Summoning the first boss in Valheim isn’t too tricky. Vegvisir Eikthyr serves as the first real test in the game (besides figuring out how to sleep in a bed indoors), but the way to him is spelled out right at the beginning. The hard part is figuring out which item is needed to summon the first boss in Valheim and beat him.
Valheim first boss summon location
When players first enter the game, Hugin the raven will take them to a circle of stones. Each of these stones represents one of the game’s bosses. Hugin will land on a smaller stone with red runes on it. If players examine this stone twice, they’ll be introduced to the map, and then the first boss location will be marked on it.
Since Valheim is randomly seeded, the place where players must summon the first boss changes each time. However, it’s always close enough to the starting area that players don’t have a long hike to get there.
What item do you need to summon the first boss in Valheim?
The first boss in Valheim can be summoned at any point after the player acquires the needed item. Neither the raven nor the altar tells the player exactly what item is needed to spawn Eikthyr, but there are two big clues.
The first is found by reading Eikthyr’s stone in the circle:
“His antlers are branches of iron
They crack the rocks and bring down mountains
His hooves are the sound of thunder
His voice a howling gale”
The second comes from reading the stone at the alter:
“HUNT HIS KIN”
We can deduce from the description of Eikthyr that he’s a deer-like creature. So, we need to hunt deer. Players need to offer up a Deer Trophy to summon the first boss in Valheim. This item, predictably enough, can be found by hunting deer.
How to beat the first boss in Valheim
The first step to beating Eikthyr in Valheim is to be properly equipped. Players likely won’t be able to obtain the Deer Trophy needed to summon him until they’ve crafted a bow, by which point they should have gathered a decent stockpile of resources. To ensure success, players should equip themselves with the best offensive and defensive items available.
Before taking on the boss, players should kill enough deer to make a Leather Helmet, Leather Tunic, and Leather Pants. This should take 18 Deer Hides, which can take a while to gather.
After players gather their leather armor, they should make sure starve their character until they’re hungry. This is because we want to maximize the amount and length of the HP bonus from food. Next, make sure to have two bows (fully repaired) and max ammo for arrows. It likely won’t take that much firepower, but it’s nice to not worry about it.
Once players feel like they’re ready, they should move to Eikthyr’s altar and prepare to take on the boss. Before summoning him with the Deer Trophy, players should eat cooked meat, a mushroom, and a raspberry. This will give the max HP bonus available now.
Once the boss spawns, players should keep their distance and study Eikthyr’s attack patterns. The most dangerous is the lightning attack, which has an area of effect. However, as long as players keep their distance, he’s not too difficult. Just fire arrows into him, and he’ll go down fairly quickly.
Defeating the first boss in Valheim gives players the recipe for a pickaxe. Players can also access the Eikthyr buff at the stone circle, which reduces stamina used when running and jumping for a limited time. After this victory, players will start preparing to locate the next boss and move into the next biome.
