The world of Valheim is made up of a wide variation of biomes for Vikings to explore and tempt fate by testing their survival skills. These range from relatively docile fields and hillocks to toxic mires and mountain peaks subjected to extreme conditions where only the most steadfast Vikings dare travel.
It's possible that a passive adventure through the fields could lead you unwittingly into the maws of a much more treacherous landscape. Perhaps the most common instance of this is stumbling into the Black Forest while exploring the Meadows biome's lightly forested areas. The Black Forest biomes appear on the map as dark, densely wooded areas. These foreboding woodlands are no walk in the park, with the game's first significant threats awaiting in their shadows.
Updated on September 22, 2021 by Kim Dailey: Though the Hearth and Home update did not directly affect any of the threats or resources found in the Black Forest, its numerous changes to weaponry and advancements in the usage of Greydwarf eyes couldn't go unnoticed. With the addition of new shields and weapons, we had enough incentive to revisit the dark and dangerous woodlands to see if we might apply any new strategies.
Resources
Despite the inherent dangers, the Black Forests are also filled with bountiful resources. You won't be short on supplies in these woods in terms of food and crafting materials alike. However, you'll want to remain steadfast while embarking on any gathering sprees.
Food and Ingredients
Instead of Raspberry bushes which you find throughout the Meadows, Blueberries grow in the Black Forest. Likewise, instead of red-capped Mushrooms, the Black Forest is home to Yellow Mushrooms, the more nutritious variant.
You can also discover Carrot Seeds scattered across the forest floor. These appear as tri-stemmed flowers with clusters of white petals on each. Pick some of these and bring them back to your base to plant in a field using the Cultivator, and you will be growing your own produce in no time.
Thistle is the final ingredient you can find within the Black Forest. You can differentiate it from the other nondescript shrubbery easier at night when the ends of the branches develop a soft blue glow. The Thistle plant is used in a couple of different culinary recipes and the brewing of meads.
Crafting Materials
The Black Forests are brim-full of crafting materials as well. This is where you will begin mining Tin and Copper, as well as furthering your lumberjack prowess by felling pine trees to obtain Core Wood. Core Wood is used to craft a slew of more advanced tools and building parts such as a Cultivator, the Stagbreaker war hammer, Long Beams and Poles, Bonfires, and Sharp Stakes.
As for the metals, Tin Ore can be mined along the shorelines bordering the Black Forest biomes, while Copper Ore is found further inland. Tin is similar in looks to some of the mid-sized boulders that dot the coast, and Copper appears as shiny bits of stone peppering the forest floor. You will need both of these metals and the Surtling Core we'll discuss later on in order to get your smithy productions up and running.
Chests
Chests found within the Black Forests yield much the same as ones in the Meadows biomes. That is, you'll find a stash of Amber, Flinthead Arrows, coins, and or Feathers tucked inside.
Barrels
Barrels are a new container you won't come across in the Meadows. Rather than the treasure and tools you're likely to find inside Chests, Barrels contain crafting materials and sometimes a light meal. Blueberries, Deer Hide, Leather Scraps, Coal, Flint, Tin Ore, Resin, and a Greydwarf Eye can be plundered from Barrels every once in a while.
What Are Greydwarf Eyes Used For?
If you haven't discovered the use for Greydwarf Eyes just yet, that's because they are used in more advanced crafting and upgrades than you are currently able to undergo. A Greydwarf Eye is one of the Frost Resistance Mead Base components, as well as a necessity for upgrading Copper Knives and building Portals or Wards.
Since the Hearth and Home update, Greydwarf Eyes have adopted additional uses in some new recipes and diagrams. Firstly, 3 Greydwarf Eyes are required to concoct the new frozen treat, Eye Scream. This Stamina food is packed with 65 points of Stamina and lasts for 25 minutes. Secondly, two Greydwarf Eyes are the key component that gives the new Standing Blue-Burning Iron Torch its unique flame.
Buildings & Formations
Along with new resources to obtain, there are different buildings and formations to explore in the Black Forest as well. But unlike the abandoned shacks in the Meadows, these structures are often inhabited.
Crypts (Burial Chambers)
When adventuring into one of these grim locales, always enter with a Torch, or you won't be able to see a thing. The tunnels are networked into a vast labyrinth with plenty of loot scattered throughout, though undead threats usually guard the plunder.
These crypts are where you will find the Surtling Core required to power the Charcoal Kiln and Smelter. You can find these blocks stuck upon upright sticks in the Burial Chamber in the furthest part of the Crypts. You'll also come across plenty of riches such as Amber, Amber Pearls, Ruby, and coin while scouring these depths. Additionally, the maze of tunnels is an excellent area to search out Yellow Mushrooms and Bone Fragments. The Chests found down in these ruins are likely to contain the same contents as mentioned above.
Of course, in chambers haunted by the dead, these yields are not free for the taking. Ghosts and Skeletons will try to impede your exploration and drag you into their undead ranks if they can.
As one would expect, Ghosts are resistant to physical damage and really only susceptible to Spirit damage. This is a bit of a conundrum as there is no go-to equipment for Spirit damage in the game just yet. The Frostner war hammer deals minimal Spirit damage, but you will need to venture up into the mountains to gather all the materials required to craft it.
