On this page7 sections
- Bring an
Arbalest and aim for the glowing underbelly: it takes double Pierce damage. - Drink
Fire Resistance Barley Wine before you engage; most of the spit damage is Fire. - Stand underneath and slightly behind it, where it cannot spit or drop
Ticks. - Carry an AoE weapon such as
Himminafl or an 
Iron Sledge to clear Ticks fast. - Every kill drops 1
Bilebag (30% chance of a trophy) for the 
Jotun Bane and 
Bile Bombs.
What Is the Gjall?
The Gjall is arguably the most terrifying creature in the Mistlands. These huge flyers patrol the foggy skies, announcing themselves with a sound somewhere between a jet engine and an air raid siren. If that does not put you on edge, the fiery orange glow it casts into the mist will.
Three ways to hurt you
Named after the mythological river Gjoll ("noisy" or "scream" in Old Norse), the Gjall lives up to its name:
- it spits twin fireballs that inflict Burning
- it drops parasitic Ticks from its body
- it shakes violently to knock off anyone who gets close
The first Gjall encounter teaches most players to always carry Fire Resistance Barley Wine. The second is where you learn to fight back.
Gjall Combat Stats
| Health (0/1/2 Star) | 1,500 / 3,000 / 4,500 |
| Spit Damage (0 Star) | 50 Blunt + 80 Fire |
| Spit Damage (1 Star) | 75 Blunt + 120 Fire |
| Spit Damage (2 Star) | 100 Blunt + 160 Fire |
| Shake Damage (0 Star) | 20 Blunt (x3 hits) |
| Spit Cooldown | 6 seconds |
| Tick Drop Cooldown | 50 seconds (3 Ticks) |
| Shake Cooldown | 10 seconds |
| Spit Range | 6-30 meters |
| Fireball Speed | 15 m/s |
Resistances and the Underbelly Weak Point
The Gjall's body takes normal damage from Blunt, Slash, Pierce, Frost, Lightning and Poison. It resists Fire (0.5x), is immune to Spirit and cannot be staggered.
Always aim low
The glowing underbelly (its "eggs" internally) takes double Pierce damage, the single most important fact about this fight. Veterans say two clean Arbalest shots to the belly can drop a 0-star Gjall, while hitting the top of its body burns through a stack of bolts.
Pierce is king
The weak point takes normal damage from every other type, so Pierce weapons are by far the best choice. This confuses players because Seekers, the other big Mistlands threat, resist Pierce. Do not switch away from your crossbow when a Gjall appears.
How to Find the Gjall
Gjalls spawn in the middle zones of the Mistlands, not at the edges, and they are very rare. You may explore for a while before meeting one.
Day versus night
Daytime spawns are always 0-star. At night, 1-star and 2-star Gjalls can appear, then despawn at dawn. A 2-star Gjall has triple health and much heavier spit damage, so night encounters are far more dangerous.
The raid
The "What's up, Gjall!?" raid can hit your base before you defeat The Queen. It spawns 0-star Gjalls and Ticks much more often, so keep Fire Resistance Barley Wine and ranged weapons at home. Fighting near your structures can still be devastating.
Listen for it
You almost always hear a Gjall before you see it. When the siren carries through the mist, look for the orange tint in the fog, then either prepare for a fight or leave.
“You will always hear the Gjall before you see it. That siren cutting through the mist is your only reliable warning to drink that Fire Resistance Barley Wine.
How to Kill a Gjall: Step-by-Step Combat Strategy
- 1
Get to high ground first
When you hear the siren, climb to elevated terrain. From a ledge you spot the Gjall more easily, and it cannot spit upward, only forward and down. If you are above it, it has to reposition, buying you free shots. Wear the
Feather Cape so you can jump off if things go wrong. - 2
Drink Fire Resistance Barley Wine
Drink it as soon as you commit. Fire is the bigger part of the spit (80 Fire against 50 Blunt on a 0-star), and the resistance cuts the burn dramatically. It even overrides the Root Harnesk's Fire weakness. One 10-minute dose covers a whole fight.
