Before you start
- A safe storage base and repaired tools from the shelter guide.
- Access to the transport you intend to build: bronze nails for a cart or Karve, iron for a Longship, or the Drakkar chain.
- Food, Rested, a defensive kit and a marked return path. This guide uses default portal restrictions; consult your world’s actual settings.
Find what is stopping the return
Before 1.0, a new character had 32 backpack slots and a default weight limit of 300. 1.0 adds upgradeable pockets, so read the inventory and weight counters in your own game instead of treating that earlier slot count as a current maximum. Empty slots do not imply spare weight.
Megingjord adds 150 capacity while equipped, but the released pocket system needs a dedicated mechanics check before this guide can state how it interacts with slot upgrades. Find Haldor and buy the belt if repeated hand hauls justify its coin cost. It replaces Wishbone or Wisplight: find a vein before changing away from Wishbone, and keep visibility while traveling in the mist.
Our packing rule is to remove incidental loot before removing food, protection or the return kit. Deposit the first rare crop seeds, merchant purchases and quest rewards promptly rather than taking them into an unrelated second expedition.
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: InventoryValheim Wiki: PlayerValheim Wiki: Megingjord
Choose the method for this load
| Method | Useful when | Check before loading |
|---|---|---|
| Hand carry | A short, controlled path connects resource and storage. | Your current weight and the ability to fight or retreat with this load. |
| Cart — 18 slots | A broad land path avoids steep climbs and tight turns. | Test the path with a partial load; weight and slope can stop progress. |
| Karve — 4 slots | A first metal load must cross water. | Keep a boat-building budget separate from the landing supplies. |
| Longship — 18 slots | Repeated large metal loads justify an iron-built ship. | A usable landing at both ends and repaired hull. |
| Drakkar — 32 slots | The route enters boiling Ashlands water. | Complete the Queen-to-Drakkar chain and leave room to maneuver. |
| Portal | The inventory is permitted by the entrance portal. | An actual paired return connection, plus item restrictions below. |
| Make | Materials per craft | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × Cart | 20 Wood + 10 Bronze nails | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Karve | 30 Fine wood + 10 Deer hide + 20 Resin + 80 Bronze nails | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Longship | 100 Iron nails + 10 Deer hide + 40 Fine wood + 40 Ancient bark | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Drakkar | 100 Iron nails + 30 Ceramic plate + 50 Fine wood + 25 Yggdrasil wood | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Portal | 20 Fine wood + 10 Greydwarf eye + 2 Surtling core | Hammer; within workbench range |
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: CartValheim Wiki: KarveValheim Wiki: LongshipValheim Wiki: DrakkarValheim Wiki: Portal
Separate freight from the repair trip
With a normal wood portal, keep ore, metal bars, Dragon eggs, Hildir’s chests and Dvergr extractors out of the teleporting inventory. Look for the crossed-out portal symbol on each item when a connection refuses travel. Nails and finished equipment are different from the metal bars used to craft them; do not reject an entire inventory merely because it contains a metal tool.
Leave restricted materials in a marked chest before a portal trip for repairs or meals. Use a unique matching tag for each active pair and test it from both sides. A portal by a mine solves access; it does not make the mine’s ore teleportable.
Once available, stone entrances permit restricted cargo. Stone → wood works for that direction; entering wood still blocks it. Use the complete stone-portal setup and bootstrap instructions before relying on two-way metal transport. Never replace the only working endpoint before testing its successor.
| Make | Materials per craft | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × Chest | 10 Wood | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Portal | 20 Fine wood + 10 Greydwarf eye + 2 Surtling core | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Stone portal | 10 Greydwarf eye + 30 Grausten + 2 Molten core | Hammer; within stonecutter range |
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: PortalValheim Wiki: Portal stone
Build the cart route before the full load
- Walk the proposed route without the cart. Mark a level stopping place, clear immediate enemies and identify slopes or gaps that demand another method.
- Use a hoe to make a manageable surface, clear fallen timber and leave wide turns. Build the cart with the hammer near a workbench. Stand between its handles and interact to attach; interact again or dodge to release it.
- Try a partial load in both directions. If a slope stops you, unload part into a chest and split the haul. Detach on level ground so the cart does not roll into danger.
