Viking survival crafting has changed quite a bit since the days of early access, and though Valheim's biome order remains mostly the same in 1.0, there's plenty of new details to keep track of for lapsed players. If you want to make it to the new biome as soon as possible, I've got a handy progression guide to hold your hand all the way from the Meadows to the Deep North.
September 10, 2026: I've now included sections for every Valheim biome with new resource lists. Other details like boss information and dungeon explainers are next on the list, so keep checking back in!
Meadows
Black Forest
Swamps
Ashlands
Deep North
Meadows
It's deer hunting season, so make yourself a Crude Bow and plenty of arrows. You'll have to hunt Eikthyr's kin until one drops a Deer Trophy, and stocking up on extra leather doesn't hurt, either.
The shrine you spawn at is always located in Valheim's most peaceful biome, the Meadows. Since it's relatively chill compared to other zones filled with creatures desperate to kill you, I lump it in with the Black Forest as Valheim's beginner zone. Your main goal here is to set up a small base, gather leather for armor, and get a Deer Trophy to summon Eikthyr.
Feel free to tiptoe along the edge of the Black Forest for extra goodies and upgrades, but don't stray too far. Bears and Trolls make quick snacks of low-level Vikings.
Meadows resource checklist
- Wood
- Fine Wood
- Resin
- Stone
- Flint
- Dandelions
- Beech Seeds
- Raspberries
- Mushrooms
- Acorns
- Honey
- Queen Bee
- Neck Tail
- Boar Meat
- Leather
- Deer Hide
- Feathers
- Bone Fragments
Meadows boss: Eikthyr
- Rewards: Eikthyr Trophy, Hard Antlers
- Requirement: 2 Deer Trophies at the Mystical Altar
- Buff:
- Run stamina usage: -60%
- Jump stamina usage: -60%
- Swim stamina usage: -60%
- Effect duration: 300
Black Forest
Pick fights with Greydwarf Brutes and pulverize any Greydwarf Nests you encounter. They're the only place you can find the three Ancient Seeds needed to summon The Elder.
You'll spend a lot of time running back and forth from your Meadows base to the Black Forest for new materials, so bring Eikthyr's head back to the spawn shrine to receive the deer god's buff. Use the Hard Antlers from Eikthyr to make the Antler Pickaxe and mine as much Tin and Copper as possible—you'll need a ton of ore to smelt into ingots. I always prioritize making a Bronze Pickaxe as my first upgrade so the process goes faster.
Be careful about picking fights with Trolls or Bears, and start hoarding materials from dungeons to build portals. When you're done here, we'll make a boat and set sail for muddier waters.
Black Forest resource checklist
- Copper Ore / Copper
- Tin Ore / Tin
- Bronze
- Corewood
- Fir Cone
- Pine Cone
- Thistle
- Blueberries
- Carrot Seeds
- Yellow Mushrooms
- Surtling Cores
- Greydwarf Eye
- Bear Hide
- Bear Paw
- Bear Meat
- Ectoplasm
- Troll Hide
- Bukeperries
Black Forest dungeons
Troll Caves
Single-room caves typically filled with gold and other valuables for selling to traders. Let's hope no one is home when you visit, otherwise you may have to fight a Troll or two.
Burial Chambers
Complex caves filled with hostile Skeletons and the occasional Ghost. You can pick up Yellow Mushrooms and treasures here, but you're mostly raiding the place for Surtling Cores.
Black Forest boss: The Elder
- Rewards: The Elder Trophy, Swamp Key
- Requirement: Offer 3 Ancient Seeds at the Ancient Bowl
- Buff:
- Health Regen: +30%
- Chop: +60%
- Pickaxe: +60%
- Effect duration: 300
Swamps
Don't lose the Swamp Key, as you'll need it to enter the Sunken Crypts scattered throughout the bogs. Visit one of these dungeons to gather the ten Withered Bones required to summon Bonemass.
Trudging through Valheim's Swamps can be a real pain in the ass, so pace yourself and brew plenty of poison resist potions. I tend to blow through Surtling Cores when I reach the hostile waters here, making portals for easy travel and extra bases to process Iron Ore.
Above all else, try to be patient. It's easy to get caught in a cycle of repetitive deaths, and if you aren't careful, your viking will rack up serious skill level losses.
Swamp resource checklist
- Entrails
- Ooze
- Guck
- Bloodbag
- Scrap Iron
- Chain
- Withered Bone
- Ancient Bark
- Root
- Turnip Seeds
Swamp dungeons
Sunken Crypts
Complex caves filled with hostile Skeletons and the occasional Ghost. You can pick up Yellow Mushrooms and treasures here, but you're mostly raiding the place for Surtling Cores. Hoard as many cores as you can carry. You'll need tons for building portals and new crafting benches.
Swamp boss: Bonemass
- Rewards: Bonemass Trophy, Wishbone
- Requirement: Offer 10 Withered Bones at the Boiling Death Altar
- Buff:
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Blunt
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Slash
- Damage modifier: Slightly resistant vs Pierce
- Block stamina cost: -100%
- Block stamina return: +5
- Effect duration: 300
Mountains
You'll need three Dragon Eggs to summon Moder, and at 200 carry weight a pop, there's no way one player grabs all three in one trip without becoming encumbered. So mark them on your map for later, or recruit a few friends to serve as pack mules.