- 3
Open with a sneak attack to the underbelly
If the Gjall has not spotted you, line up an Arbalest shot at the belly. The 3x sneak attack multiplier stacks with the 2x weak point, and bolts fly straight with no drop. Two clean sneak shots can kill a 0-star Gjall; even a miss pulls it to you.
- 4
Stay underneath and behind the Gjall
Your safest spot is directly beneath and slightly behind it. The spit only goes forward and slightly down (a 10-20 degree spread), so standing under it disables both the spit and the egg drop. It will keep turning to face you, and each Arbalest hit knocks it back, so reposition after every shot.
- 5
Deal with Ticks immediately
Every 50 seconds the Gjall drops three eggs that hatch into Ticks. An attached Tick deals 50 Pierce every 0.5 seconds for 5 seconds. They have only 50 HP, so an Atgeir spin or Iron Sledge slam clears them instantly. Block them from the front, swing at ones on your chest, and roll or use AoE for ones on your back.
- 6
Use cover between shots
If you cannot stay underneath, use rock formations and ancient skulls as cover: peek, shoot, duck back. The fireballs splash, so small rocks may not protect you, but large formations do. Gjalls will not fire at you while you are inside an ancient skull.
The 
Carapace Spear is a surprisingly effective Gjall killer. Standing directly underneath and throwing it upward at the belly deals massive damage with no draw time or reload delay. Some veteran players consider this the fastest method for killing Gjalls once you are positioned correctly.
Best Weapons and Gear for Fighting Gjalls
Arbalest
The Arbalest is the best overall Gjall weapon. Its bolts fly straight with no drop, and its sneak attack multiplier makes the opening shot devastating. The reload takes about 6 seconds, but the Gjall repositions between attacks, so you usually have time. Loading costs only 3 stamina and firing costs nothing.
Bone Bolts (8 
Bone Fragments and 2 
Feathers for 20) are cheap and effective; 
Carapace Bolts hit harder if you have the 
Carapace.
ArbalestBow · SwampBest Gjall killer: straight bolts, huge belly damage
- Chop damage
- 140
- Pierce damage
- 200 (+3 per level)
- Block armor
- 3
- Skill
- Crossbows
Black Forge: 10 Wood, 8 Iron, 4 Root
Bows
The Draugr Fang and Spinesnap both work well. 
Frost Arrows are the community favorite, since the Gjall resists Fire but takes normal Frost damage; 
Obsidian Arrows are a solid budget option. Aim for the belly from below and remember to lead your shots, because arrows arc at range.
Armor and cape
The 
Root Harnesk with Padded or 
Carapace helmet and legs is an excellent Mistlands setup. The Harnesk resists Pierce, which helps against Ticks, and Barley Wine cancels its Fire weakness. Fenris armor has built-in fire resistance and a speed bonus, but it does not stack with the Barley Wine, so save the mead.
The Feather Cape is the cape for Mistlands exploration: you can glide off cliffs to escape, and attack while gliding. It is very weak to Fire, though, which makes the Barley Wine even more important.
Recommended Gjall-Fighting Loadout
EikthyrRanged Options Against Gjalls
| Stat | Arbalest |  Spinesnap |  Draugr Fang |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chop damage | 140 | - | - |
| Pierce damage | 200 (+3 per level) | 72 (+4 per level) | 47 (+3 per level) |
| Block armor | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Skill | Crossbows | Bows | Bows |
| Knockback | 210 | 25 | 20 |
| Backstab | 3x | 3x | 3x |
| Durability | 150 (+50 per level) | 250 (+50 per level) | 100 (+50 per level) |
| Max quality | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Movement speed | -5% | -5% | -5% |
| Weight | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Spirit damage | - | 5 (+5 per level) | - |
| Poison damage | - | - | 5 (+5 per level) |
| Crafted at | Black Forge | Black Forge | Forge 2 |
Gjall Drops and What to Craft with Them
What you get per kill, at any star level:
- Bilebag: 1, guaranteed. Weight 0.5, stacks to 50, teleportable.
