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Moder is a dragon and the fourth boss you will encounter in Valheim. Moder directly translates to "Mother" in the Nordic language; a fitting name for the she-dragon as you will need to haul dragon eggs atop mountain biomes to summon her.
Along with a painstaking summoning process, there are also extra preparations you'll need to make in order to survive the bitter mountain climate, which you'll likely need to voyage across the open sea to find in the first place. After several exhausting treks up and down the mountain slopes, taking on this mother dragon will seem as easy as breathing in the crisp mountain air.
Updated May 13, 2023 by Jacqueline Zalace: Although Moder isn't the final boss of Valheim, she can still be difficult to take on. We've updated this guide with additional information to help you take on this icy dragon.
Recommended Gear & Items
First, let's look at some recommended gear that you should have before summoning and defeating Moder.
In addition to the items listed above, it's always good to have sturdy armor, strong weapons, and a few food options in your inventory.
How To Summon Moder
Moder's boss location runes can be found inside stone ruins amidst the mountains. Once located, Moder's summoning ritual requires three Dragon Eggs, weighing 200 units each and non-teleportable, to be placed at her altar. Maneuvering these beastly eggs is the real challenge.
How To Find Dragon Eggs
Rather than hiking high and low, scouring the mountains in hopes of stumbling across these giant eggs, climb the highest peak and survey the area, ideally at night. The mountains, like all other biomes, are far more dangerous under cover of darkness. However, it is easier to spot egg locations by the faint glowing purple color they give off.
For more information, be sure to check out our complete guide on finding dragon eggs.
Moving The Eggs
Your standard carrying capacity is 300 units, which means with a weight of 200 units per egg, you're going to have trouble carrying even one along with your necessary traveling and combat gear.
This is where Megingjord comes in, giving you an extra 150-unit carrying capacity. Carrying three eggs is simply out of the question, but this belt will give you wiggle room to carry additional food, weapons, and armor.
We recommend locating and finding a path to Moder's Altar before carrying the eggs. This way, you can mark the Altar location on your map and head straight there from an egg's location.
Setting Up The Battle Area
The mountains can be treacherous, but there are a few steps you can take to make the terrain a bit more suitable for the battle.
One method is to dig a trench around the altar's platform. One end should start near the highest point of the stone wall around the platform. Continue digging a gradual slope around most of the platform, with each end being the shallowest point. If you want even more coverage, you can build a roof over a section of the trench using wooden platforms.
Hiding under this covered section during battle will cause Moder to lose aggro on you. A trench has the added benefit of confusing the AI, sometimes causing Moder to stand still and not attack for a minute as she tries to figure out how to navigate the terrain.
Creating A Small Shelter
Moder can quickly defeat you if you're not ready. To prevent respawning far from the Altar, we also recommend making a small shelter a short distance away from where the battle will be. Here, you can store any items that you don't plan on using, as well as place a bed to serve as your respawn point.
To be extra efficient, you can also put a portal here that links up to your main base. If you happen to die, you can quickly pop through the portal and stock up on supplies that you didn't bring to the smaller shelter.
Moder Battle Tactics
Moder will use three attacks; shooting ice shards, sweeping the ground with her talons, and breathing cold air directly in front of herself. The ranged attacks will do a lot of damage and can quickly kill you, but fortunately, they move slowly enough to dodge.
If you are using the trench method, the fight is pretty straightforward. Every time Moder rears her head and or hovers in the air, run along your trench to put the platform between you. This is really the only tactic you need to best Moder. Even though Moder is weak to fire, poison is a better way to whittle away her health consistently, and poison arrows hit harder than fire arrows.
It's not advised to try taking her on in melee combat as all of her attacks are capable of savaging you in one hit when taking the full brunt of them. This is what the deepest part of the trench is for. Duck down into the trench, and she won't be able to hit you. Standing in the trench behind the tallest part of the altar's wall, in the deeper section, or under the makeshift cover will block all damage from Moder's ranged attacks as long as you put the altar between you.
Overall, keep your distance and shoot Moder continuously to do damage. With stamina-boosting food and frost resistance items, you can keep a safe distance and not fall victim to the cold.
Rewards For Defeating Moder
Upon defeating Moder, you will be rewarded with a new Forsaken power. Using this power will grant you a tailwind while sailing, which lasts for five minutes. With a constant tailwind, you will be able to sail quickly across the ocean.
Moder will also drop ten Dragon Tears. These are used to craft the Artisan Table, which is a unique crafting station that allows you to build structures such as the Windmill and Spinning Wheel.
To make the table, you will just need two Dragon Tears. If, for some reason, you don't have enough, you can resummon Moder again by placing three more Dragon Eggs on her Altar.