The Elder is the second Forsaken and the boss of the Black Forest, and he is the first fight in Valheim that punishes you for skipping prep. He has 2,500 health, he is immune to Poison, Spirit and Stagger, and his vine volley can shred a player in leather armor from 50 meters away. The good news: he is very weak to Fire, his arena hands you free cover, and every piece of gear that makes the fight easy comes from the biome you are already standing in.
This guide applies to the live build, Valheim 1.0.20 (released 2026-10-15). It covers how to summon him, his three attacks with exact damage numbers, the bow-and-fire-arrow plan most players use, the melee alternative, and the Black Forest prep (Copper, Tin, Bronze, Surtling Cores) that turns him into a routine kill.
Quick answer: To beat The Elder in Valheim, place 3 Ancient Seeds (dropped by Greydwarf Brutes and destroyed Greydwarf Nests) on his Forsaken Altar in the Black Forest. He has 2,500 HP, is very weak to Fire and immune to Poison, Spirit and Stagger. Bring a Finewood Bow and a stack of Fire arrows (the wiki suggests up to 200 solo), wear Bronze armor, and hide behind the altar's four indestructible pillars when he fires his vine volley. In melee, stay close (he won't shoot you inside 15 m) and roll or block his Stomp. He drops his trophy and a reusable Swamp Key for the Sunken Crypts.
What do you need before fighting The Elder?
The Elder sits right after Eikthyr in the boss ladder. Eikthyr's Hard Antlers craft the Antler Pickaxe, and that pickaxe is the only reason you can mine the Copper and Tin the Black Forest is built around. If you have not done Eikthyr yet, start with our Valheim beginner's guide. The full Valheim boss order shows where The Elder sits in the eight-boss ladder.
Before you place the seeds, have these sorted:
- 3 Ancient Seeds. The summon item. Farming them is covered below.
- A Finewood Bow and Fire arrows, or a full set of Bronze weapons if you prefer melee.
- Bronze armor (or the lighter Troll leather set if you prefer mobility).
- Your three best foods. Black Forest-tier food is a big step up from Meadows cooking; our Valheim food tier list lists the best combos at each stage.
- Eikthyr's Forsaken Power. It cuts run and jump stamina costs, which is exactly what you need while circling pillars.
- A portal near the altar. Dying in the Black Forest at night means a corpse run through Trolls and Greydwarfs.
What are The Elder's stats, weaknesses and resistances?
These are the base (0-star, single-player) values from the Valheim Wiki's The Elder page for 1.0.20.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 2,500 |
| Summon | 3 × Ancient Seed at his Forsaken Altar (Black Forest) |
| Very weak | Fire |
| Immune | Poison, Spirit, Stagger |
| Everything else | Neutral (Slash, Blunt, Pierce, Frost, Lightning) |
| Drops | 1 Swamp Key, 1 The Elder trophy |
| Forsaken Power | +30% health regen, +60% Chop and Pickaxe damage for 300 s |
Two practical consequences fall out of that table:
- Fire is the whole game plan. "Very weak" means Fire damage is doubled. Fire arrows add 22 Fire damage, applied as burning, on top of their Pierce, which is why the bow plan works so well.
- Poison and Spirit do nothing. Leave the Spirit weapons for Bonemass and don't waste Poison arrows here.
Neutral physical damage also means any Bronze weapon you already like works fine. There is no "right" melee type.
What attacks does The Elder use?
The Elder has three attacks. Learn the ranges and the fight becomes predictable.
| Attack | Damage | Range | Cooldown | How to counter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoot (vine volley) | 25 vines × 35 Pierce each | 15 to 50 m | 6 s | Break line of sight behind a pillar, or close to melee range |
| Stomp | 60 Blunt, 5 m radius | Within 3 m | 5 s | Roll through it, block with a shield, or step out |
| Root Spawn | Summons 15 Roots in a 15 m circle | Within 30 m | 25 s | Walk away; Roots are immobile and despawn after 18 to 20 s |
Shoot: the attack that kills most players
The vine volley is the danger. He fires 25 vines, each dealing 35 Pierce (plus chop and pickaxe damage, which is why it levels trees around you), and he tracks you while he aims. It only fires when you are 15 to 50 meters away.
The Valheim Wiki's boss strategy page gives the counter in one line: "The four pillars around the altar are indestructible and can be hidden behind for cover." It adds that "The Elder will not use this attack against a player in melee range." So you have two safe zones: behind a pillar, or right at his feet.
Stomp: his melee answer
When you are within 3 meters, he raises a leg and stomps for 60 Blunt in a 5-meter circle every 5 seconds. Roll through it with good timing or block it. The wiki notes a solo player with a fully upgraded Bronze Buckler can block most stomps without being staggered, and a parry (or a Block skill of 18) means you never get staggered.