The Mountains are your first encounter with Valheim's frigid cold and you'll take damage if you visit without protection, so make yourself a Wolf Fur Cape or stock up on Frost Resistance potions. Think of it as training for the Deep North. Everything here is a bit more cumbersome, including the hunt for new ore. You'll need to carry the Wishbone from Bonemass to find Silver Ore deposits, then start digging when it whirs to signal a hit.
The terrain is often your biggest challenge. Running from enemies occasionally means sprinting off a cliff or running out of stamina before a fight, while nightfall brings increasingly aggressive wolf packs and a new vicious enemy, Fenrings.
Mountains resource checklist
- Silver Ore / Silver
- Obsidian
- Wolf Fang
- Wolf Meat
- Wolf Pelt
- Onion Seeds
- Freeze Gland
- Fenris Claw
- Fenris Hair
- Red Jute
- Crystal
Mountains dungeons
Frost Caves
Frost Caves can be hard to spot, but look for open places along the Mountains lined with icicles, and you should find a cave entrance. Inside, you'll find breakable objects yielding materials like Red Jute and Fenris Hair, plus difficult new enemies like the Ulv and Cultists.
Howling Caverns
The Howling Caverns are a harder version of the Frost Caves and house a miniboss, Geirrhafa. If you've found Hildir, slaying Geirrhafa rewards you with a silver chest to bring to the NPC. Hand it over, and Hildir will have fashionable new wares for her shop.
Mountains boss: Moder
- Rewards: Moder Trophy, Dragon Tear
- Requirement: Offer 3 Dragon Eggs at the Sacrificial Altar
- Buff:
- Always have a tailwind when sailing
- Max carry weight: +300
- Damage modifier: Resistant vs Frost
- Movement Speed: +10%
Plains
It takes five Fuling Totems to summon Yagluth, so get to raiding those villages. You can usually find at least one or two of the little dolls on displays placed out in the open around the Fulings' camps.
The Plains may be easier to jog across, but everything here hits hard. Deathsquitos live up to their name with just one hit, while the cackling Fulings are good at ragebaiting me into fights I can't handle—don't fall for their taunting. You'll also find another nighttime enemy in the Plains, the Viles. They're powerful undead versions of the Black Forest's bears, but a high-risk, high-reward enemy to farm if you're keen on making the Vilebone bow armor from their remains.
When you're feeling brave and well-prepared, try raiding a few Fuling villages. They're great sources of Barley and Flax, the latter of which you'll need a ton of for crafting Linen Thread required by gear upgrades.
Plains resource checklist
- Needle
- Vile Ribcage
- Rotten Meat
- Lox Meat
- Lox Pelt
- Black Metal Scrap / Black Metal
- Tar
- Barley
- Flax
- Cloudberries
Plains boss: Yagluth
- Rewards: Yagluth Trophy, Torn Spirit
- Requirement: Offer 5 Fuling Totems at the Mystical Altar
- Buff:
- Damage modifier: Resistant vs Lightning
- Farming: +25
- +10% Damage dealt increase for Blunt, Slash, Pierce, Chop, Pickaxe, Fire, Frost, Lightning, Poison, and Spirit
- Effect duration: 300
Mistlands
Mistlands resource checklist
- Black Core
- Black Marble
- Blue Jute
- Sap
- Soft Tissue
- Yggdrasil Wood
- Wisp
- Sealbreaker Fragment
- Scale Hide
- Hare Meat
- Jotun Puff
- Magecap
- Royal Jelly
- Bilebag
- Blood Clot
- Carapace
- Mandible
- Seeker Meat
Ashlands
Ashlands resource checklist
- Flamemetal Ore / Flametal
- Grausten
- Proustite Powder
- Sulfur
- Bonemaw Tooth
- Bonemaw Meat
- Bonemaw Scale
- Morgen Heart
- Morgen Sinew
- Volture Egg
- Volture Meat
- Fiddle Head
- Smoke Puff
- Celestial Feather
- Charred Cogwheel
- Charred Bone
- Charred Skull
- Asksvin Bladder
- Asksvin Hide
- Asksvin Tail
- Askvin Skull
- Askvin Neck
- Askvin Ribcage
- Askvin Pelvis
Deep North
Deep North resource checklist
- Timberwood
- Timberwood Cone
- Snowballs
- Ice / Liquid Frost
- Petrified Tissue / Bloodgold
- Memorial Coal
- Embers
- Frostfire Essence
- Thunderblood Essence
- Lingonberries
- Oats
- Poteitr Seeds
- Kale Seeds
- Moose Sinew
- Moose Meat
- Moose Hide
- Seal Blubber
- Seal Pelt
- Elaking Hair Bundle
- Long Claws
- Frozen Branch
- Leather Straps
- Nornathread
- Dead Pulp
- Frostcore
- Larva
Deep North dungeons
Hidden Tunnels
Any time you stumble upon village ruins in the Deep North, stop and take a moment to look for any large two-story buildings. They're often home to deep pits leading to the Hidden Tunnels, where you can find moulds to make Intricate Keys or gear upgrades.
Morkhalla
After exploring the Hidden Tunnels and making an Intricate Key, you're finally ready to unlock a door to Morkhalla. You'll have to repeat this process three times to summon enough Jotun raids for enough Malicious Blood to summon the final boss, Kall Fimbulbringer.
Deep North boss: Kall Fimbulbringer
- Rewards: Sacrificial Blood, Crown Jewel
- Requirement: Offer 3 Malicious Blood at the Strange Bowl
