Version-verified guide
The Elder Boss Guide — Summon, Fight, Drops
How to summon The Elder with Ancient Seeds, its root-slam and bramble attacks, and the Swamp Key it drops.
By Valheim Field Guide Editorial Team
Where to find The Elder
The Elder is the second Forsaken and stalks the Black Forest. Its summoning stone is hidden among the standing stones of the forest, and you call it with three Ancient Seeds — dropped by greydwarf brutes, shamans and the destructible greydwarf nests scattered through the biome.
Attack pattern
The Elder fights at range and up close. It slams its roots into the ground for a wide melee hit, spawns bramble tendrils that lash out from a distance, and periodically summons Ancient Saplings to swarm you. Keep moving — standing still lets both the roots and the saplings close in.
Fight tips
- Bring fire arrows or a bronze mace; fire is by far the most efficient damage source.
- Clear the summoned saplings quickly or they will overwhelm you while you dodge the boss.
- Fight in an open clearing away from pines so you have room to strafe the root slams.
- Bronze-tier gear is a soft requirement — Meadows-tier flint and leather will make this a long, punishing fight.
Drops and Forsaken Power
Defeating The Elder grants the Swamp Key, which unlocks the sunken crypts of the Swamp and the iron within them. Claiming The Elder Power at the altar gives a big boost to chopping and pickaxe damage plus faster health regeneration — ideal for the mining and gathering the Swamp that comes next demands. Full list: Forsaken Powers.
Frequently asked questions
- What is The Elder weak to?
- Fire damage — it takes double damage from fire, so fire arrows or a fire weapon end it fastest. It is immune to poison, spirit and stagger, and takes neutral (full) damage from blunt, slash and pierce.
- How many Ancient Seeds do I need?
- Three, offered at The Elder's summoning stone among the standing stones of the Black Forest.
- What does The Elder drop?
- The Swamp Key, which opens the Swamp's sunken crypts and their iron, plus The Elder Trophy. Its Forsaken Power greatly increases chopping and pickaxe damage and speeds up health regeneration.
Related guides
- How to Beat The Elder — Quick Kill Guide (Black Forest Boss)
The fastest way to beat The Elder — stack fire damage, strafe the root slams, clear the saplings, and take the Swamp Key.
Verified Valheim 1.0 - Eikthyr Boss Guide — Summon, Fight, Drops
How to summon Eikthyr at the Mystical Altar, the stag-charge and lightning-aoe pattern, and what the Hard Antler drop unlocks.
Verified Valheim 1.0 - How to Beat Eikthyr — Quick Kill Guide (Meadows Boss)
The fastest way to beat Eikthyr — gear to bring, the charge-and-lightning dodge loop, and the blunt weakness that ends the first Forsaken quickly.
Verified Valheim 1.0