Valheim is one of the fastest-growing games online, and it isn't difficult to see why. The concurrent player count for the game is rising each day as countless players learn the joys of surviving in Viking purgatory. The game isn't just a walk in the park — it presents unique challenges for players to take on.
The Swamp is a dangerous biome for players to explore, and it contains one of the strongest bosses in the game. With tons of poisonous enemies around, players need to go in prepared so they don't end up dead amongst the oozes that live there.
Updated by Payton Lott on May 8, 2021: The Swamp biome is one of the most dangerous places in Valheim. Draugr and Wraith roam the gloomy landscape, attacking anything that gets in their way. However, people that want to progress in the game will have to venture to the Swamps for necessary resources. They will also need to defeat Bonemass, the giant boss who resides here. This guide will help survivors prepare for everything they will encounter in the Swamp biome.
5 Exploring The Swamp
The swamp has plenty of enemies but it's absolutely worth going through if only to get one thing — a Wishbone. It gives players the ability to find hidden veins of silver ore underground which is incredibly useful. Still, it's quite treacherous, and Viking explorers must be on their guard to survive.
There are a few ways that players can have an edge against the Swamp if they come prepared.
- Bring a Hoe. It may seem silly, but this can allow players to create safe paths through the entire biome. It's an amazing way to avoid Leaches and the large amounts of damage they can deal.
- Having Poison Resist Mead is vital when adventuring here. It takes 10 honey, 10 coal, 5 thistle, and 1 neck tail to be able to make a Poison Resist Mead Base. Each base produces six portions of mead, so plan wisely.
- Tower Shields make fighting skeleton archers far easier, be sure to bring one along. A bronze mace can also kill poisonous blobs in a single hit making it invaluable as a weapon here.
- Consider purely using stealth to avoid all of the enemies and just head straight to the Sunken Crypt. With the iron that is contained there, it's easy to create iron armor which makes the rest of the time in the Swamps far easier.
4 Enemies In The Swamp
There are a total of eight enemies in the Swamp biome. Each provides a unique challenge for survivors. Most of the creatures will also drop resources that are essential for character progression in game. Before exploring the biome, people should know a few things about the Swamp creatures.
- Blobs: These little guys will inflict an AOE poison bubble that causes a poison de-buff. Blunt force will do the most damage to the creatures. Blobs drop Ooze, which is an ingredient used to craft Ooze Bombs and Poison Arrows.
- Leech: Leeches are amphibious creatures in Valheim and do not pose much of a threat. Avoid the water and they won't be an issue.
- Skeleton: With just 40 health, these guys are less dangerous than leeches. Skeletons roam the Swamps and burial chambers. Their Bone Fragments are used to craft several items, including Hide Capes and the Troll Leather Helmet.
- Draugr: These undead creatures are dangerous, weapon-wielding enemies that may have armor equipped. They are resistant to fire and have no outright weaknesses.
- Draugr Elite: As the name suggests, the Draugr Elite are more powerful Draugr. They have twice the health and inflict 58 damage per attack. Gamers will need to kill at least one for an Elite Trophy, which is a key ingredient in the Iron Sledge recipe.
- Wraith: Wraiths are nocturnal creatures that appear in empty houses and across the Swamps at night. They have 100 health and deal a fair amount of melee damage. Using a bow or spear is the proper way to take them down. Wraiths drop Chain, which is used to craft Black Metal Shields and Wolf Chest Armor.
- Surtlings: These miniature fire Imps are aggressive, but only have 20 health. Players will need to kill several of them to craft the Smelter, Blast Furnace, and Charcoal Kiln.
3 Essential Materials Found In The Swamp
Apart from the creature drops listed above, there are a few items players will need to gather while they try to survive in the biome. The main ones are Scrap Iron, Guck, and Ancient Bark. Scrap Iron can be found in the Sunken Crypts, which are detailed below. Guck is a small green sac that can be extracted from the various trees in the biome. Survivors must built a platform to reach them. Ancient Bark is obtained by chopping down Ancient Trees in the Swamps.
- Scrap Iron: Smelted into Iron, which is used to craft Iron armor and weapons.
- Guck: Part of the recipe for the Draugr Fang, the best bow in the game.
- Ancient Bark: Needed to craft six of the best weapons in the game. Ancient Bark is also used to craft a Longship and a Bonfire.
2 Exploring The Sunken Crypts
Once players get the Swamp Key so they can enter it, they will find the Sunken Crypt is a whole new challenge in an already difficult biome. There are some simple tricks to be able to make adventuring through it a bit easier so players don't find themselves dying repeatedly.
- Don't remove all of the muddy scrap piles right away. If players leave a small hole in them halfway through, it's possible to safely snipe enemies through it making battles far easier for anyone good with a bow and arrow.
- Blobs and Draugr are weak to fire damage so bringing along a lot of Fire Arrows will make things even easier.
1 Taking On Bonemass
Bonemass is by far considered the most difficult boss in the entire game. It can flood the air with a poison miasma that can utterly destroy players in their tracks and can also summon Skeletons, Blobs, and Oozers to make the fight that much more difficult. Fortunately, there are some tricks that can help players defeat the boss.
As he is resistant to any damage that isn't blunt damage, players should make sure they use a weapon like a club or Stagbreaker during the fight. It is also vital that players have plenty of poison resistance mead before going into the fight or they are bound to lose. Make sure to have a fermenter running and ready to make some before exploring the Swamps.