Root Spawn: the distraction
Every 25 seconds he can raise an arm and spawn 15 Roots in a 15-meter circle around you. Roots can't move. They only hit you if you stand next to them. Don't fight them; just reposition. They despawn after 18 to 20 seconds, or the moment The Elder dies.
Where do you get Ancient Seeds?
You need 3 Ancient Seeds. They come from two sources, both in the Black Forest:
- Greydwarf Nests. The tangled root clusters that keep spawning Greydwarfs. Destroying one drops seeds. Nests are weak to Fire, resist Blunt and Pierce, and are immune to Pickaxe damage, so swing an axe or a club, not your pickaxe.
- Greydwarf Brutes. The big Greydwarfs with 150 HP and a 30 Slash swing. They are also very weak to Fire.
If you're short on seeds, farm a nest. The wiki's Greydwarf Nest farm table puts the average at about 22 Ancient Seeds per hour from the Greydwarfs a single nest keeps spawning, because a nest spawns a Brute 14% of the time. You only need three, so most players have enough after one or two nests.
How do you find The Elder's Forsaken Altar?
His altar is always in a Black Forest. To mark it on your map:
- Explore Burial Chambers. Inside these dungeons you'll often find a Vegvisir runestone that reveals the nearest Elder altar.
- Check ruined structures around the Black Forest. Some also hold a Vegvisir.
You'll recognize the altar instantly: a mossy stone platform with four stone pillars, each topped by a statue shaped like an Ancient Seed, and a fire bowl in the middle. The inscription reads "Burn their young", a hint about the seeds.
Pro tip from the wiki: the ground under the altar platform can be dug out with a pickaxe, and the platform acts as a roof. Players build a small bunker underneath with a Workbench, Forge and portal, out of reach of The Elder and everything else.
What gear should you craft in the Black Forest first?
The Black Forest is the start of metalworking. Here's the order that gets you fight-ready fastest.
1. Surtling Cores from Burial Chambers. These dungeons are your first source of Surtling Cores. You need 5 cores + 20 Stone for a Smelter and another 5 cores + 20 Stone for a Charcoal Kiln. Carry torches and keep one hand on the wall: the wiki recommends choosing left or right on entry and following that wall so you see every room and find the exit.
2. Copper and Tin. Copper Deposits are the big rocks with dark yellow streaks; Tin Deposits glisten along the shoreline. Both need the Antler Pickaxe. Smelt them in the Smelter with Coal.
3. The Forge. 4 Stone, 4 Coal, 10 Wood, 6 Copper. It needs a roof and 70% cover to work.
4. Bronze. 2 Copper + 1 Tin = 1 Bronze at the Forge (wiki). Bronze is the backbone of this tier.
Best Elder loadout (1.0.20)
Recipes and stats below are level-1 values from the wiki pages for the Finewood Bow, Fire arrow, Bronze Buckler and Troll set.
| Slot | Pick | Why | Recipe (level 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranged | Finewood Bow | 32 Pierce base, upgrades to 41 | 10 Finewood, 10 Corewood, 2 Deer Hide (Workbench) |
| Ammo | Fire arrow | 11 Pierce + 22 Fire (burning), hits his weakness | 8 Wood, 8 Resin, 2 Feathers = 20 arrows (Workbench 2) |
| Melee | Bronze Axe | 40 Slash, doubles as your best wood axe | 4 Wood, 8 Bronze, 2 Leather Scraps |
| Melee alt | Bronze Mace | 35 Blunt, 80 knockback | 4 Wood, 8 Bronze, 3 Leather Scraps |
| Shield | Bronze Buckler | 2.5× parry bonus, best parry shield of the tier | 10 Bronze, 4 Wood |
| Armor | Bronze set | 8 armor per piece (helmet, tunic, leggings) | 5 Bronze + 2 Deer Hide per piece (15 Bronze total) |
| Armor alt | Troll leather set | 6 armor per hood/tunic/trousers + 1 for the cape (19 total), lighter, +15 Sneak with all four pieces | Troll Hide + Bone Fragments |
Finewood comes from Birch and Oak trees in the Meadows, which need a Bronze Axe to chop. Until then, Black Forest shipwrecks and the furniture in abandoned buildings drop some. Our Valheim weapon tier list covers where these Bronze weapons rank against everything that comes later.
How many arrows? The wiki's boss strategy suggests that for a solo player, "200 fire arrows may be necessary", depending on your Bow skill. That's ten crafts, so gather 80 Wood, 80 Resin and 20 Feathers before you set out. Resin drops from Greydwarfs, and Feathers drop from birds and Burial Chamber chests.
How do you beat The Elder, step by step?
The bow plan (safest, best for solo):
- Place a portal near the altar, eat three full foods, and activate Eikthyr's power.
