BetterSigns
Rich text signs for Valheim. Colored text, glowing boards, rainbow animation, background tints, and 5 craftable sign sizes. Type tags directly into any sign.
About this mod Author’s original text
BetterSigns
Bring your Valheim settlement to life. BetterSigns adds rich text formatting, glowing signs, animated rainbow text, background tints, and five craftable sign sizes — all typed directly into the sign's text field, no commands required.
Features
- Colored text — any hex code or named preset
- Board glow — sign mesh emits colored light, tunable per-sign
- Background tint — paint the sign board any color
- Rainbow animation — per-character animated hue cycling
- 5 sign sizes — Small, Standard, Large, Huge, Colossal, all craftable at the Hammer
- Named color presets — type gold instead of #FFD700
- Server-side config — admins cap glow intensity and toggle features; no client mod required for basic signs
Sign Sizes
All sizes are craftable under the Furniture tab of the Hammer.
| Sign | Scale | Max Text | Cost |
|------|-------|----------|------|
| Small Sign | 0.5× | 40 chars | Wood ×1 |
| Sign (vanilla) | 1× | 50 chars | Wood ×2 |
| Large Sign | 2× | 120 chars | Wood ×4 + Fine Wood ×1 |
| Huge Sign | 3× | 200 chars | Wood ×6 + Fine Wood ×2 |
| Colossal Sign | 5× | 300 chars | Wood ×10 + Fine Wood ×4 |
Tag Reference
Type these directly into the sign's text field. Tags can be freely combined.
Text & Style
golden text
golden text ← named preset
bold
italic
Board Glow
text ← default intensity (0.3×)
text ← full server intensity
text ← 2.5× server intensity (very bright)
text ← named preset + custom multiplier
The number after the comma multiplies the server's MaxGlowIntensity. Omitting it uses 0.3 (subtle ambient). Go above 1.0 for dramatic effect.
Background Tint
text ← dark wood tint
text ← named preset
Rainbow
WELCOME
SHOP
Examples
Tavern entrance:
THE BURNED MEAD
Ale · Food · Lodging
Open every night
Storage label (small sign):
IRON
Grand hall banner (colossal sign):
GRAND BAZAAR
Weapons · Armor · Supplies
Open Dawn to Dusk
Danger warning:
KEEP OUT
Trespassers will be fed to the drakes.
Named Color Presets
A config file (BetterSigns.colors.cfg) is generated on first run with 40+ ready-to-use presets. Use any preset name wherever you'd normally type a hex code.
Built-in presets include:
| Name | Color | | Name | Color |
|------|---------|-|---------|---------|
| red | #FF0000 | | gold | #FFD700 |
| fire | #FF4400 | | ice | #88CCFF |
| poison | #44FF44 | | blood | #880000 |
| meadows | #7CFC00 | | plains | #C8A850 |
| ashlands | #CC4400 | | mistlands | #7788AA |
| danger | #FF3300 | | safe | #00CC44 |
Add your own by editing the file — changes take effect on next load.
Installation
Via r2modman Mod Manager (recommended)
- Search for BetterSigns and click Install.
- Launch Valheim through the mod manager.
Manual
- Install BepInExPack for Valheim.
- Drop BetterSigns.dll into Valheim/BepInEx/plugins.
- Launch Valheim. Config files are generated automatically on first run.
Configuration
BepInEx/config/com.yourname.bettersigns.cfg
[Text]
Override font size for all signs. 0 = leave TMP default.
DefaultFontSize = 0
Default text color (hex or named preset). Empty = TMP default.
DefaultTextColor =
[Glow]
Server-wide intensity ceiling. 0 disables glow entirely.
MaxGlowIntensity = 1.5
Sine-wave pulsing glow effect.
GlowPulsate = false
GlowPulsateSpeed = 1.0
GlowPulsateMinMultiplier = 0.1
[Rainbow]
EnableRainbow = true
RainbowSpeed = 1.0
RainbowSaturation = 1.0
RainbowBrightness = 1.0
BepInEx/config/BetterSigns.colors.cfg
Add your own named colors here — use them in any tag.
Format: name = #RRGGBB or name = #RRGGBBAA
campfire = #FF6622
royalblue = #4169E1
All settings reload without a server restart.
Compatibility
| Dependency | Version |
|------------|---------|
| BepInExPack for Valheim | 5.4.x |
| Valheim | Current (Unity 2020.3) |
| Harmony | 2.x (bundled with BepInEx) |
- Works in multiplayer — signs sync normally via ZDO.
- Clients do not need the mod installed to see placed signs (effects render on their machine if they have the mod; otherwise the raw text is shown).
- Server ad
Install & use Install: BepInEx plugin
- The archive from playbuff is the mod itself — usually a BepInEx plugin (a .dll or a plugin folder once unzipped).
- Recommended: use a community mod manager (such as r2modman) — pick this game, import the mod, and the manager sets up BepInEx and its dependencies for you.
- Manual route: install the BepInEx loader in the game folder, then drop the unzipped .dll or plugin folder into BepInEx/plugins/.
- Launch the game — the BepInEx console logs every plugin it loads; seeing this mod in the log means it is installed.
Mods with listed dependencies need those installed too, or they will not load. Options are usually changed in-game or in the plugin's config file. In multiplayer, the host and every client need the same mods installed.
Install these first, or the mod will not work: