Valheim Flax Guide - Ready Games Survive

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Emily is a gaming aficionado who has written for The Gamer, Gamerant, GamerBolt, and Valnet, but she has found a home here at Ready Game Survive. She adores writing about Ark: Survival Evolved among other great survival titles, and outside of traditional survival, she loves Legend of Zelda, League of Legends and Fable.

What is Flax in Valheim?

Turns into: Linen Thread
Processed With: Spinning Wheel
Weight: 0.2 each
Biome: Plains

Flax in Valheim is a lot like flax in real life. They are both used to make Linen Thread. However, in Valheim, that’s the only thing it’s used for, whereas, in real life, you can make oil, fabric, and more.

I would love to see more items made with Flax. Some more clothing with Linen Thread, and some items just with Flax. Why not some gorgeous lace curtains or stamina foods like Flaxseed Pancakes?

Yes, you can also eat real flax (it’s packed with fiber), but you can’t eat flax in the game. This is because Barley is the edible grain in Valheim. I understand that, as it would be confusing otherwise. But it could work like the Raspberries and Blueberries (go Queen’s Jam.)

Flax has one purpose in Valheim, and it’s time to dive into why that matters. Whether you have Flax stacked up or haven’t picked one stalk, you’re ready for this guide.

Where to Find Flax and How to Make More

You won’t find any Flax until you reach the Plains. You can’t even use it properly until you defeat Moder and unlock the Artisan Table. So I recommend taking it easy on gathering Flax until then, as you may find it more valuable to spend time doing something else.

However, don’t pass large fields up. It never hurts for items to stack up at the base. I love the feeling of getting items before I need them because it makes it so much easier once I reach that phase of the game.

Finding Flax

Flax is only found in the wild in Fuling Villages. Not all villages have Flax or Barley fields, but you can see before you enter if one does. I recommend scouting along the outside out of range of the Fulings.

Planting Flax

After you gather your first Flax, you can plant it to make twice as much as you have. To plant it, you need a Cultivator and you need to plant the Flax in the Plains biome unless you have a mod that says otherwise.

You also should make a moat or fence around your field because Lox and Fulings both love to stomp around the field, destroying your hard work. I always do this before planting anything.

Harvesting Flax

There are a few ways to harvest Flax. I used my hands for a long time. Then, I found out you could use tools to do so. The Stagbreaker is a good option, but I find the Atgeir to be a better bet with the swing attack.

Put it in a Spinning Wheel

To unlock the Spinning Wheel, you must defeat Moder so that you can build an Artisan Table with the Dragon Tears you get. Then, you can build a Spinning Wheel with a few simple items. Make sure you’ve made Iron Nails before.

Then, you feed the Flax into the Spinning Wheel to make Linen Thread. Each piece takes 30 seconds to make, and the wheel can hold up to 40 Flax. The Flax automatically spits out whenever it’s done.

Note: Only make Linen Thread when you have a stockpile of Flax so you don’t have to go back to the Plains to get more. I usually only turn about 20% of what I get from the garden into items and replant the rest.

Before Getting Flax

Before you get Flax, there are a few things you need to do before utilizing it. The order you do them in is not important so do whatever works for you. I prefer to do the Swamp stuff then the Mountain stuff, but either works.

Make a Cultivator

You may already have a Cultivator, but if you don’t, all you need is Core Wood and Bronze. In order to garden in this game, you have to have a Cultivator and as of now, there is still only one Cultivator.

Defeat Moder

Defeat Moder before you get Flax because you need to before you can use the Flax. Moder is one of the easiest bosses, in my opinion, but that may be because I love using a bow.

If you do use a bow, use the best bow you can make and fire arrows. This will ensure she is taken down quickly. Whenever she lands, grab your best melee weapon and have at her. Make sure to dodge her breath attacks when she’s in the air and attack when she pauses.

Gather Iron

You can gather iron in the Swamp biome in the crypts. Just one crypt will be enough to make quite a bit of armor for one player. You need iron to make the armor for the Plains.

You can use an Antler Pickaxe, but I always take a bronze one, so I don’t have to repair it every little bit. If you have the resources, make two to speed up the process.

Gather Black Metal (before, after, or during)

Any Black Metal you gather can be used along with Linen Thread to make this tier of weapons. You need both for most of the Plains weapons, so I recommend getting them at the same time.

Craft with Linen Thread

There are only a handful of items you can make with Linen Thread. I hope they add more later, but since the Mistlands update didn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the extent of its use.

Blackmetal Atgeir

Fine Wood x10
Black Metal x30
Linen Thread x5

The second to best polearm and the one I recommend for harvesting Flax is the Blackmetal Atgeir. To harvest Flax with it, use your secondary spin attack to get the most Flax in the least amount of time.

