How to survive Valheim Seekers in the Mistlands

Valheim Seekers are cockroach-like enemies that you will encounter pretty much as soon as you set foot in the Mistlands biome. Restricted to the Valheim Mistlands update, these giant creepy crawlies look pretty gross. However, the tanky little blighters will reward you for killing them with some useful loot.

If you're having trouble doing away with Valheim Seekers, we're here to make the battles that much easier. We know how frustrating it can be, but in this guide we uncover their weaknesses, resistances, and attack patterns for you to memorize. Let's take a look at the best way to defeat Valheim Seekers next time you venture into the Mistlands to farm them for loot.

What are Seekers in Valheim? 

Seekers a common enemy in the Mistlands biome. They aren’t especially fast, but can be quite tanky and deal lots of damage. Even with a full set of upgraded Padded Armour, a single hit can easily knock 20-30 points off your HP. As if that isn’t enough, Seeker attacks have a massive knockback which can be a problem in the Mistlands’ hills, as it can  cause high fall damage.

There are three types of Seeker in Valheim:

• Seeker: the default medium sized cockroach.
• Seeker Soldier: much larger and much more dangerous than the normal Seeker. They usually spawn together with their smaller cousins.
• Seeker Brood: newborn cockroach babies. They’re only found in Mistlands dungeons.

Valheim Seeker attacks

Each Seeker type has its own attack pattern. The ‘normal’ Seekers can hit the player with one of their front legs, bite, or do a slam attack with both front legs. Beware that they may fly up and initiate the slam attack while airborne. The slam attack has the highest knockback power. 

The Seeker Soldier, on the other hand, will either perform a dual stomping attack with its front legs (one leg first, then the other), use its pincers for a bite attack, or perform a headbutt. The headbutt has an insanely powerful knockback ability, launching you backwards several meters. 

Finally, the Seeker Brood can use a bite attack. This is their only attack type, and it shouldn’t deplete more than a few points of HP.

Seeker weaknesses in Valheim 

After testing, it seems Seekers have increased resistance against physical damage while being more vulnerable against elemental attacks. Here’s an overview:  

• Works best against Seekers: Fire, Frost, Poison, and Lightning damage.
• Not the best, but still damaging: physical attacks, including Slash, Pierce, and Blunt damage.
• Seeker immunity: spirit damage.

On top of that, Seeker Soldiers appear to have a weak spot on their hind body, so always try to exploit that.

How to defeat Seekers in Valheim

Due to their elemental vulnerability, a powerful bow (such as the Draugr Fang) combined with elemental arrows should make quick work of the Seekers. The best strategy is to wait for the Seeker to initiate an attack, circle around it before it hits, and then fire your arrow. Keep that up until they’re dead.

Similar to elemental arrows, the new Valheim Eitr magic-based elemental weapons, the Staff of Frost and Staff of Embers, are great against Seekers. The Frost variant in particular will deplete their HP bar in mere seconds. 

As for melee weapons, try to pick the ones that combine physical damage with elemental damage, such as the new Himmin Afl polearm. You can also go for a one-handed physical weapon and a shield, but be prepared for a longer fight. When facing a Seeker (and its knockback attacks) in close-range combat, it’s extremely helpful to wear a Feather Cape as protection against fall damage. 

Valheim Seeker drops

While you might want to avoid these creatures, you can't really avoid them in the Mistlands. You're also going to need what they drop when defeated for a both progression and crafting. Here’s an overview of Seeker drops in Valheim: 

• Carapace
• Seeker Meat
• Mandible (Soldier only)
• Royal Jelly (Brood only)

And that’s all you need to know about Valheim Seekers. Let’s show those creepers they’ve targeted the wrong Viking!