Valheim Boss Order: All 7 Bosses in Progression Order (2026)

Valheim’s entire progression is built around its bosses, the Forsaken. There are seven of them, and they must be beaten roughly in order — each one drops a permanent Forsaken Power and the materials or keys you need to survive the next biome. This guide walks through the full Valheim boss order: where to find each boss, what you need to summon it, how to beat it, and what defeating it unlocks.

If you’d rather have an interactive checklist with every summon item, stat and drop in one place, our free Valheim boss tracker covers all seven and lets you tick off your progress as you go.

Valheim boss order at a glance

1. Eikthyr — the Meadows stag

Eikthyr is the first boss and a gentle introduction to the formula. He’s an abnormally large stag with iron chains wrapped around his electrified red antlers, and he has 500 health. You summon him by placing two Deer Trophies on his Forsaken Altar in the Meadows — a nearby Vegvisir runestone will mark his closest location on your map.

He has three attacks: a melee antler swipe, a fan-shaped lightning beam (the Charge), and a 10-metre lightning Stomp. All of these are easy to dodge-roll once you learn the tells, and he can’t be staggered. Bring a flint spear or a crude bow with plenty of arrows, keep moving in a circle, and punish him between attacks. Defeating Eikthyr drops his trophy and three Hard Antlers — used to craft the antler pickaxe, your first mining tool, which opens up the entire metal-tool tech tree. His Forsaken Power cuts run, jump and swim stamina use by 60%, which makes early exploration far less punishing.

2. The Elder — the ancient of the Black Forest

The Elder is a towering tree creature you’ll meet in the Black Forest. Summon him with three Ancient Seeds, which drop from Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans or can be found in Burial Chambers. The key fact here: he is weak to fire. Stock up on fire arrows and a decent bow before the fight.

He attacks with stomping melee, a barrage of homing vines at range, and by summoning roots from the ground to trap and damage you. Fight him in an open area so you can keep your distance, use pillars or stumps to break line of sight on the vine volleys, and rain fire arrows on him. Defeating the Elder drops his trophy and the Swamp Key, which unlocks the Sunken Crypts in the Swamp — your gateway to iron. His Forsaken Power speeds up tree-felling, a huge quality-of-life boost when you’re gathering wood for big builds.

3. Bonemass — the toxic terror of the Swamp

Bonemass is a giant blob of corpses and the first real difficulty spike. Summon him with ten Withered Bones, looted from Sunken Crypts and muddy scrap piles in the Swamp. This is a fight you prepare for: he’s resistant to pierce and slash but weak to blunt damage, so bring an upgraded iron mace, and drink poison resistance mead because his attacks and aura deal heavy poison.

His attacks are a melee swipe, a poison gas cloud, and summoned skeletons/blobs. Tank-and-spank works here: stand in close, swing your mace, top up your poison resist mead as it expires, and heal with the best food you have. Defeating Bonemass drops his trophy and the Wishbone — an essential item that pings when you’re near buried treasure and silver veins, which you’ll need for the next biome. His Forsaken Power grants a big boost to physical damage resistance.

4. Moder — the dragon of the Mountains

Moder is a frost dragon you’ll summon on a Mountain peak using three Dragon Eggs taken from nests scattered across the Mountains (they’re heavy and can’t be teleported, so plan the haul). Frost resistance mead is mandatory up here, both for the biome and the fight.

Moder splits the battle between ground and air. On the ground she does melee bites and a frost breath cone; in the air she dive-bombs and rains down ice shards, so use terrain and rocks for cover. The Draugr Fang bow with good arrows is the standard answer for her flying phase. Defeating Moder drops her trophy and Dragon Tears, used to craft the Artisan Table that unlocks the blast furnace, windmill and spinning wheel. Her Forsaken Power gives you a constant favourable wind while sailing — one of the most useful powers in the game for exploring the seas.

5. Yagluth — the fallen king of the Plains

Yagluth is a colossal skeletal hand that crawls across the Plains. Summon him with five Fuling Totems, dropped by Fuling Berserkers and found in Fuling villages — the Plains are dangerous, so come geared in padded armour with Bonemass’s resistance power ready. He attacks with a sweeping fire-meteor barrage, a fire AoE under himself, and a frost/laser beam.

The fight is all about positioning: stay out from under him to avoid the ground fire, side-strafe the meteors, and close in with blackmetal weapons or a strong bow between salvos. Defeating Yagluth drops his trophy and Yagluth Thing(s), used in late-game crafting. His Forsaken Power reduces incoming fire, frost and lightning damage by a flat amount — invaluable for the elemental hazards of the Mistlands and Ashlands.

6. The Queen — the heart of the Mistlands

The Queen breaks the pattern: she isn’t summoned at standard sacrificial stones. Instead you craft a Sealbreaker from nine Sealbreaker Fragments found in the Infested Mines/Citadel of the Mistlands, then use it to open her arena deep underground. The Mistlands are pitch dark and vertical, so bring a Dvergr lantern or wisp light and plenty of Eitr food if you’re running a magic build.

She’s a fast, aggressive melee fighter who summons Seekers to swarm you and uses a stagger-shout. Fight her on the platforms, keep an escape route, and burn down adds quickly. Defeating the Queen drops her trophy and Mistlands crafting materials. Her Forsaken Power boosts Eitr regeneration — the magic resource — making it the go-to power for battlemage and caster builds heading into the Ashlands.

7. Fader — the Ashlands finale

Fader is the boss of the Ashlands and the toughest fight in Valheim so far. The Ashlands is a brutal, lava-soaked warzone packed with Charred undead, so you should arrive fully kitted in Flametal-tier gear with the best food, fire-resistance potions and healing mead you can carry. Because Fader’s summon materials, exact attack set and drops are tied to the deepest Ashlands content, check the boss tracker for the current, precise requirements before you commit to the fight.

What comes after Fader: the Deep North

For years Fader was the end of the road, but that changes with Valheim 1.0 on September 9, 2026. The full release adds the frozen Deep North as the game’s final biome, complete with new enemies like Gammeltrolls and Elakingar, and brings the game to PS5 and Switch 2 with full crossplay. For everything confirmed, read our Valheim 1.0 and Deep North guide.

Beat every boss with your crew

Boss fights are dramatically better with friends — more damage, someone to revive you, and shared loot runs. A Valheim dedicated server keeps your world online 24/7 so your group can grind summon materials and take on the boss order together whenever they’re online, across PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch 2. Don’t forget to feed the whole team first — see our guide to the best food in Valheim for the strongest pre-fight buffs.

Frequently asked questions

How many bosses are in Valheim?

Seven: Eikthyr, The Elder, Bonemass, Moder, Yagluth, The Queen and Fader. The Deep North biome arrives with 1.0 on September 9, 2026.

Do you have to fight Valheim bosses in order?

Effectively yes. Each boss drops a Forsaken Power plus the materials or keys you need to survive and progress into the next biome, so the order is built into progression.

Which Valheim boss is the hardest?

Fader in the Ashlands is currently the toughest fight, requiring top-tier Flametal gear, fire resistance and the best food available.

What do you get for beating a Valheim boss?

A trophy that you mount on the sacrificial stones to claim a permanent Forsaken Power, plus unique crafting materials. See the boss tracker for full drop and power details.