Performance Mod Guide for Valheim

This guide has served me well, and I hope it will do the same for you. Designed as a comprehensive resource for all performance-related issues in Valheim, it aims to be your go-to solution. Your feedback is crucial to keeping this guide up-to-date and useful. If you find any outdated information, errors, or if you have suggestions for improvement, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can contact me via email @ rob@zero-one-zero.com. I am dedicated to continually updating this guide to ensure it remains relevant and helpful to all.

Explore the guide, which is broken down into sections and designed for flexibility. Choose the sections that suit your needs or tackle them all for a complete experience. Embued with a mix of easy and challenging steps, you may consider reading through the entire guide first to strategize your approach.

Or, why not start at the top like I do after a break? It’s a great way to refresh your understanding.

Note

While in-game, pressing F2 will display a GUI with some additional information, like Frames per Second (FPS).

Be aware that updates to Valheim may affect the modifications suggested in this guide. Always check your game for changes after any patches to ensure that these modifications are still applicable and functioning as expected.

Increasing Performance

Unlock Your GPU By Editing boot.config

Important

For about 90% of systems, this simple modification can increase your frames per second (FPS). By making specific changes to this file, we shift a greater portion of the processing tasks to the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This adjustment reduces the workload on the Central Processing Unit (CPU), effectively easing the bottleneck. This can lead to smoother gameplay and improved performance.

1. Accessing Valheim Data Files:

   • In the Steam Library, right-click on Valheim.
   • Navigate to Manage --> Browse Local Files.
   • Inside of the Explorer window that should have opened you will see valheim_Data.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Valheim\valheim_Data
   

2. Locate boot.config:

   • Go into the valheim_Data folder to locate the boot.config file. It'll be at the top of the directory listing.

3. Edit boot.config:

   • Now you can right click on it and edit the boot.config with your choice of text editor.

   • Press the Enter key to create a new line at the very top of the file.

   • Arrow up to the blank line and paste the following text at the top:

     gfx-enable-jobs=1
     gfx-enable-native-gfx-jobs=1
     

4. Double Check:

   • Make sure to verify with my photo below. I took out my build-guid becuase I don't know if it is sensitive or not.
   • If all is well then, save and close. You have completed this section.

Important

You can simply verify files from the properties for Valheim in your Steam Libray if you think you may have doorked it up.

Here is what your boot.config file should now look like:

Force Display Parameters via Steam

Borderless window mode is a maximized window without borders, allowing you to move the focus in and out of an application. It reflects the current desktop resolution. For example, if you are running 4K on your desktop, forcing borderless will continue using that resolution.

Choosing Fullscreen over Borderless has the potential to boost performance, as it allows the application to take control and set the display's resolution. However, it's difficult to shift your focus in and out (e.g., using ALT + TAB ).

1. In your Steam Library, Right-Click on Valheim and go to Properties.

2. Copy/Paste the following into the Launch Options field.

-window-mode exclusive or -window-mode borderless

High Priority Mode

In this section, we’ll create a command shortcut that launches Valheim in High Priority mode via Steam.

What is High Priority?

In Windows, the operating system allocates the computer’s resources based on the priority of each application.
A higher priority means more resources will be allocated to Valheim.

Creating a Command Shortcut

1. In your Steam Library, Right-click on Valheim and go to Manage ---> Browse Local Files.

2. Windows Explorer should have opened to the game's location.

3. If you cannot see valheim.exe, you must disable hiding known file type extensions.

4. The steps are a bit different depending on if you are running Windows 10 or 11. Follow along:

• Windows 11:

  • Open File Explorer ( WIN + E )
  • Click on the three dots icon ( ●●● ) at the top to open the More options menu.
  • Select Options to open the Folder Options dialog.
  • In the Folder Options dialog, go to the View tab.
  • Under Advanced settings, you'll find an option that says Hide extensions for known file types.
  • Disable this option.
  • Click OK to apply the changes.

• Windows 10:

  • Open File Explorer.
  • Click on the View tab in the top menu (You may need to press the ALT key to show the top menu).
  • Under Advanced settings, you'll find an option that says Hide extensions for known file types.
  • Disable this option.
  • Click OK to apply the changes.

5. Right-click on valheim.exe and select Create shortcut then, rename the new shortcut simply to valheim.

6. Right-click on the newly created, and renamed shortcut file, valheim, choose Properties.

7. In the Target field, leave the original text intact and type the following before it making sure to leave a space between the two.

cmd /c start /high Valheim

The /c instructs the command prompt to close after executing our command.

8. Click OK when finished.

9. Back in the Valheim directory, hold down SHIFT + Right-click on the newly edited valheim shortcut.

10. Select Copy as path

11. Go back to Steam, open the Launch Options for Valheim, and paste our clipboard contents.

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Valheim\valheim.lnk"

12. Press the spacebar then type: %command%, after it.

13. If you were following along from the start, your Launch Options should look like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Valheim\valheim.lnk" %command% -window-mode exclusive -force-vulkan -console

Note

-force-vulkan and -console are optional. These are covered in more detail at the end of this README.

14. Valheim will now run using a High Base priority. This you can verify after launching the game by following these instructions: How to Geek: Windows Task Manager.

Force High Performance Power Option

The following instructions will show you how to force the High Performance power mode using the Group Policy Editor.

Note: Group Policy cannot be used on Windows 10 or 11 Home edition.

1. Press Windows Key + R, and type in gpedit.msc.

2. Navigate to Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> System --> Power Management.

3. Double-click on Select an active power plan setting and change it as shown in the picture below: Enabled and High Performance.

4. To verify in Windows 11, press Windows Key + R and type: control /name Microsoft.PowerOptions. This will open the Power Options control panel directly.

5. In the Additional power settings. You will see High Performance, with the option to change it greyed out.

6. This setting will now remain consistent even through Windows and driver updates.

Additional Launch Options

I use -force-vulkan, and -window-mode borderless because I am always using ALT+Tab. However, each user will experience different results; it is important to experiment and find out what works best. Below are a few other Launch Options:

Launch Options	Description
-screen-width (1920) -screen-height (1080)	Override the default screen width and height
-console	Enables the F5 console inside Valheim
-window-mode (exclusive or borderless)	Overrides the default screen width and height
-popupwindow	A window without a frame.
-force-d3d9	Run a game using DirectX 9
-force-d3d11	Run a game using DirectX 11
-force-d3d12	Run a game using DirectX 12
-force-vulkan	Force use of Vulkan for rendering which can reduce the CPU bottleneck

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