The Elder is the Black Forest boss, and the second boss fight players will encounter in Valheim at large. This angry tree isn’t too difficult to take down, especially if you’ve read through our Elder boss guide, but it’s the next steps of progression that leave some questions hanging over player’s heads.

Once defeated, you’ll get your hands on the Swamp Key, which opens the crypts in the Swamp biome, as well as the Elder Trophy and Elder Power. As the Swamp Key might suggest, the next biome players have to tackle is the Swamp. Here’s everything you should do after you’ve beaten the big angry tree.

7 Next Stop: The Swamps

To follow the line of progression in Valheim it’s about time you start thinking about getting some Iron gear. Iron is found in the Swamps, but it’s not as simple as wandering in and mining some up. The Swamps are a difficult biome, particularly if you’re playing solo, but with the right preparation, anything is possible.

The bow is your best friend in the Swamps. That extra range is essential to staying alive as you’ll need to approach the biome with caution. Throughout your journey, the Wet debuff (which reduces stamina significantly) will be omnipresent. Here’s a closer look at some of the mobs you’ll encounter.

6 Prepare For Poisonous Oozers, Blobs, and Leeches

Poison is a common affliction in the Swamps, mostly due to encountering oozers, blobs, and leeches. Right after beating the Elder, you want to prepare with some Poison Resistance Meads — these are crafted at a fermenter with honey, thistle, Neck tail, and coal.

This is a good time to ramp up the production of your beehive farm, which is basically crucial from this point in the game onwards. Poison Resistance Meads don’t last very long so you’re going to need a few to survive in the Swamps for an extended period of time.

5 Craft A Mace

Another mob you’ll encounter is the skeleton, located throughout the Swamp. You might have already come across these bony fiends, but you’re going to find a lot more of them in the swamp. To deal with them efficiently you should craft a bronze mace.

This weapon deals blunt damage, which is very effective against skeletons. Alongside your bow and sword, you can quickly switch out to the mace to deal with groups of skeletons.

4 You Might Need A Boat If You Haven’t Already Got One

Up until a player beats the Elder, it might not have been necessary to leave the starting island. The first couple of biomes, the Meadows and Black Forest, are very common on starting islands, whereas you might not have a Swamp nearby.

This means you’ll need to head out over the ocean in search of new islands and new biomes. We’ve compiled a guide on which boat is the best, the Karve or the Longship, and they both have their pros and cons. The Longship is usually the top choice because of its sail speed and huge inventory space, ideal if you’re shipping resources back from the Swamp biome.

3 Set Up A Camp Near The Swamp

It’s a good idea to set up a forward base right on the edge of the Swamp biome. This makes it easier to go back and forth and resupply, rather than having to head all the way home. You can also establish a portal to make the transition between your home camp and the swamp smoother.

Remember, you can’t transport any of the iron you find through the portal, so you will still have to eventually bring everything back to your base with a cart or on a boat. You could also set up a small crafting station at your swamp base so you can craft new iron gear as you explore.

2 Start Collecting Iron

Iron is primarily found in the various Sunken Crypts dotted around the Swamp biome. It’ll appear on the screen as a Muddy Scrap Pile and can be mind with your Bronze pickaxe. You might get a few extra piles of scrap iron from the chests inside the crypts, and you can use the Wishbone a bit later on to find buried veins of ore.

While you’re collecting iron from the crypts, make sure to stack up 10 Withered Bones, which are required to spawn the Swamp boss. Iron weapons and armor make solid upgrades from your Troll or Bronze gear. It’ll be necessary to take down the next boss, Bonemass, who resides in the Swamp biome.

1 Defeat Bonemass

Bonemass is the third boss in Valheim and is a real spike in difficulty compared to the Elder. The Swamp is already a difficult biome, with frequent mob spawns and constant stamina debuffs. Spawn Bonemass in and you’re in a whole lot of trouble if you’re not prepared. You can check out our full guide to Bonemass here.

Craft a hoe and start leveling out the site of the boss battle. This stops you from getting bogged down in the puddles and reduces the spawns of leeches. Bonemass and his minions are weak to Blunt damage, so that’s where that mace comes in. Bring plenty of Poison Resistance Meads and you should be able to handle the boss.

NEXT: Valheim: 10 Best Pieces Of Furniture To Build