Source-reviewed guide
Valheim Black Forest Guide: Creatures, Resources, and The Elder
Black Forest biome guide for Valheim — Greydwarves, Trolls, Copper and Tin, Haldor the Trader, and how to summon The Elder.
Reviewed 2026-08-19
Black Forest is Valheim's second biome, explored alongside Meadows early on but noticeably more dangerous. This guide covers what lives here, what to gather, and how to beat the second boss, The Elder. See how this site sources world guides.
Where Black Forest fits
Black Forest is part of the game's first progression tier, best entered once Meadows has been cleared and Eikthyr defeated. Defeating The Elder here unlocks the Swamp Key, opening the way to Swamp.
| Order | Biome |
|---|---|
| 1 | Meadows |
| 2 | Black Forest (you are here) |
| 3 | Swamp |
| 4 | Mountain |
| 5 | Plains |
| 6 | Mistlands |
| 7 | Ashlands |
See the full world guide for the complete progression map.
Creatures
| Creature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Greydwarf | Hostile; the most common enemy, weak alone but dangerous in packs. Melee and thrown-rock attacks. |
| Greydwarf Brute | Hostile; a much harder-hitting melee variant. |
| Greydwarf Shaman | Hostile; ranged poison attacker that can heal nearby Greydwarves — priority kill. |
| Skeleton | Hostile; guards Burial Chambers and ruins, often in groups. Weak to blunt damage. |
| Troll | Hostile; huge and very dangerous, hits hard in melee and throws logs/rocks at range. Weak to piercing damage — fight from a distance. |
| Deer, Crows, Gulls | Passive/neutral wildlife; not aggressive. |
Resources
| Resource | Source |
|---|---|
| Wood, Fine Wood, Core Wood | Birch, Fir, Oak, and Pine trees (Core Wood needs Pine) |
| Copper | Hillside deposits; needs an Antler Pickaxe to mine and a Smelter to refine |
| Tin | Coastal and riverbank deposits |
| Resin, Greydwarf Eye | Greydwarf drops |
| Surtling Cores | Found in Burial Chambers; needed for smelters and portals |
Boss: The Elder
The Elder is fought at a sacrificial stone altar within Black Forest.
- Summon: burn 3 Ancient Seeds in the altar's burning bowl. Ancient Seeds drop from Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans, or from destroying Greydwarf spawner nests.
- Finding the altar: a Vegvísir rune stone, typically found in a Burial Chamber, marks the altar's location on the map.
- Drops: 1 Elder Trophy and 1 Swamp Key.
- Why it matters: the Swamp Key unlocks Sunken Crypts in the Swamp — the only practical source of Scrap Iron, needed for Iron-tier gear. Fire damage is widely recommended against The Elder.
Building and survival tips
- Terrain is hillier and more visually obstructed than Meadows, with dense forest canopy and rocky coastline.
- Greydwarves ambush in packs, especially at night; fire is effective against them since they're wood-based.
- Trolls hit extremely hard — fight them from 20-30+ meters with piercing weapons rather than in melee.
- Burial Chambers are dark, maze-like, and Skeleton-guarded — bring a light source and blunt weapons.
- Elevated or boulder-strewn clearings near a Copper/Tin source make good early outposts.
Points of interest
Burial Chambers (the game's first dungeon-style location, source of Surtling Cores and Vegvísir markers), Troll Caves, Greydwarf spawner nests, ruined stone structures, shipwrecks, and Haldor the Trader's camp — a shimmering, monster-proof dome where the merchant Haldor sells the Megingjord, a Dverger Circlet, and other crafting materials.
Sources
- Black Forest — Valheim Wiki (Fandom)
- The Elder — Valheim Wiki (Fandom)
- Haldor — Valheim Wiki (Fandom)
- Black Forest Biome Guide — Game8
Cross-referenced per this site's world-guide sourcing methodology.