Last week Valheim reached a peak of nearly 400,000 concurrent players on Steam, blowing past other big games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and PUBG. The survival game is still only in Early Access and yet it continues to increase its player base. Valheim sold 3 million copies in its first 17 days, and players are quickly figuring out all the game has to offer. Modders are already experimenting with creations in Valheim, and one modder has drawn inspiration from the classic fantasy series, Lord of the Rings.
Originally written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was adapted for film by Peter Jackson, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. These films brought Tolkien's characters to life on the big screen like no other adaptation before, and images from these movies have been burned into the brains of Middle-Earth fans. The Eye of Sauron is one of the most recognizable images from the trilogy, and now Valheim players can download a mod to put the tallest tower of Barad-dûr in their game.
Modder Rynborg has built the Eye of Sauron atop its tower in Valheim and uploaded the build to Nexus Mods, one of the largest mod websites on the internet. Rynborg's build of the Eye of Sauron actually looks a bit like a hybrid of the tower and the Witch King of Angmar's abode, Minas Morgul, complete with all the green mood lighting.
This build of the Eye of Sauron is comprised of stone for all the parapets and towers, and Rynborg apparently used fireplaces and torches to create the Eye itself. The green torches lighting areas of the tower seem to be a popular choice for builders, as they've also been used in another Valheim build of the Millennium Falcon.
Rynborg's Eye of Sauron has gone through several versions, with the latest upgraded yesterday. Valheim players looking to test out Rynborg's build can download it from Nexus Mods with instructions. Players must also download the AdvancedBuilding mod to actually build the tower and the Forever Build mod to make the tower last forever.
Although building fantastic structures isn't the primary way to play Valheim, it shows how flexible the game is to offer different experiences for different kinds of gamers. While some players prefer to band together to defeat difficult bosses in Valheim, others prefer PvP action and besting their friends in combat. Valheim gives gamers the option to choose how they will explore the world, and that is part of what makes it so addicting.
Valheim is available now for Early Access on PC.