Valheim 1.0 finally opens the Deep North, the game’s last major biome and the final stage of its main progression.
Unlike earlier biomes, progressing through the Deep North involves more than finding resources and locating a boss altar. You will need to create Embers, hunt Gammeltrolls for Bloodgold, explore Winding Tunnels, craft Intricate Keys and complete several Mörkhalla encounters before reaching the final boss.
If you have entered the Deep North and are wondering what you are supposed to do next on your Valheim server, here is the progression route from start to finish.
Spoiler warning: This guide covers the full Deep North progression and reveals Valheim’s final boss.
Valheim Deep North Progression Order
The Deep North progression can be broken down into the following steps:
- Defeat Fader in the Ashlands.
- Build an Eternal Pyre and collect Embers.
- Enter the Deep North and hunt Seals.
- Craft Ember Charges.
- Kill a Gammeltroll and break its petrified remains.
- Smelt Petrified Tissue into Bloodgold.
- Explore Winding Tunnels for Frostcores and moulds.
- Build the Deep North crafting stations.
- Craft three Intricate Keys.
- Enter Mörkhalla and trigger Jotun Invasions.
- Collect three Malicious Blood.
- Find the Aesir Passage.
- Summon and defeat Kall Fimbulbringer.
The main difficulty comes from the fact that these systems depend on each other. You cannot simply skip ahead to Mörkhalla or the final boss.
Prepare For The Deep North And Get Embers
The Deep North follows the Ashlands, so you should defeat Fader before beginning its main progression.
Fader’s drop allows you to construct an Eternal Pyre. The Eternal Pyre generates Embers, which become important almost immediately after reaching the Deep North.
It is worth building one at your main base as early as possible and collecting Embers whenever you return.
Before travelling north, bring your best Ashlands equipment, strong food, portal materials and your usual exploration supplies. Setting up a portal near a safe section of the Deep North will save a significant amount of travelling later.
You will eventually need to move between the Deep North, your crafting base and older parts of the world, so a good portal network becomes increasingly valuable.
How To Get Bloodgold In Valheim
Bloodgold is one of the most important resources in the Deep North.
The process starts with Seals.
Hunt Seals around the Deep North coastline to obtain Seal Pelts. Combine the pelts with Embers to create Ember Charges.
You then need to find and defeat a Gammeltroll.
After a Gammeltroll dies, its body becomes petrified. Use Ember Charges to break apart the petrified remains and collect Petrified Tissue.
Take the Petrified Tissue back to a Blast Furnace, where it can be processed into Bloodgold.
You will need Bloodgold for multiple parts of Deep North progression, so avoid spending all of your first batch immediately.
In particular, the three Intricate Keys required later in the biome need 15 Bloodgold in total.
Explore Winding Tunnels For Frostcores And Moulds
Your next objective is finding Winding Tunnels.
These underground locations can be accessed through structures found around the Deep North and contain two resources that are essential for progressing further:
- Frostcores
- Moulds
You need at least 20 Frostcores to construct the Frigid Kiln and Frost Foundry, the two crafting stations used for Deep North equipment.
The Frigid Kiln turns Ice into Liquid Frost, while the Frost Foundry uses Liquid Frost to finish casts created using moulds.
Moulds essentially act as blueprints for Deep North equipment. You will find moulds for different weapons, armour and progression items while exploring the tunnels.
One is particularly important: the Intricate Key mould.
Do not stop exploring after finding your first useful mould. Deep North progression eventually requires multiple Intricate Keys, meaning several Winding Tunnel runs may be necessary.
How To Craft Intricate Keys
Intricate Keys allow you to enter the locked sections of Mörkhalla.
To make one, you first need an Intricate Key mould and 5 Bloodgold.
These materials are used to create an Intricate Key cast, which is then processed through the Frost Foundry to produce the finished key.
However, one key is not enough.
You eventually need three Intricate Keys, and the keys are consumed as you progress.
That means the complete requirement is:
- 3 Intricate Key moulds
- 15 Bloodgold
- Enough Liquid Frost to process all three casts
This is why gathering extra Bloodgold and thoroughly searching Winding Tunnels early can save a lot of backtracking later.
Complete Mörkhalla And Jotun Invasions
Once you have an Intricate Key, you can begin progressing through Mörkhalla.
These large structures are found throughout the Deep North. Explore through the fortress until you reach the section that requires an Intricate Key.
Using the key opens the way forward and consumes it.
Continue through Mörkhalla until you reach Malicious Ice. Breaking it triggers a Jotun Invasion somewhere else in the world.
The invasion does not necessarily appear inside the Deep North, so check your map after triggering the event.
Travel to the marked location, defeat the enemies occupying the area and complete the invasion. You can then obtain Malicious Blood.
You need three Malicious Blood to continue.
The complete loop therefore looks like this:
Intricate Key → Mörkhalla → Malicious Ice → Jotun Invasion → Malicious Blood
You must complete this process three times.
Having portals connecting the Deep North to older biomes becomes especially useful here, as Jotun Invasions can send you travelling considerable distances.
How To Find The Aesir Passage And Summon Kall
Once you have collected three Malicious Blood, you are ready for the final stage of Deep North progression.
The location you are looking for is the Aesir Passage.
Its position can be revealed by interacting with the appropriate Vegvisir while exploring Deep North locations, including areas associated with Mörkhalla.
Once it appears on your map, travel to the Aesir Passage and locate the Strange Bowl.
Offer all three Malicious Blood to open the way forward.
Beyond the passage waits Kall Fimbulbringer, Valheim 1.0’s final boss.
Before beginning the encounter, repair your equipment, bring your strongest food and meads, activate an appropriate Forsaken Power and establish a safe portal nearby.
There is little reason to rush into Kall immediately. By this stage, you have access to the Deep North crafting tier, so upgrading your equipment first can make the final encounter considerably easier.
Deep North Progression On Multiplayer Servers
The Deep North works particularly well with a multiplayer group because several stages require repeated exploration and resource gathering.
Players can split up tasks by searching separate Winding Tunnels, gathering Ice, hunting Gammeltrolls or preparing Bloodgold while other members establish portals and locate Mörkhalla.
A persistent server also makes it easier for different players to continue gathering resources without waiting for the original world host to come online.
If you are bringing an older world into Valheim 1.0, it is worth checking whether starting a new Valheim world for 1.0 would give you a better Deep North experience. You should also keep regular backups and make sure your server is running the latest Valheim 1.0 hotfix before making major progress.
Explore The Deep North With Pine Hosting
Valheim’s Deep North gives multiplayer groups plenty to work toward, from Winding Tunnel expeditions and Bloodgold production to Mörkhalla runs and the final battle with Kall.
With Pine Hosting Valheim server hosting, your group can keep a persistent world online 24/7 while managing backups, server files, settings and updates through an easy-to-use game panel.
You can start a fresh Valheim 1.0 world or upload an existing save and continue your journey into the Deep North.
