If you can't already guess that by its name, Valheim's Swamp biome is a dark and murky area filled with mud and massive trees. Not only that, but it's always raining in this biome, giving your character the Wet effect (which makes health and stamina regeneration slow down).
These characteristic makes this biome a difficult one to see in, leaving you weak against aggressive creature's attacks. The more prominent type of damage you're going to get while exploring this biome is poison damage since the Swamp is home to poisonous creatures such as Oozers, Blobs, and Leeches. While you can prepare yourself before entering this biome by crafting Poison Resist Mead, here's the best way to deal with each creature and take advantage of each Valheim enemy's weaknesses.
Updated June 7, 2021, by Miguel Amaro: Every biome in Valheim has its own set of challenges, but you'll have to explore and conquer them all if you really want a chance of winning Odin's favor. Out of all the Valheim biomes, the Swamp is one of the more difficult ones to get through, and with the game's early access being out now for some time, we wanted to make sure you'll know what to expect before heading into this biome and how to deal with the creatures you'll encounter.
Bonemass - Get Poiston Resistance
Bonemass is the ultimate baddie in the Swamp biome, he is the game's third boss, and as such, you won't randomly encounter him while exploring around. To fight this creature, you'll have to summon it by making an offering at its Mystical Altar; the offering consists of ten withered bones (which you'll find inside castle ruins or sunken crypts).
When dealing with this boss, you should keep in mind that it's resistant to slash and pierce damage, so forget about using arrows or swords. Instead, go for weapons that deal blunt damage (like war hammers or iron maces) since that's this Valheim monster weakness. Also, there's a high chance you'll get poisoned during this fight, so bringing with you Poison Resistance Mead is a good idea.
Blob - Great For Ooze Drops
Blobs look like a, well, a Blob. This creature is a large and green monster that looks like slime came to life. They like to attack by getting near the player and then releasing an area-of-effect poisonous gas.
These creatures have three tiers:
- 0-stars Blobs: They have 50 Health and deal 70 Poison damage.
- 1-star Blobs: They have 100 Health and deal 105 Poison damage.
- 2-stars Blobs: They have 150 Health and deal 140 Poison damage.
Once killed, a Blob drops Ooze or the Blob trophy. Ooze is a great material you can use to craft powerful ammo, such as Poison arrows and Ooze bombs, so dealing with Blobs will pay off.
How to deal with a Blob
- This Valheim creature's weaknesses are Blunt, Frost, and Lightning damage. They are resistant to Slash, Pierce, Fire and are immune to Poison damage.
- While Blobs are resistant to Pierce damage, it's safer to take them out from a distance using a bow and arrow.
- They can follow you into the ocean and jump into boats, so running into the water will not save you.
- You can kill these creatures with only one hit just by using a Bronze Mace.
Oozer - Three Rarity Tiers
These creatures look similar to Blobs (they're both slimy-like monsters) but are brown in color instead of green. They also have an AoE poisonous attack, but the area is much wider than the Blob's one.
When you kill one of these creatures, it will drop Ooze or Scrap Iron. Oozers also have three tiers of rarity -- each with different stats.
- 0-stars Oozers: These have 150 health and deal 90 of Poison damage.
- 1-star Oozers: These have 300 health and deal 135 of Poison damage.
- 2-stars Oozers: These have 450 health and deal 180 of Poison damage.
How to deal with an Oozer
- Don't think the fight is over once you've managed to kill an Oozer; these creatures will split into Blobs once you kill them. A 0-star Oozer will split into two Blobs, 1-star ones split into four Blobs, and, finally, 2-stars Oozers split into 8 Blobs.
- Oozers are immune to Poison damage, resistant to Slash, Pierce, or Fire damage but this Valheim monster weakness is Blunt, Frost, and Lightning damage.
- Keep in mind that they attack in jumping motions.
Draugr (Not The Skyrim Kind)
According to the game's lore, these creatures were once noble people that challenged the gods and lost the battle against them. Now they've become monsters that walk the earth wearing ancient rusty armor in a constant state of despair.
When killed, these creatures drop the Draugr trophy and Entrails (an item you can use to craft sausages). Depending on the rarity of the Draugr, it will inflict more or less damage.
- A 0-star Draugr deals 45 Slash damage, 48 Pierce damage, and has 100 health.
- An a-1 star Draugr deals 72 Slash damage, 72 Pierce damage, and has 200 health.
- A 2-stars Draugr deals 96 Slash damage, 96 Pierce Damage, and has 300 health.
How to deal with a Draugr
- Draugr in Valheim are tough to kill and since they don't have a specific weakness, so the best thing you can do is learn the game mechanics. You'll know when to parry, when to block, when to sprint or not, how stamina management works, etc.
- Draugrs are resistant to fire and immune to Poison, so don't use weapons that deal that kind of damage against them.
- Keep in mind that they can inflict both melee and ranged damage because they use axes and bows as weapons.
- Since they once were warriors, they can spawn with different pieces of equipment. These creatures can either have a bow, an axe, a shield, and an axe or a banded shield and an axe. Either when you see them, prepare for battle.
