One of the scariest bosses in Valheim is The Elder: a massively powerful leader of the Greydwarves that plague players from the very beginning of the game. Here's how to summon and defeat The Elder to move on with your Valheim progression!

How to Summon The Elder

Valheim bosses must be summoned by offering tributes to their altars, and The Elder is no different. To summon The Elder, players must find his summoning altar by exploring the Black Forest. It’s possible to randomly stumble upon the boss’s altar while exploring. Alternatively, look for a Vegvisir, a red, glowing Runestone commonly found inside Burial Chambers and in some structures in the same biome. Accumulate 3 Ancient Seeds by destroying Greydwarf nests you can find in the Black Forest biome. Afterward, travel to and interact with The Elder's altar to burn the Ancient Seeds in the central fire. This will summon The Elder, so be ready for a fight!

How to Defeat The Elder

Valheim bosses come in varying degrees of difficulty, and while the game's first boss Eikthyr may have been a simple challenge, The Elder is a big step up. To defeat The Elder in Valheim, you'll want to come prepared with good armor, weapons, ammo, and food buffs. If you play online with friends, it's worth bringing all your strength to the battle. That also means any tamed animals you might have ready to fight.

Also, The Elder has two main attacks: Shoot and Stomp. The former is a ranged projectile attack that the boss generally uses if you’re far from him. The Stomp attack, as its name implies, The Elder will use its trunk-like lower appendages to crush you if you’re close enough. Block or dodge these attacks, but watch out for your stamina reserves. The last thing you’d want is for you to run out of energy in the middle of one of the boss’s attack animations. Nonetheless, you'll want to stay moving against The Elder, as he’ll try to throw you off when he mixes his attacks.

Sometimes during the fight, The Elder will call out to a Greydwarf Shaman who will heal him. So, it's important that you can get to this Shaman early to take him out. Another trick to The Elder is to light him on fire. Much like you expect a giant wooden sentient being to feel about fire, it does some serious damage to The Elder and can help you along to a kill.

The Elder Loot & Rewards

Defeating The Elder rewards you with the boss’s trophy. The Elder Trophy is a guaranteed drop, so you don’t need to worry about farming this boss multiple times to get it. Acquiring this item also grants The Elder Power, which increases Chop and Pickaxe damage by 60% and natural health regeneration by 30%. Additionally, you’ll receive the Swamp Key to unlock Sunken Crypts in the Swamp biome.