Viking exploration and adventure game Valheim has been absolutely killing it in the last couple of weeks since it came out. For an early access title Valheim currently has an incredible amount of content which has given it very deservingly a 96% approval rate on Steam. From building structures, to destroying foes and exploring old crypts, Valheim will keep you very busy. One of the mechanics already into this early access title is the ability to tame some of the local fauna of Valheim.
The game hints at the fact that boars can be tamed by using the roots of the earth. If the player explores Valheim long enough they will come across runestones scattered around the map which may give them hints at different parts of the game, locations to bosses and other lore information from Norse culture. One of the runestones will give you some very helpful information about boars. The first piece of useful information is that boars are scared of fire and will not come close to it. The second is that boars can be tamed by the player.
The following article will be a helpful how-to guide so you can tame your own boars in Valheim.
Below will be a table of contents for this guide. You can click any of the headings below to jump to that position on this page.
Contents
What Are Boars?
Why Tame Boars?
Method For Taming Boar
– Build a Pen
– Food Types for Boars
– Boar Locations
– Lead the Boar to the Pen
– Wait For it to be Tamed
What to do with Tamed Boars
– How to Breed Boars
What Are Boars?
Boars are the same as their real life equivalent of the same name in Valheim. They are wild pigs which are about 1/3 the size of the player. Boars roam the world of Valheim but can only be found in two different places, the meadows. They will not spawn in the Black Forest or up in the Mountains for example.
When approached by the player or any other mob that is not friendly Boars will become frightened and attack. This can make taming boars difficult without the right approach. If the player has a torch in their hand, or a campfire nearby, the boar will become scared and run away from the flame. If you are in the early game of Valheim and seem to be having problems with boar attacks torches will keep them at bay. (this also goes for Greylings and some Greydwarf types as well).
When defeated in Valheim, boars will drop some useful materials for crafting. A boar will always drop leather scraps and raw meat upon their death. There is also a chance that a boar will drop a boar trophy as well. Leather scraps are useful in crafting all the up not only in stone tools and leather armors but will even be needed in addition to some metals later on. A good source of leather scraps is critical to being able to make good gear and upgrade gear in Valheim.
Why Tame Boars?
It’s all good and well that you can tame boars and have your very own pig farm in Valheim but, why would you? Well, as mentioned in the previous section boars have a very important resource that they drop called leather scraps, which is important for not only tool and armor crafting, but is needed for some stations and items such as the first raft that is available to build.
Through taming, keeping and breeding boars you can generate yourself a nice little supply of leather scraps and food. Great for sustainability. Not only can you tame boars for supplies though, you could just tame them because you want a pet. Valheim can be a lonely place if you aren’t playing co-op with friends, why not get your very own pet boar along to keep you company at your base?
How to Tame a Boar in Valheim
Now we are getting to the nitty gritty. If you’ve read the above information on all the things you can do with tamed boars I’m sure you are ready to tame boars for yourself. The following guide is not going to be the only way that you are able to tame boars. There are probably easier, quicker methods on taming boars but the below information is going to show you how you can tame a boar basically at the very start of the game with very few materials.
Build a Pen
To begin with you are going to want to trap the boar in a safe location. The best thing to do is to build a small pen for the boar to be trapped in. You can use the simply wooden fences as if you move away quick enough the boar won’t be doing too much damage to the fence and shouldn’t break it.
Once you have a general pen area laid out make sure you put down either a wooden door or gate. The gate will be easier to get the animal through as there is slightly more space. Now that you have an area where you plant to trap the animal you can prepare the pen by throwing down some food for the animal. You can always put down the food later but it will be easier just to put it in now as you may accidently scare the animal if you approach it later on to throw food in. I’m not sure exactly how long each food type takes, or if the different foods make the animal tame quicker but there are a few things they do eat.
What Do Boars Eat in Valheim?
Boars have a pretty specific diet in Valheim. As the runestone hints, boars eat the ‘roots of the earth’. Boars will eat vegetables and roots such as the mushrooms. Boars will eat the red mushrooms and the yellow mushrooms which can be found underground in caves with Surtling cores. Boars will also eat food that will need to be grown like Carrots and Turnips but it will take a while before you will be able to farm in Valheim. In this case, I’d recommend just throwing a bunch or mushrooms in the pen and waiting some time.
Where To Find Boars
Earlier in the article I mentioned where boars can be found in the wild but I Figured a subsection here would be helpful as it’s in the most important part of the page. Boars can be found roaming in the Meadows biome usually in groups or 2 or 3. As each map is different in Valheim I can’t guide you to exactly the right spot on your specific map but meadows can be large grassy areas without too much foliage and also the areas that just seem like a regular forest. Check the minimap up in the top right of the screen to see which biome you are currently in.
Lead a Boar To The Pen
There are two different ways you can trap the boar into the pen that you’ve prepared. You can either use the boar’s fear of fire against them, and herd them into the pen from the opposite direction like one would herd cattle.
The other way and arguably easier but less safe method is to have a boar become aggressive towards you and have them chase you into the pen. You can have the boar become aggressive just by walking too close to them. If you have your mouse over them and the information says ‘frightened it is likely they are attacking you or something else. If they have a red exclaimation mark above their head the boar is trying to attack you.
Boars will attack once and then run away for a few seconds and prepare for the next attack. you can use this to your advantage as after they attack and you dodge if you will have a few seconds to prepare for the next attack. Damage can be negated completely with a basic wooden shield.
Once you have led them into the pen, close the door and leave the area. You will have to leave the are so that the boar will calm down and won’t destroy your pen. If the boar is angry and cannot attack the player they will start attacking the pen they are in.
Once the boar starts to eat the food on the floor small yellow hearts will appear floating out of the boar. This means they are acclimatizing to you and starting to become tame. If you are sneaky enough you can get close to the boar and put your mouse over them. A small information card will appear telling you how much progress the boar has made becoming tame.
Wait for the Boar to Become Tame
After 1 or 2 in-game days the boar will become tame. A message will appear on the screen informing you if you are in the area when it happens. You can now approach the boar without getting attacked.
What To Do With Tamed Boars
Once you have some boars tamed and loving you you might not really know what to do with them. After taming an animal like wolves for protection on the surface boars might not seem very exciting. But don’t be fooled. Having a steady supply of leather scraps and food for your Viking colony is going to put you at a great advantage in a game with so many disadvantages. Not having to run around looking for boars to defeat for leather scraps will leave you time for much more important things, like defeating The Elder or hunting for Surtling cores.
How to Breed Boars in Valheim
Once you have at least two boars in Valheim that are tamed and love you, you can also breed them. Breeding, in Valheim is done passively. As long as you have boars in close proximity that are well fed and happy they will automatically breed with each other and make little Piggys.
You will have to keep your boars fed regardless because they can die from starvation and will not search for their own food.
As long as you are feeding your boars they will reproduce on their own with no more effort on your part. You do not have to pet them or anything for boars to breed.
That was everything that you need to know about taming boars in Valheim. Boars can be a great source of leather scraps and food in Valheim. It’s better to get started early on your boar farm as they take a bit of time to tame and breed! Also remember that they are scared of fire so don’t be an idiot like me and put torches all around the pig pen and wonder why they keep freaking out non-stop.
Related: How to Tame Wolves in Valheim | How to get Fine Wood in Valheim