Valheim’s progression is locked behind its seven bosses, the Forsaken. Each one sits in a specific biome, and killing it hands you the material, key, or power you need to survive the next region. Fight them out of order and you will hit a wall, because the gear that keeps you alive in the Swamp, Mountains, and beyond depends on beating the boss before it.
Quick answer: Face the Forsaken in this order — Eikthyr (Meadows), The Elder (Black Forest), Bonemass (Swamp), Moder (Mountain), Yagluth (Plains), The Queen (Mistlands), then Fader (Ashlands).
Valheim boss order and summon requirements
Every boss is summoned by placing an offering on its Forsaken Altar, with two exceptions later in the list. Use the table below as your reference for where each boss lives, what it takes to summon it, and how much health you are chipping through.
| # | Boss | Biome | Summon offering | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eikthyr | Meadows | 2× Deer Trophy | 500 |
| 2 | The Elder | Black Forest | 3× Ancient Seed | 2,500 |
| 3 | Bonemass | Swamp | 10× Withered Bone | 5,000 |
| 4 | Moder | Mountain | 3× Dragon Egg | 7,500 |
| 5 | Yagluth | Plains | 5× Fuling Totem | 10,000 |
| 6 | The Queen | Mistlands | Sealbreaker (9 fragments) | 12,500 |
| 7 | Fader | Ashlands | Bell ritual at Fader’s altar | 25,000 |
What each boss drops and the biome it unlocks
The reason the order matters is the loot. Each kill hands you an item that opens the next tier of tools, resources, or biomes. Skip a boss and you skip its key.
| Boss | Key drop | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Eikthyr | 3× Hard Antler | Antler Pickaxe for mining copper and tin |
| The Elder | Swamp Key | Access to Sunken Crypts for iron |
| Bonemass | Wishbone | Detects buried treasure and silver veins |
| Moder | 10× Dragon Tear | Artisan Table for late-game stations |
| Yagluth | 3× Torn Spirit | Wisp Fountain and Wisplight for the Mistlands |
| The Queen | 5× Majestic Carapace | Artisan Table upgrade and the Drakkar ship |
| Fader | 5× Fader Relic | Current endgame reward |
Forsaken Powers from each boss
Mount a boss trophy on the sacrificial stones to claim its Forsaken Power. Each power is a timed buff you can activate at any ancient altar, and several stay useful long past the biome that granted them.
| Boss | Forsaken Power |
|---|---|
| Eikthyr | Cuts run, jump, and swim stamina drain by 60% |
| The Elder | Faster tree chopping and mining plus health regeneration |
| Bonemass | Strong resistance to physical damage |
| Moder | Constant favorable wind, carry weight bonus, movement speed, and frost resistance |
| Yagluth | Resistance to elemental (fire, frost, lightning) damage |
| The Queen | Boosted Eitr regeneration for magic builds |
| Fader | Increased Adrenaline gain and reduced fire damage |
How to summon and beat each Forsaken
Eikthyr (Meadows)
Kill Deer for two Deer Trophies and place them on the Meadows altar. This electrified stag has 500 health and cannot be staggered, so keep circling him. Bring a shield to block his fan-shaped lightning beam and a bow to punish him between his ram and stomp attacks. Early leather gear is enough here.
The Elder (Black Forest)
Summon this tree guardian with three Ancient Seeds, which drop from Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans or turn up in Burial Chambers. He is weak to fire, so stock plenty of fire arrows and a decent bow. Use the indestructible pillars around the altar as cover from his homing vines and the roots he pulls from the ground.
Bonemass (Swamp)
Collect ten Withered Bones from Sunken Crypts and muddy scrap piles, then summon this rotting mass with 5,000 health. He resists pierce and slash, so an upgraded iron mace is the go-to weapon. Drink poison resistance mead before you start, because his aura and gas clouds drain health fast while he spawns skeletons and blobs.
Moder (Mountain)
Gather three Dragon Eggs from Mountain nests. They are heavy and cannot be teleported, so plan the haul before you commit. Frost resistance mead is mandatory for the biome and the fight. Moder swaps between a grounded phase of bites and frost breath and an aerial phase where she dive-bombs and rains ice shards, so use rocks for cover and a strong bow when she flies.
Yagluth (Plains)
Take five Fuling Totems from Fuling villages and Berserkers to summon this crawling skeletal figure. With 10,000 health, he rains meteors, drops fire under himself, and fires an elemental beam. Stay out from under him, side-strafe the meteors, and close in with your best weapon between salvos. Fire resistance mead helps a lot.
The Queen (Mistlands)
The Queen breaks the altar pattern. Craft a Sealbreaker from nine Sealbreaker Fragments found in the Infested Mines and Citadel, then use it to open her sealed arena. She is fast and aggressive at 12,500 health and summons Seekers mid-fight. Bring a wisp light for the dark, keep an escape route, and clear the adds quickly.
Fader (Ashlands)
Fader is the toughest fight in the game at 25,000 health. Craft Bells at the Black Forge from Bell Fragments looted in Charred Fortresses, then complete the bell ritual at Fader’s altar. Arrive in top-tier gear with fire resistance potions, the strongest food you have, and healing mead, because the lava-soaked Ashlands is brutal even before the boss appears.
The eighth boss and the Deep North
Fader marks the end of the current progression, but not the finish line. Valheim 1.0 launches on September 9, 2026, adding the frozen Deep North as the final biome along with new enemies like Gammeltrolls. An eighth boss is expected to arrive with it, though its confirmed name, summon method, and rewards are not finalized until the update goes live.
Until then, the seven-boss chain from Eikthyr to Fader is the full route. Follow it in order, exploit each boss’s weakness, and keep the Forsaken Power that matches your build active, and every biome opens on schedule.
