Valheim has recently taken the world by storm, with more than four million copies of the title having been sold in less than a month since release. With so many new players, it’s a great time to look at the challenges those millions will face.
Once players have made the Black Forest home for a good while, they’ll likely be ready to challenge the second Forsaken boss of the title, the Elder. This giant boss poses a significantly larger threat than the first boss of the title and requires a good bit more.
To summon the Elder, you’ll need the ancient seeds that can be found on Greydwarves and destroying the spawners that create the mobs. You won’t need many – only three are needed, and by the time you’re ready to challenge him, you’ll likely have significantly more than that.
The Elder has three attacks, including a melee stomp that can easily one shot a player if they’re caught off guard. At range, a wide cone of branches and thorns can strike forward, so keep some cover. Finally, the Elder also summons thrashing vines that can be killed, but will kill you just as quickly.
It’s a good idea to bring more than one player if you can, and be aware that the Elder will aggro to whoever’s closest. This makes the fight essentially tankable while others can sit back and fill the boss with as many arrows as you can bring.
Regardless of whether you’re solo or in a group, you’re going to want to bring a bow with a couple stacks of fire arrows. The Elder, being a giant tree, has a weakness to fire damage. Fire arrows allow you to utilize this weakness while still keeping range.
You’ll also want to make sure you keep moving as often as possible, as the attacks are easily dodged or avoided. Bring stamina buffs from mead if possible and the Eikthyr power to move without consuming too much stamina.
Make sure to be aware of the area around you, as this’ll be a long fight. The Elder has 2500 health, five times more than Eikthyr has and four times more than the average troll, so you’ll be fighting him for a good amount of time.
Scope the area out first and clear as many enemy spawners as you can to limit the number of Greydwarves running in to mess you up. It’ll be significantly harder to take the boss down if you’re juggling a few Brutes and Shamans at the same time as avoiding the vines.
If you come with the right gear, meal, and weaponry, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with the Elder. Expect a difficult and lengthy fight, but once you’ve downed him, you’ll be ready to start tackling the next biome with the Swamp!
