On this page6 sections
- Fight hybrid:
Draugr Fang with 
Obsidian or 
Needle Arrows while she flies, 
Silver Sword when she lands. - Wear a
Wolf Fur Cape and keep 
Frost Resistance Mead as backup in case you die and lose the cape. - Prepare the arena first: flatten the ground, raise earth pillars and dig a trench around the altar.
- Leave
Frostner at home: Moder is immune to both Frost and Spirit. - Her 10
Dragon Tears unlock the Artisan Table, your gateway to the Plains.
Why Moder Is Unlike Any Boss Before Her
Moder is arguably the most frustrating boss for unprepared players. She is not the hardest hitter, but she is the first boss that refuses to stay on the ground. This massive frost dragon, mother of all 
Drakes, alternates between airborne and grounded phases, and you spend much of the fight dodging ice from above while waiting for her to land.
Veterans call her a patience check more than a skill check. The real dangers are environmental:
- Freezing temperatures
Stone Golems wandering into the fight- Wolves joining the chaos at night
- Treacherous terrain that makes dodging a nightmare
The good news: with proper arena setup and the right gear, Moder is very manageable even solo. The bad news: preparation means hauling three 200-weight 
Dragon Eggs up a mountain, which is a boss fight in itself.
Moder Combat Stats
| Health | 7,500 |
| Bite (Grounded) | 120 Pierce, 7m range, 30s cooldown |
| Claw Swipe (Grounded) | 110 Slash, 10m range, 30s cooldown per claw |
| Spit Shotgun (Airborne) | 30 Pierce + 200 Frost per icicle (16 projectiles), 8s cooldown |
| Cold Breath (Grounded) | 200 Frost, 30m line, 8s cooldown |
| Weakness | Fire (1.5x damage) |
| Immune To | Frost, Spirit (Chop and Pickaxe do nothing) |
| Neutral To | Blunt, Slash, Pierce, Poison (x1) |
Finding and Summoning Moder
Find the altar
Her Forsaken Altar sits high in the Mountains. Its location is revealed by Vegvisir runestones in ruined stone structures across the biome, usually at the top of the structure, so explore thoroughly.
Collect three Dragon Eggs
Dragon Eggs sit in Drake Nests throughout the Mountains and glow faintly pink, which makes them easier to spot at night (with night's extra risks). Each weighs 200 and cannot go through 
Portals, so you haul them by hand. Mark every nest: eggs respawn after 480 minutes (8 real-time hours).
Hauling tips
- Buy a
Megingjord from Haldor: its +150 carry weight lets you move eggs without being immobilised. - With the belt your limit is 450, so two eggs (400) fit if everything else weighs under 50.
- Strip down to minimal inventory before picking up an egg.
- Build a small shelter with a Portal near the altar and stockpile all three eggs there before you prepare the arena.
Experienced players know to start the Moder fight at dawn. Nighttime spawns Wolves and 
Fenrings that will gladly join the battle, turning a manageable fight into pure chaos. Clear all nearby enemies, especially Stone Golems, before placing the final egg. Once Moder is summoned, her aura actually pauses ongoing snowstorms, which is a small mercy.
Arena Preparation (Do This Before Summoning)
- 1
Clear the Area Around the Altar
Remove all rocks, trees, and debris around the Forsaken Altar. Moder can get stuck on terrain features, which makes the fight buggy and unpredictable. You want clear sightlines and room to move. Kill any nearby Wolves, Drakes, and especially Stone Golems. Stone Golems are the real threat here; they can destroy your structures and will aggro during the fight if left alive.
- 2
- 3
Raise Earth Pillars for Cover
Use the Hoe to raise solid earth pillars about 4 meters tall, placed 10-15 meters from the altar. These pillars are completely indestructible because they are terrain, not structures. Moder's Spit Shotgun cannot penetrate them, giving you reliable cover during her airborne phase. Create 2-3 pillars at different angles so you always have one between you and her regardless of where she flies.
- 4
Dig a Trench Around the Altar
This is the key to a safe solo fight. Use your Pickaxe to dig a ring-shaped trench around the altar base. The altar itself is indestructible. When you stand in the trench, Moder cannot reach you with her ground attacks because she cannot attack downward effectively. You can shoot arrows upward at her from relative safety. Dig close to the altar base so the gap is too small for Moder to fit into.
- 5
Set Up a Portal and Workbench Nearby
Place a Portal slightly away from the arena, behind cover or inside a small shelter. This lets you return to base to repair gear, eat fresh food, and regain your Rested bonus mid-fight if needed. A
Workbench in the trench area lets you repair your bow on the spot. Place a Bonfire in the trench for passive healing and to prevent mob spawns in the immediate area.
