantage of very large single hits against armor. Smaller hits are raised and larger hits compressed within limits. Incoming PvE damage has a separate curve that softens large hits without increasing small ones.

Secondary and Jump attacks exert greatly increased PvP stagger pressure. Two-handed swords and axes gain it on every attack. This increases buildup, not stagger duration; mitigation and immunity still apply. Bow, Crossbow and Magic default to no lasting PvP stagger.

PvP damage, stagger duration, knockback, impact pauses, hyperarmor and guard breaking can be tuned separately. Disabling PvP hyperarmor overrides lets the corresponding PvE protection apply.

Blocking and Defense

Use normal Valheim block and parry controls. GCO preserves the ordinary parry timing window. Projectile parries stagger the attacker only in PvP by default; area-attack parries do not.

Tower-shield guard costs account for incoming stagger pressure, block strength and guard-break resistance. Its increased PvP resistance counters the increased attack stagger pressure without inflating block armor. Extra physical protection applies only while a block succeeds.

Running blocks use normal run stamina. Blocking movement, running-block movement and equipment penalties are separate settings. Blocking with a staff is also separate from absorbing a hit with a magical bubble; staff and active-shield controls tune those independently.

Stats & Resources

Goo uses 50 base stamina, faster regeneration and a one-second regeneration delay. An action can spend into stamina debt down to −50 only if it starts above zero and its full cost fits within that floor. You must recover that debt before acting again.

Running adds no run-stamina drain during attacks or airtime. Jump costs remain native; crouching costs no stamina. Most health, eitr, healing and carry-weight values remain native.

Two optional [Beta] switches remove run or jump stamina cost outside combat. Both are Off. They require no living, loaded creature to be alerted, including friendly and neutral creatures, with no distance limit. Eligible actions work at zero/negative stamina without restarting regeneration delay; other action costs remain separate.

• Movement: ordinary movement speed, jump force and dodge motion remain native; sprint turning is faster. Weapons, shields and tools can be equipped/unequipped while running, but armor, capes and accessories cannot by default. The two permissions are independent.
• Falls: damage starts after a longer fall. Jump Attacks contains the height, damage and cap controls; native fall protection still applies.
• Food and consumables: distinct foods are still required. Food strength, healing and ordinary consumption stay native. Permanent Food, permanent mead/Rested and free consumables are optional and Off.
• Durability: stays native. Unbreakable gear and durability adjustments are optional.
• HUD: optional health/stamina changes are under UI and Icons, Off by default. Grey-band settings require that master to be enabled.

Misc / Cheat Fest can override consumption, food uniqueness, buff duration and weapon durability for everyone. It defaults Off and requires host/admin control; see Debug Tools below.

Smoothbrain DualWield (optional)

Supported integration targets SDW 1.0.10. Equip two separate one-handed weapons of the same supported family through SDW, then use the corresponding [SDW] settings. Native paired axes and knives keep their ordinary categories. Without SDW, its controls are hidden.

The [SDW] Dual Wield section has two independent switches, both On in Goo:

• Use GCO Dual Wield Config Overwrite: applies SDW-family tuning. Off preserves those stored values; shared player/world rules still apply.
• Use GCO Dual Wield Skill Scaling: enables GCO's per-hand skill scaling and dual-wield skill stamina discount while retaining SDW's base costs.

Each hand contributes its ordinary one-handed equipment movement penalty, including its own YAML profile. SDW combat settings otherwise remain independent. Running/Jump use their own stamina rates once; editing ordinary sword Jump settings does not change SDW Jump settings.

Known limitation: cape and armor attack-stamina cost reductions do not currently apply to SDW attacks. Skill discounts and GCO stamina multipliers still apply.

Keep the bundled compatibility patcher in its installation location and fully restart after updating it. SDW settings support the same presets, commands, multiplayer rules and weapon profiles as other families.

Summon Settings

For Dead Raiser, Spirit Caller and Staff of the Wild, Base Summon Cap sets the starting allowance and Summon Cap Per Item Level adds summons per upgrade. For example, a base of two and an increment of one allow four summons at quality three. Caps belong to each caster, not the whole server, and scaling continues beyond quality four.

A supported base of -1 retains the native cap; a final cap of 0 means unlimited. Spirit Caller's custom cap covers its phantom variants. Previously untagged phantoms need recasting.

[Beta] Attack Players In PvP is Off. When enabled, both caster and target must have PvP enabled; the caster is excluded, and summons must still detect and select a target normally.

Hit Detection and Feedback

GCO reshapes creature contact for many attacks. Alternate Environment Hit Ray, On in Goo, keeps terrain, tree and building reach at native shapes through a separate pass. With this split enabled, terrain does not obstruct the creature pass. It does not hit the environment twice. Normal sledge area attacks retain their own handling.

