One of the more vital things you can learn in Valheim to get yourself established is to know how to get your tools made and to learn how to use them well. Unfortunately for you, though, when you start the game, you appear in the Meadows region with one goal laid out before you: find and defeat Eikthyr. Considering that getting your hands on a pickaxe is weirdly linked to your very first goal, it might be a little bit complicated to get your first pickaxe so we’ve made you a guide so that way your journey is made a little bit easier.

How to Get a Pickaxe in Valheim

Getting a pickaxe is a bit more of a complicated process than it is in most survival games but thankfully it’s still fairly straightforward. Like I mentioned, before, if you’re looking to get a pickaxe you’re better off preparing for the fight against Eikthyr first as that will give you your first antler resource, and picking that up for the first time gives you the recipe for your first pickaxe. Prior to facing off against Eikthyr, though, you’re going to want a full set of leather armor, three types of food, and a decent long and close-range weapon. You can also establish a base with a bed nearby to use as a spawn point so, should this prove to be difficult for you, you can attempt another time without wasting too much time. Once you have this all prepared, we can go to the first step.

How to Defeat Eikthyr

You’ll have to have two deer heads at the ready in order to summon the beast Eikthyr when you get to its Summoning Stone and place them on the Stone to perform the sacrifice. Once you’ve done so, Eikthyr appears and you’ll have to defeat it in order to get the recipe and your first instance of a hard antler. How much trouble you’ll have with this boss really depends on your ability to properly kite this boss, which means finding a safe place to dodge its ranged attack and stay distant enough to avoid close-ranged attacks. Using a bow is the best way to do this but slowly chipping health away by jutting in and out of close-range is also an option that could work but is riskier. Once it’s dead, you can loot his body for the antler, and once you do that, you unlock the recipe for the pickaxe.

How to Craft the Pickaxe

In order to craft the pickaxe, you’re going to need 10 Wood and 1 Hard Antler. You’ll definitely want to keep the Hard Antler safe because, at this point in time, the only way you can get them is by defeating Eikthyr so make sure they stay guarded and in storage until you are using them for crafting because you do not want to lose them.

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