Valheim’s second boss, The Elder, is a big step-up in difficulty from the previous one. Eikthyr, the first boss found in the Meadows, is a bit of a pushover compared to The Elder, so you’ll want to be more prepared for this one. For tips on how to beat the Valheim second boss The Elder, look no further than this guide.
Of course, before you can fight The Elder you’ll need to find its location and learn how to summon it. Then you’ve got a gruelling fight ahead of you. We’ll rundown some handy info you’ll want to know if you get stuck on the boss, as well as how to summon it in Valheim.
Finding The Elder shouldn’t be too difficult. His altar is hidden in the Black Forest, but you can actually learn its location by visiting Burial Chambers (the dungeons in the Black Forest often occupied by Skeletons) and finding the red glowing stones otherwise known as Vegvisirs. These stones may mark his location on your map once you interact with them.
If you don’t find any Vegvisir with his location, you can look out for a large stone arena with four tall pillars and a fire in the middle. This flame is where you’ll sacrifice The Elder’s “young”.
You can summon The Elder by finding three Ancient Seeds and burning them in the fire. Ancient Seeds are found in two ways – you can get them as loot drops from Greydwarf Brutes, or by finding Greydwarf nests in the Black Forest. Greydwarf Brutes are the big, beefy looking Greydwarves that you’ll see more often at night. Nests are essentially Greydwarf spawners, and you’ll have to fight your way through a bunch of Greydwarves to destroy them.
Once you’ve collected three Ancient Seeds, head to the altar and place them in the fire by putting them in your main inventory and interacting with the flame. Soon afterwards, the second boss of Valheim will spawn, so be ready for a fight.
Valheim second boss guide
Generally, to defeat The Elder it’s recommended that you do the following:
- Use fire arrows
- Dodge the vine shoot attack
- Use the pillars for cover
- Kill any roots that get in your way
- Don’t get too close to The Elder
The Elder is a big step up in difficulty from the previous boss, Eikthyr. Be sure to come prepared with bronze gear for the best chance of survival. Stock up on food too, as you’ll need plenty of health to last through this fight.
As The Elder is weak to fire, your best bet is to use fire arrows. The Elder will remove any rain that might be pouring when the fight starts, leaving you free to fire away with fire arrows and deal maximum damage. He will take double damage from these arrows, but it will still take a while to bring him down.
To craft fire arrows, you’ll need 8 wood, 8 resin and 2 feathers. Resin is often dropped by Greydwarves, and it can be found by chopping down trees too. To get feathers you’ll need to kill birds, or you can occasionally find them in chests.
Use the pillars for covers and watch out for The Elder’s vine shoot attack. He’ll send a burst of vines towards you, but it can be dodged. If you get too close, The Elder will stomp the ground and deal serious damage. Therefore it’s better to stay away and fight him with your bow and arrows.
He will also summon roots around you which act as separate entities. You can cut them down if they get in the way, but you don’t need to clear all of them – just focus on any that spawn right beside you and save your fire arrows for the big guy. Eventually, roots will disappear if left alone for some time.
Greydwarves and other enemies may end up wandering into the fight from the Forest. This will happen more at night, so try and summon him in the morning to decrease the number of random enemies you have to deal with.
After enough fire arrows have been fired, The Elder should be dead and you’ll be free to collect his trophy and your very own Swamp Key. This key will come in handy once you reach the next biome, the Swamp.
Take his trophy back to the stones where you first started the game and place it on the hook. You’ll gain access to a new Forsaken Power from Valheim’s second boss. This one will let you deal more damage to trees with an axe for five minutes, increasing your woodcutting prowess. It’s recommended that you don’t use this power when you go on expeditions to new biomes, only when you need it for a big tree-chopping session. Otherwise, stick with Eikthyr’s power as the stamina boost comes in handy for many situations.
That is the Valheim second boss guide. For even more tips as you are playing, read through our Valheim building guide and our Valheim workbench guide which will help you out during these early stages of the game.