ValheimHelmsman
Gull-guided sailing and ship recall, puffin paint and decoration, a buildable civilian fleet, harbor props and pelican fishing. Optional Quartermaster cargo unloading.
About this mod Author’s original text
⚓ Helmsman — Sailing & Harbour Life
A gull captain sails your ships, a puffin builds and refits them, and a pelican brings in the catch.
⛵ Sailing & Navigation
- Gull captain: Handles sailing, explains delays and announces arrival.
- Dock setup: Name destinations and preview berths using a ghost ship.
- Voyage controls: Check status, change destination or stop. Taking the helm cancels autopilot.
- Ship recall: Call an empty named ship to a dock or shoreline. The gull sails it there—arrival takes time.
- Route display: Blue wisps mark the course. Toggle them in the menu.
- Hugin tutorials: First-time introductions explain the Dock Ward, Carpenter’s Table and whistle.
🔨 Ships & Harbour
- Puffin shipwright: Commission ships at the Carpenter’s Table. Construction takes time, and orders survive restarts.
- Longship refits: Lantern, canopy, expanded cargo, protective treatment and a decorative trophy mount.
- Ship styles: Supported hull, shield, figurehead and sail options, including custom sail and canopy textures.
- Fishing: Pelican fishing, the Hercule’s deployable net and fish-oil processing.
- Harbour pieces: Decorations, dock extensions and craftable shipbuilding materials.
- Quartermaster integration: Request cargo unloading into nearby base storage.
🚀 Quick Start
- Install BepInEx, Jötunn and Helmsman.
- Build a Dock Ward beside water and configure its berth.
- Board your ship, slow down and release the helm.
- Call the gull and speak to him after he lands.
- Build a Carpenter’s Table near a configured dock for shipbuilding and refits.
🎮 Controls
- F8: Call or speak to the gull; configurable.
- Tap Use at the mast: Hold fast.
- Hold Use at the mast: Call the gull.
- Shift + Use at the mast or helm: Name your ship.
- Take the helm: Cancel autopilot.
🤝 Mod Compatibility
Compatibility with other mods that add ships can be added upon request. Contact me on Discord or Steam.
Testing: Functional in local play. Recent additions and multiplayer/server behaviour still need testing. Use matching versions on server and clients.
Guide · GitHub · Discord
Code, artwork and documentation developed with generative AI.
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: