The Swamps are undeniably one of the scariest biomes in Valheim. With a bevy of terrifyingly powerful enemies and a dark, rainy atmosphere, no one would blame you for being afraid of these murky backwaters.
But if you want to progress in the game, you’ll need to fight your way through them eventually. With the right tips and tricks, even the dark depths of the Swamps won’t feel so intimidating anymore. Keep reading to learn all about the enemies and structures of the Swamps and how you can cut your way through them.
The Enemies Of The Swamps
The Swamps may be one of the most diverse biomes in the game, sporting nine unique enemy types all with fairly distinct fighting styles. If you want to make it through the Swamps alive, you’ll need to learn about all of these enemies and how you can best fight (or avoid) them.
Draugr & Draugr Elite
Draugr is the most common enemy you’ll find in the Swamps. They spawn randomly in the biome at any time and come in three variants: axe and shield, axe, and bow. The first two will run at you with little regard, trying to get close for a swipe, but the last type is probably the most dangerous. Bow Draugr will sit back and riddle you with high-damage arrows.
Your best option in a fight is to prioritize ranged Dragur and try to only fight one of them at a time. They are immune to Poison damage and resistant to Fire. However, if you’ve crafted a Spirit-dealing weapon like the Crystal Battleaxe, Dragur will take extra damage from it.
Skeletons
Skeletons are the easiest enemy in the Swamps. They spawn randomly at any time in the biome and come in sword and shield, sword, and bow variants. In fights, they act very similarly to Draugr, simply running at the player unless they have ranged attacks. However, they are significantly easier to kill.
Blunt weapons dealt extra damage to Skeletons, so switch to a hammer weapon and kill Skeletons quickly before more dangerous enemies pop up.
Blobs & Oozers
Blobs and Oozers are iconic denizens of the Swamps, poisoning and frustrating players since the game’s launch. They both behave similarly, jumping or rolling toward the player and then releasing a large cloud of poison gas afterward. The only difference is that the Oozer has a bit more health and will split into a few Blobs when killed.
Blunt damage is the best physical damage type for Blobs and Oozers. Frost damage is even better if you have access to it. If you have neither, you can try to roll away just as the cloud of poison is created, which allows you to avoid the blast of poison, or you can drink Poison Resistance Mead to nullify the Blobs’ attacks altogether.
Leeches
Leeches are one of the few aquatic enemies in the game. They swim through the shallow waters of the Swamps, waiting to bite at your ankles and drain your health bar. When you’re in or near the water, they will rear up in a quick animation and lunge forward slightly. Be warned that this attack also has Poison damage attached to it, so all Leeches need is one bite to deal significant damage.
The best way to deal with Leeches is to avoid them. Not many weapons can easily reach Leeches in the water, and it usually takes a few shots from a bow to kill them. However, they can’t come onto land, so as long as you don’t stay in the water too long, you’ll rarely have to worry about them. Leeches make a ripple effect on the water’s surface, so look for that before deciding to cross a shallow lake in the Swamps.
Abominations
Abominations are the mini-boss of the Swamps. These twisted hunks of wood can easily tear through your armor and bash you to pieces if you’re not careful. To make matters worse, they look just like tree stumps from a distance, only rising out of the ground once you get close enough.
Slash and Fire damage is best against Abominations, and in a cruel design choice, Pierce damage is almost useless against them. This means that unless you’re using Fire Arrows, you’re unlikely to hurt an Abomination with a bow. Instead, you’ll have to get in melee range and rely on precise dodge timing to avoid its attacks.
Wraiths
Wraiths are flying ghost-like enemies that haunt the Swamps at night. They’re easy to spot from a distance due to their eerie blue glow, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to avoid. When Wraiths spot you, they’ll fly in close slightly faster than you can run away with armor on and attack with a simple slash. After that, they’ll stay close and continue to attack whenever they can.
Wraiths deal a lot of damage and can take a beating, so the best option is to kill them at range. However, you’ll want to use Fire Arrows since Wraiths are resistant to physical damage and immune to Frost and Poison. Spirit weapons are also a decent way to turn this terrifying enemy into no problem at all.
Surtlings
Surtlings are a rare spawn in the Swamps, sticking close to fire geysers that dot the biome. They only have one attack: a ranged fireball, so the best option is to finish them off in melee range. However, Surtlings are fast, and when you get too close, they’ll try to widen the gap.
Surtlings are weak to Frost damage, and even just pushing them into the waters of the Swamps can kill them. Frost Arrows are your best option if you want to kill them at a distance, but of from that, melee attacks are solid options against Surtlings.
The Structures Of The Swamps
In addition to the terrifying lineup of enemies, the Swamp also spawns some structures that you should think twice about approaching.
Draugr Spawners
There are two general variations of Draugr spawners that dot the Swamps. The first looks like a stone circle with Skeleton and Draugr spawners in the center. These can be deadly if you get too close — it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of spawning enemies.
The second type of spawner looks like a fort made of stone. These usually have a single Draugr spawner in the center, so they aren’t as dangerous in general. However, the close confines can mess up your melee attacks or give bow Draugr the perfect opportunity to snipe you from afar.
Sunken Crypts
If you’re trekking through the Swamps, odds are you’re actually looking for these dungeons. That’s all well and good, but be warned that nearly every Sunken Crypt will spawn with a defender at the gates. At worst, this could be an Oozer lurking just around the corner, so stay alert whenever you approach a Sunken Crypt.
How You Can Deal With The Swamps
Here are a handful of pointed tips to make traveling through the Swamps a breeze:
- If you’re heading into the Swamps, consider bringing at least three weapons with you: a Blunt weapon like the Bronze Mace, a Slash weapon like swords or axes, and a bow. Each one excels at handling different threats as they appear. For the bow, bring lots of Fire Arrows and Frost Arrows if you have them — most enemies can’t deal with Fire damage, and those that can are better handled in melee.
- You should also stock up on Poison Resistance Mead and Minor Healing Mead. There are lots of enemies that deal Poison damage, so being resistant to that damage type can save your life many times over. The Minor Healing Mead is useful in case you forgot to take Poison Resistance Mead and would otherwise die before the debuff ran out.
- Don’t try to sneak too much. It might seem scary to draw the attention of so many enemies, but most of them are slower than you. If you keep running and jumping over obstacles, you’ll likely be able to get away. Sneaking and taking it slow will just mean you have to fight more in the end.
- Always enter the Swamps with the Rested buff. The Swamps are perpetually rainy, which means you’ll regain stamina slower no matter what you do. To combat this, it’s important you always have the Rested buff since it’ll increase your stamina regeneration, counteract the Wet debuff, and then some.
