In the new survival game Valheim , more and more players are defeating the boss “The Ancient” and finding the swamp key from him. MeinMMO explains what you can do with the key and how to find swamps.
What are swamps? The swamp is one of the biomes in Valheim, usually found as the third area after the meadows and the black forest. Stronger enemies await here, such as undead Draugr, blobs, wraiths, and giant leeches.
The enemies are already an indicator that players with little experience and poor equipment should not enter here. However, players who have progressed further in the game must visit the swamp to advance.
However, you should kill the second boss of the game, The Ancient in the Black Forest, first. Otherwise, your trip to the swamp will bring you little benefit.
Finding swamps in Valheim – Here’s how
Where do I find swamps? The map of Valheim is randomly generated for every player who starts a server. The appearance of the map is determined by its “seed”, which is the code for its layout.
There is no fixed position where a swamp appears. However, swamps can usually be found near water and somewhere between a black forest and a meadow. Swamps are very small areas and not as expansive as the other biomes.
It’s best to search the shores of your island by sailing with a boat. If you see withered trees, brown spots, or glowing green slime, you have found a swamp.
What do I need for this? Basically, you should be well equipped. At least bronze weapons and tools are a must, and your armor should be a troll hide armor or similar. Poison resistance mead will also help you in battle. You can find out how to make mead in Valheim in our guide.
Additionally, you should bring the swamp key, which you find with the Ancient. You need it to fully exploit the treasures of the swamp.
To discover a swamp, a boat is recommended. This way, you’re safer and usually faster on your way. It’s best to build a karve and not a raft. The small boat is much more maneuverable, faster, and can carry four units of cargo.
A portal to the swamp is also useful, as it will likely be far from your base. You can’t transport metals with it, but you can quickly travel to repair your equipment or stock up your inventory.
Finding and defeating the Ancient
Where do I find the Ancient? The Ancient is the boss of the Black Forest biome. To find him, you need to locate his shrine in the Black Forest. The shrine is a fire bowl on a large stone surface, surrounded by stone pillars.
If you cannot find his shrine, look for a Vegvisir in the ruins of the Black Forest, which will show you where to find the boss. Once you find the boss, you’ll need three Ancient seeds to sacrifice at his fire pit.
What can the boss do? The Ancient is a tough opponent who can deal damage to you both in melee and from a distance. If you get too close, he can almost instantly kill you with powerful thorns attacks and destroys any cover – even large rocks.
At a distance, he fires long vines in quick succession that are hard to dodge and cause great damage. He also summons vines from the ground that can damage you.
How do I defeat the boss? For the boss, you should definitely fight during the day and prepare well: with food and possibly mead to buff yourself.
Also pack fire arrows and your strongest bow. Clear the area of enemies before summoning the boss.
During the fight, you should keep your distance and seek cover behind the pillars of his cult site. He cannot destroy them and his vines cannot penetrate through them. Hide when he attacks and shoot at him during the pauses.
If vines appear beneath you, you should change your position. In the embedded video, you can see how the fight unfolds:
Using the swamp key and finding iron
What do I do with the key? Once you have defeated the Ancient, you will receive both his trophy and the swamp key from him. You can use the key to open sunken crypts in the swamps, which are otherwise blocked. So make sure to take it on your journeys.
What do I find in the crypts? The sunken crypts are dungeons, similar to the burial chambers in the Black Forest. Here you will find muddy scrap heaps that you can and must mine with a pickaxe.
The heaps block your way through the crypts and must be removed first. In them, you will find among other things:
- rotten bones
- leather scraps
- and iron scraps, the most important from the swamp biome
Scattered throughout the crypts are also chests with iron scraps, ancient bark, and some treasures. The crypts are guarded by blobs and draugr, which shouldn’t be a problem for you if you were able to defeat the Ancient.
Take what you can carry and store it in a small outpost until the crypts are all empty. Then you should head back. Iron is quite heavy, so you will need to make several trips.
What are biomes in Valheim?
Swamps are just one of the biomes you can find in Valheim. The world is currently divided into six biomes. The biomes are:
- Meadows – This is usually where you start your journey
- Black Forest – The second area, where you find the first metals
- Swamps – More dangerous areas with iron
- Mountains – Cold areas that you should explore only with frost resistance mead
- Plains – Expansive plains with goblin-like enemies
- Oceans – The large water between the areas with rare materials
As the developers have already revealed, even more biomes are coming, including misty lands. However, we do not yet know what you can find there.
Which biomes have you explored already? Have you found and conquered your swamp yet? Let us know in the comments.
With the new materials from the swamp, you can not only craft new weapons but also new components for your base – including stone foundations. If you’re still looking for inspiration, you can find 3 cool bases in Valheim that can serve as a great example on MeinMMO.
