How to Defeat The Elder in Valheim

How to find and summon The Elder

To find the elder, you can search for its vegvisir which can often be found at the end of dungeons, or they can sometimes be spotted beside the outside walls of structures. Interacting with it will reveal The Elder’s Forsaken Altar which would be located somewhere in the Black Forests.

To summon The Elder, you must place 3 Ancient seeds on its altar. These seeds are chance drops when defeating Greydwarf brutes or destroying their nests.

How to prepare for The Elder boss fight

To prepare for The Elder, it’s recommended to have the full bronze set. As for the weapons, The Elder does not have any weaknesses or resistances, so any weapon will do. Bows are a relatively safe option due to its range, but it can take a while to finish the fight, while melee weapons can deal significant damage in exchange for being in the hit zone for most of the time.

Make sure to be stocked up on food to heal, and get the Rested effect for the added health and stamina regen boost. If you can, it’s also recommended to set up a portal and a bed in a nearby safe area to get back into the fight quickly; The Elder stay spawned even if you die.

The Elder Moves and Attacks

The Elder has three main attacks:

• Vines – The Elder shoots out multiple vines towards a single direction. Best to avoid this by sidestepping or by hiding behind one of the pillars. Blocking this attack is not recommended as this attack can hit multiple times.
• Roots – It raises its arm which makes multiple roots spring up from the ground. These roots are stationary, but getting close enough to these roots can trigger them to attack you. Its best to keep their numbers in check by destroying them to avoid limiting your fight area.
• Stomp – It raises its leg and stomps the ground, releasing a shockwave that can deal damage up to mid-range distance. Dodge and run as soon as you see it raise its leg.

The Vines and Roots can be easily avoided, however if the roots are left unchecked, you’ll easily find yourself in a precarious situation where you’ll have no where else safe to run to.

The Elder Rewards

Defeating The Elder will give you these rewards:

• The Elder trophy
• Swamp key

The Elder trophy can be hung on the Sacrificial stone to get The Elder’s forsaken power. This power can temporarily provide a 60% damage boost against trees, making cutting trees faster while the power is up. This is a good power to have when constructing a larger base.

The Swamp key is used to unlock the Sunken Crypts in the Swamp, which is the next area to progress into the game. Only one key is needed per player.