Blackmetal Axe

Fine Wood x6
Black Metal x20
Linen Thread x5

This is the second-best axe in the game. It is made for chopping trees but can work as a weapon too. The best axe in the game is the Jotun Bane. It’s a great fighting axe but I prefer the Blackmetal one for chopping trees.

Blackmetal Knife

Fine Wood x4
Black Metal x10
Linen Thread x5

This is the best one-handed knife in the game, outdone only by the Skoll and Hati, which is a dual-wielded weapon. When you use the Blackmetal Knife, you can use a shield with it.

Blackmetal Sword

Fine Wood x4
Black Metal x10
Linen Thread x5

This is a middle-tier sword but still has the best base damage for one-handed swords. Although I like the new sword and the Silver Sword because it has spirit damage, I think this is the best investment for most enemies.

Linen Cape

Linen Thread x20
Silver x1

The Linen Cape doesn’t keep you warm or have good armor, but it looks nice and can be customized. If you want to look cool but don’t need the effect of a cape, this is a good option. But the new cape that gives feather fall is kind of making the Linen Cape obsolete.

Lox Saddle

Leather Scraps x10
Linen Thread x20
Black Metal x15

The Lox Saddle grants the ability to ride tamed Lox. You can teleport to it like a boat and you can remove it from the Lox as well. When riding the Lox, you may feel tanky, and you are.

But this doesn’t mean you’re invincible. I wouldn’t take a Lox into the Mistlands, but I would use it to carry goods as it ignores carry weight. All around, the Lox is an amazing mount to have.

Padded Set

I’ve never skipped this set, but that’s because I’ve only played through the game once since the Mistlands update. When fully-upgraded, you will have 100 armor from the set, 27 extra weight, and -10% movement speed.

Porcupine

Fine Wood x5
Iron x20
Needle x5
Linen Thread x10

The Porcupine is still a viable weapon and one of my favorites in the game because of its insane knockback damage for a one-handed weapon. I love holding a parry shield in the other hand.

What Else to Do on Your Trip to the Plains

Making a trip to the Plains just to get Flax can be a drag. Since I never live in the Plains, I only travel there for resources. That’s why I always make a list in my mind of other things I will do while I’m there.

Fight Goblins

The Fulings drop Black Metal and coins, so farming them is a good idea. You can either catch the strays wandering around the Plains or raid the village. If you raid the village, I recommend pulling them out one or two at a time.

Collect Needles

Deathsquitos are terrifying if you’re not prepared, but their needles make the Porcupine and some of the best arrows in the game. If you’re having trouble fighting them, I suggest using a parry shield because they parry easily. Then only attack whenever they are staggered.

Get Lox Meat/Pelts

Lox drop Lox Meat and Lox Pelt when they die. You need Lox Pelt to make the Lox Cape, which can keep you warm in the Mountains. Then Lox Meat makes some of my favorite food in the game.

Cooked Lox Meat, Lox Meat Pie, and Meat Platters are all amazing foods. I believe Lox Meat Pie is the best investment, although if you have plenty of meat from the Mistlands, the Meat Platter is insanely food.

Stock Up on Birch

Although you can get Fine Wood from Birch trees in the Meadows, there are forests of Birch Trees in the Plains. You have to be careful when gathering the wood because you may use all of your stamina, leaving you vulnerable.

Get Barley

More often than not, the fields in the villages have both Barley and Flax. So if you see them both, gather them both. They don’t way that much, so you can pick all that you find.

Lookout for Tar

Tar is a rare thing in the Plains, but it does spawn in tar pits and dropped by Growths. tar pits are dangerous as you can get stuck in them. So drain them first by redirecting the tar into the ocean.

Yes, that does seem like pollution, but you’re already dead anyway. My favorite thing you can make with Tar is the hot tub, which increases comfort and is fun to hang out in.

FAQs

Question: Does Flax Grow Back in Valheim?

Answer: While Flax you plant does not grow back on its own, wild Flax will grow back after a while. So keep a portal near the village you found it at but not so close that the goblins destroy the portal.

Question: Does Flax Grow in the Wild in Plains?

Answer: No. Flax only grows in villages. So you have to face the danger of the Fulings to get Flax. One option is to use only stamina foods and run in, gather, and then leave, but that’s risky.

Question: Can You Unplant Flax?

Answer: Yes. You can use a cultivator to pull up plants that you plant, even if they’re not done. You won’t get anything from them, but if it’s dead or you need room for something else, you can remove the sprouts.

The Need for Flax in Valheim

You can easily get through the game without ever touching Flax. You only need it for a handful of things. However, I recommend taking the time to gather some for the weapons and armor you make with Linen Thread.

It was a necessity before the Mistlands update. But now, you can easily skip to the Mistlands gear. But the Mistlands are a scary place, so having the best gear available before you enter is ideal.

I know that my team was vastly underprepared when we went to the Mistlands for the first time. So we went back to the base, gathered what we needed to make Plains gear, and then tried again with success. That’s the power of Flax.