Dyrnwyn

0:52 Dyrnwyn is a legendary one-handed fire sword in Valheim, an Ashlands weapon that cannot be unlocked the ordinary way: it is forged at a Black Forge from three fragments hidden across the Ashlands, the last of which must be taken from the miniboss Lord Reto (Dyrnwyn, Valheim Wiki). NickRawcliffe calls the hunt the game's third quest, after the boss chain and Hildir's requests: vegvisirs lead from one Mysterious Location to the next, each guarded by elite Charred. The sword deals slash and fire damage and glows orange, and because the fragments never respawn, each world can hold only one. It arrived with the Ashlands Update on May 14, 2024 (Patch 0.218.15).

Quick facts

How to get Dyrnwyn

0:52 The quest starts in a Putrid Hole, one of the Morgen caves of the Ashlands coast (Morgen). One hole in four holds a vegvisir that marks the first Mysterious Location on the map (Mysterious Location, Valheim Wiki), and each location then holds the vegvisir to the next. Jade PG found such a stone in only about one hole in five and warns that the search can mean clearing fifteen or more.

1:19 Each Mysterious Location is a small Grausten ruin guarded by an elite Monument of Torment, a purple-lit spawner that produces only two-star Charred Twitchers, Warriors, Marksmen and Warlocks (Charred). Two of the three have no entrance and must be mined into.

1:58 The three locations form a chain:

1:26 FireSpark81 points out the one confusing rule: a location with an empty altar is the hilt location, and the hilt is always held by the miniboss in the cave beside it. The fragments weigh 0.5 each and do not stack.

Lord Reto and the hilt fragment

2:58 The Tomb of Lord Reto is a small, unlit cave with a few indestructible pillars and a single occupant: Lord Reto, a two-star champion of the Charred with 7,500 health (Lord Reto, Valheim Wiki). His swing does 480 slash damage and his thrust 460 pierce, and his feints look almost identical to the real attacks, so one mistimed parry can cost a whole health bar. He is weak to spirit, resists pierce, fire and frost and is immune to poison. NickRawcliffe likes the Primal Berserker axes, whose chance to immobilize pays off in a one-against-one fight. Jade PG understands the name to honor a beta tester or community player.

3:37 Back To Basics Gaming calls magic the easiest answer: the Dead Raiser's skeletons wear Reto down from a distance, and the Staff of the Wild pins him against a wall with vines (Magic and Staves). He advises against a shield, because a blow that breaks through staggers the player. Reto regenerates only slowly, so a player can leave the tomb to heal and return (Jade PG). He always drops the hilt fragment, and only one Lord Reto spawns per world.

Crafting and upgrading Dyrnwyn

4:02 With all three fragments, Dyrnwyn is crafted at a level-4 Black Forge with 20 Flametal and a Bloodstone, a gem found in the chests of Charred Fortresses. Upgrades cost more of the same:

Figures are from the Valheim Wiki. At every quality the sword has 57 block armor, a ×2 parry bonus and a ×3 backstab; its three-hit combo ends in a double-damage blow for 16 stamina a swing, and the secondary attack deals triple damage for 28 (Weapons and Shields). When the Ashlands shipped, the Black Forge's four extensions took it no higher than level 5, so early owners could upgrade the sword only once; 1.0 added a fifth extension, the Smith's Aprons (Crafting Stations and Upgrades).

Is Dyrnwyn worth it?

4:23 Opinions are mixed. NickRawcliffe calls it disappointing for the effort but recommends the quest anyway for its sense of uncovering an ancient mystery. FireSpark81 compared it in April 2024 with the Flametal sword and found it no stronger than that sword's gem-infused versions, which are far easier to make, while its burning damage is wasted on the fire-resistant creatures of the Ashlands.

10:58 The Deep North changes that sum. In his 1.0 guide Spopes points out that the biome is full of icy creatures that fire cuts through, and recommends taking a fire sword, Dyrnwyn among them, on the first expedition north. The Gammeltroll, which is immune to fire, is the notable exception (Deep North Creatures; Gammeltroll).

Dyrnwyn and the Forge of Potential

2:51 The 1.0 Forge of Potential pushes gear past quality 4 at the risk of destroying it, but Dyrnwyn is an exception: when Jade PG's Dyrnwyn broke during a refinement with a Flametal Battle Idol, the forge returned some Flametal and all three fragments, so the sword could be forged again.

Name and history

The name comes from Welsh legend. Dyrnwyn, "white-hilt", was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain, the sword of Rhydderch Hael that blazed with fire when drawn by a worthy man (Wikipedia).

The sword existed in Valheim's files long before it could be made: in early access it could only be spawned with console commands, as SwordIronFire, with 55 slash and 30 fire damage and an unused recipe calling for 20 Surtling Cores (Valheim Wiki; Console Commands, Cheats and Mods). The Ashlands public test of April 2024 introduced the fragments, the Mysterious Locations and Lord Reto (Patch 0.218.9); patch 0.218.11 tweaked the sword's visuals, 0.218.14 adjusted its recipe and colored Lord Reto's name orange, and 0.218.15 released it to everyone (Patch 0.218.11; Patch 0.218.14).

Frequently asked questions

How do you get Dyrnwyn in Valheim? Find a vegvisir in an Ashlands Putrid Hole, follow the chain of three Mysterious Locations, take the tip and blade from their altars, kill Lord Reto for the hilt, and craft the sword at a level-4 Black Forge.

Where are the Dyrnwyn fragments? The tip lies on an altar inside a walled Grausten ruin, the blade on an altar among Grausten arches, and the hilt is dropped by Lord Reto in the tomb beneath the third location.

Can you make more than one Dyrnwyn? Not normally: each world has one set of fragments, unless a world modifier raises the item drop rate.

Is Dyrnwyn good? Its damage is similar to the gem versions of the Flametal sword and its fire is wasted in the Ashlands, but it serves well against the icy creatures of the Deep North and doubles as a light.

What happens if Dyrnwyn breaks at the Forge of Potential? The forge returns all three fragments, so it can be crafted again.

Sources

• Dyrnwyn, Mysterious Location, Lord Reto, Tomb of Lord Reto and Putrid Hole, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Patch 0.218.15 – Ashlands, Iron Gate Studio on Steam, May 14, 2024
• Patch 0.218.9, 0.218.11 and 0.218.14 (public test), Iron Gate Studio on Steam, 2024
• Dyrnwyn, Wikipedia
• The coolest quest in Valheim - How to get the Dyrnwyn, NickRawcliffe (video)
• Lord Reto Complete Analysis and Guide Valheim Ashlands, Back To Basics Gaming (video)
• VALHEIM ASHLANDS MINI BOSS! Lord Reto Guide, Jade PG (video)
• Secret Sword Found In Valheim Ashlands Update | The Dyrnwyn, FireSpark81 (video)
• VALHEIM 1.0 NEW RARE UPGRADE BENCH! Finding The Forge Of Potential, Jade PG (video)
• Do THIS First in Valheim 1.0, Spopes (video)