ValhallaPerformance

All-in-one performance optimizer for Valheim with twelve modular systems for smoke, lights, culling, pieces, memory, networking, rendering, streaming, VFX, tar pit cleanup, boot optimization, and log filtering.

This mod is in beta. I am actively testing features and fixing issues. Please email feedback to: [email protected]

Inspired by these mods:

• ValheimPerformanceOverhaul (Skarif)
• Smoke_Collision (JereKuusela)
• VBNetTweaks (VitByr)

Works on both client and dedicated server setups (valheim.exe and valheim_server.exe). Every system can be toggled individually.

Performance Profiles

ValhallaPerformance includes five client-side profile presets:

• Potato
• Low
• Medium
• High
• Max

Profile behavior:

• Profiles are selected in config under 1. Profile.
• Profiles apply client-side visual/performance baselines only.
• Network tuning is profile-independent. Profiles never override network settings.
• Zstd package compression is enabled by baseline for all profiles.
• Potato is intentionally extreme and meant as a last-resort FPS mode.
• Max keeps smoke and light distances close to vanilla with minimal smoke/light culling.
• Advanced users can still edit all individual config entries.
• Profile values apply during config init when the selected profile changes, not every frame.

There is currently no separate in-game profile menu and no plans to add one. Use the BepInEx config file or r2modman config editor.

Systems

Boot Optimizer

Skips logo intro flow with safe one-time bypass hooks and pre-compiles critical methods using incremental, time-sliced warmup to reduce first-use JIT hitching without one-frame bursts.

Smoke System (replaces Smoke_Collision + VPO smoke)

Uses lightweight upward drift physics with roof collision spherecasts, per-source caps, and distance culling. Keeps smoke behavior while reducing CPU cost.

Light System

Uses distance-based light culling with hysteresis to prevent cull-edge on/off flicker (including aggressive presets like Potato). Shadow casting is budgeted separately by proximity, and optional flicker freeze reduces per-frame shadow map churn in large bases.

Culling System

Includes AI throttling plus distant animation throttling. Also supports far skinned-mesh reduction and optional far ragdoll sleep to reduce CPU overhead in dense scenes.

Piece Optimizer

Maintains support caching and adds dirty-region processing so support work is focused near changed pieces instead of broad checks.

Memory System

Performs GC on natural pauses, monitors heap pressure, and runs safe asset cleanup intervals.

Network System (replaces VBNetTweaks)

Adds adaptive network control (ping/loss aware sync cadence), smart ZDO prioritization (players/ships/mobs/important objects), optional zone-owner rebalance by ping+distance, and transport tuning for send cadence/queue buffers. Includes optional package-level Zstd compression paths and keeps network behavior profile-independent from client visual presets.

Render System

Applies LOD, shadow, particle, vegetation, terrain detail, minimap, and frame-budget guard settings. Includes adaptive frame governor scaling, configurable grass patch sizing (ClutterSystem.m_grassPatchSize), optional realtime reflection probe disable, and texture mip limit control via QualitySettings.globalTextureMipmapLimit.

Streaming System

Adds ahead-of-player terrain/zone prefetching with travel-safe behavior (especially useful for high-speed travel and sailing). Travel-safe mode uses speed hysteresis plus enter/exit hold delays to avoid rapid toggling when movement hovers around threshold.

VFX System

Adds a non-critical VFX budget/culling layer for short-lived one-shot effects to reduce burst allocation and rendering spikes.

Tar Pit Fix

Periodically scans for orphaned tar pit VFX and removes leaked effects. Also applies a tar-specific LiquidVolume lifecycle fix that hardens thread/native-buffer cleanup on destroy to prevent long-session tarpit leaks.

Log Filter

Deduplicates repeated logs, suppresses known noise, and keeps startup/runtime logs readable in heavy modpacks while preserving warnings/errors by default.

Staggered Scheduler (Shared)

Periodic scan-based subsystem work is staggered to reduce frame-time spikes from multiple systems running heavy maintenance on the same frame.

Key Settings

Compatibility

These are likely to conflict with ValhallaPerformance:

• Skarif-ValheimPerformanceOverhaul (overlapping performance patches)
• JereKuusela-Smoke_Collision (smoke collision already included)
• VitByr-VBNetTweaks (network optimization already included)

Contact

[email protected]

Credits

Built by Tootsalot for Tootsalot's Valhalla Overhaul.