SmarterHoe

Description

SmarterHoe is a comprehensive terrain-editing overhaul for the Valheim hoe. It replaces clunky, repetitive vanilla leveling with a full suite of precision builder tools — from laser-flat plateau leveling and rotating square brushes to multi-waypoint road carving with cart-slope ratings — while staying 100% balanced for survival gameplay.

Installation instructions

Using a Mod Manager (Vortex / Gale / r2modman):

1. Download and install through your mod manager.

2. Ensure BepInEx is enabled and launch the game.

Manual Installation:

1. Ensure BepInExPack Valheim is installed.

2. Download and extract the SmarterHoe ZIP archive.

3. Place the SmarterHoe.dll and the Icons folder into Valheim/BepInEx/plugins/SmarterHoe/

4. Launch Valheim and equip your Hoe!

Main features

• Altitude Lock (Laser-Flat Ground): Press to lock your current target height. Every subsequent click levels terrain to that exact elevation, guaranteeing a perfectly flat plane with zero stepped bumps. Middle-click any floor or foundation piece to snap the lock to its exact surface height with millimeter precision.

• Instant Plateau (1-Click Flattening): A dedicated hoe build-menu tool that flattens the entire brush area to cursor height in a single click. No endless clicking over the same patch of dirt.

• Smooth Ramp & Mountain Switchbacks: Place waypoints () across rugged terrain to trace a road path, then press to auto-carve a smooth, graded road using Catmull-Rom spline curves. The 3D guide spine dynamically color-codes slopes in real-time:

- Green (≤ 20°): Cart Friendly (easy hauling)

- Yellow (20°–25°): Steep for Carts (requires sprinting)

- Red (> 25°): Too Steep for Carts

• Soften Terrain: Gently blends and relaxes sharp cliff edges and jagged vertex creases for natural hill transitions without forcing a hard flat plane.

• Restore Terrain: Reverts modified terrain, dirt, and paint back to pristine original world-generation wilderness.

• Clear Debris: Instantly sweeps away trees, logs, stumps, boulders, loose stones, and ore deposits within your brush radius. Safe around player-built bases and structures.

• Circle & Square Brush Toggle: Press to toggle between circular and square brush geometry. The square brush rotates dynamically with your character facing direction, perfect for squaring off foundation walls.

• Dynamic Radius Scaling: Hold and use the Mouse Scroll Wheel (or + [ / ]) to dynamically scale your brush from 0. 5m to 15m. Vanilla cobblestone and dirt paving scale to match!

• Balanced Survival & Freebuild Modes:

- Balanced Survival (Default): Consumes stone for raising earth and paving, drains stamina, wears tool durability, checks for workbench/stonecutter proximity, and requires axes for trees and pickaxes for rocks.

- Freebuild Mode: Press at any time to toggle on-the-fly into zero-cost creative terraforming.

• Controls & Hotkeys:

- : Toggle Altitude Lock

- Middle Mouse : Snap Altitude to targeted piece

- : Place Ramp Waypoint (A, B, C...)

- : Auto-Carve Ramp Road (Hold Shift for Paved Stone)

- : Undo last ramp waypoint

- : Toggle Brush Shape (Circle / Square)

- + Scroll or + [ / ] : Adjust Brush Radius

- [ / ] : Adjust Ramp Width

- : Cycle Ramp Surface (Cobblestone, Dirt, Grass, Cultivated)

- : Toggle Cost Mode (Balanced Survival / Freebuild)

- : Restore Terrain to original wilderness

Requirements

• BepInExPack Valheim (v5. 4. 2200 or newer)

• Client-Side Only: Does not need to be installed on dedicated servers; other players will see your terraforming in real-time through Valheim's native ZDO network syncing.

Created by Jubaroo.

Special thanks to the Valheim modding and BepInEx communities.