How to summon the first boss in Valheim

Valheim doesn’t only have skeletons and boars. The land is also inhabited by mysterious creatures that can be summoned for you to fight. These are considered bosses and drop rare loot, also required kills for progressing through the game. This guide will walk you through how to summon Eikthyr, the first boss in Valheim.

Where to summon the boss in Valheim

When you first spawn into Valheim, immediately interact with the red stone next to you. This will mark the first boss’s summoning location on your map. Make your way to the marked location. It’s best to set up camp in between these two spots as you will often go back and forth.

What to sacrifice to summon the boss in Valheim

When you reach the summoning area, interact with the glowing red rock and note what it says. Above it will be a stone animal; this is the animal you will need to sacrifice to summon the boss. You won’t be sacrificing their meat, however. In Valheim, every time you defeat an enemy, there is a chance a Trophy will drop. This summoning circle calls for Deer Trophies.

Related: How to Find Soft Tissue in Valheim via Gamer Journalist

The best way to kill deer is with a bow. However, you need leather to craft a bow, so you might not have the required materials. Deer scare easily, but you can sneak behind them and wack them with your ax. Kill as many as necessary to collect two Trophies. Once you have the Trophies, return to the summoning circle.

How to summon the boss in Valheim

Put the Trophies on your Hotbar and press the corresponding key while looking at the stone table. Once you defeat the boss, sacrifice his Trophy on the stone table you spawned next to.

How to summon Eikthyr using a controller on Xbox

Valheim is now available on Xbox systems and can be downloaded as part of Xbox Game Pass. As such, Valheim has controller support on Xbox platforms, but the text hasn’t been fully adjusted away from keyboard bindings. The Eikthyr battle is a perfect example, as the stone table says the player must offer [1-8] without specifying what these numbers mean on a controller.

The numbers on the Mystical altar used to summon Eikthyr refer to the hotbar and not the number of items that need to be used, as some players might assume. This means that the player needs to put the Trophies in one of the specified hotbar slots, approach the table, and press up on the D-pad with the Trophies selected to sacrifice the items, causing Eikthyr to be summoned.