Where To Download Valheim Mods 🎮 2026

If you opened your mod manager and found half your modpack suddenly marked as deprecated, that is neither a glitch nor a coincidence. Some authors now publish elsewhere, players have a new manager to use, and familiar catalogs may be showing old releases. This became particularly noticeable in September 2026, as mod updates for Valheim 1.0 were coming out.

Let's start with the basics

Before looking at the platforms, we need to distinguish four things. Otherwise, it is easy to get confused about what has actually changed.

Term	What it means
Catalog	A website where an author publishes a mod and releases updates
Mod manager	An application that downloads files, installs dependencies and creates profiles
Mod loader	The technical foundation that allows mods to run inside the game
Profile / modpack	A specific set of mods and versions that you launch separately

The main places to download Valheim mods now

Thunderstore

Much of Valheim's modern modding ecosystem grew on this platform. You can find libraries, gameplay changes, interface improvements, building tools and ready-made modpacks here.

Examples:

BepInExPack Valheim: the foundation for running many mods
r2modman: a mod manager published in the same catalog

Advantage: a large archive and a familiar installation process that has worked for years.

The current drawback: if an author has moved updates to Hexium, Thunderstore may show the last old release marked Deprecated, or hide the package from normal search results altogether.

Hexium

A new alternative platform that quickly became well known after several major Valheim authors moved over. Mod pages list versions, dependencies, compatibility information and changelogs.

Examples:

CreatureLevelAndLootControl: control over creature levels and loot
Azumatt's catalog: FirstPersonMode, AzuWorkbenchTweaks, PetPantry and his other projects
Official FAQ: answers about how the platform works, publishing and manager support

Advantage: this is where current versions of some major projects are released. Mod pages include file checks, publishing terms and changelogs.

Limitation: the catalog does not automatically replace every other source. If the mod you need is only published on Thunderstore or Nexus, you still go there.

Nexus Mods

Nexus

A historically important platform with detailed pages, files, discussions and version histories. Nexus remains the central catalog for many games, but with Valheim you now need to check when each individual mod was last updated.

Advantage: detailed instructions and discussions help you work through configuration issues.

Limitation: some Valheim authors now maintain their projects elsewhere. A Nexus page does not guarantee that it hosts the current release for Valheim 1.0.

Mod managers for Valheim

Gale Mod Manager

Gale is a mod manager that brings multiple sources together. Hexium support for Valheim arrived in version 1.18.0 on July 13, 2026. The developers have since continued fixing profile imports and handling of multiple sources.

Advantage: you can keep your existing profile, continue downloading mods from Thunderstore and receive updates from Hexium at the same time. If the same mod version exists in both catalogs, Gale applies its source-selection rules.

r2modman

r2modman remains a working Thunderstore manager, useful for separate profiles, launch configuration, log viewing and dependency management.

Advantage: a familiar tool with a straightforward workflow.

The current drawback: r2modman does not use Hexium as a source on its own. A missing update in the manager does not necessarily mean the author has released nothing.

If your entire modpack is based on Thunderstore and none of its authors have moved, there is no need to rush into switching. If it includes mods whose authors have moved to Hexium, Gale saves you from installing those packages manually. Vortex

Vortex

Vortex belongs to the Nexus Mods ecosystem. Valheim has a dedicated extension that accounts for BepInEx and the required game libraries.

Advantage: if you already use Nexus, the tool will be familiar.

Limitation: for a modpack that needs both Hexium and Thunderstore packages, Vortex does not serve the same source-combining role as Gale.

Another useful category: server managers

If you are setting up a dedicated server for friends, there are separate tools for the server side. Nexum is a free Windows server manager that, according to its author, supports packages from Thunderstore and Hexium.

What happened with Nexus and Valheim modding: a timeline

Date	Event
July 2026	Gale 1.18.0 gains official Hexium support for Valheim. The technical ability to combine the two sources existed before the conflict drew widespread attention in September
August 26, 2026	A discussion on r/ModdedValheim warns r2modman and Thunderstore Mod Manager users that some mods are already being updated on Hexium, where their usual managers cannot see the new releases
September 17, 2026	Azumatt publicly announces that he is moving his packages. Thunderstore support ends and all his projects are marked deprecated. He also steps down as a moderator of Thunderstore's Valheim community
Late September 2026	Current releases appear on Hexium. Smoothbrain's CreatureLevelAndLootControl reaches version 5.0.6 on September 30. Players start moving their profiles to Gale
October 2026	The problem becomes noticeable in modpacks. More projects move, with discussions including Midgard Plus. Thunderstore packages begin carrying explicit notices about moving to Hexium

Why authors are leaving: the conflict in detail

The best starting points here are Azumatt's statement and the official Hexium FAQ. They explain the situation from two perspectives: his personal experience of the conflict and the new platform creators' position.

Azumatt's position

In his September 17 statement, Azumatt stressed that a single dispute had not caused the decision. He said his dissatisfaction had built up over a long time.

