Viking survival crafting has changed quite a bit since the days of early access, and though Valheim’s biome order remains mostly the same in 1.0, there’s plenty of new details to keep track of for lapsed players. If you want to make it to the new biome as soon as possible, I’ve got a handy progression guide to hold your hand all the way from the Meadows to the Deep North.
Meadows
Black Forest
Swamps
Mountains
Plains
Mistlands
Ashlands
Deep North
Meadows
It’s deer hunting season, so make yourself a Crude Bow and plenty of arrows. You’ll have to hunt Eikthyr’s kin until one drops a Deer Trophy, and stocking up on extra leather doesn’t hurt, either.
The shrine you spawn at is always located in Valheim’s most peaceful biome, the Meadows. Since it’s relatively chill compared to other zones filled with creatures desperate to kill you, I lump it in with the Black Forest as Valheim’s beginner zone. Your main goal here is to set up a small base, gather leather for armor, and get a Deer Trophy to summon Eikthyr.
Feel free to tiptoe along the edge of the Black Forest for extra goodies and upgrades, but don’t stray too far. Bears and Trolls make quick snacks of low-level Vikings.
Meadows resource checklist
- Wood
- Fine Wood
- Resin
- Stone
- Flint
- Dandelions
- Beech Seeds
- Raspberries
- Mushrooms
- Acorns
- Honey
- Queen Bee
- Neck Tail
- Boar Meat
- Leather
- Deer Hide
- Feathers
- Bone Fragments
Meadows boss: Eikthyr
- Rewards: Eikthyr Trophy, Hard Antlers
- Requirement: 1 Deer Trophy at the Mystical Altar
- Buff:
- Run stamina usage: -60%
- Jump stamina usage: -60%
- Swim stamina usage: -60%
- Effect duration: 300
Black Forest
Pick fights with Greydwarf Brutes and pulverize any Greydwarf Nests you encounter. They’re the only place you can find the three Ancient Seeds needed to summon The Elder.
You’ll spend a lot of time running back and forth from your Meadows base to the Black Forest for new materials, so bring Eikthyr’s head back to the spawn shrine to receive the deer god’s buff. Use the Hard Antlers from Eikthyr to make the Antler Pickaxe and mine as much Tin and Copper as possible—you’ll need a ton of ore to smelt into ingots. I always prioritize making a Bronze Pickaxe as my first upgrade so the process goes faster.
Be careful about picking fights with Trolls or Bears, and start hoarding materials from dungeons to build portals. When you’re done here, we’ll make a boat and set sail for muddier waters.
Black Forest resource checklist
- Copper Ore / Copper
- Tin Ore / Tin
- Bronze
- Corewood
- Fir Cone
- Pine Cone
- Thistle
- Blueberries
- Carrot Seeds
- Yellow Mushrooms
- Surtling Cores
- Greydwarf Eye
- Bear Hide
- Bear Paw
- Bear Meat
- Ectoplasm
- Troll Hide
- Bukeperries
Black Forest dungeons
Troll Caves
Single-room caves typically filled with gold and other valuables for selling to traders. Let’s hope no one is home when you visit, otherwise you may have to fight a Troll or two.
Burial Chambers
Complex caves filled with hostile Skeletons and the occasional Ghost. You can pick up Yellow Mushrooms and treasures here, but you’re mostly raiding the place for Surtling Cores.
Black Forest boss: The Elder
- Rewards: The Elder Trophy, Swamp Key
- Requirement: Offer 3 Ancient Seeds at the Ancient Bowl
- Buff:
- Health Regen: +30%
- Chop: +60%
- Pickaxe: +60%
- Effect duration: 300
The Merchant
Haldor is a rare friendly face in Valheim, and he’s got a ton of goodies to offer in exchange for all that gold you’ve been collecting. You won’t find him on the starting island, but he’s always in a patch of Black Forest somewhere further out from where your journey began.
Swamps
Don’t lose the Swamp Key, as you’ll need it to enter the Sunken Crypts scattered throughout the bogs. Visit one of these dungeons to gather the 10 Withered Bones required to summon Bonemass.
Trudging through Valheim’s Swamps can be a real pain in the ass, so pace yourself and brew plenty of poison resist potions. I tend to blow through Surtling Cores when I reach the hostile waters here, making portals for easy travel and extra bases to process Iron Ore.
Above all else, try to be patient. It’s easy to get caught in a cycle of repetitive deaths, and if you aren’t careful, your viking will rack up serious skill level losses.
Swamp resource checklist
- Entrails
- Ooze
- Guck
- Bloodbag
- Scrap Iron
- Chain
- Withered Bone
- Ancient Bark
- Root
- Turnip Seeds
Swamp dungeons
Sunken Crypts
Complex caves filled with hostile Skeletons and the occasional Ghost. You can pick up Yellow Mushrooms and treasures here, but you’re mostly raiding the place for Surtling Cores. Hoard as many cores as you can carry. You’ll need tons for building portals and new crafting benches.
Swamp boss: Bonemass
- Rewards: Bonemass Trophy, Wishbone
- Requirement: Offer 10 Withered Bones at the Boiling Death Altar
- Buff:
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Blunt
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Slash
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Pierce
- Block stamina cost: -100%
- Block stamina return: +5
- Effect duration: 300
The Bog Witch
You’ll find the Witch somewhere in the Swamps, and like Haldor, she won’t spawn in any Swamp connected to your starting island. She sells tons of useful goodies like Fresh Seaweed, Pungent Pebbles, and more, so place a portal down for return visits.
Deep North
Deep North resource checklist
- Timberwood
- Timberwood Cone
- Snowballs
- Ice / Liquid Frost
- Bloodgold Ore / Bloodgold
- Memorial Coal
- Frostfire Essence
- Thunderblood Essence
- Lingonberries
- Poteitr Seeds
- Oat Seeds
- Kale Seeds
- Moose Sinew
- Moose Meat
- Moose Hide
- Seal Blubber
- Seal Pelt
- Elaking Hair Bundle
- Long Claws
- Frozen Branch
- Leather Straps
- Nornathread
- Dead Pulp
- Frostcore
- Larva
Deep North dungeons
Hidden Tunnels
Any time you stumble upon village ruins in the Deep North, stop and take a moment to look for any large two-story buildings. They’re often home to deep pits leading to the Hidden Tunnels, where you can find moulds to make Intricate Keys or gear upgrades.
Morkhalla
After exploring the Hidden Tunnels and making an Intricate Key, you’re finally ready to unlock a door to Morkhalla. You’ll have to repeat this process three times to summon enough Jotun raids for enough Malicious Blood to summon the final boss, Kall Fimbulbringer.
Deep North boss: Kall Fimbulbringer
- Rewards: Sacrificial Blood, Crown Jewel
- Requirement: Offer 3 Malicious Blood at the Strange Bowl
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