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How to beat Valheim's Moder boss, and unlock black metal crafting

We'll also show you how to unlock the Artisan's Table.

The fourth boss fight in Valheim sees you going head-to-head with a fierce mama dragon.

Game of Thrones fans in particular might feel themselves to be on familiar ground with Moder, a territorial Wyvern summoned by sacrificing three dragon eggs.

Did you know that Valheim is now available for free via Game Pass?

While Valheim bosses only seem to get scarier as the game goes on, there's something undeniably tragic about Moder, too — perhaps because her name literally translates as "mother".

Read on for everything we know about how to overcome these mommy issues and beat the dragon boss in Valheim.

How to summon Moder in Valheim

Like all bosses in Valheim, you need to summon Moder at a sacrificial altar before you can fight her.

Moder's altar is located in the Mountains. You can find the rune stone with directions to its location inside one of the stone buildings in the region.

The altar you're after is made of stone and stands out because it's surrounded by three offering bowls. These bowls are where you need to place the three dragon eggs required to summon her.

Dragon eggs can be collected from nests around the Mountains region. They're easy enough to spot, since they glow bright purple and emit a faint hum.

They're also incredibly heavy, weighing 200 each, so your character can only carry one at a time. Even with the Megingjord belt equipped to increase your carry limit, you'll only just have room for two, and that's if you're otherwise travelling light. Solo players will have to make multiple trips.

Incidentally, this is the second time in Valheim you summon a boss via a ritual sacrifice of its symbolic offspring. Just remember that this is a purgatorial realm you're reclaiming for King Odin and so you're... probably... still the good guys? Whatever, at least you don't have to burn them this time.

How to defeat Moder in Valheim

The inhospitable environment of the Mountains can pose as much of a threat to you as Moder herself. At the risk of sounding like your mother, remember to wrap up warm before you start this boss fight.

Craft some wolf armour (made with wolf pelts and the silver you were able to start mining after the last boss fight) and bring along several bottles of frost resistance mead.

As a Valheim boss, Moder has three types of attack; but uniquely, she will alternate between flying and landing as she fights you.

While airborne, Moder spits projectiles at you that freeze upon impact. On the ground, Moder can either claw at you for a melee attack, or freeze you with her blizzard breath.

Her two cold attacks are particularly worrisome: they will both damage you and slow you down, leaving you more vulnerable to Moder's claws as you recover. Luckily, that frost resistance mead you brought along is effective against her, too.

Moder has a comparatively long build-up during which she telegraphs her attacks. Learn to spot what's incoming and you should have enough time to dodge out of the way of whatever she plans to throw at you. She'll also occasionally roar between attacks, during which time she is particularly vulnerable to damage.

Unsurprisingly, this flying boss is best tackled with ranged weapons. Pack the best bow you've got — by this stage of the game, you should be able to craft the Huntsman bow. Any strong arrows should do, but consider bringing along poisoned arrows if you can, since they deal extra damage over time.

Despite putting on an impressive airshow, Moder is actually a bit easier to take down than the previous boss, Bonemass. As long as you came prepared for the cold — which you needed to be to get very far in the Mountains anyway — you should be able to dodge her attacks and chip away at her health with your arrows without too much trouble.

What to do after you've beaten Moder in Valheim

After being defeated, Moder drops her trophy. Equipping its power at a Sacrificial Stone gives you a great advantage while sailing — the wind will magically always be at your back, allowing you to traverse the game's waterways much more quickly and easily.

She'll also drop a dragon tear as she dies (seriously, do you feel bad yet?). Take this to a crafting table and you can create the newly unlocked artisan's table.

The artisan's table brings many benefits. Crucially, it unlocks the blast furnace, which is where you can craft black metal scraps into bars. Black metal bars are used to craft some of the strongest armour and weapons in the game.


For more Valheim tips, here's our full guide hub.

When you're ready to go after the game's final boss, be sure to check out our guide to defeating Yagluth.

Or if you're looking to take on the game's bosses from the top, try our guide to defeating the game's first boss, Eikthyr the Stag.

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About the Author
Rebecca Jones avatar

Rebecca Jones

Guides Writer

Rebecca (she/her) is a veteran fan of the life sim genre, and has racked up almost 2,000 hours of play time between The Sims 4 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons alone. She still isn't sure whether that's a badge of honour or a source of shame. She's been in the games industry for over 4 years.

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