- Put the hammer in repair mode near a workbench and repair before another run. A cart cannot be packed up with the hammer’s dismantle action; keep it parked safely rather than attacking it just to save a short walk.
| Make | Materials per craft | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × Hoe | 5 Wood + 2 Stone | Workbench level 1 |
| 1 × Cart | 20 Wood + 10 Bronze nails | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Workbench | 10 Wood | Hammer; no station required |
| 1 × Chest | 10 Wood | Hammer; within workbench range |
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: Cart
Treat the dock as a transfer point
- Use the sailing guide for rudder, sails, reverse and wind handling. Prepare landing space at both ends before sailing with the valuable load. Keep the portal kit accessible to the landing player.
- Move restricted cargo into boat storage. Stay under your own carry limit if you must steer: an encumbered character cannot take the rudder. Clear threats from the dock and repair with the hammer at a workbench.
- Slow down before shore, unload into the protected dock chest, then carry manageable loads to the workshop. Keep raw ore separate from the smelted bars reserved for building.
- Our storage recommendation is one chest for current freight, one for the next construction project, and a recovery chest beside the home spawn. Label the purpose with your own map notes or arrangement. Keep crop/egg breeding stock outside the kitchen’s everyday ingredients.
| Make | Materials per craft | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × Chest | 10 Wood | Hammer; within workbench range |
| 1 × Reinforced chest | 10 Fine wood + 2 Iron | Hammer; within workbench range |
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: BoatsValheim Wiki: ChestValheim Wiki: Reinforced chest
Recover access before chasing every dropped item
If the cart breaks, its contents drop in cargo crates. Clear immediate threats, recover the accessible contents into storage and rebuild or bring another cart for the remaining load. Do not fight beside the dropped cargo if you can draw enemies away.
A wreck leaves stored cargo in a floating crate, but some ship-building materials sink. Mark the wreck and arrange another suitable boat; do not count on recovering nails from deep water to build the rescue ship. Maintain your own food, stamina and ladder access during pickup.
If you die, restore food and protection from the home reserve first. Follow the grave recovery sequence and recover your equipment before resuming freight work. A haul interrupted by a destroyed portal needs a rebuilt travel route, not repeated naked runs.
Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: CartValheim Wiki: Boats
You are ready when…
0 of 3 ready
Saved in this browserWhen something goes wrong
The cart is full but barely moves.
Cargo slots are not a promise that you can pull the weight uphill. Unload into a marked chest, take smaller loads or use a boat/alternative path.
The boat will not let me take the rudder.
Check the player’s weight counter. Transfer cargo into ship storage or a dock chest until you are no longer encumbered.
The portal still rejects my pack after I removed ore.
Inspect every crossed-out portal icon, including bars, quest chests and special components. The material being crafted from metal is not itself the deciding rule.
A more expensive chest will consume the last iron.
Build additional basic wooden chests first. Reserve station and expedition metals before buying more storage density.
Sources & checks
- Valheim Wiki: Inventory
Pre-1.0 inventory reference: 32 base slots and current/maximum weight display. 1.0 adds upgradeable pockets; exact upgrade values and unlocks are intentionally not inferred here.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Player
Default carrying capacity is 300.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Megingjord
Equipped belt adds 150 carrying capacity and shares its accessory slot with Wishbone/Wisplight.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Cart
18 slots, weight/terrain-dependent pulling, attachment, hammer repair and crate drops. The page’s comparison to player backpack size is not adopted; the dedicated Inventory reference establishes 32 player slots.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Boats
Encumbered players cannot take the rudder; wreck cargo floats in a crate while some construction materials sink.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Karve
Four cargo slots and construction materials.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Longship
Eighteen cargo slots and construction materials.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Drakkar
Thirty-two cargo slots and boiling-water suitability.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Portal
Ordinary portal restrictions, case-sensitive pairing and restricted-item icons.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Portal stone
Entry-side restriction: stone to wood permits metals; entering wood for the reverse trip blocks them. Dedicated indexed notes inspected, corroborating the earlier Ashlands source record.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Chest
Ten wood builds a ten-slot chest.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- Valheim Wiki: Reinforced chest
Ten fine wood and two iron build a 24-slot reinforced chest within workbench range.
Community reference · Checked . Substantive indexed reference text and tables inspected; direct retrieval was blocked. Research-based default-survival guidance, not a gameplay test. Route and packing choices are editorial recommendations.
- SteamDB: Valheim 1.0 patch notes (build 25185596)
Announced changes to mist clearing, gear durability, Bear and Ashlands encounters, base-piece tags, rare drops, menus, pockets and trinkets.
Community reference · Checked . Build-indexed record of the official 1.0 update notes, published via Steam Community and tied to build 25185596. Confirms only the stated changes; no new numeric values, recipes or tag list is inferred.