The author gave several reasons:

Moderation and enforcement. He criticized moderation decisions that he felt were sometimes reversed after investigations, along with what he considered inconsistent enforcement of the rules.
Awkward tools for authors. Azumatt felt the existing moderation and publishing-management tools restricted his work.
Community conflicts. He reported being excluded from modding-related Discord communities and having to explain his technical decisions.
Advertising and telemetry. The final trigger was pop-up messages in the game's main menu that he encountered during testing. In his statement, he objected to turning the menu into advertising space and collecting telemetry by default without user consent.

Azumatt also said he originally intended to give the community around two weeks for a gradual transition, but ultimately deprecated his packages earlier.

There is an important qualification: this is one participant's position. It explains why a particular author left, but does not establish that every complaint about Thunderstore has been independently verified.

What frustrated authors about Thunderstore?

The official Hexium FAQ explains why another platform was needed. Hexium's developers point to delays in implementing frequently requested features, including built-in comments and the ability to edit a mod description without publishing a new version.

That sounds minor until you look at it from an author's side. Imagine finding a mistake in your instructions, wanting to clarify a known incompatibility or needing to add an important warning. If that requires a new package release, version numbers become unnecessarily confusing. Comments on the mod page let people discuss a problem where players actually download it.

Hexium aims to make these features part of the platform itself. That does not mean Thunderstore provides no communication tools. The criticism concerns particular capabilities and how quickly they are implemented.

What does Hexium offer authors?

According to the platform FAQ, Hexium adds:

built-in comments and discussions directly on mod pages
description editing without requiring a new version release
tools for checking files and working with protected code
an author reputation system that considers publication quality and project support
the option to publish paid mods with clear labeling

That last point needs explaining. Hexium allows paid mods, but the platform itself warns that selling modifications can conflict with game rights holders' terms and raise ethical questions. The feature does not mean all Azumatt or Smoothbrain mods have become paid products.

A conflict between two websites, or a split in the community?

It is more accurate to describe a clash of interests over how mod publishing should work.

Thunderstore already has a large catalog, established infrastructure and a familiar workflow. Hexium is trying to attract authors with a different set of tools and more direct control over publishing.

There is one major downside for anyone who likes installing mods: when an author moves, old links, instructions and profiles do not automatically switch to the new platform. Two versions of the same project emerge: an archived one and a current one.

The main practical problem for players is therefore the split in catalogs and updates, rather than platform competition itself.

Which well-known mods should you now look for on Hexium?

Before installing, check the current version, dependencies and compatibility with your specific mod setup. You can find all the mods in the catalog.

CreatureLevelAndLootControl (author: Smoothbrain) controls creature levels and loot. It illustrates why keeping versions current matters for world balance: changes affect combat difficulty and the value of trophies.
FirstPersonMode (author: Azumatt) switches the camera to a first-person view. It is one example where searching through an old manager alone will not show the current release.
PetPantry (author: Azumatt) automatically feeds tamed animals from nearby containers. It is a good example of a small convenience improvement that does not load the game with sweeping new mechanics.
Ranching (author: Smoothbrain) adds an animal-husbandry skill that speeds up taming and increases resource yields from tamed creatures.
OdinShip (author: Marlthon) adds new ships for hauling cargo and seafaring adventures. Unlike the previous examples, it shows that Hexium is not limited to mods from the two authors most prominent in this story.

What does Deprecated mean, and why do mods seem to disappear?

A Deprecated label can mean that, in this situation, authors have left an old version on Thunderstore but marked it as archived and stopped updating it there. The current version is available on another platform.

There are three different situations:

Status	What it means	What to do
Deprecated	The package is considered outdated or is no longer supported in this catalog	Check the author's page and find the new version
Removed from the catalog	The page or file is no longer available through normal means	Look for the author's official source
Not updated for a long time	No new releases have been published for a long time	Check compatibility, discussions and available alternatives

Thunderstore's normal search filters can hide deprecated packages. Users specifically reported this problem in early October.

Examples of how authors announce a move:

These packages explicitly state that they are no longer updated because their Azumatt dependencies have moved to Hexium. This is especially critical for ready-made modpacks: even if the pack itself remains available, its dependencies may need replacing with newer versions.

How to start moving to a new source for mods

If you already play with mods and do not want to rebuild your profile from scratch, follow these steps:

Make a backup. Save your worlds, characters and current mod configuration. Do not start the transition by deleting old files.
Install Gale. Use the official releases. On first launch, the application may offer to import your r2modman profile.
Check deprecated mods. Open their Thunderstore pages and read the descriptions, changelogs and links to their new sources.
Find current versions on Hexium. Start with Azumatt and Smoothbrain mods if your setup includes them. Then check their dependencies.
Do not update everything indiscriminately. First launch a copy of your profile, check that the game starts and enter a world. For multiplayer, make sure the client and server mod versions are compatible.

Where is Valheim modding heading?

Several mod-distribution models now exist alongside one another. Nexus retains its catalog, Thunderstore continues accepting new releases, and Hexium is becoming an alternative for authors who want different tools and more direct control over their project pages.

The main practical change is that a single familiar catalog can no longer be treated as a complete source of current Valheim mods. If r2modman is not updating a mod, the project may have moved to Hexium rather than been abandoned.

There is no basis, however, for claiming that every author has left Thunderstore or that Nexus has shut down. Azumatt's documented case and Smoothbrain's activity show a noticeable migration within part of the community, but do not provide complete statistics for all developers.