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Offline Companions adds persistent NPC allies to Valheim. A companion automatically spawns with you when you enter a new world for the first time. Additional companions can be purchased from Haldor's shop for 2,000 coins if the optional Trader Overhaul mod is installed, or spawned via console commands. Companions come with their own inventory, equipment, stamina, food system, voice lines, and custom AI. They aren't pets or tames, they're teammates. Customize their appearance, gear them up with weapons and armor, feed them food for bonus stats, and command them through a radial wheel or point-and-click hotkey system. They'll fight beside you, gather resources, forage for food, farm your crops, fish for you, manage your smelting operation, maintain your base, haul your cart, repair their own gear, sit by the fire with you, sleep in beds, and teleport through portals alongside you. Leave a companion at home and they'll autonomously repair damaged walls, refuel campfires and torches, sort your chests, and keep your smelters running. They level up skills, receive the Rested buff, and respawn at the last bed they slept in. When a companion dies, they leave behind a tombstone. They'll respawn after a short time at their bed (or the world spawn) and automatically walk to their tombstone to recover their items. Everything persists across sessions, zone transitions, server restarts, and player deaths. |
Starter CompanionA companion automatically spawns with you when you enter a new world for the first time. Each character gets one free companion per world. Disable this with the Purchase (Optional)Install Trader Overhaul to unlock the Companions tab in Haldor's shop and recruit additional companions. Each costs 2,000 coins from your bank balance. Customize their gender, hair, beard, skin tone, and hair color in the 3D preview before confirming. This dependency is optional — the mod works fully without it. InteractTap E on your companion to open their inventory panel. Manage gear, feed food, rename them. Hold E (or X on gamepad) to open the radial command wheel for quick access to all action modes and toggles. CommandPoint your crosshair at objects in the world and press the command hotkey to issue contextual orders. The companion figures out what to do based on what you're looking at. |
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Hold E (keyboard) or X (gamepad) on a companion to open the radial command wheel. Move the mouse or gamepad stick to highlight an option, then click or press E to select. You can select multiple options before closing. Press Escape or B to close. The companion's name is shown in the center. Active toggles show their current ON/OFF state.
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Tap E on a companion to open the inventory panel alongside the standard inventory GUI. The panel shows:
Companions auto-equip the best gear from their inventory: best weapon, shield, chest, legs, helmet, shoulder, and utility item. Items equip one at a time with proper animation. Broken items (0 durability) are skipped and unequipped. Right-click an item to use/equip it. Right-click food to feed it to the companion. Right-click a potion or mead to make the companion consume it — the status effect is applied and displayed in the player's HUD bar. Drag items between your inventory and theirs using vanilla drag-and-drop. Press F7 while the panel is open to enter UI Reposition Mode — click and drag the panel to move it anywhere on screen. Press F7 again to confirm. Your custom position is saved and persists across sessions. |
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Companions run on a custom AI system ( Follow & FormationWhen following you, each companion is assigned a formation slot. Multiple companions spread out around you instead of stacking on top of each other. When far away (>15m), they sprint straight to you; when close, they maintain formation offset. They use vanilla pathfinding and navigation mesh for movement. Target ManagementCompanions scan for enemies every 2-6 seconds depending on distance from you. Once they lock onto a target, they commit and won't bounce between enemies. A directed target from the command hotkey locks for 10 seconds. In gather modes, targeting is suppressed unless an enemy enters self-defense range (10m). Sleep & WakeCompanions support Valheim's sleep/wake RPC system. They can be directed to sleep in beds and will wake automatically when enemies approach. Movement MirroringCompanions mirror the player's movement state while in formation. When you walk, they walk. When you crouch, they crouch. Speed overrides clear automatically when catching up from distance or entering combat. Obstacle Avoidance (Context Steering)A 13-ray, 180-degree forward arc system scores candidate movement directions by balancing goal-seeking with obstacle repulsion. Smoothly steers companions around walls, furniture, smelters, and other structures the NavMesh doesn't model. Uses a dual-mask system so companions can approach smelters/chests without spinning, while still detecting half-walls and fences when stuck. Stuck Detection & RecoveryBuilt-in stuck detection nudges companions clear of furniture colliders, beds, and chairs that block pathfinding. When stuck behind obstacles, the AI probes 8 directions via raycast to find the best escape angle, prioritizing routes around the obstacle toward the target. A proactive jump system detects minor terrain step-ups and clears them automatically. When the NavMesh path passes through an impassable half-wall or fence, path-stuck detection switches to context steering with a piece-aware mask to navigate around it. Hazard AvoidanceCompanions use water-avoiding pathfinding and actively monitor for tar pits and deep water. If caught in a hazard, they immediately disengage combat and seek the nearest shore. Proactive water sampling stops the companion before entering water when stamina is low. Target BlacklistPositions that cause stuck navigation are blacklisted for 30 seconds. All controllers skip blacklisted positions on future scans, preventing the companion from repeatedly trying to reach unreachable targets. Stay Home PatrolWhen Stay Home is active, the AI switches from following you to patrolling the home position. Combined with gather modes, they'll autonomously harvest resources near home without you being present. |
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Companions use a defensive-first combat system. They actively scan for incoming threats and react before attacking. Melee Combat
Ranged Combat
Combat Behavior
Stamina SystemCompanions have their own stamina pool (base 25 + food bonus) with regeneration. Stamina is consumed by attacks, blocking, running, and swimming. When stamina hits zero, attacks fail and blocks don't hold. Stamina only drains while the companion is actually moving (velocity > 0.5 m/s), preventing phantom drain during combat oscillation. |
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The radial menu has an inner ring with four combat stances that control how companions fight. Move the mouse closer to the center of the radial wheel to select a stance. The active stance is highlighted and persists across sessions.
