Valheim’s solo experience is intoxicating, like downing a huge jug of delicious Viking mead. Getting lost in the wilderness, watching out for falling trees, and spending longer than you should on designing the ideal base are all part of the experience.
Do you know what’s also part of the experience? Dying. Playing as a solo Viking in Valheim is not always easy. You have no one to watch your back for Wolves as you mine for silver in the unforgiving mountains, and you’ll need to kill that big spooky green boss in the swamps all on your own. Here are some tips that might make solo life a little easier.
Beware: It Gets Much Harder
The start of Valheim is like a pleasant stroll through a national park compared to what happens later in the game. Venturing out as a solo in Valheim is going to be a bit of a grind — you can’t hide from it. Although the monsters scale in scariness when there are more players in the game, a good solo player will have to get creative when harvesting resources and defeating monsters.
Take trying to mine copper, as an example. Found in the Black Forest Biome, any time you try and mine up a shiny vein of copper you’re going to be beset by Greydwarves. At first, it seems like an impossible task. Put down some fires, though, and you won’t be touched. There are lots of other ways to make your life easier, so figure out what you need to survive and be sure to employ it.
Meads, Meads, Meads
Meads are vital if you want to survive Valheim’s harsh biomes and boss fights. Health potions are obviously important, although food can be used for HP as well. The main meads you’ll need to progress in the game are Frost Resistance Meads (to handle the cold mountains), and Poison Resistance Meads, to make life in the swamps easier.
Meads are brewed at the Fermenter, which you can only get once you’ve acquired some metal. They also take a couple of in-game days to brew, so you’ll have to find something else to do while you wait.
Craft the Right Weapons
The Crude Bow. That’s it. That’s the tip. This weapon is easy to craft within your first couple hours of Valheim, and it will keep you at a respectable distance from your foes. 10 Wood and 8 Leather scraps are all you need.
Next, you should aim for the Stagbreaker. This trusty Sledgehammer is crafted with Wood, Deer Trophies, and Leather Scraps. It’s slow but hits with the power of Thor, dealing AoE damage and making short work of those early-game enemies.
Tips For The Black Forest
After dawdling around in the Meadows for some time, hunting boar, and building a base, the next place to visit is the Black Forest. This biome still isn’t too difficult as a solo player, as your bow should help you take down the Greydwarves and Skeletons.
This is also where you’ll find two of the essential early game ores: Tin and Copper. These are later smelted together to turn into Bronze. Mining for the materials to make Bronze is no easy task, though. Even with friends, the swarms of Greydwarves can turn what should be a simple exercise into an absolute grind.
- Build a second outpost on the edge of the Black Forest. This makes running back and forth with a stockpile of ore a bit easier
- You can skip right over Bronze gear if you want (though you still need a Bronze pickaxe for the Swamp biome) and just go for full Troll armor
Tips For The Swamp
To progress in Valheim, you’re going to have to visit all the biomes, and the Swamp is usually the second one to take a look at. Your Crude Bow should help take down the Blobs and Oozers, although you want to take a Poison Resistance Mead if you want to avoid falling foul to the Leeches in the murky water.
The Swamp biome is where two important things happen:
- This is where you find lots of Scrap Iron in Swamp Crypts.
- It’s also where you take down Bonemass, the boss who drops the Wishbone, an essential item for finding buried ores.
We also recommend taking a hoe so you can flatten out the ground and remove those stinky leech-infested puddles.
Tips For The Mountain Biome
One of the reasons this part of the progression is so difficult for a solo player is that the mountains are often quite far from your base. That means only you are carrying all the resources you find, particularly Silver. You can build a cart, of course, but getting it up and down the mountain isn’t easy.
- Frost Resistance Armor or one of your handy meads is a must.
- Wolves are a bit of a pain to fight on your own, although with a few shield parries you should be able to make short work of even two or three wolves at the same time.
For more tips, take a look at our mountain biome guide.
Tips For The Plains
You need to make sure you’re geared to the teeth before handling this biome on your own. Swarms of Deathquitos make this place extremely unpleasant, although it’s a necessary challenge if you want to progress into the end-game.
- Wolf armor, silver gear, plenty of food, and potions will all help you here.
- This is the only biome where you can plant and harvest Barley like a real farming Viking
- This is also the only place where you can find Black Metal Scraps.
Dealing with all the enemies here — the Fuling, the Deathquitos, and ultimately the boss Yagluth — is a real challenge, so come prepared.
How to Kill Eikthyr, The First Boss, As A Solo Player
Eikthyr is a huge metal stag with a bad attitude. This is the first boss you’ll encounter in Valheim, and thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to defeat as a solo player. Buff yourself with a nice sleep, grab your shield, sword, and bow, and that’s about it.
Shoot him from range when the boss is running around like a mad creature, and block its attacks with your shields. Be patient and this boss won’t be that hard to defeat.
Defeating The Elder As A Solo Player
Time for boss fight number two, The Elder. This gangly ent is located in the Black Forest biome and is quite similar to Eikthyr in terms of its two major attacks: a ranged one and a big stomp that deals AoE damage.
Again, this shouldn’t be too difficult as a solo player as long as you are prepared. Flaming Arrows work wonders (the boss is a tree) and you should probably have some Bronze gear ready as well. Here’s our full guide on how to take down The Elder.
Defeating Bonemass As A Solo Player
Well, this is where it gets a bit tougher. Not only is Bonemass located in the Swamp biome (swarming with enemies anyway), the guy is also one of the tougher bosses, with three separate attacks and a whole lot of poison.
Poison mead is essential, Iron armor will keep you alive, and blunt weapons or a bow are recommend as well. Taking down Bonemass as a solo player is some Dark Souls-level challenge, and you will need to be patient if you don’t want to be squished flat. Recovering your loot from a tombstone in the swamp is hell. Pure hell.
Defeating Moder As A Solo Player
Moder is the mountain biome boss. This angry Wyvern drops icicles on your head and sends out a freezing breath attack that will you make you even colder than you already were.
The Mountain biome is not an easy to place tackle even when you’re not fighting a boss. Frost Resistant Meads and decent armor are essential. As a solo player, you’re going to have to hit as many shots with your bow as you can. It’s slow-going, but you can do it. We believe in you.
NEXT: Valheim: How To Make Bronze
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Harry Alston is a writer based in the UK. He was once number one in the world on Call of Duty: Black Ops and now spends his days chasing that past glory.
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