In Valheim, your task is to defeat a specific boss in each biome. After every victory, you not only get helpful items for the next biome, but also that boss’s trophy. You must bring it back to where your journey began. The rune stones around your original spawn point are magical and grant you a new Forsaken Power with each boss you defeat. However, you can only have one power active at a time and must select it at the altar. So which Forsaken Power is best, and which should you skip? That depends on your playstyle, but some powers are objectively stronger than others.
1. Bonemass Forsaken Power in Valheim for Blocking and Resistance
Forsaken Power: You take 25% less damage from slash, pierce, and blunt attacks. Your stamina cost for blocking drops to 0, and you gain +5 stamina per successful block.
Bonemass remains arguably the best power in the game for actual combat. The broad resistance to nearly all physical damage types is excellent, but the blocking bonus is where this Forsaken Power truly shines. Blocking becomes your ultimate tool, letting you finish many fights quickly and safely. Push into the Swamp to unlock it. That’s easiest with friends—especially if you can rent a dedicated Valheim server: rent a dedicated Valheim server. After the kill, everyone can benefit from this power and win most encounters through smart blocking.
2. Eikthyr Forsaken Power in Valheim for Stamina and Movement
Forsaken Power: You spend 60% less stamina when jumping, running, and swimming.
As your first power, Eikthyr ranks highly because it remains useful all the way to the endgame. Stamina is the most important resource in Valheim and dictates how effectively you can move. The less you spend, the better. That’s why this Forsaken Power is so strong and can comfortably carry you through the entire game. Being able to run longer is always helpful, no matter the situation.
3. Moder Forsaken Power in Valheim for Carry Capacity and Sailing
Forsaken Power: You always have tailwind while sailing. Your carry capacity increases by +300, your movement speed by 10%, and you gain 50% resistance to frost damage.
Moder could easily take second place because the benefits are just that good. You do, however, need to reach the Mountains to use it. The extra carry capacity and a bit more movement speed are fantastic for hauling resources quickly from A to B. The guaranteed tailwind makes you sail faster as well—another strong perk. Frost resistance is a handy bonus. It’s less useful in direct combat and more focused on transportation.
4. Queen Forsaken Power in Valheim for Magic and Stealth
Forsaken Power: Your Eitr regenerates 100% faster. You no longer spend stamina while sneaking and gain 50% resistance to poison damage.
For mages, The Queen’s power is a strong pick, letting you recover Eitr much faster and attack more often. This primarily benefits builds that specialize in magical weapons. The removal of stamina costs while sneaking is also great if you like striking from the shadows. Unfortunately, you have to reach the Mistlands to get it, which limits its ranking.
5. Fader Forsaken Power in Valheim for Adrenaline and Fire Resistance
Forsaken Power: You gain adrenaline twice as fast and stagger less when hit. You also gain increased resistance to fire attacks.
Fader could rank higher if it weren’t currently the latest power you can unlock. Until the Deep North arrives, this Ashlands boss is the final challenge, making his power somewhat redundant afterward. Still, it helps if you want to keep exploring and fighting post-boss. And once the eighth boss arrives with version 1.0, it will almost certainly become much more valuable.
6. Yagluth Forsaken Power in Valheim for Farming and Damage
Forsaken Power: You gain 50% resistance to lightning damage, +25 levels in the Farming skill, and +10% general damage.
This power arrives too late and lacks standout advantages compared to the others. Farming matters, but not enough to dedicate your Forsaken Power slot to Yagluth. You also unlock it in the Plains, relatively late in the game. Lightning resistance and +10% general damage are nice, but they can’t compete with the top-tier benefits elsewhere.
7. The Elder Forsaken Power in Valheim for Resource Gathering
Forsaken Power: Your axes and pickaxes deal 60% more damage, including to trees and rocks. You also gain 30% increased HP regeneration.
The Elder’s power could theoretically rank higher—it’s not bad at all. It lets you gather materials like wood, stone, and ores faster, which is especially helpful early on. And since The Elder is the second boss, you get it very early. However, its use case is quite narrow and mainly limited to gathering, which places it lower in this ranking. The bonus health regeneration is nice, but not crucial.
Conclusion: The Best Forsaken Powers in Valheim
Every power can be useful in the right moment, so don’t ignore the lower spots in our ranking. For combat, though, Bonemass and Eikthyr clearly stand out—they actively help you win fights and are the best choices in most situations. Of course, you can fast travel and swap your active power at the altar to make use of the others as needed. Sometimes you’ll want to carry more and Moder will help, or you’ll want to gather wood and stone with The Elder’s power.
