How to craft a pickaxe in Valheim

The pickaxe is a handy tool in Valheim because it allows you to harvest multiple types of ore you can find in the world. You’ll need this ore if you want to acquire rare metals and ingots, increasing the number of items you can craft, including armor and weapons quality. Obtaining a pickaxe is not as simple as some of the other starting weapons and buildings you first learned how to make. The first pickaxe you can create in the game is called an antler pickaxe.

Where to get the antler pickaxe

You can receive the pickaxe recipe by taking down the first boss in the game, Elkthyr, and they drop antlers. They are the first adversary you have to summon and battle against. If you want to summon Elkthyr, you have to hunt deer enough times to have a deer trophy drop from one of them. Once you have the trophy, you can take it to the altar where the boss is summoned and call them.

The boss is difficult when you initially start the game, so we recommend having a stone axe, eat plenty of food, and have a home where your bed is to respawn if you die. The boss, a large stag that rushes you, is a hard fight. It has three types of attacks you need to avoid, and two of them are ranged. The two ranged attacks fire out lightning attacks at you. You’ll notice these attacks based on the animation at the top of the antlers. Elkthyr also has a close-ranged attack that you need to avoid where it lunges forward after lowering its head.

You’ll want to use a weapon that makes it easy to dodge, and having a few ranged bow attacks, or throwing spears, can make your life effectively easier.

Once you’ve defeated the boss, they have a guaranteed drop for antlers, and you need these ingredients to craft the pickaxe when you’re first starting. You must be at a workbench to craft this item.

• 10 Wood
• 1 Hard Antler

After you’ve created the item, this will be your first level of pickaxe. There are higher quality pickaxes you can make, but you’ll need to obtain copper and iron ore to make them.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.

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