Range changes reach; width/height change contact size; angle changes the sweep; forward offset shifts its starting point. Multi Hit permits damage to multiple targets, while Hit Through Mobs, Hit Through Walls and the multi-target damage penalty separately control penetration and cleave damage. Spear P1 remains a single-target exception.

Individual sword/spear reach has been manually fitted to the models and placed in 19 bundled YAML profiles. Enable Use YAML Configs to load them; it is Off for fresh installs. Shape and thickness still use their family/attack settings. The old individual prefab-range controls have been removed; edit the weapon's YAML for those adjustments.

Enemy Tuning

Enemy damage, stagger, resilience, movement, attack speed, turning, size, projectiles and reach can be adjusted separately. Goo leaves most values native, including damage to buildings. Enemies push players less and stop redirecting attacks after their hit event.

Change Enemies / Enemy damage to buildings multiplier for a more destructive world. Player structure damage is separate and also stays native by default.

Debug Tools

For troubleshooting, enable Debug Logging, then the relevant Log - … channels. They cover combat, movement, equipment, resources, effects, magic, enemies, SDW, config and sync, and default Off. Logging does not enable cheats or require debug mode. Verbose Debug Logging enables all channels; use it briefly when reproducing a problem.

Logs are in BepInEx/LogOutput.log. For multiplayer issues, collect the relevant client and host/server logs. Diagnostic preferences and keybinds stay local and survive presets.

Goo Combat Debug Mode provides god-mode behavior and testing tools. In multiplayer, these actions require host/server-admin permission unless the host/admin enables Cheat Fest.

Default key	Action
Z / N / P	Fly / no-placement-cost / ghost
H / O	Heal / refresh Rested
K / L	Kill creatures / remove loot

Keys are configurable and ignored while typing. The PvP Test Dummy lets you test damage, armor, stagger, Counter and impact pauses without another player. Spawn, remove and reset it through Debug actions or console commands.

Cheat Fest — Misc, Off by default: the host/admin can grant these debug powers to everyone using each player's existing GCO keys and buttons. God mode activates automatically; fly, ghost and free building use their usual toggles. It also makes weapons unbreakable, prevents food/potion/ammo consumption, permits duplicate foods in the usual three slots, and keeps active food, mead/potion and Rested buffs from expiring. You still need the items to use them; broken weapons are not repaired and unrelated debuffs are not frozen.

Cheat Fest overrides the individual options without rewriting their saved values, including disabled weapon-resource options and weapon opt-outs. Turning it Off restores ordinary settings and removes guests' debug powers. A host/admin's independently enabled debug mode continues normally. Guests cannot change Cheat Fest or other shared settings; weapon YAML cannot override this switch. GCO's Apply Mod Options master must remain On.

Presets and Config Tools

Goo Ruleset and Vanilla Reset

Fresh installs and Apply Goo use the same gameplay defaults. Use General / Set To Goo Ruleset or gco_applypreset goo. This replaces custom tuning in its scope. Back up your settings first and let the operation finish before editing again.

General / Reset To Vanilla or gco_applypreset vanilla restores native/no-op settings, disables added attacks and disables runtime YAML without deleting its files. Running/Jump tuning remains stored while those attacks are disabled.

Per-weapon or per-feature resets affect only their stated scope. An ordinary feature reset restores local values and turns its Apply Off; other weapons and shared settings stay unchanged. Turning Apply back On permits stored tuning—it does not reload Goo defaults.

Both presets turn Cheat Fest Off and preserve the Apply Mod Options master and local viewing, particle and debug preferences. Apply Goo also preserves the YAML On/Off choice, so enabled profiles may still override the preset. For a temporary comparison without resetting tuning, turn General / Apply Mod Options Off and back On; the host controls it in multiplayer.

Console commands

Add -console to Valheim's launch options and open its console. GCO commands do not require devcommands; multiplayer permissions still apply. Use autocomplete and list commands to find exact branch/feature names.

gco_list_<Branch> [FeatureFilter]
gco_get_<Branch> <Feature>
gco_set_<Branch> <Feature> <Value>
gco_reset_<Branch> <Feature>
gco_applypreset <goo|vanilla>
gco_applypreset_<Branch> <Feature>
gco_run_<Branch> <ActionFeature>
gco_sync_status
gco_save

Replace the bracketed placeholders; do not type the brackets. For example:

gco_list_2HSwords destruction
gco_get_2HSwords destruction_Primary1_DamageToBuildings
gco_set_2HSwords destruction_Primary1_DamageToBuildings 0.75
gco_run_Debug pvpDummy_Spawn

That edit changes only 2H Sword P1 building damage. Other branches include 1HSwords, 1HAxes, 2HAxes, Maces, Bows and StatsResources. gco_list_All <filter> searches all settings; actions use gco_run_*. Successful edits save automatically.