Draugr Elite - Now With Pink Eye
If you thought Draugr where a mighty enemy, wait until you face a Draugr Elite. As you can expect, these creatures are larger and stronger than the common Draugr. They also have glowing purple/pink eyes to finish their terrifying look.
When killed, Draugr Elite drops the Draugr Elite trophy and Entrails. They also have three tiers of rarity, those are:
- 0-stars Draugr Elite deal 58 Slash damage and have 200 health.
- 1-star Draugr Elite deal 87 Slash damage and have 400 health.
- 2-stars Draugr Elite deal 116 Slash damage and have 600 health.
How to deal with a Draugr Elite
- Since they have the same move sets as Draugrs, deal with them as you would with their weaker counterparts.
- They are resistant to Fire and immune to Poison.
Leech - Nightmare Fuel
If leeches in the real world weren't scary enough, in Valheim, these creatures are 2 meters long! They can also deal with Poison damage and have three types of rarity.
- 0-stars Leeches have 60 health and can deal 20 Pierce damage and 60 Poison damage.
- 1-star Leeches have 120 health and deal 30 Pierce damage as well as 90 Poison damage.
- 2-stars Leeches have 180 health and deal 40 Pierce damage as well as 120 Poison damage.
When killed, these creatures drop the Leech trophy and Bloodbags (an item you can use for crafting and building).
How to deal with a Leech
- They can only move in water, so you'll be safe on land.
- They are resistant to Poison and immune to Fire and Spirit damage.
- You can use the Hoe to level the ground and create a safe path in the terrain, this way, you can avoid the Leeches-infested waters in the Swamp.
(Spooky, Scary) Skeleton
You'll find these creatures in the Swamps and the Black Forest; they are the ones in charge of guarding Burial Chambers and Ruined towers. Since they are guards, Skeletons will spawn with certain weapons. They can have bows, swords, a sword, and shield, or a sword and bronze buckler.
Once you kill one of them, you'll get the Skeleton trophy or Bone fragments ( an item you can use to craft and make upgrades). As with the other creatures, Skeletons have three tiers of rarity.
- 0-stars Skeletons have 40 health and deal 25 of Slash damage and 20 of Pierce damage.
- 1-star Skeletons have 80 health and deal 37.5 of Slash damage and 30 of Pierce damage.
- 2-stars Skeletons have 120 health and deal 50 of Slash damage and 40 of Pierce damage.
How to deal with a Skeleton
- They can have a bow or a sword, so prepare for a battle that includes melee and ranged combat.
- Skeletons are resistant to Pierce and Frost damage and immune to Poison damage. However, this Valheim creature's weaknesses are Blunt and Fire damage.
- Since they are weak to Blunt damage, use weapons like the Bronze Mace or the Stagbreaker.
Surtling - They Can't Swim
These creatures are small but can be a real pain if you stumble across a group of them. They like to attack Greydwarfs and the player by throwing fireballs at them. This will set the target on fire, causing it to receive damage over time. Also, there is a chance you'll get raided by Surtlings during the later stages of the game.
You'll find these little guys in the Swamps near Fire geysers or next to Runestones. Once you kill them, they'll drop the Surtling trophy, Surtling core (an item you'll need to build things like the Smelter or to make Fireworks), or Coal (an item you can use to fuel Smelters and Blast furnaces).
Surtlings also have three tiers of rarity with each one having different stats.
- 0-stars Surtlings will deal 10 Blunt damage, 40 Fire damage, and have 20 health.
- 1-star Surtlings will deal 15 Blunt damage, 60 Fire damage, and have 40 health.
- 2-stars Surtlings will deal 20 Blunt damage, 80 Fire damage, and have 60 health.
How to deal with a Surtling
- Keep in mind that they'll spawn in groups of 2 or 4.
- They are immune to Fire, Poison, and Spirit damage but this Valheim enemy's weakness is Frost damage.
- You can dig around the geyser where they spawn and lure them into the water; they'll die pretty quickly that way.
Wraith - Less Spooky Outside The Swamp
These creatures kinda look like the Dementors from Harry Potter, so you know they are dangerous. Wraiths can fly and will spawn at night in the abandoned houses you'll see throughout the Swamp.
Once you've managed to kill one of these, they'll drop the Wraith trophy and Chain (an item you can use in crafting to make things like the Black metal shield or the Wolf armor chest. You can also use Chain to build Forge bellows and Hanging brazier)
You can encounter three different types of Wraith.
- 0-stars Wraith deals 60 Slash damage and has 100 health.
- 1-star Wraith deals 90 Slash damage and has 200 health.
- 2-stars Wraith deals 120 Slash damage and has 300 health.
How to deal with a Wraith
- While they have a defense, these creatures need to get close to you to deal any damage, so you can attack them with bows or by throwing spears.
- If you need to get close to them, try to Parry them with a bronze shield or higher.
- Because they fly, the water won't slow them down, and you can actually lure them outside the Swamp, where they are less of a threat.
- Wraiths are resistant to Blunt, Slash, and Pierce damage and immune to Frost or Poison damage. Still, this Valheim monster's weaknesses are Fire and Spirit damage.