The Call to Arms update for Valheim launched in September of 2025, introducing a bunch of new stuff and overhauling some of the game’s mechanics. It also added Trinkets as a new item type, with Adrenaline as a new resource that lets you use them. This guide will tell you how Adrenaline works, where to get Trinkets, how to use them, and which of them are the best.
How Adrenaline Works
Enabled when a Trinket is equipped
Builds up through combat actions (attacking, dodging, blocking)
Trinket’s effects automatically activate when the Adrenaline bar is filled
Starts to decay after 6-10 seconds of not fighting
Adrenaline is a new resource introduced with the Call to Arms update. It appears as an orange bar on your UI, under the stamina bar. The maximum amount of Adrenaline is determined by whichever trinket you have equipped. Whenever you reach your Adrenaline cap, the trinket will automatically activate, triggering its effects.
Orange Adrenaline bar
You build up Adrenaline mainly by performing combat actions. If you stop fighting for 6-10 seconds (depending on how much Adrenaline you currently have), it will start to decay. If the Fader Forsaken Power is active on you, you will build Adrenaline twice as fast.
Actions that build Adrenaline are:
Activating a Forsaken Power
Attacking with a weapon or spell
Blocking and parrying
Dodging
Staggering enemies
In most battles, you’ll end up defeating your enemies before you build up enough Adrenaline to activate a Trinket. Which generally means you’ll only have them activate during the most challenging encounters and boss fights.
Still, if you want to speed up your Adrenaline generation, you’ll generally want weapons that attack fast. And perhaps the easiest way to build Adrenaline is through Staff of Frost. The staff acts as a shotgun of sorts, and each ice pellet that hits a target will give you Adrenaline.
Staff of Frost in action
If you unequip a Trinket while its effect is active and equip another one, you’ll theoretically be able to build up enough Adrenaline to activate that second one while the effect of the first is still active. In reality, the use cases for this are very limited and most of the time such Trinket juggling isn’t worth it.
List of Available Trinkets
Trinkets become available after you reach the Black Forest biome. Generally, each biome after the Meadows will have two Trinkets you can craft. The one exception is the Ocean biome that only has one. You’ll need a Forge to craft your early-biome Trinkets. And for those craftable in the Mistlands and beyond, you’ll need the Black Forge.
Trinket
Biome
Materials
Adrenaline Cost
Effects
Heart of the Forest
Black Forest
Bronze x5 Ancient Seed x5 Greydwarf Shaman Trophy
50
Health regen: +25% for 60 seconds
Bronze Pendant
Black Forest
Bronze x5 Bear Trophy Ruby x3
50
Stamina regen: +25% for 60 seconds
Iron Brooch
Swamp
Iron x5 Ancient Bark x5 Leech Trophy
65
Health gain: +50 Armour: +20 for 30 seconds
Nimble Anklet
Swamp
Iron x5 Withering Bone x5 Surtling Trophy
60
Stamina gain: +50 Movement speed: +15% for 30 seconds
Crystal Heart
Mountain
Silver x5 Crystal x5 Stone Golem Trophy
80
Slightly Resistant (25%) to Blunt, Slash, Pierce for 50 seconds
Wolf Sight
Mountain
Silver x5 Wolf Fang x5 Fenring Trophy
55
Bows: +20 Spear: +20 Pierce damage: +10% for 30 seconds
Bracelets of the Brave
Plains
Black Metal x5 Lox Pelt x5 Lox Trophy
85
Health gain: +100 Clubs: +20 Blunt damage: +10% for 60 seconds
Evasion Mantle
Plains
Black Metal x5 Fuling Berserker Trophy Linen Thread x10
Swim speed: +50% Swim stamina usage: -80% for 120 seconds
Best Trinkets
While there is no perfect Trinket for every scenario, some of the available ones clearly stand above the rest. Generally, for a Trinket to be good it needs to not cost too much Adrenaline, or you’ll end up never using it. This immediately dismisses some options. Out of those that remain, these are the top 4, in the order of biomes they appear in:
Iron Brooch
Wolf Sight
Evasion Mantle
Jörmundling
Iron Brooch
A deceptively good Trinket. It may not seem like much at first glance, but the 20 armour it gives will greatly elevate your survivability. At level 1, the Iron set from the Swamp biome where you can obtain this Trinket grants 42 armour. The Wolf set from the next Mountain biome grants 61. So effectively, you’ll be going up a biome in terms your survivability from the armour increase alone. And then the extra health will act as a Minor Healing Mead without the usual mead cooldown. Pair that with a relatively low Adrenaline cost of 65, and you get a great Trinket for everyone who likes to be in the thick of things.
Wolf Sight
You get this Trinket in the Mountain biome and that’s where you’ll get the most use out of it. Even if normally you’re not one for archery, the Drakes inhabiting the biome will make you pick up a bow. The damage increase this Trinket provides is very valuable there. And if you generally like to use bows or spears, this Trinket will remain valuable for you much longer. Especially since its activation cost is close to the lowest among all combat Trinkets.
Evasion Mantle
Not getting hit is good no matter where you are in the game. As such, if you’re looking for a defensive option, this is your best bet. While wearing it, you’ll get better at dodging, blocking, and parrying. It’s also worth noting that these effects last for 120 seconds, making Evasion Mantle one of the few Trinkets you’ll get a chance to chain indefinitely.
Jörmundling
While this Trinket takes 70 Adrenaline to activate, by the time you can craft it in the Ashlands, you’ll have access to the Staff of Frost, that will let you quickly fill your Adrenaline bar. When it activates, Jörmundling will give a big boost to your Eitr reserves and significantly increase your magic skills. If you plan to be using magic at all, this will be your go-to late-game Trinket.
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Val Hull
Resident role-playing RPG game expert. Knows where trolls and paladins come from. You must fight for your right to gather your party before venturing forth.
