How to Summon the First Boss in Valheim: Eikthyr Guide

Eikthyr is the first boss in Valheim, and to summon him you need to place two deer trophies in your hotbar, go to his stone altar in the Meadows biome, and present the trophies to trigger the fight in a lightning storm. This guide explains how to summon the first boss in Valheim, Eikthyr, ensuring you know exactly what steps to take for progression. If you're new to Valheim or stuck on this early boss, this is the key step that unlocks progression, including better tools like the antler pickaxe and a useful Forsaken power.

Before you start the fight, you’ll need to hunt deer for trophies, prepare your armor and weapons, and find Eikthyr’s altar. From there, the guide walks through the exact summoning steps, how to beat him safely, what rewards you get, and what to do next after the battle. After gathering your trophies and preparing your gear, you'll be ready to face Eikthyr and move forward in your Valheim adventure.

How to Summon Eikthyr Using Two Deer Trophies

Look at the red Vegvisir runestone at your starting spawn point. Press the use key to mark Eikthyr's altar on your map, which marks the altar in the game world within the Meadows, the starting biome. Travel to the marked location in the Meadows. Place two deer trophies inside your item hotbar, then select them with the corresponding number or number key before interacting. Walk up to the stone altar, the Mystical Altar, and present the trophies. A dark storm filled with lightning starts right before Eikthyr appears.

Once you have summoned Eikthyr, you will need to be ready for the fight, so make sure you are fully prepared before presenting the trophies.

Hunting Deer for Deer Trophies

Crouch down to stalk wild deer from behind, using nearby trees as cover. Pay attention to wind direction, since approaching from the right direction helps you avoid scaring them. Use a crude bow to land a stealthy headshot for an instant kill. If needed, you can shoot from long range instead of closing in. Regular deer have a fifteen percent chance to drop a trophy. Hunt one-star or two-star elite deer to get a guaranteed trophy drop. Collect two trophies to complete this phase.

Once you have two deer trophies, you are ready to locate Eikthyr's altar.

Summon And Defeat: Prep Before Battle

Equipment Preparation

• Craft a flint spear and a crude bow at your workbench; your gear does not need to be fancy, but you should still arrive prepared for the fight.

  

• Build a wooden round shield or a tower shield to help protect you while blocking and reduce the chance of getting caught by an early hit.

  

• Make a full set of leather armor from deer hides.

  

Food and Buffs

• Eat three different food items like cooked meat, neck tails, and raspberries.

  

• Sit near a campfire to activate your rested bonus for faster stamina recovery.

  

Being prepared matters more than overgearing for this first boss. Once you have your equipment, food, and buffs ready, it's time to double-check your readiness before the battle.

Quick Checklist Before Summoning

• Put two deer trophies in your hotbar.

• Equip your flint spear.

• Hold a repaired shield.

• Wear your leather armor.

• Eat three foods and get the rested buff.

With your checklist complete, you are now set to face Eikthyr. Next, let's look at how to handle the fight itself.

Defeat Eikthyr: Combat Strategy

Blocking and Dodging

Hold your shield up for blocking his electrical attacks and watch your stamina. Sidestep his charging headbutt at the last second. His three attacks are lightning, headbutt, and charge. This creature also has a sizable health pool, so beating him safely is better than rushing and getting hit.

Attack Opportunities

Strike Eikthyr with your flint spear during the calm windows between his attacks. You can also use the bow at long range and fire arrows if you want extra distance during the fight. Run around the large stone pillars if you need to recover your stamina.

Once you have defeated Eikthyr, you can collect your rewards and unlock new progression options.

Rewards: Eikthyr Trophy, Hard Antlers, Forsaken Power

• Eikthyr Trophy: Pick up the Eikthyr trophy from the ground after his health bar hits zero. Take the trophy back to the starting sacrificial stones and the stone slab at spawn. You can hang the trophy head on the hook there to unlock his Forsaken Power. If it does not activate right away, interact with the slab again so you do not have trouble claiming the power.

  

• Hard Antlers: Gather the hard antlers from his dropped loot. Use the hard antlers at a workbench to craft your first antler pickaxe.

  

  • The antler pickaxe costs exactly one hard antler and ten woods. You can craft this tool at a level one workbench.

• Forsaken Power: Interact with the mounted trophy at spawn to claim your power, which in the game grants a Forsaken Power buff for movement.

With your new rewards, you are ready to explore new areas and unlock further progression.

Aftermath: Use Forsaken Power And Travel To Black Forest

Press the activate power key to cut your sprint stamina drain by sixty percent, reducing stamina use while running and jumping. Use your new antler pickaxe to mine copper and tin. This mining prepares your character for the Black Forest biome. Look for underground Burial Chambers to find Surtling Cores once you enter the forest. Defeating Eikthyr also sets you up for The Elder in the Black Forest.

Now that you know how to summon the first boss in Valheim and claim your rewards, you are well on your way to conquering the next challenges in the game.