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- Growths guard every
Tar pit in the Plains and always drop 1 Tar. - Hit them with Blunt or Fire (1.5x). Slash, Pierce and Frost do half damage, and Poison does nothing.
- Strafe sideways to dodge the six-orb volley, then rush in during the 8-second cooldown.
- Never block or parry the volley, and never fight three or more at once.
- Drain the pit with a trench for 69-108 Tar, and place Workbenches to stop the hourly respawns.
What Is a Growth?
The Growth catches every Viking off guard the first time they wander into a Tar pit. Picture a Swamp 
Blob that spits six projectiles at once, slows you to a crawl, poisons you and makes you vulnerable to fire, all in one volley.
These sentient piles of Tar belong to the Undead faction and lurk half-submerged in the dark pools of the Plains. From a distance they are almost impossible to tell apart from the Tar itself, which is exactly how they get you.
Why you have to deal with them
Growths guard every Tar pit in the game, and there is no way to get Tar without clearing them first. A single pit holds 69 to 108 Tar, enough for a big stockpile. You need Tar for:
- The entire Darkwood building set and Shingle roofs
- The
Black Metal Chest and the Hot Tub - Several tables and decorative pieces
GrowthCreature · PlainsPlains Tar pit guardian: weak to Blunt and Fire, immune to Poison
- Health
- 100
- Run speed
- 3
Growth Combat Stats
| Health | 100 |
| Attack Damage | 45 Blunt + 50 Poison |
| Attack Type | 6 tar orbs (ranged) |
| Projectile Speed | 12 m/s |
| Projectile Range | 15 meters (4s travel) |
| Projectile Spread | 5-20 degrees |
| Attack Cooldown | 8 seconds |
| Weak To (1.5x) | Blunt, Fire |
| Neutral To (1x) | Lightning, Spirit |
| Resistant To (0.5x) | Frost, Pierce, Slash |
| Immune To | Poison, Stagger, Chop, Pickaxe |
| Drop: Tar | 1 (100%) |
| Drop: Growth Trophy | 1 (10%) |
| Star Variants | None |
The Growth Attack Pattern
The Growth has exactly one attack. When you step within 15 meters, it launches a spread of six tar orbs. Orbs that hit nothing despawn after 4 seconds, and the Growth then waits 8 seconds before it can fire again. That cooldown window is your entire combat strategy.
What a hit does to you
Each orb that connects applies two effects at once:
- Tarred: your movement speed drops by 50% and you become very weak to Fire, for 10 seconds.
- Poison: damage that ticks over time.
The slow makes the next volley almost impossible to dodge. One Growth is manageable, but three or more firing in sequence can kill a well-geared Viking in seconds.
No stagger, no parry
Growths are completely immune to stagger. You cannot interrupt their attack or stun-lock them, so the usual parry-and-riposte routine does not work. They need a different approach from every other Plains enemy.
The single biggest mistake players make with Growths is trying to block or parry their projectiles. Their tar volley is not parry-friendly, and standing still with a shield just guarantees you eat every orb. Lateral movement is your shield against Growths. Think of it like Doom: never stop moving sideways.
How to Fight Growths: Step-by-Step
- 1
Scout the Tar pit from a distance
Count the Growths before you approach. A Tar pit can have up to 9 spawn points, and you will usually find 4 or more guarding it. They blend into the dark Tar, so look for subtle movement or the faint glow of their poisonous gas. Never rush in blind.
- 2
Pull one or two with Fire Arrows
Snipe from maximum bow range, well beyond their 15-meter attack range, to pull single Growths away from the pack. Fire is the best ranged damage type against them, and a Draugr Fang with
Fire Arrows is a strong pairing. Be ready to strafe the moment they close in. - 3
Strafe sideways to dodge the volley
When a Growth fires, move perpendicular to the orbs. They spread in a cone, so sideways movement makes most or all of them miss, while moving toward or away still gets you clipped. If you are Tarred, dodge rolls ignore the 50% slow, which makes them your emergency escape.
- 4
- 5
Drain the Tar pit and harvest
Dig a trench from the pit down to lower ground. The Tar drains away to reveal small nodes (4 Tar each) and large nodes at the bottom (15 Tar each). Harvest them by hand, and place Workbenches around the pit, because 2 Growths respawn every hour even after draining.
Iron Mace“Getting slowed by a Growth is bad. Getting slowed by a Growth while three more are winding up is a death sentence. Never engage more than two at once unless you have room to run.
Best Weapons and Gear for Growths
Blunt damage is king. Growths take 1.5x damage from Blunt and only half from Pierce and Slash, so put your sword away for the melee phase.
Iron Mace
The Iron Mace is the best early option. It deals pure Blunt damage and is one-handed, so you can carry a shield on the approach.
Iron Mace vs Frostner
Frostner
Frostner is the favourite of many experienced players. Its Blunt damage gets the 1.5x bonus, Spirit hits at normal, and only the Frost part is halved. At base quality that adds up to slightly more effective damage than an Iron Mace; fully upgraded, the two are roughly even.
The real reason to bring it is crowd control. Its high knockback and slowing effect keep a single Growth at arm's length and buy breathing room against groups.
Other melee options
Iron Sledge: its area slam can catch two or three clustered Growths in one swing, but it is two-handed, so no shield.- Porcupine: its Blunt damage benefits from the weakness while its Pierce damage is halved, but the overall output is still strong.
