After you’ve gathered all the key resources in the Meadows and defeated the boss Eikthyr, you can set out to explore the Black Forest. It’s the second biome you’ll discover on your journey through Valheim. Tall conifers stand close together, you’ll encounter more wildlife but also monsters. You might not be entirely alone here, though—there’s also an NPC in the forest. So not everything is hostile; you’ll find some peaceful creatures as well. But the Black Forest isn’t safe, so prepare well for your visit—ideally with our guide.
Valheim Black Forest Guide: biome overview and tips
The Black Forest lives up to its name: it’s dark and filled with tall pines and firs. Sunlight rarely reaches the ground, making this biome home to nasty enemies and hidden treasures. You’ll also find different plants here that you can use as food. The biome spans roughly 500 to 8,000 meters from the spawn point and can blend with others. Watch for Greydwarf nests, as they’re common enemy spawn points.
The Black Forest is a place where backup really helps. Rent your own server from us and explore with friends: Rent a Valheim server now. Fights get tougher, but together your chances are higher and you can gather more resources.
Valheim Black Forest resources: copper, tin, and bronze
Defeat Eikthyr and use his antlers to craft the Antler Pickaxe. It’s essential for progressing in the Black Forest. Only with it can you mine and process new metals to make better gear. We’ll focus here only on new resources. You can find more about the Meadows in the previous article (Valheim Meadows Guide: Resources, Food, Enemies, and Eikthyr) .
- Tin: Small deposits near water along coasts and riverbanks.
- Copper: Large, higher-elevation deposits. Mark them on your map, as a single vein can be big.
- Core wood: New wood from pines, important for new crafting recipes such as structures and weapons.
- Carrot seeds: Your first crop. Use a Cultivator to plant them.
- Thistle: Glowing shrubs, useful as a cooking ingredient for food and mead.
- Surtling cores: Red cubes from Burial Chambers. Essential for Smelter, Charcoal Kiln, and Portals.
- Ancient seeds: Dropped by Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans as well as from Greydwarf nests. Used to summon the boss.
- Greydwarf eyes: Dropped by the namesake mobs. Useful for crafting, for example Portals and blue fire.
Tip: Tin and copper are smelted into bars in the Smelter. Combine them at the Forge to make bronze for tools, weapons, and armor.
Valheim Black Forest enemies: Greydwarfs, trolls, and skeletons
You’ll still run into deer you already know from the Meadows. Beyond that, new creatures are waiting to make life harder. Many are attracted by noise, so stay alert—especially when mining ores.
- Greydwarfs: The most common enemies in the Black Forest. Variants: regular, Brute, and Shaman. The further you go, the stronger they become. Destroy nests to stop spawns.
- Trolls: Large enemies with high damage. Piercing weapons and arrows are very effective. Troll leather is used for an armor set that improves sneaking.
- Skeletons: Often spawn in Burial Chambers. Weak to blunt weapons.
- Rancid Remains: A tougher skeleton variant with poison attacks.
Note: When mining ore, keep a shield ready and watch your stamina, as noise can attract additional enemies.
Valheim Black Forest food: recipes, Cauldron, and Cultivator
Of course, you can restock your food supplies in the Black Forest and unlock many new recipes. For this you’ll need to craft a Cauldron. Gather ingredients in the forest or loot them from monsters. Once you’ve forged bronze, you can use the Cultivator to set up your first fields.
Food for more stamina:
- Blueberries: Found everywhere on bushes, quick and easy to eat.
- Yellow mushrooms: Found in Burial Chambers. A base for mead and helpful for stamina.
- Carrots: Now plantable, can be eaten directly or cooked into dishes.
- Queen’s jam: Made from raspberries and blueberries, gives you lots of stamina.
- Carrot soup: Great for stamina, cooked from carrots and mushrooms.
Food for more health:
- Boar jerky: Balanced for stamina and HP.
- Cooked meat: Grilled deer or boar meat as a simple, solid boost.
- Minced meat sauce: Very filling and available early via the Cauldron.
- Deer stew: The best HP food in the Black Forest, made from blueberries, carrots, and deer meat.
Valheim Black Forest locations: Burial Chambers, Troll caves, and Haldor
Hidden throughout the Black Forest are interesting places where you can find chests and loot. Be careful though—most are guarded by monsters. Keep an eye out for a bag icon on your map; that’s where you’ll meet your first NPC in Valheim.
- Ruins: Abandoned ruins in various layouts, often recognizable by collapsed stone walls. Commonly guarded by Skeletons or Greydwarfs.
- Burial Chambers: Deep crypts with Skeletons. Collect loot and key items like yellow mushrooms or Surtling cores.
- Troll caves: The home of trolls. You’ll often find chests with loot here.
- Haldor & Halstein: Your first NPC. Haldor is a dwarven trader who sells items and buys your loot. Per world, he can appear at up to ten fixed locations in the Black Forest. His stock expands with your progress.
Valheim Black Forest boss: summoning and defeating The Elder
Once you’ve covered the key points of the Black Forest and are ready to move on, summon The Elder at his altar with three Ancient Seeds. The boss is a tree-like being with glowing purple eyes. He primarily attacks with roots and stomps.
The best strategy is fire arrows, which you can find or craft from wood, feathers, and resin. Shoot from cover and keep your distance. To better protect yourself, forge a bronze armor set. Alternatively, the troll set with increased sneak also works.
After the fight, you’ll receive the trophy that grants upgrades to your woodcutting. Place it at the altar at spawn. You’ll also receive the Swamp Key, which will be useful in the next biome.
Conclusion on the Valheim Black Forest: the start of the Bronze Age
After getting familiar with the game in the relatively peaceful Meadows, you’ll move on into the gloomy forest. Here you’ll face tougher enemies, but also secrets worth uncovering. It’s important to gather enough ores for bronze and upgrade your gear. Only then should you face the boss. We recommend exploring the Black Forest thoroughly to find Haldor and buy helpful items from his shop.