Gjall Trophy: 30% chance.- From each Tick: 1
Blood Clot, plus a 5% chance of a Tick Trophy. Blood Clots go into several Mistlands recipes, so kill the Ticks too.
Bilebag recipes
Bilebags go into the Jotun Bane, a one-handed poison axe from the 
Black Forge, and Bile Bombs, thrown AoE weapons that leave lingering fire and poison clouds. The Jotun Bane needs 3 to craft and 1, 2 and 3 more for its upgrades, 9 Bilebags in total for quality 4.
Bilebag Crafting Uses
Yggdrasil Wood
Iron
Refined Eitr
Sap
Resin
Mead Ketill
Barley
Cloudberries
Barley Wine Base: Fire ResistanceUnderstanding the Gjall's Three Attacks
Each attack triggers at a different range, and knowing those ranges keeps you alive.
Spit
Two fireballs (50 Blunt and 80 Fire at 0-star) that inflict Burning. They travel at 15 meters per second with a 10-20 degree spread, so strafing sideways at medium range can make them miss. It fires every 6 seconds when you are 6 to 30 meters away, and never when you stand on top of it.
Egg drop
Three eggs that hatch into Ticks when they hit the ground, every 50 seconds when you are 10 to 20 meters away. Standing on top disables it too. Ticks are always 0-star, up to 8 active at once.
Shake
Three hits of 20 Blunt (0-star) to everything within 3.41 meters, every 10 seconds when you are within 6 meters. It cannot be blocked or dodged, and exists mainly to punish riders and melee players.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
Stand in water
The Wet status gives you fire resistance, so fighting in shallow water near a pond or shore cuts the Gjall's Fire damage. It is a lifesaver if you run out of Barley Wine. Avoid deep water: Seekers fly out and hit you while you swim slowly.
Let the Dvergr help
Lure a Gjall toward a Dvergr settlement and their magic will deal heavy damage to it. Do not hit any Dvergr or their structures in the crossfire, or they turn hostile.
Harpoon it
The Abyssal Harpoon pulls a Gjall to a better position, useful when it hovers over rough terrain or gets tangled in Yggdrasil branches. Watch your stamina, because running out mid-pull leaves you exposed. Some players have even dragged Gjalls to the Plains to let 
Deathsquitos finish them.
Forsaken Powers
Eikthyr is the best general choice: cheaper sprinting and jumping helps you climb cliffs and escape. With the Root Harnesk and Barley Wine you already cover Pierce and Fire, so save Bonemass for Infested Mines, where Tick ambushes are harder to avoid.
Gjall FAQ
Can the Gjall damage my ship?
LongshipCan I tame a Gjall?
No. Gjalls cannot be tamed. They are permanently hostile.
Do Fire Resistance Barley Wine and Fenris Armor stack?
No. You either have fire resistance or you do not, so wearing Fenris Armor and drinking Barley Wine at the same time adds nothing. Use one or the other.
Do starred Gjalls drop more Bilebags?
No. Every Gjall drops exactly 1 Bilebag with a 30% Gjall Trophy chance, whatever its star level. Starred variants only have more health and damage.
Can I ride on top of a Gjall?
Briefly. Landing on one from a high ledge gets you a couple of hits, but its Shake attack, which cannot be blocked or dodged, throws you off quickly and you take fall damage. Fun to try once, not a real strategy.
Gjall Data
Exact values from the game files (version 1.0 (build 2026-09-17)).
Stats
| Health | 1500 |
| Run speed | 2 |
Resistances & Weaknesses
- chopIgnore
- fireResistant
- spiritImmune
- pickaxeIgnore
Attacks
| Spit | 50 blunt, 80 fire | Ranged |
|---|---|---|
| Shake | 20 blunt | Can't be blocked |
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: verified stats, drops and armor resistances, added a ranged weapon comparison, and reorganised for easier reading.