Ranged
Fire Arrows are the clear winner, and sniping from beyond 15 meters is the safest approach. The Draugr Fang's Poison does nothing here and its Pierce damage is halved, so the Fire on the arrow does the real work. Avoid 
Frost Arrows entirely.
Recommended Loadout for Tar Pit Clearing
Draugr Fang
Black Metal Shield
Medium Healing Mead
Iron PickaxePoison Resistance and Defensive Prep
Half of each volley's 95 damage is Poison, so 
Poison Resistance Mead makes a huge difference. It makes you very resistant to Poison, cutting tick damage and duration by 75% for 10 minutes. Drink it before the fight: it does nothing against poison you already have.
Root Mask as a backup
The 
Root Mask gives a weaker, permanent resistance (50%) with no duration limit. It suits general Plains exploration, but for a planned Tar pit clear, bring the mead.
The slow cannot be resisted
Poison resistance does nothing against Tarred. That 50% slow is a separate effect, so your only options are waiting out the 10 seconds or dodge rolling. Bring a stamina-heavy food loadout so you can keep rolling when things go wrong.
Poison Resistance Mead Recipe
Mead Ketill
Honey
Thistle
Neck Tail
Coal
Mead Base: Poison Resistance
Fermenter (2 in-game days)Here is the laziest way to clear a Tar pit: lure nearby Plains creatures into the Growths and let them fight. Growths belong to the Undead faction and are hostile to everything in the Plains, including Fulings, 
Deathsquitos, and Lox. A single 
Lox will demolish multiple Growths with its AoE stomp attacks. Just kite a Lox to the Tar pit edge, let it aggro the Growths, and watch the free show. Some players have reported clearing entire Tar pits without swinging a weapon this way.
How to Farm Tar Efficiently
Tar comes from two sources: every Growth drops exactly 1 on death, but the real haul is in the pit itself.
- Clear the Growths around the pit.
- Dig a trench from the pit's edge downhill to lower ground. The Tar drains out like water.
- Harvest the exposed nodes: small surface nodes give 4 Tar, large nodes at the bottom give 15.
- Expect 69 to 108 Tar from a fully harvested pit.
Harvesting rules
Nodes are picked by hand once the pit is drained enough; a Pickaxe does nothing. Items you drop into undrained Tar are stuck until you drain it, but they never despawn.
Stopping respawns
The Tar nodes do not come back, but 2 Growths respawn in the area every hour, drained pit or not. Place 2 or 3 Workbenches around the pit so their spawn suppression covers it, and harvest in peace.
Hauling it home
Tar weighs 2 per unit, stacks to 50 and is teleportable. Drop a 
Portal near the pit, fill your inventory and teleport home: no boat or cart needed.
If you are fighting Yagluth, make absolutely sure there are no Tar pits near the Forsaken Altar before you summon him. Growths that spawn during the boss fight are far more dangerous than 
Yagluth himself, because the Tarred slow debuff makes it nearly impossible to dodge his attacks. Do a full circuit of the area and clear any nearby Tar pits first. Place Workbenches around them to prevent respawns during the fight.
What Tar Is Used For
Tar is a building material first. It goes into:
- Darkwood set: beams (2m and 4m), poles, 26 and 45 degree angled beams, arches, gates, chairs and the Carved Darkwood Divider
- Shingle roofs: both 26 and 45 degree variants, including ridges and corners
- Furniture: the Black Metal Chest, Hot Tub, Round Table and Long Heavy Table
- Decorations: the Raven Adornment and Wolf Adornment
Blob Bomb: Tar
Tar is also the key ingredient in 
Blob Bomb: Tar, a throwable that leaves a temporary Tar patch. It applies Tarred to enemies, slowing them and making them weak to Fire. It can also spawn a Growth, so be careful where you throw it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Growths spawn with star variants?
No. Every Growth has the same 100 HP and identical stats, which makes them one of the few creatures with no scaling difficulty.
Does the Tarred debuff stack with multiple hits?
It does not stack in intensity, but each hit refreshes the 10-second duration. Several Growths firing at you keep the 50% slow active indefinitely, which is why groups are so dangerous.
Do Growths stop spawning if I drain the Tar pit?
No. Two Growths respawn every hour whether the pit is full or empty. Only Workbenches or Campfires placed around the pit stop them by suppressing spawns.
Can I retrieve items that fall into a Tar pit?
Only after draining it. Items in Tar are stuck until you dig a trench and lower the Tar, but they never despawn, so your loot is safe in the meantime.
Is Frostner effective against Growths even though they resist Frost?
Yes. Only the Frost part is halved: the Blunt part gets the 1.5x bonus and Spirit hits at normal. At base quality Frostner actually out-damages an Iron Mace against Growths, and at maximum quality the two are roughly even. Its knockback and slow add crowd control on top.
Growth Data
Exact values from the game files (version 1.0 (build 2026-09-17)).
Stats
| Health | 100 |
| Run speed | 3 |
Resistances & Weaknesses
- chopIgnore
- fireWeak
- bluntWeak
- frostResistant
- slashResistant
- pierceResistant
- poisonImmune
- pickaxeIgnore
Drops
Recent Updates
- Updated for Valheim 1.0: verified Growth stats and drops, corrected the Frostner versus Iron Mace damage comparison, and reorganised the guide for easier reading.