Stances affect all combat parameters: target acquisition, retreat thresholds, dodge timing, block behavior, power attack cooldowns, flanking distance, and formation spacing. |
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Set a companion to Gather Wood, Gather Stone, Gather Ore, or Forage via the radial wheel or directed command. They'll autonomously find, walk to, and harvest nearby resources. Gather Behavior
Smart Tool UseThe companion automatically equips the best matching tool from their inventory. Axe for wood, pickaxe for stone and ore. The tool stays equipped until gathering stops. Companions won't chop trees if their axe doesn't meet the tree's minimum tool tier — preventing wasted durability on resources they can't damage. Drop CollectionAfter destroying a resource, the companion scans within 8m for item drops and picks them up one at a time with natural pacing before moving to the next target. OverweightGathering stops automatically at 298/300 weight. The companion reverts to Follow mode and announces they're overweight. Self-DefenseIf an enemy enters within 10m during gathering, the companion pauses to fight, then resumes gathering once the threat is gone.
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Set a companion to Smelt via the radial wheel and they'll autonomously manage nearby kilns and furnaces. Place them near your smelting setup with chests of ore and fuel, and they'll handle the rest. How It WorksThe companion continuously scans for smelters within 25m and keeps them running:
Smart Behavior
Combine with Stay HomeSet Stay Home + Smelt and the companion will manage your smelting operation autonomously near their home position. Perfect for unattended base smelting while you're out exploring.
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Set a companion to Farm via the radial wheel and they'll autonomously manage your crop fields. Place them near cultivated soil with seed chests and output chests, and they'll handle the full cycle. How It Works
Farm ZonesDesignate square planting areas where companions plant specific crops in a grid layout. Right-click the Farm radial segment to enter zone placement mode, or use the configurable hotkey (default Alt+Z).
Smart Behavior
Combine with Stay HomeSet Stay Home + Farm and the companion will manage your crop fields autonomously. Farm mode also integrates into the Homestead task rotation cycle.
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Set a companion to Fish via the radial wheel and they'll autonomously fish nearby water. Give them a fishing rod and bait in their inventory, and they'll handle the rest. How It Works
Smart Behavior
Combine with Stay HomeSet Stay Home + Fish near a body of water and the companion will fish autonomously. Perfect for passive fish farming while you're out exploring.
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Set a companion to Hunt via the radial wheel and they'll autonomously hunt passive wildlife: Boar, Deer, Chicken, and Hare. How It Works
Smart Behavior
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Point your crosshair at objects in the world and press the command hotkey to issue contextual orders. All owned commandable companions receive the command simultaneously.
Long press the command hotkey (0.4s) to recall all companions. Cancels everything and restores follow mode. They'll say "Coming!" and head straight to you.
