How to get tar in Valheim

Valheim tar
(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

Wondering how to find tar in Valheim? Now that the Hearth and Home update is finally here, it's a great excuse to jump back into Iron Gate's Viking survival game and see what's new. The devs suggest starting a new world, but whether you're taking their advice or picking up where you left off, there's plenty to discover.

Sure, Valheim's first major update doesn't add any new biomes, but there's still loads of cool stuff to check out in the Viking afterlife. If you'd rather discover these new additions naturally as you play, you should click away now. For everyone else, here's where to find Valheim tar and what you can use it for.

Valheim tar guide: How to find it 

Tar is found in tar pits which appear exclusively in the Plains biome. It can also be gathered from 'growths', a new enemy that lives in these areas. 

At the time of writing, it's unclear what the best way to kill Growths is. There's also a new 'tarred' status to deal with in these tar pit areas, which slows you down considerably and can make things even more tricky in an already dangerous biome.

It's also worth noting that tar pits will only appear in Plains biomes that you haven't explored yet in existing worlds. So if you've got a go-to Plains area you frequently venture into, you won't find any tar pits there. If you create a new world, tar pits can spawn in any Plains biome.

(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

What tar is used for in Valheim 

Tar is a resource that can be used to make several new items in Hearth and Home. It doesn't need to be refined in any way, so you can use it as is.

Here's a list of new recipes tar is used in:

  • Darkwood gate 
  • Shingle roof (two different angles)
  • Shingle roof ridge (two different angles)
  • Shingle roof o-corner
  • Shingle roof i-corner
  • Darkwood pole (2 and 4 meters)
  • Darkwood beam (2 and 4 meters)
  • Carved darkwood divider
  • Darkwood arch
  • Raven adornment
  • Wolf adornment
  • Darkwood chair
  • Round table
  • Long heavy table
  • Hot tub*

(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)

*Clearly a hot tub is needed for when you name one of your tamed wolves Geralt.

Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.