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Display Modes

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Taeguk edited this page Jun 7, 2026 · 4 revisions

Display Modes

The display.mode field controls how the guidance message appears to the player. All modes use vanilla Valheim UI — no custom assets or textures.

display:
  mode: raven
  topic: "My Topic"
  text: "My message text."

raven

Shows Hugin (the raven) flying in with a popup message — the same style used for vanilla tutorial hints.

display:
  mode: raven
  topic: "Stone Axe"
  text: "A crude edge, but it bites. Fell trees, gather wood."

Best for: First-time lore, progression hints, new-player guidance.

Notes:

  • Raven popups respect the player's "Dismiss" click — they can close it early.
  • display.topic becomes the popup's title.
  • The mod's raven hints fire even when the player has disabled vanilla tutorials in game options. This is controlled by the RavenEnabled option in the BepInEx config (default on), independently of the vanilla "Tutorials Enabled" setting.
  • Text tokens ({playerName} etc.) are not expanded in raven mode because text is baked in at config load. Use message or chat mode for personalised messages.

message

Shows a text notification via Valheim's MessageHud — the same system used for item pickups and server messages.

display:
  mode: message
  position: TopLeft     # TopLeft | Center
  text: "Bring an antidote potion into the swamp."

Best for: Quick recurring tips, action feedback, reminders.

Notes:

  • position: TopLeft is the small notification in the corner (like item pickup messages).
  • position: Center is the large centered toast (like "You are well rested").
  • Text tokens are supported and expanded live.
  • display.topic is not used in message mode.

chat

Adds a line to the chat panel, formatted with a distinct color so it reads apart from player chat.

display:
  mode: chat
  text: "[Guide] The Black Forest is dangerous at night."

Best for: Verbose lore, tips that players may want to scroll back and re-read, server announcements.

Notes:

  • The chat panel auto-opens when the message is added.
  • Chat message color defaults to #E0C078 (warm gold). Change it in the BepInEx config (ChatColor).
  • display.topic is not used in chat mode.
  • Text tokens are supported.

rune

Shows a full-screen dark overlay with centered text in the Valheim rune-tablet style.

display:
  mode: rune
  topic: "Of Crows and Kings"
  text: "Long before the gods carved the realms, Hugin watched from the World Tree..."

Best for: Lore reveals, milestone text, dramatic in-world reading moments.

Notes:

  • Screen darkens while the text is displayed.
  • The player is placed in ghost mode (untargetable, like the vanilla ghost admin cheat) for the duration, so nothing can attack them mid-read.
  • Ghost mode is restored when the viewer closes (click-through, ESC, or auto-hide).
  • display.topic is used as the heading/title above the text body.
  • Text tokens are supported.

intro

Shows scrolling text over a fading screen in the style of Valheim's Valkyrie intro — the most dramatic option.

display:
  mode: intro
  topic: "The Burning Shore"
  text: "Smoke rises where the world cracks. Tread carefully, traveler."

Best for: Story beats, world-event reveals, first-time biome entry cinematics.

Notes:

  • The screen fades to black (configurable fade duration, default 3 seconds) before text appears.
  • Music is pinned to the vanilla Valkyrie intro track for the display duration (configurable in BepInEx config via IntroMusicName). Music returns to normal after the duration elapses.
  • The player is in ghost mode for the duration — nothing can target or damage them.
  • display.topic is used as the heading above the text.
  • Text tokens are supported.
  • Fade and music duration are controlled by IntroFadeInDuration, IntroMusicDuration, and IntroPreDelay in the BepInEx config.

conversation

Opens a dialogue panel near the bottom of the screen with a title, body text, and clickable choice buttons.

display:
  mode: conversation
  topic: "Haldor"
  text: "Well met, traveler! I have rare goods from distant lands."

Best for: NPC dialogue trees, quest acceptance/handoff, choice-driven interactions.

Notes:

  • Always paired with trigger.type: npc_conversation.
  • Requires a conversation: block in the entry to define the choice buttons.
  • While the panel is open, player movement, attacks, inventory, camera, and the pause menu are all disabled.
  • If no choices are defined, a default "Dismiss" button is shown.
  • See NPC Conversations for full setup.

Display Config (BepInEx)

These settings in com.valheimserverguide.cfg affect display behaviour:

Config Key Default Description
RavenEnabled true Enable raven mode popups (independent of vanilla Tutorials setting)
IntroMusicName intro Music clip to play during intro mode
IntroMusicDuration 60 Seconds intro music stays pinned
IntroFadeInDuration 3.0 Screen fade duration before intro text appears
IntroPreDelay 1.0 Pause on black screen after fade, before text appears
ChatColor #E0C078 Hex color for chat-mode guidance messages

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