Surtling Cores are one of the most mysterious crafting components in the early stages of the game. These glowing cubes are an essential material for moving into the Bronze Age of Valheim where you can start to craft weapons with serious damage potential. Getting your hands on Surtling Cores is no simple task, and you'll need to be prepared with some upgraded tools before you even attempt to find these rare objects. If you're preparing to take on The Elder, here's everything you need to know about Surtling Cores: when to start looking for them, where to find them, and what they are used to for.
When Is The Right Time To Search For Surtling Cores?
Surtling Cores open up a lot of possibilities for the type of gear you can make and how you travel around the world, but there's really no sense in pursuing these treasures until you've already defeated Valheim's first boss, Eikthyr.
Unfortunately, there isn't a single thing you can craft with Surtling Cores until you also have access to copper and tin, and you can't get copper and tin until you defeat Eikthyr and craft the antler pickaxe. You can easily obtain Surtling Cores before your defeat Eikthyr, and there's really nothing wrong with stockpiling a few for later, but for the sake of efficiency it's best to focus on preparing yourself for the Eikthyr fight before worrying about collecting Surtling Cores.
Where Do You Find Surtling Cores?
In the early game, Surtling Cores are found exclusively in the Burial Chambers and Troll Caves peppered throughout the various Black Forest biomes on the starting island. Most Burial Chambers are easy to spot because they are often guarded by skeletons. If you see any skeletons while traveling through the Black Forest, make sure you search for nearby Burial Chambers are mark them on your map. Troll Caves are not usually guarded and a nearby troll does not necessarily mean there is a cave in the area, but the entrances to Troll Caves are fairly large and hard to miss.
The Burial Chambers are difficult encounters filled with winding hallways that are easy to get lost in. The early Burial Chambers are typically filled with skeletons and ghosts. If you're attempting to solo a Burial Chamber, your best bet is to bring a large shield and a club. Sharp weapons like swords and arrows are relatively ineffective against skeletons, but blunt weapons like a club or mace should do the tricks. You'll find Surtling Cores in chests and in dead ends throughout most of these underground instances.
What Are Surtling Cores Used For?
Surtling Cores are used to make three structures: smelters, charcoal kilns, and portals. Smelters are used to turn raw metal or into refined metal bars. By combining ore and charcoal in the smelter, you can create tin, copper, and iron bars. The charcoal kiln turns wood into charcoal, so it's a good idea to keep your smelter and your kiln relatively close to each other. The smelter and the kiln require five Surtling Cores each.
Portals are used to teleport between two places. Portals have to be in range of a workbench and you cannot travel through a portal if you are carrying any time of metal, either ore or refined bars. Portals are a great way to connect to bases on distant islands and in different biomes.