The first boss of Valheim is no easy feat to defeat, especially not when players attempting to rush forward fail to prepare properly. Progression in Valheim is locked behind bosses, so it's no surprise that properly attacking these monstrous creatures is one of the key aspects of mastering Valheim's combat system.
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The deer behemoth Eikthyr is both a nuisance and a necessity for advancing, as his death allows you to acquire the antler pickaxe. While he isn't the hardest boss in Valheim, he is challenging for anyone new to certain aspects of videogame combat attempting to progress through this nordic mythology-inspired survival game.
10 Memorize His Attack Patterns
While this may seem like obvious advice, taking this boss's advice in a slow, methodical manner is the key to defeating him. He has certain attacks that deal area-of-effect damage, and others in which he simply charges. Aspiring miners should pay attention to each attack and make sure they prepare for the ones that are giving them the most trouble. Players shouldn't be afraid to go through several trial runs before properly defeating him, and if they are having trouble they probably have one or two particular issues they need to focus on.
9 Use A Shield
Eikthyr is a very fast boss, with a lot of range to all of his attacks. So, while rolling away is an option, it isn't the best option against this particular boss. Instead, players should consider using a shield to block, as well as parry. This negates most of the damage if the blocker has enough stamina, as well as preserves their position next to the boss to allow for a few easy hits afterward. The tower shield negates some movement speed, so the buckler is likely the best option for attacking this boss.
8 Use A Fast Weapon
While Eikthyr is not a slow boss, he certainly leaves plenty of openings that can be exploited by players. This advice can be applied to any weapon, even the worst of the worst.
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If one of the players is using a bow, they should make sure not to shoot too many drawn shots, and instead focus on short-range but fast shots. They may have an extreme arc, but that doesn't mean that they aren't going to save the life of the average bow-wielding player at least a few times during the fight.
7 Bring Friends
Eikthyr is best fought with friends, as are all of the bosses in Valheim. He normally acts aggressive towards the closest person, so a few players on bows and a few with farmable flint spears and shields are ideal for fighting this lightning monstrosity.
Other builds are viable, such as all melee or all ranged, but players should be sure that they don't underestimate Eikthyr's damage. That being said, it's generally better to specialize. Melee players can focus on blocking while the ranged players can focus on whittling down that absurd health bar.
6 Stay Away From Rough Terrain
While it is important to stop your average player from getting stuck on some rocky terrain, it is even worse to have the boss get stuck and start using attacks that don't hit anything or make him impossible to hit. In a way, this is to keep the boss safe and not the players, since Eikthyr can dash very quickly into inconvenient places that can severely hamper the group's damage per second. Players should be sure to fight away from trees and rocks, preferably in a field.
5 Avoid The Sea
During the Eikthyr boss fight, the sea will swell to ridiculous proportions. He has the effect of creating storms since he is a lightning deer, which can make the boss fight a horrible experience for everyone involved. Players should not be afraid to lure Eikthyr into a nearby field, or even the woods, rather than the coast, since not only does the water make itself known, but he also can get stuck on rocks and cliffs. In general, players should stay away from the sea, as it is a death trap during this fight.
4 Prepare An Arena
It may seem that the terrain around the average shrine to Eikthyr will suffice for a proper battle, but most of the time Eikthyr is found in the forest or meadows, which makes the falling of trees a significant threat to the entire party. Eikthyr also dashes around objects sometimes, and so clearing out a large area also has the side effect of making him more predictable, not to mention the fact that the extra wood is always handy to come upon for fires, tools, and arrows.
3 Enter With A Full Stomach
The buff that players receive from having a full stomach on entering the fight is significant. For one, it grants you extra health depending on the food that the player has eaten. Not only that, but they also grant extra stamina that can be used for blocking, rolling, and running away from area-of-effect attacks.
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Players should come equipped with food before the fight, during the fight, and perhaps even after depending on where they chose to fight him. If it's far away, the road home may be dangerous after all.
2 Archers Should Roll
Anyone with a bow should know by the time they fight Eikthyr that blocking isn't particularly effective with this weapon. Instead, ambitious archers should focus on timing their rolls to take advantage of precious invincibility frames and dodge attacks. Practice with this technique is usually necessary, but if players want to focus on archery, this is an important part of their gameplan for all future bosses as well. Archers should also have flinthead arrows by this point and should bring extra in case the fight goes longer than expected.
1 Leather Armor Is Important
Leather armor is particularly important against Eikthyr as it is the first real armor players can acquire and upgrade to their liking other than the armor crafted from leather scraps. Players should have max upgraded leather armor before entering this fight, as well as other preparations to take advantage of the maximum defensive stats available at this point in the game. Speed is important for armor users, but leather armor doesn't reduce movement speed so anyone can reasonably be expected to be able to wear this flexible, common, and highly prized armor set.