Valheim Deer Boss: Eikthyr Guide

Valheim's deer boss, Eirthyr, is one of the first major enemies warriors will encounter while exploring the land.

Eirthyr is actually a stand-in for Eirthyrnir (Eikþyrnir)—roughly translated to "oak-thorny." According to the Prose Edda, Eirthyrnir stands either in or atop Valhalla, depending on the translation. He bites at the limbs of the tree above and from his antlers blood drops into the cosmic pool Hvergelmir located at the base of Yggdrasil. This pool is also the home of Nidhoggr, the serpent-dragon who chews the bones of honorless souls alongside the roots of the tree.

Here's how to take him down.

Valheim Deer Boss: Eikthyr Guide

To find Eikthyr, players first need to find the Vegvisir runestone at the stone summoning circle spawn location. Interacting it will direct the player to where they can find his altar. They will need two deer trophies as an offering and can make said offering by placing that stack of items on their hotbar and hitting the corresponding key once near the altar, itself.

Eirthyr has two major attacks he will use to hit players: a charge and a lightning strike from his antlers. We recommend making sure each challenger is equipped with leather armor, a shield (tower is best, but any will do), and a ranged weapon.

The stag's lightning strike can be blocked completely depending on the shield type and whether or not the player is facing him. His charged attack requires him to put distance between them, so players can use this opportunity to determine the best way to dodge and get some ranged hits in from the safety of a few yards away.

The rewards for eliminating Eirthyr are:

• Three Hard Antlers
• Eirthyr Trophy

Once claimed, the trophy can be placed on a stone in the stone summoning circle to unlock a unique stamina cost reduction buff that allows players to run and jump for less.

This isn't the first time Norse mythology references male deer—or "harts"—as four stags also feed on Yggdrasil's branches: Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Durathrór (Duraþrór). However, it appears they don't make an appearance in the tenth realm.

Valheim is available in Early Access on Windows and Linux machines for $19.99 USD via Steam.