- Put the 3 Ancient Seeds on the altar and back up to the edge of the platform, near a pillar.
- Open with charged Fire arrows. Every hit stacks burn damage on his Fire weakness.
- The moment he raises his arms to aim the vine volley, step behind a pillar. Wait for the vines to land, then peek and keep firing.
- When Roots spawn, move to the next pillar. Never fight the Roots.
- Repeat. At 2,500 HP with doubled Fire damage, a well-stocked bow player usually has arrows to spare, though how many you need depends on your Bow skill and accuracy.
The melee plan (faster, riskier):
- Bring a Bronze Axe or Mace and the Bronze Buckler.
- Stay inside 3 meters. He won't shoot you in melee range, so his only answer is the Stomp.
- Watch his leg. When he lifts it, roll through the impact or raise the buckler. Parry it if your timing is good.
- Back off and reset if Roots box you in, then close back in before he can line up a volley at range.
In a group: split up. The wiki notes that spreading out means his vine attack only targets one player, so the others can attack freely. He usually targets whoever is closest, so pick one player in Bronze with a buckler to tank and let the rest burn him down with fire arrows.
Watch for Trolls. Fighting in the Black Forest means a wandering Troll (600 HP, 60 Blunt punches) can join the fight, especially at night. Fight in daylight and clear the area first.
What do you get for killing The Elder?
- His trophy. Hang it at the Sacrificial Stones to unlock The Elder's Forsaken Power: +30% health regen and +60% Chop and Pickaxe damage for 5 minutes. It shares the single 20-minute cooldown every power uses. Our Forsaken Power tier list explains when it's worth popping (mainly big mining and logging sessions).
- 1 Swamp Key. It opens the Sunken Crypts in the Swamp, your main source of Scrap Iron. It's reusable: you only need it in your inventory the first time you open each crypt gate.
- World changes (per the wiki's Elder page). The "The forest is moving..." raid stops. Haldor starts selling Thunder Stone and Ymir Flesh, and the Bog Witch adds her Woodland Herb Blend for 120 coins. At night, Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans can now spawn in the Meadows, and Draugr can appear when it's misty.
When you mount his trophy, the head even talks: "Little thing of blood and bone, I should have snapped you like a twig! Now I wither and die, let the great tree have me..."
With the Swamp Key in hand, the next stop is Bonemass. Our Valheim Swamp guide picks up from here.
Did patch 1.0.20 change The Elder?
No. The Elder's stats and attacks are unchanged in 1.0.20. The patch matters for one thing you'll do around him: trophy farming. Iron Gate's Patch 1.0.20 notes say "Trophy drop chance is now increased by star level of monsters" and that rare-drop logic "will no longer be reset between player sessions." Starred Greydwarfs and Trolls in the Black Forest now drop their trophies more reliably. The Elder's own trophy was always a guaranteed drop.
FAQ
What is The Elder weak to in Valheim? Fire. He is very weak to it, so Fire damage is doubled. Fire arrows from a Finewood Bow are the standard answer. He is immune to Poison, Spirit and Stagger, and neutral to everything else.
How many Ancient Seeds do you need to summon The Elder? Three. Place them on his Forsaken Altar in the Black Forest. Get them by destroying Greydwarf Nests and killing Greydwarf Brutes.
How much health does The Elder have? 2,500 HP at base. That's more than Eikthyr but far less than Bonemass. Extra players nearby and harder world modifiers make him tougher.
Can you beat The Elder without a bow? Yes. Stay inside 3 meters, where he won't fire his vine volley, and roll or block his Stomp. A Bronze Axe or Mace with a Bronze Buckler is the usual melee kit.
Is there an easy way to cheese The Elder? The common method is fighting from behind the four indestructible pillars with Fire arrows, peeking out between volleys. Some players also dig a bunker under the altar platform to heal and repair safely.
What does The Elder drop? His trophy (for his Forsaken Power) and one Swamp Key, which opens the Sunken Crypts in the Swamp. The key works on every crypt and you never lose it by using it.
The bottom line
The Elder is a prep check. Do one Burial Chamber for Surtling Cores, smelt enough Copper and Tin for Bronze, craft a Finewood Bow and around 200 Fire arrows, and farm three seeds from a Greydwarf Nest. Then the fight has one rule: when he aims, get behind a pillar or get under his feet. Do that and most players take down the second Forsaken within an attempt or two.
More Valheim guides? Keep your next run moving with our biome and boss coverage.
- Valheim Swamp guide: survive the Swamp and beat Bonemass
- Valheim boss order: all bosses and how to beat them
- How to beat Yagluth in Valheim
All stats verified against the Valheim Wiki creature and item data and Iron Gate's Patch 1.0.20 notes for Valheim 1.0.20 (2026-10-15). Values are base (0-star, single-player) and may change in future patches.
