Eikthyr is the first boss encounter in Valheim with the opportunity to take him on, presented almost immediately at the start of the game. However, there is a considerable amount of preparation required before you'll be ready to take on the deer god. Still, there's nothing to stop you from initiating the fight whenever you think you're ready for it.
Updated March 16th, 2021 by Kim Dailey: Eikthyr is modeled after the fabled stag, Eikþyrnir or Eikthyrnir, who dwelled in Asgard atop the Yggdrasil Tree branches in Norse mythology. With his namesake known to draw power from the trees, it is no wonder the developers chose this fabled creature to stand as the big bad of the Meadows biomes. The encounter isn't exceptionally difficult if you know what to watch out for and can even be hacked into a round of Big Game Hunter if you wish to forego taking Eikthyr head-on.
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Eikthyr sets a pace for progression throughout Valheim's campaign, so it's important to understand the kind of preparation that goes into the boss fights. If you're just getting started in Valheim, here's everything you need to know about Eikthyr.
How Do You Start The Eikthyr Boss Fight?
Eikthyr is summoned from an altar right where you start the game. Follow the raven's tutorial, and you'll be lead to the altar. If you move away from spawn to build your base, you can always find Eikthyr's altar marked on your map. To summon Eikthyr, all you need to do is offer it two Deer Trophies. You can resummon Eikthyr as often as you'd like in the event that you need more Hard Antler for crafting pickaxes.
Deer Trophies are an uncommon material that can drop from deer. Deer are skittish and will always run away from you when they detect you, so you'll need to approach them carefully. There are several reliable methods for taking down a deer. Slaying some boar first to gather leather scraps to fashion your first bow is highly recommended, especially if you plan to hack the encounter, as you'll need to be practiced with a bow. Otherwise, sneaking up behind them with any ax, wooden club, or spear can also work. Keep in mind that the spear has a deceptively short melee range but can be thrown quickly by pressing the middle mouse button.
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Preparing For The Encounter
The key to winning any boss fight in Valheim is preparation. It doesn't matter how well you can block and dodge if you aren't coming in with the proper gear. Generally speaking, the level of your skills doesn't play a huge factor in combat. Weapon proficiency and sprinting levels certainly help, but it is possible to take on Eikythyr without any grinding. It is not possible, however, to fight without the proper weapons, armor, and preparation.
At a bare minimum, you should craft the leather armor set (Deer Hide Cape, Leather Helmet, Leather Pants, and Leather Tunic) and either a bow or a Flint Spear and Wood Shield. You'll need quite a bit of Deer Hide for all this crafting, but it will be well worth the investment. If you're using a bow to kite the boss, regular wooden arrows will do. Otherwise, all of Eikthyr's attacks are easy to block with a shield.
Once you've crafted the proper gear, make sure you also eat a good meal of three different items before the fight. A simple meal of Cooked Meat, Grilled Neck Tail, and a Mushroom or berry will do. Of the limited food available to you at this early stage, this combination will best fortify your health and stamina.
How To Defeat Eikthyr
Eikthyr is a massive stag with electrified antlers. He has only a few attacks, including a melee ram attack, a ranged lightning strike, and an AOE lightning attack. Though they are magnificent, you should note that all of Eikthyr's attacks can indeed be blocked.
The most important thing is managing your stamina. You don't want to spam attacks at Eikthyr and leave yourself completely open to a counter-attack without the ability to block or roll out of the way. If you want to be cautious, kite the boss around and fire arrows at him only when you have a nearly full stamina bar. Otherwise, you can kill him in under five minutes with well-timed blocks and stabs with the spear. Once he's defeated, you can collect the Hard Antler he drops and craft your first pickaxe.
Big Deer Hunting Hack
To use the hack method, which essentially turns Eikthyr into a trophy hunt, you'll need to undergo some minor construction at the altar site. First, craft a workbench near the altar, which will enable you to build an archer post. The image pictured above is massive overkill of what you'll need to build, but hey, if you'll use the structure later, go for it.
Realistically, the post needs to be two stories high at a minimum, with a staircase from the ground to the first landing and one more up to the archer roost. Close the roost in with three half walls, which will allow you to shoot arrows over while ensuring you don't fall off. It's important to then build a spike wall around the post, a little way out. If you build it flush against the structure, Eikthyr will be able to bring it tumbling down with his headbutt attack. Leave an opening in the wall just big enough to slip through, so you can enter after summoning Eikthyr at the altar.
Once up in the roost, close in the last wall so Eikthyr's AoE can't knock you off, or be prepared to quickly ascend back to the roost as Eikthyr will begin ramming your mini fortress as long as you are on the ground. Once he realizes he can't reach you, the stag should simply stand outside the wall, awaiting you to come down and face him. Now it is a simple matter of picking away at his health with bow and arrow.
Rewards
After defeating him, Eikthyr will drop a Hard Antler and a trophy item. The trophy can be hung on one of the large stones at the starting circle to grant you bonus effects. Specifically, it reduces stamina drain on jumping and running by 60%. The Hard Antler can be used to craft your first pick ax allowing you to begin mining and thus prepare for the next boss, known as The Elder, who awaits you in the Black Forest.