In fact, you'll have to trek into the mountains to gather materials needed for any weapon that can inflict spirit damage. This includes the Silver Sword and the new Crystal Battleaxe introduced with the Hearth and Home update. While the Silver Sword still holds the spot as the best weapon for spirit damage specifically, the new battleax has many of its own merits, given its versatility.
Furthermore, you need to get your smithery set up first as well, which is likely the reason you ventured into the crypts in the first place. Because of this, the Stagbreaker war hammer may be your best option earlier on in order to command some breathing space and avoid being overcome by angry spirits. Skeletons are a bit easier to dispatch as they are weak to fire and blunt force trauma.
All in all, the Stagbreaker war hammer will be your best bet as it requires no metals to craft. Be swift in destroying Evil Bone Piles and Rancid Remains to exterminate the threats altogether.
Troll Caves
These Troll dwellings appear as oversized stone structures likely marked by bone piles outside the entrance. Naturally, with larger-than-life formations come goliath-sized threats. Embarking into these hostile dens is another matter altogether.
Trolls can deal devastating physical attacks and groundbreaking AoEs with their mighty fists, and they can launch stones for a dangerous ranged attack. Luckily, these great oafs are susceptible to piercing damage. So arrows, swords, and even the Stagbreaker war hammer are all viable weapons to use against them.
Parrying these giants requires a shield with strong parry buffs, meaning a Bronze shield or better. Thus this tactic can not be recommended if you've just begun your Black Forest adventure. Instead, you may want to lure the Troll with some arrows, then swiftly move behind him for a few melee strikes. Troll Caves will likely house a few Trolls each. Commonly, one will be patrolling the entrance with a couple more stationed within.
If this isn't your first trip into the Black Forest, and you're now able to craft adequate shields, why don't you try testing out some of the more well-fortified shields available since the Hearth and Home update? For taking on Trolls, the new Bone Tower Shield is your best bet as these tanks are built for the siege and can withstand some mighty blows. Given the powerful but lumbering nature of trolls, the movement debuff on tower shields shouldn't set you off too severely while the shield covers you from hurtling boulders.
Now that you have to focus on your 'build' by eating either Health or Stamina foods in a proper balance, it is recommended that you stack your meals in favor of health buffs when you plan to rely heavily on your shield. Though if you're just looking for some quick and light deflection while parrying and dodging, a stamina build and the new Iron Buckler should serve you well.
The takeaway within these caves is much like the Burial Chambers; Amber Pearl, Bone Fragments, Yellow Mushrooms, and coins. Additionally, you can harvest Troll Hide and trophies from the Trolls you slay. The hide allows you to craft the next tier of armor available in the game.
The Chests Trolls have stashed away are commonly stuffed with more coins and Bone Fragments, along with Ruby, Deer Hide, Leather Scraps, Stone, and Wood. Not a bad payout when crafting is among your top priorities.
Merchant Camp
You may wonder what coin is for as there are no inhabited towns or NPCs to be seen. However, there is one NPC — though he can be hard to find. Many players hadn't found him without using a particular world hack.
The easiest way to locate him is to enter a new world with the seed "42069lolxd." No joke. That is the seed to the world with Haldor, the merchant. After entering this world, Haldor can be found at a camp within the Black Forest biome, which still requires a bit of blind searching.
Haldor sells many unique items, but they can be rather pricey in a world lacking a robust currency system. The most important items to note would be a Fishing Pole and bait for catching fish, Ymir Flesh for crafting high-end gear, Megingjord to increase carrying capacity by 150, and the Dverger Circlet for lighting your way hands-free.
Since Hearth and Home, Vikings can now flaunt their wealth by overflowing decorative Treasure Chests with gold and gems or leave their treasury stacked in piles across the floor so fellow Vikings can see just how prosperous your recent raids have been.
Fauna
The docile wildlife is scant in the Black Forest but consists of Deer, Gull, and Crows. Like Gulls, Crows drop feathers upon death and can be felled with arrows, spears, falling trees, or by having the exceedingly bad timing of flying through the swing of a melee weapon. The last method is essentially impossible to time on your end, but natural selection will out the most bird-brained of them all.
Threats
The most common threats in the Black Forest are the Greydwarfs. These larger and more vicious counterparts to Greylings have three variations; the basic, Brutes, and Shaman. Being made of wood, these hostile creatures are severely adverse to fire and can be taken out rather quickly with fire arrows or a few heavy blows from an axe.
Skeletons don't only appear inside crypts. Sometimes they can be found guarding dilapidated stone forts as well. And always be wary of the Trolls discussed earlier. It's not hard to aggro one before you even realize you've stumbled upon one of their dwellings.
Then, of course, there is the ent-like area boss of the Black Forest, The Elder. If you're having trouble with this overgrown guardian, our guide on how to defeat The Elder has everything you need to know, including some nifty hacks to make the encounter as easy as a day of woodcutting. After felling the Black Forest's old oak, it's onto the Swamps for the next leg of your journey.