For Cheat Fest, use gco_get_Misc Cheatfest to inspect the switch and gco_set_Misc Cheatfest true or false to change it as host/admin. gco_sync_status reports whether it is effectively active.

Important distinction: gco_reset_<Branch> and gco_applypreset_<Branch> restore an entry's bound default. For a scoped Vanilla reset, run the named reset action with gco_run_*; use gco_applypreset vanilla for the whole mod.

Optional Broadcast Config Changes announces gameplay edits in chat. It defaults Off; turning it Off sends one final notice. Presets announce one summary.

Multiplayer Notes

Use the same official 2.1.1 build on every client and the host/dedicated server. Do not mix it with private 2.1.1 test builds.

Component	Players	Host / dedicated server
GCO, BepInEx and ConditionalConfigSync	Required	Required
Configuration Manager	Optional settings menu	Not needed on a headless server

Gameplay settings and active YAML come from the host. Admins also use the server's values while connected; their edits change the shared settings for everyone. Ordinary guests are read-only, even if Lock Configuration is Off. The lock defaults On. Local config files retain offline preferences, which return after disconnect; guest YAML files are not overwritten.

Clients wait for the complete server configuration before spawning. An incomplete or rejected sync returns them to the menu with an error instead of leaving local gameplay settings active. gco_sync_status reports readiness across all five groups and any failure.

For a dedicated server, stop it before changing files, then restart. Keep its YAML on the host; clients receive active profiles when connecting. Config View, particle suppression, keybinds and diagnostic preferences remain local. Cheat Fest grants guests debug actions while enabled, but never permission to edit shared config or server YAML.

If a setting is locked or changes when you join, use gco_sync_status and edit the authoritative host settings.

Installation

GCO 2.1.1 targets Valheim 1.0.15. Required dependencies are BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2351 and ConditionalConfigSync 1.0.9 or newer. SDW is optional.

Mod manager: install GCO with its dependencies in your Valheim profile and launch that profile's modded game. For the F1 menu, also install shudnal's Configuration Manager.

Manual: install the dependencies, then copy the compiled release's BepInEx folder into your game/profile root, preserving:

File	Location
GooCombatOverhaul.dll	BepInEx/plugins/GooCombatOverhaul/
GooCombatOverhaul.SdwCompatibilityPatcher.dll	BepInEx/patchers/GooCombatOverhaul/

Fully restart after patcher updates. It does nothing without SDW. Keep only one runtime GCO DLL. The source archive requires compilation; use the compiled release for normal play.

First launch creates BepInEx/config/goo.valheim.gooscombatoverhaul.cfg. If it or GCO's menu is missing, check the modded profile and BepInEx/LogOutput.log for dependency/load errors.

Updating: back up config/YAML, close the game/server, replace release files and restart. Keep your config to preserve tuning. Removing: close the game/server and remove both GCO DLLs; config/YAML can remain as backups. Also remove or update SDW if it still needs GCO's compatibility patcher on your game version.

Configuration

Finding a setting

Open F1 and select GCO, use console commands, or edit BepInEx/config/goo.valheim.gooscombatoverhaul.cfg while the game/server is closed. Numbers use typed fields. Hover labels for descriptions; saved keys may differ from the shorter menu labels.

Config View provides Show Weapon, Show System and Show Context filters. Hidden settings still apply. Search temporarily bypasses these filters; clear it to return to your chosen view. If controls seem missing, clear search and set all filters to All.

Weapon sections are flat: 1H Swords — Damage, Motion, Timing, Running, Jump, Effects, and other supported systems. Motion groups movement/lunge/rotation; Timing groups animation/recovery/block cancel/hit-stop. Sledges (alt) follows Sledges and appears under the same weapon filter. SDW controls sit beneath their one-handed parents. Armor and Shields follow Magic; Tools and Throwables follow Other.

Shared setting	Where to look
Base stats, resources, food and durability	Stats & Resources
Jumping, falls, airborne control and movement grounding	Jump Attacks
Grounded locomotion and equip-while-running permissions	Running Attacks
Incoming player damage and player building damage	Damage
Attack/recovery and roll speed	Animation
Attack movement/lunge and roll distance	Attack Movement
Shared Cheat Fest switch	Misc

Apply, Reset and attack roles

Each applicable global category groups tuning first, then alphabetical Apply controls, then the whole-function reset and alphabetical per-weapon Resets.

Control	Result
General / Apply Mod Options	Enables GCO gameplay; Off preserves stored tuning.
System / weapon Apply	Permits that system's stored tuning, subject to the master.
Weapon Apply Off	Bypasses that feature's global/local weapon tuning, including Running, Jump and PvP.
Scoped Reset	Resets that feature/weapon and turns its Apply Off, preserving other weapons/shared settings.

Only supported combinations appear. Apply is permission, not a preset. Explicit native YAML edits are a separate layer.