Hoe“Moder is not a test of combat skill. She is a test of preparation. The fight is won or lost before you place the third Dragon Egg.
Recommended Gear and Loadout
Go hybrid: bow for the airborne phase, melee when she lands. Bow-only turns the fight into a 30-45 minute slog. Melee does far more damage, and since creatures heal over time, faster kills mean less healing for the boss.
Bow and arrows
The Draugr Fang is the best bow at this stage. Its built-in Poison stacks with 
Poison Arrows for two damage-over-time effects at once. Otherwise pair it with 
Obsidian Arrows, or Needle Arrows if you have visited the Plains.
Despite her Fire weakness, 
Fire Arrows deal less total damage than Obsidian Arrows because their base Pierce is too low. Bring at least 200 arrows, 300 or more depending on your Bow skill.
Draugr FangBow · MountainBest bow for Moder: built-in Poison on every shot
- Pierce damage
- 47 (+3 per level)
- Poison damage
- 5 (+5 per level)
- Block armor
- 3
- Skill
- Bows
Forge (level 2): 10 Ancient Bark, 20 Silver, 2 Deer Hide, 10 Guck
Melee weapon
The Silver Sword is the best choice. Moder ignores its Spirit damage, but its Slash lands in full and its reach helps you hit her large body consistently. The 
Fang Spear is a decent alternative if you prefer spears, though it burns stamina faster.
Avoid Frostner despite its popularity: Moder is immune to Frost and Spirit, which leaves only its Blunt damage.
Frost resistance
Mandatory. A Wolf Fur Cape gives unlimited Frost protection as long as you are not Wet. What most guides skip: if you die, your cape stays on your body, and you start freezing the moment you return. Always carry Frost Resistance Mead or stash some in a chest near the arena.
Forsaken Power
Activate Bonemass's power when she lands. Its physical damage resistance blunts her Bite and Claw, letting you go aggressive in melee. Some players nearly kill Moder within its 5-minute duration.
Recommended Solo Loadout
Forge
Medium Healing Mead
Iron PickaxeMountain-Tier Foods Compared
| Stat |  Serpent Stew |  Wolf Skewer |  Sausages |  Turnip Stew |  Onion Soup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 80 | 65 | 55 | 18 | 20 |
| Stamina | 26 | 21 | 18 | 55 | 60 |
| Healing | 4 hp/tick | 3 hp/tick | 3 hp/tick | 2 hp/tick | 1 hp/tick |
| Duration | 30 min | 25 min | 25 min | 25 min | 20 min |
| Weight | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 |
| Stack size | 10 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| Crafted at | Cauldron 2 | Cauldron 3 | Cauldron 2 | Cauldron 2 | Cauldron 2 |
Key Crafting Recipes
Wood
Silver
Leather Scraps
Iron
Ancient Bark
Deer Hide
GuckHow to Fight Moder: Phase-by-Phase Strategy
Moder alternates between airborne and grounded phases, and each needs completely different tactics.
Airborne phase
She circles and fires her Spit Shotgun every 8 seconds: 16 icicles in a 13-20 degree cone. Taking several icicles at once is what kills most players. They also leave ice crystals that last 30 seconds and block movement, so break them when you can.
Hide behind your earth pillars when she fires, then pop out and shoot between volleys. In the trench you can duck below ground level: she will not use the Spit Shotgun without line of sight. Take shots, but do not overcommit; the real damage happens when she lands.
Grounded phase
Switch to your Silver Sword and shield the moment she lands. All three ground attacks are clearly telegraphed:
- Bite within 7 meters
- Claw Swipe in a wide 50-degree arc out to 10 meters
- Cold Breath, a Frost beam in a 30-meter line
Stand directly under her chin. Cold Breath's activation distance is measured from the center of her body, about 5 meters behind her head, so it cannot hit you at point-blank range. Behind a wing is ideal but hard to hold.
Block Bite and Claw with your 
Silver Shield, and roll the Cold Breath if you are not close enough. With Bonemass's power active, her physical attacks become very manageable.
Fighting from the trench
If she lands on or near the altar, you can hit her from the trench while her melee attacks cannot reach you. It is free damage, though slower than getting in her face.
Do not bring Frostner. It is one of the most popular Mountain weapons, but Moder is immune to Frost and Spirit, which make up most of its output. Stick with the Silver Sword: its Spirit damage is wasted too, but its Slash damage and reach still make it the best melee option.
Alternative Strategies
Bonfire Barbecue
This method exploits her Fire weakness and AI. It is slow but almost entirely safe:
- Dig a pit about 4 meters deep near the altar.
- Place a Bonfire in each corner, leaving room in the center to stand.
- Cover the top with floor tiles.
- Summon Moder, get into the pit and seal yourself in.
