In Valheim the first boss that Viking players will go up against is the mighty Eikthyr in the Meadows biome. Eikthyr has the appearance of a large stag with big horns. Before setting out to battle against Eikthyr it is recommended that Viking players craft a shelter with a bed inside to activate a respawn point. After building a simple shelter it is a good idea to start farming basic resources like wood and stone to create tools and weapons. Set out to craft a bow and some arrows for hunting. This is recommended for hunting deer for the resources to craft armour, the food they offer and also the deer head trophies which will be needed to spawn Eikthyr. Deer are easily spooked and although the player can sneak up and attack with a melee weapon, it is much quicker to use a bow and shoot them from a distance. The food you will want to bring to battle Eikthyr will be deer meat, boar meat, grilled neck tail or some raspberries and mushrooms. Before Viking players can battle Eikthyr they will need to locate the altar in the Meadows biome where the sacrifice to summon can begin.
How To Summon Eikthyr
In the Meadows biome, one can find Eikthyr’s Forsaken altar. Adjacent to his Sacrificial Stone lies a small, luminous Runestone known as a Vegvisir. When interacted with, this Runestone adds the nearest location for summoning Eikthyr on the map. To summon Eikthyr Viking players will have to do a bit of deer hunting. The summon requires the Viking to have 2 deer head trophies. The trophies can be looted from deer roaming the meadows. The deer head trophies are not guaranteed to drop off of every deer, so you will have to hunt them until you get the 2 trophies. Once you have 3 deer head trophies that are required to summon Eikthyr, you will need to equip the 2 trophies on your toolbar and then find the Eikthyr altar. Once you find the altar, approach it and use the slot with the 2 deer head trophies, and Eikthyr will spawn.
Bring A Shield And Spear
Once the Viking player has enough food, you will want to craft armour, and a wood shield to go along with a flint spear. We advise acquiring a Deer Hide Cap, Leather Tunic, Leather Pants, and Leather Helmet, as these pieces of equipment significantly enhance your defence and can mitigate a substantial amount of damage. The shield and spear is a recommended combination. The shield is good for blocking and parrying the attacks that Eikthyr unleashes on the Viking player. When Eikthyr attacks, use your shield to block his attack and then quickly get attacks in with your weapon. Another viable strategy is to use a bow and shoot arrows into Eikthyr from afar while avoiding his charge by using the stone pillars to block Eikthyr’s ranged attacks.
Eikthyr possesses three distinct forms of attack and an environmental aura that causes darkness and stops the rain.
Melee – a melee assault executed with his antlers, which can inflict 20 Pierce, 1000 Chop, and 1000 Pickaxe damage.
Ranged a ranged lightning bolt attack, inflicting 15 Lightning damage.
Area of Effect – Finally, Eikthyr can also perform a powerful stomp that covers a large area and deals 15 Lightning damage.
Once the player successfully vanquishes Eikthyr, they gain the ability to craft their first pickaxe, which they can use to mine ore and start forging metal tools, weapons, and armour. Eikthyr can be resummoned by Viking players as many times as they want, as long as they have the 2 deer head trophies each time.
