Every Atgeir in Valheim: Four Polearms, and the Only Melee Class That Publishes Block Armour
Atgeirs are Valheim's polearm class — four two-handed weapons, all dealing pure Pierce, all carrying a distinct area-of-effect special attack. They are also the only melee class whose weapons publish a Block armour figure of their own, running from 16 on the Bronze atgeir to 64 on Himminafl, which means a two-handed weapon that blocks without a shield.
On sourcing. Iron Gate do not publish system documentation. The figures below come from the community wikis and can change with any patch.
All Four
| Atgeir | Damage | Stamina (primary / secondary) | Block armour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze atgeir | Pierce 45 / 63 | 12 / 24 | 16 |
| Iron atgeir | Pierce 65 / 83 | 14 / 28 | 28 |
| Black metal atgeir | Pierce 105 / 123 | 18 / 36 | 52 |
| Himminafl | Pierce 85/85, Lightning 40 / 58 | 20 / 40 | 64 |
Block armour quadruples across the four, from 16 to 64 — a steeper climb than the damage, which roughly doubles. That makes the top-tier atgeirs progressively more viable as a defensive option rather than only an offensive one.
Secondary stamina is exactly double primary on all four, matching the sword convention.
Himminafl is the split-damage entry. Its slash-equivalent sits at a flat 85/85 with no scaling, exactly the pattern Mistwalker uses among swords — the growth is all in the Lightning 40/58 component. Against anything that shrugs off Lightning you are wielding an 85-damage weapon where a Black metal atgeir would give you 105.
The Area Special Attack
The class description is short and every word of it matters:
Polearms are strong two-handed weapons. All polearms deal pierce damage, and have a distinct AoE special attack.
That AoE special is the reason to carry one. It is the class's identity in the same way the throw is the spear's and the no-cleave-penalty is the sword's — a two-handed weapon whose secondary sweeps a crowd rather than hitting one target harder.
Combined with the block armour on the weapon itself, an atgeir is unusually self-sufficient for a two-hander: it clears groups and it blocks, without needing an off-hand.
Pure Pierce, Like Spears — and With the Same Problem
Three of the four atgeirs are pure Pierce. Only Himminafl carries a second type, and it is Lightning.
That gives the class the same structural weakness as spears: against Valheim's substantial list of Pierce-resistant creatures, three of the four have nothing else to offer.
Pierce is resisted by the Abomination (very resistant), all three slimes, Wraiths, Bats, Skeletons, Rancid Remains, Stone Golems, the Seeker bodies, the Blue Dragon and the Skeletal Archer.
Pierce is a weakness on Trolls — with a head weak point that is very weak to it — the Seeker Soldier's abdomen, Seeker Broods, Ticks and the Gjall's egg sacs.
Himminafl is therefore the atgeir to own for general use, despite its lower base slash, because the Lightning component keeps landing where Pierce does not. Lightning is absent from almost every resistance list in the bestiary.
Atgeir Against Spear
Both classes are pure Pierce and both are worth comparing directly, because most players pick one:
| Spears | Atgeirs | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | One | Two |
| Top damage | Splitnir 135 | Black metal 105 |
| Secondary | Throw (recoverable) | AoE sweep |
| Secondary stamina | +2 over primary | Double primary |
| Arc | 40 degrees | Area |
| Block armour on weapon | — | 16 to 64 |
| Knockback | 20 | — |
Spears win on raw damage and stamina economy; atgeirs win on crowds and self-sufficiency. Splitnir at 135 out-damages the Black metal atgeir's 105 and costs far less per special — but a spear stabs in a 40-degree line and an atgeir sweeps.
The deciding question is how you fight. Against single targets a spear is strictly better. Against groups, or when you would rather not carry a shield, the atgeir's area special and built-in block armour make it the more complete weapon.
Which One to Build
- Black metal atgeir for raw output — 105/123 Pierce and 52 block armour, the best pure-damage polearm.
- Himminafl for everything else. Its slash does not scale past 85, but Lightning 40/58 lands where Pierce does not, and its 64 block armour is the highest in the class.
- Use the AoE special deliberately. At double stamina it is a spend, not a filler — but it is the only reason to prefer this class over a spear.
- Do not bring a pure-Pierce atgeir to slimes, skeletons or golems. All three resist it and three of the four weapons have no fallback.
- Remember you do not need a shield. Block armour is on the weapon, which frees the loadout in a way no other two-hander does.
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Conclusion
Valheim's four atgeirs are two-handed polearms dealing pure Pierce with a distinct area-of-effect special attack, and they are the only melee class whose weapons carry their own Block armour — 16, 28, 52 and 64, a four-fold climb steeper than the damage's rough doubling. Secondary stamina is exactly double primary across the class. The Black metal atgeir at 105/123 is the damage pick, while Himminafl follows Mistwalker's pattern with a flat 85/85 base and all its scaling in a Lightning 40/58 component — which makes it the better general-purpose weapon, since Lightning is absent from almost every resistance list and Pierce is resisted by the Abomination, every slime, Wraiths, Bats, Skeletons, Rancid Remains, Stone Golems, Seeker bodies, the Blue Dragon and the Skeletal Archer. Against spears the trade is clean: spears win on damage (Splitnir's 135 against 105) and stamina economy, while atgeirs win on crowds and self-sufficiency, sweeping an area and blocking without an off-hand.
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