Primaries, Secondary, Running and Jump have independent settings where supported. Edit Running/Jump directly even when they borrow a primary animation. A fourth-primary setting only matters for an item with that combo step.

Example: change sword lunge. Choose 1H Swords and Attack Movement, then edit the desired primary under Motion. Keep global lunge neutral if other weapons should remain as they are. Use that sword's Running or Jump section for those attacks.

Global and local multipliers usually combine. Exact-weapon YAML replaces the matching config value. Native combo finishers still contribute their own bonus, so a GCO finisher setting below 1x can still produce a stronger hit than P1. Item/status bonuses retain their own rules; the SDW stamina limitation is described above.

Updates preserve compatible saved values. Older-version migration gives new/invalid tuning Vanilla defaults; missing Apply gates stay On to preserve existing behavior. Legacy flags remain in Inherited Options. Explicit new values win, and starting the same version does not rewrite your config. Apply Goo adopts current defaults if you want them.

Weapon YAML

[Beta] Use YAML Configs is Off on fresh installs. Enable it for custom profiles or the bundled sword/spear reach profiles. Files live in BepInEx/config/GooCombatOverhaul/YAML/Weapons/. The first enabled load installs bundled defaults once, preserving existing profiles, later edits and deletions. Saved On/Off choices survive updating and Apply Goo.

1. Under YAML [Beta], set Weapon Prefab To Generate to held, or enter the exact internal prefab name—not its translated display name.
2. Leave Weapon Category To Generate on AutoDetect, or choose the intended family if a custom weapon is not recognized. This selects its GCO category, not its native skill or moveset. For SDW, use the one-handed base category.
3. Activate Generate Weapon YAML. It reports the file path and never overwrites an existing profile or enables YAML automatically.
4. Edit only the values you need, preserving indentation. null inherits; 0, false and an empty string are explicit values. Text after #, including resolved:, is a comment.
5. Enable Use YAML Configs, then run gco_yaml_reload and gco_yaml_validate held. Files also reload after edits. Use gco_yaml_show held to inspect the profile or gco_yaml_diagnose held to investigate it.

gco_yaml_generate help
gco_yaml_generate held OneHandedSwords
gco_yaml_generate MyModHammer ClubsAndMaces
gco_yaml_generate held AutoDetect full

help lists accepted categories; full creates an expanded diagnostic template. Use gco entries for ordinary tuning. native.shared / native.primary / native.secondary set absolute native fields; chains can replace attack sequences. Leave advanced entries inherited and chains disabled unless needed. A matching supported attack/animation must exist; templateChainStep starts at 0.

To exclude one weapon from GCO weapon changes, keep YAML and that profile enabled and set its first line to:

Let GCO ignore this weapon: true

This excludes its weapon modifiers, native overlays and category overrides, including projectile/SDW effects. Player and world rules still apply. Setting the profile to enabled: false also disables the exclusion; set the ignore line back to false to resume its tuning. Weapon YAML cannot re-enable a host-disabled Apply gate.

Undo one override with null, disable a whole profile with enabled: false, or turn Use YAML Configs Off. Full Vanilla Reset disables YAML without deleting files. Malformed edits keep the last valid profile. On servers, edit/reload the host's profiles. YAML covers weapon settings; general player and world settings remain global.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check
Values differ from this manual	Saved config, host rules and enabled YAML take precedence. Apply Goo replaces custom tuning with the preset.
An edit has no effect	Check masters/Apply gates, Inherited Options, the attack role and weapon YAML. A neutral multiplier changes only its own setting.
Controls are missing or read-only	Clear Config View/search filters; SDW rows require SDW. Check gco_sync_status for host authority.
Guests have debug powers or consumables are not spent	Check Misc / Cheat Fest and its effective state in gco_sync_status; it overrides individual cheat settings.
Joining returns to the menu with a sync error	Match official GCO builds and dependencies on every peer, then check client/server logs and any server YAML error.
Running/Jump does not trigger	Check enable switches, primary input, actual speed/airtime, ice, Feather Cape and stamina. Running requires a new attack start.
YAML is ignored	Check YAML/profile enable, prefab/category, supported key and the ignore line. Run validate/diagnose; malformed edits retain the last valid profile.
Sword/spear reach differs from the category	An enabled bundled profile may replace that item's range. Edit it, inherit with null, or disable that profile.

For a controlled comparison, temporarily disable the affected feature with Apply. Use a full preset only when you intend to replace its tuning.

Feedback

Bug reports and suggestions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ModdedValheim/comments/1toleqf/about_combat/

Include game/GCO/dependency versions, weapon and attack, single-player or host/client role, reproduction steps, relevant config/YAML and BepInEx/LogOutput.log. A short clip helps with movement or animation problems. Check logs for personal/server details before sharing.