- Without line of sight she will not use her Spit Shotgun and eventually lands on your roof. Light the Bonfires and keep them repaired while she burns.
Tamed Wolf army
If you have mastered Wolf taming, breed 12-15 one-star or two-star Wolves and pen them near the altar. Release them after summoning and they swarm her when she lands. Her Spit Shotgun kills Wolves in 2-3 hits, so keep them spread out. When it works, Moder goes down incredibly fast.
Moder's Drops and Rewards
Moder always drops 10 Dragon Tears and her Trophy.
Dragon Tears and the Artisan Table
The Artisan Table costs just 2 Dragon Tears and 10 Wood. Save the other 8 for Item Stands, where they glow and emit fog. The table unlocks your Plains-tier stations:
Blast Furnace for 
Black Metal and 
Flametal
Spinning Wheel for 
Linen Thread from 
Flax
Windmill for 
Barley Flour from 
Barley
Stone Oven for baking
Forsaken Power
Mounting her Trophy at the Sacrificial Stones grants a 300-second power that gives you a tailwind in whatever direction you sail. It makes ocean crossings trivially fast, which is why many players keep Moder's power as their default deep into the late game.
World changes
- The "A cold wind blows from the mountains" raid is disabled.
- "The horde is attacking!" (
Fuling raids) becomes possible until Yagluth is defeated. - The Bog Witch starts selling the
Scythe Handle, 
Toadstool, 
Fragrant Bundle and 
Mountain Peak Pepper Powder.
Moder's Forsaken Power
| Duration | 300 seconds (5 minutes) |
| Cooldown | 20 minutes |
| Effect | Tailwind while sailing, in any direction |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Fire Arrows work well against Moder since she is weak to Fire?
Despite Moder taking 1.5x Fire damage, Fire Arrows are actually worse than Obsidian Arrows in practice. Fire Arrows have very low base Pierce damage, and the Fire damage bonus does not compensate enough. Obsidian Arrows with the Draugr Fang's built-in Poison will deal more total damage per shot. If you have access to the Plains, Needle Arrows are the best overall choice.
How many arrows do I need for the fight?
Bring at least 200 Obsidian or Needle Arrows. If you are going bow-only (not recommended), bring 300-400. The number varies depending on your Bow skill level, how many shots you miss, and how aggressively you melee during grounded phases. A melee-heavy approach with bow support typically uses around 100-150 arrows.
Can Moder follow me if I run away?
Yes, Moder will follow you and can be lured to different biomes. Some players intentionally lure her away from the Mountain to avoid hostile mob spawns. She brings her Freezing Effect aura with her regardless of biome, so you will still need Frost Resistance wherever you fight her.
What happens if I die during the fight?
Recovering your body is the hard part. Without your Wolf Fur Cape you start freezing as soon as you return to the Mountain. Mead in your inventory drops with your body, so stash extra Frost Resistance Mead in a chest near the arena, and use your Portal to get back quickly. Moder stays spawned at whatever health she had, so you can resume the fight.
Is Bonemass Power or Eikthyr Power better for this fight?
Bonemass's power is the stronger choice for most players. Its physical damage resistance sharply reduces her Bite and Claw during the grounded phase, which is when you should deal the most damage. Eikthyr's power is viable if you plan to kite with a bow all fight, but 
Bonemass lets you play far more aggressively in the windows that matter.
Can I summon Moder multiple times?
Yes, like all bosses in Valheim, Moder can be summoned as many times as you want as long as you have 3 Dragon Eggs each time. This is useful if you need more Dragon Tears for additional 
Artisan Tables or if you want to farm the fight for fun. Dragon Eggs respawn every 480 minutes at their original nest locations.
What Defeating Moder Unlocks
From the game files: new recipes, trader stock and raid changes.
Made with Dragon Tear
New at the Bog Witch
Raids
- “The horde is attacking!”Can start now
- “A cold wind blows from the mountains”No longer happens
Moder Data
Exact values from the game files (version 1.0 (build 2026-09-17)).
Stats
| Health | 7500 |
| Run speed | 6 |
Resistances & Weaknesses
- chopIgnore
- fireWeak
- frostImmune
- spiritImmune
- pickaxeIgnore
Attacks
| Bite | 120 pierce | |
|---|---|---|
| Claw | 110 slash | |
| Spit (spread) | 30 pierce, 200 frost | Ranged |
| Cold breath | 200 frost |
Base damage on Normal difficulty. 1-star creatures deal 1.5x and 2-star creatures 2x. Spells whose damage comes from a separate projectile are not listed.
Drops
Recent Updates
- Updated for Valheim 1.0: corrected Moder's Forsaken Power, egg-hauling and food details, verified her stats and drops, and reorganised the guide for easier reading.