Valheim: What are raids and how to survive them – Guide

During your time in Valheim, you will have been casually minding your own business when seemingly out of nowhere you are attacked by mobs of the residents of the afterlife. It is important to know what raids are in Valheim and how to survive them if you are looking to progress and stay safe.

These raids are also known as ‘events.’ They are progress-related, and will change as certain milestones are reached throughout the game. Knowing what triggers these events will allow you to prepare for each one in advance.

Raid events and their triggers

These raids, or events, are randomly triggered throughout the game depending on how far you have progressed. The type of mob will be determined by which bosses you have beaten and the biome you are in, among other factors.

The events have a 20% chance to occur every 46 minutes. They are preluded by a message announcing the beginning of the raid. The list of raids, the time they last, the in-game message you receive, and their parameters are listed below.

• Boars and Necks (90 seconds)- “Eikthyr rallies the creatures of the forest.” This mob will attack from the very beginning of the game and will stop happening when you beat the first boss: Eikthyr. They will attack in the Meadow and Blackforest biomes.
• The Greydwarf Variants (120 seconds) – “The forest is moving…” A horrible hoard of Greydwarves will come and mess up your day once you have beaten Eikthyr, and will continue to do so until you defeat The Elder. They will attack in Meadows, Black Forest, Swamps, and Plains.
• Draugrs and Skeletons (150 seconds) – “A foul smell from the swamp” welcomes these boney bandits into a raid you need to survive in Valheim. They appear after killing The Elder and until you kill Bonemass. They exist in the same Biomes as the Greydwarfs as well as the mountains.
• Drakes and a freezing debuff in the area (150 seconds) – “A cold wind blows from the mountains” freezes and fills the area with Drakes. They will appear post-Bonemass and pre-Moder, the fourth boss. This event will begin in the same biomes as the Draugr events.
• Fulings, Fuling Berserkers, and Fuling shamans (120 seconds) – “The horde is attacking” tolls the bell for the final boss-related horde that can raid in Valheim. They will attack from the fall of Bonemass until you slay Yagluth. They will only attack in Meadows, Black Forest, or Plains.

Screenshot via PC Invasion

What are enemy raids and how to survive them in Valheim?

There are a number of individual hordes triggered by other events in-game, linked in part to bosses and also the number of enemies defeated.

• Trolls (80 Seconds) – “The ground is shaking.” After defeating your first Troll and The Elder, you will begin getting raided by Trolls. This can occur in Meadows, Black Forest, Swamp, or Plains.
• Blobs (120 Seconds) – “A foul smell from the swamp” comes onscreen before being attacked by Blobs and Oozers. They will attack after defeating Bonemass and appear in the Meadows, Black Forest, Swamp, and Plains biomes.
• Skeletons (120 Seconds) – “Skeleton Surprise” welcomes the boney bandits in after defeating Bonemass. They can come and ruin your day in Meadows, Black Forest, Swamps, Plains, and the Mistlands.
• Surtlings (120 Seconds) – “There’s a smell of sulfur in the air.” These appear after killing your first Surtling and killing Bonemass, they’ll track you down in Meadows, Black Forest, Swamps, or Plains.
• Wolves (120 Seconds) – “You are being hunted” pops up on the screen, as does a pack of wolves. These ferocious canines appear after defeating Bonemass and after killing a few wolves. They only appear in Mountains and Plains, thankfully.
• Bats (120 Seconds) – “You stirred the cauldron” introduces these spooky guys. Sadly, they can appear wherever they like and will start to spawn after you have defeated Bonemass and killed a certain amount of bats.

Screenshot via PC Invasion

A few notes on raids

• The player does not actually need to physically kill an enemy for it to count towards an event happening. If a wolf walks into the water and drowns, this adds toward the death count.
• When a Troll event starts, get as far away from your buildings as possible; they will turn everything into matchsticks.
• Events will not trigger inside dungeons.
• Raid-spawned enemies are in hunt mode; they will hurt you and know exactly where you are. You cannot run, and you cannot hide.