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Toggle Stay Home in the radial to anchor a companion near their home position. Use Set Home to mark where they should stay. They'll patrol within range instead of following you. Homestead Mode (Autonomous Base Maintenance)When Stay Home is ON and Follow is OFF, companions automatically maintain your base. Tasks rotate every 60 seconds in a round-robin cycle:
All chest interactions are slow and animated: the chest opens with a creak sound, items transfer one-by-one at 0.6s intervals, then the chest closes with sound. Companions speak contextual lines while performing each task. Gathering + Auto-DepositCombine Stay Home + Gather mode and they'll harvest resources near home autonomously. When their inventory fills up (298 weight), direct them to a chest and they'll walk over and deposit everything except equipped gear, food, and weapons, then go right back to gathering. Toggle Wander to control patrol range:
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Companions periodically scan their equipped gear. When any item drops below 50% durability, they'll walk to the nearest compatible crafting station (workbench, forge, etc.) and repair everything they can. Point at a specific crafting station and press the command hotkey to direct them there immediately, regardless of durability threshold. |
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Companions have three food slots that work exactly like player food. Same bonuses, same burn timers, same front-loaded curve.
Feed food by right-clicking consumables in the companion's inventory, or let auto-consume handle it. They'll speak up when hungry. |
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Companion gear works like player gear:
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Companions detect when they're stuck behind a closed door and automatically open it, walk through, and close it behind them. They also proactively scan for doors when circling a building trying to reach you. Respects ward protection and locked doors. Companions won't open doors they shouldn't.
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Campfire SittingWhen you sit by a burning campfire (using the sit emote), nearby companions in Follow mode will join you. They walk to the fire and sit down facing it. They'll stand up if you do, if enemies appear, or if the fire goes out. Point at a fireplace and press the command hotkey to explicitly tell them to sit. Bed SleepingPoint at a bed and press the command hotkey to tell companions to sleep. They'll walk to the bed, lie down, and stay asleep until you wake them (same command again) or enemies appear. Resting BenefitsWhile sitting or sleeping, companions heal 2 HP/sec and their stamina regeneration is doubled. Companions also receive the Rested buff when resting by a fire or in a Comfortable area (shelter + fire). Passive RestingCompanions also receive the Rested buff automatically when standing near a heat source inside a shelter for the warmup duration, matching vanilla player behavior without requiring a directed sit or sleep command. Bed Spawn PointWhen a companion sleeps in a bed, that bed becomes their spawn point. If the companion dies, they'll respawn at the last bed they slept in instead of at the world spawn. Stay Home state is automatically restored on respawn. |
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Companions teleport with you through portals and dungeon entrances automatically. No commands needed — active followers warp to your destination when you arrive.
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Companions are marked on the minimap with a visible icon so you always know where they are. Markers are only visible to the companion's owner — other players won't see your companions on their map. When a companion dies, a death marker is placed at their tombstone location to help you find it. |
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Companions level up skills just like the player. As they fight, gather, and work, their skills improve over time with progressive buff gains that increase their effectiveness. |
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Companions can swim but will slowly drown if their stamina is fully depleted in water. Feed them stamina food before ocean voyages. Companions also intelligently board ships — point at a boat and they'll find the ladder, path to it, and climb aboard. |
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Companions have context-aware speech that triggers every 20-40 seconds, with a 5-second cooldown between lines. Speech can be overhead text, voice audio, or both, configured independently per gender. Voice AudioMale voice audio clips are included with the mod and play automatically. Place additional or custom MP3 files in Speech LinesText lines are loaded from
Config Options
Each directed command type (attack, sit, sleep, repair, deposit, etc.) also triggers its own immediate speech line. |
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When looking at a companion, the vanilla enemy HUD is extended with extra stat bars below the health bar:
The weight bar fills as the companion's inventory gets heavier, giving you an at-a-glance indicator of when they're getting full. This lets you check a companion's status from a distance without opening their inventory. |
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All values below are defaults and can be changed in the F8 config panel or BepInEx .cfg file.
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Everything about a companion is stored in ZDO and persists across:
Saved state includes: appearance, name, inventory, equipment, action mode, home position, all toggle states, food timers, and ownership. Follow targets are automatically restored after player respawn. |
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All UI labels, radial menu text, hover text, HUD messages, speech lines, and directed command speech are fully translatable. The mod integrates with Valheim's built-in Localization system. How It WorksTranslation keys are injected into Valheim's Translation Files
For TranslatorsTranslation files use a simple JSON format with |
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Press F8 (configurable) at any time to open the in-game configuration panel. All gameplay constants are exposed as configurable settings organized into tabbed categories: General, Combat, AI, Movement, Food, Stamina, Harvest, Smelting, Farming, Repair, Homestead, Rest, Speech, Skills, Controls, and more.
All settings can also be edited directly in the |
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1. Install BepInEx for Valheim |
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Built on BepInEx and Harmony
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Forged for the Valheim community ❤️ Skol, Vikings.