Surviving in Plains biome in Valheim is partly preparation and partly luck. There are wild stampedes of lox, Fulings and their shamans and berserkers, and the dreaded Deathsquito.
Armor Up for the Plains
Considering how dangerous a trip to the plains can be, players want to be as prepared as possible. Whether or not players have defeated the Valheim boss Moder yet, they should still have a fully upgraded Wolf Armor set including the Drake helmet, any cape, Wolf Armor Chest, and Wolf Armor Legs. At level 4, these items will give players an armor level of 82, giving them the best possible advantage against their new enemies.
Also, players will want a fully upgraded silver shield in order to help parry attacks in Valheim. At level 3, the silver shield has 300 Durability, 85 Block power, and 50 Parry force, making it the best possible shield players can craft before they have stepped foot into the Plains.
The Best Weapons
While the armor is important, players will also want the best possible offense too. The Draugr Fang bow, fully upgraded, will help to take down just about anything that players come across. Coupled with Poison Arrows, this hard-hitting ranged weapon will continue to damage enemies even as a player runs away from danger, ticking down the enemy's life total for several seconds after the last hit. Make sure to bring as many arrows as possible; keeping a safe distance is one of the keys to success in the Plains.
Another great weapon for delving into the Plains is the Frostner. This weapon is a hammer made of silver and deals frost damage, slowing enemies down for a few seconds. This will both slow their attacks and their movement speeds, giving players a chance to run if needed or a few more seconds to gain back some stamina.
Food and Potions
Considering players shouldn't delve too far into the Plains on their first try, they won't have to bring much food along. However, they should fill up their bags with as many Medium Heal and Medium Stamina potions as they have. These potions will help to keep a player alive; doing a Corpse Run into the Plains is always harrowing and best avoided whenever possible. The best food combination available to a Valheim player at this time will be Sausages which are made from Draugr entrails, raw meat, and thistle, Queen's Jam which is made from blueberries and raspberries, cooked fish from fishing, carrot soup, and turnip soup.
Know the Enemy
There are several aggressive NPCs that players will come across in the Plains. These are:
- Fulings - Basic goblins, they drop both Blackmetal and Valheim coins. Players can also get Deathsquito needles, barley, and more coins from chests found near Fuling villages.
- Fuling Shamans - Goblin magic users, these dangerous foes not only throw fireballs at players, but also can create shields around themselves and other Fulings nearby.
- Fuling Berserker - Massive, ogre-like Fulings that hit hard, but are slow moving and have predictable patterns of attack.
- Lox - The giant, buffalo-like Lox can be tamed in Valheim, but wild lox, like boars and wolves, will attack when a player gets too close and frightens them. They have a massive amount of health and can hit players for a lot of damage.
- Deathsquito - The dreaded Deathsquito is one of the most dangerous enemies in the Plains. Not because it has a lot of life, but these flying bugs can one-shot players that are not careful. Players need to keep a lookout and an ear open for any signs of buzzing sounds of these guys; their attacks can be easily blocked with a silver shield if a player is prepared. After hitting a player, the Deathsquito hesitates before flying off and circling the player. Take this opportunity to hit it; they only have 10 HP.
Killing Deathsquito will give players needles, which can be crafted into the best of all of Valheim's arrows with the help of feathers. Collect as many of these as possible; they will also be used for the Porcupine weapon later on. Once players have a few handful of these arrows, they can begin to take out one or two Fulings, collecting their Blackmetal. Once players have a good Blackmetal shield, the next step is taking down lox for their meat; this can be cooked to make a meal better than any available yet in the game.
Avoid Fuling towns until players are comfortable with killing packs of Fulings; then make sure to pick off as many as possible with arrows before getting close to the town. Watch out for ranged attacks from Fulings with spears and Shamans with fireballs. When venturing close to a camp, players should activate Bonemass' damage-reduction power to have the best chance of surviving whatever comes next.
Things to Look Out For
Players should make sure to gather plenty of Cloudberries when in the Plains; they can be used to tame lox, but are also used in lox meat pies, which is one of the best food items in the game. Also, players should keep an eyes out for Fuling-guarded camps with fields of flax and barley; players will need both to begin making the next armor set and the next level of culinary treats.
Valheim is currently in Early Access for PC.
Source: Wiki, Steam Community