Last time, I started the fantastic Valheim. This time I prepped to summon Valheim’s first boss, Eikthyr and then defeated him. It was just the first of several bosses and the game is even better after that turning point.
Preparing for the Valheim Eikthyr Fight
I read enough about the game to know that the first boss, Eikthyr, was a giant stag with lighting attacks. At that point in the game, I was in prep mode to get my archery, running and jump skills upgraded.
That stuff is technically a grind, but the game does a great job making it fun. I’m not a hunting fan, so I don’t like shooting at defenseless deer. Unfortunately, so many important crafting and upgrade recipes require dee hide, so I got over it.
I snuck around carefully staying downwind to avoid the deer from picking up my scent (yeah that’s a game mechanic). That upped my sneak skill, while shooting the bow at deer increased my archery skill.
On a whim, I also shot a bird that landed nearby me while sneaking. That bird left behind feathers that unlocked the recipe for flaming arrow and I knew that was my plan for the main weapon against Eikthyr.
After gathering enough from the deer to build better leather armor (tunic, pants and helmet), and with my skills built up, I was ready for the boss fight.
The next morning, I ate a variety of food to get my health points maxed and made my way to the Eikthyr altar.
Summoning and Fighting Eikthyr, the First Boss
At Eikthyr’s altar, I used deer trophies to summon the boss. That led to lighting cracking and the giant stag boss, with glowing eyes, to appear.
I knew the stag was fast with 3 main attacks. The first was a directed lighting attack after it reared up and stomped the ground. A second was similar, but a proximity lighting attack.
The last attack was a stabbing motion with its horns when getting too close. Those attacks can also cause trees to topple over and falling trees killed me in the past.
All my prep work paid off and I made pretty quick work of Eikthyr. My flaming arrows let me keep my distance and did sustained flame damage to the boss. My upgraded armor helped protect against the few lighting attacks the stag caught me with.
For the most part, I didn’t have to worry about getting hit much. I ran and shot a flaming arrow, then used the rocks at the Valheim altar to keep Eikthyr from getting me with it’s horns.
His defeat rewarded me with his head as a trophy and a recipe for a deer antler pick axe. Now I could mine rocks and minerals to go beyond the wood and stone based tools I had.
Another Eikthyr reward was my first forsaken power. It was a rechargeable power that increased my speed and stamina for a short time. This came in handy later when I need to flee newer enemies.
First Adventure in the Black Forest
Placing the Eikthyr trophy prompted me with instructions to travel to the black forest. The new goal was to seek out the altar of the next boss, the Elder.
My first trip to the black forest was scary. The upgraded greydwarves there were much stronger and in greater number. I also successfully avoided giant blue trolls and skeletons with my sneaking skills. My prep for the Valheim Eikthyr fight paid off again.
I found and mined some copper, but later found out I would need to find surtling cores to do anything with said copper. My understanding that involved finding burial chambers guarded by skeletons.
Well my early adventures with skeletons led to deaths, more than a few. It is definitely important to build a safehouse near the black forest for situations just like that. Lucky me, I had done just that before the skeletons killed me. It is a pain to try to run all the way back to my first house in the meadows.
Talking to other people I know farther into the game, it was clear I would need to expand the safehouse to an outpost for mining. Next time I plan to do that near the coast and possibly building my first raft to sail from the outpost to main my main Valheim house near the Eikthyr altar.