Gjall

1:35 The Gjall is a huge flying creature of the Mistlands biome in Valheim, a blimp-sized tick that drifts over the mist, spits fireballs and drops eggs that hatch into Ticks. It is heard long before it is seen, by a call the Valheim Wiki likens to a cross between an aeroplane and an air horn, and the mist around one glows orange (Gjall, Valheim Wiki). With 1,500 health, a fire resistance and a body that usually hangs out of sword reach, it is the Mistlands' aerial terror and the only source of the Bilebag. It arrived with the Mistlands Update of Dec 6, 2022; the biome's other creatures are on Mistlands Creatures.

Quick facts

Gjall attacks

2:00 The Gjall has three attacks. Its spit, used every six seconds at 6 to 30 meters, launches two fireballs at 15 meters per second that burst for 50 blunt and 80 fire and set the target Burning; star levels raise that to 75 and 120, then 100 and 160. Every 50 seconds, at 10 to 20 meters, it leans back and drops three eggs that hatch into zero-star Ticks the moment they land. Anyone within about 3.4 meters is hit by its shake, three unblockable blows of 20 blunt. A player standing on top of a Gjall switches off both the spit and the eggs (Gjall, Valheim Wiki). FireSpark81 notes that it only lays Ticks after it has seen the player and attacked at range.

Where Gjall spawn

3:08 Only one Gjall spawns at a time in the middle of the Mistlands, unstarred by day and with a chance of stars at night. FireSpark81 found that a killed Gjall comes back to the same general area, though since Iron Gate cut Gjall spawns it can take an in-game week or more. Between the deaths of Yagluth and The Queen, the raid "What's up, Gjall?!" sends a Gjall and up to four Ticks against a base for 90 seconds, but only a base inside the Mistlands (Events, Valheim Wiki; Raids and Events).

How to kill a Gjall

0:26 The first rule is to find it first. T0ssACoin listens for the call and shoots from far away, so the opening Arbalest bolt earns sneak-attack damage; the Arbalest suits the fight because it can be aimed at leisure and knocks the Gjall back. It is practically impossible to kill with melee: a player who jumps onto its back is shaken off (strategies, Valheim Wiki; Bows, Crossbows and Arrows).

4:07 Its weak point is the orange belly lined with egg sacs. FireSpark81's bolt does 135 damage on the top of the body and 167, in yellow, on the belly; any pierce weapon doubles its damage there.

4:32 Position is the rest of the fight. The Gjall cannot hit a player who stays beneath and slightly behind it, and it cannot fire upward, so a player above it forces it to fly off and reset; a ledge or cliff in the broken Mistlands terrain is therefore as good as armor. The wiki adds that its fireballs do not damage natural stone or the giant remains, which make emergency cover, though the blast still reaches through terrain.

1:34 For defense, Fire Resistance Barley Wine, brewed from barley and cloudberries, blunts the burn; T0ssACoin's tests show a Root harness taking six or seven more damage per fireball and double the burn until the wine cancels its fire weakness (Mead and Potions). FireSpark81 found that Fenris armor and barley wine do not stack. Bonemass's Forsaken Power reduces the blunt half of each hit (Forsaken Powers). A harpoon can drag a Gjall out of trees into open ground.

2:25 With better gear the kill gets fast: T0ssACoin stands under the belly and throws a spear upward again and again. Mages use the Staff of Embers, or a Staff of Protection bubble to soak the fire (Magic and Staves). A Viking who is losing can simply run: a Gjall is easily outpaced.

Gjall drops and uses

The Bilebag, caustic bile from the Gjall's corpse, has two uses. At the workbench one Bilebag, one Sap and three Resin make three Bile Bombs, whose four-meter cloud burns and poisons everyone in it but the thrower for ten seconds. At the Black Forge three Bilebags, with Yggdrasil wood, iron and Refined Eitr, make the Jotun Bane, a poison one-handed axe, and each upgrade takes more, nine in all to quality 4 (Bilebag, Bile Bomb, Jotun Bane, Valheim Wiki; Weapons and Shields). Because every Gjall drops exactly one Bilebag regardless of stars, a fully upgraded axe costs nine kills. At 30 percent the trophy is the most common of any ordinary Mistlands creature; it is the key part of the Pulsating Earrings, a trinket from the Call to Arms Update that adds 25 percent eitr regeneration for a minute once its adrenaline bar fills (Pulsating Earrings, Valheim Wiki; Patch 0.221.4, Steam).

Gjall and Ticks

1:08 Because a Gjall lays Ticks without limit, it is also a Blood Clot farm. FireSpark81 traps one in a stone pen near a portal, so its Ticks can be killed for clots at any time; the alternative is a friend with a harpoon holding it overhead while another player draws its eggs (Blood Clot, Valheim Wiki).

Name and sound

The name echoes Old Norse words for a loud, resounding noise, as in Heimdall's horn Gjallarhorn and the river Gjöll; many players say "yall", the modern Norwegian pronunciation that the raid's pun depends on (Gjall, Valheim Wiki; Lore and Setting).

0:16 Iron Gate's own video on the call features Dennis of Ghostwood Empire, the studio behind the game's sound design, who built it from one female vocal note pitched down several octaves and a seal's grunt dropped about 40 semitones, then pushed both through distortion and reverb (Development Blog: Counting Down, Steam).

History and 1.0 changes

Two weeks after launch, patch 0.212.9 made the Gjall rarer and cut its spit to one fireball. Patch 0.213.4 restored two with a longer interval between bursts and shifted damage from blunt towards fire, making the shots easier to see and dodge (0.212.9, 0.213.4, Steam). The Deep North Update (1.0 Patch Notes) of Sep 9, 2026 did not touch its stats, but every Mistlands weapon now clears mist, the Wisplight clears more of it, and Mistlands gear lasts longer (Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived!, Steam).

Frequently asked questions

What is the Gjall weak to in Valheim? Pierce damage on the orange egg sacs under its belly, which take double damage. The rest of the body takes normal physical damage but halves fire and ignores spirit.

How do you pronounce Gjall? Both are heard: "g-yall" is closer to Old Norse, while "yall" follows modern Norwegian and Swedish.

Can you tame a Gjall? No, but a trapped or harpooned Gjall can be kept alive as an endless source of Ticks and Blood Clots.

How many Bilebags do you need? One makes three Bile Bombs; the Jotun Bane needs three to craft and nine to reach quality 4.

Sources

• Gjall, Aggressive creature strategies, Events and Blood Clot, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Bilebag, Bile Bomb, Jotun Bane and Pulsating Earrings, Valheim Wiki
• Patch 0.212.9, Patch 0.213.4 and Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived!, Iron Gate Studio on Steam
• Development Blog: Counting Down, Iron Gate Studio on Steam, Sep 26, 2024
• What's up gjall? – Behind the Scenes of a Valheim Sound, Iron Gate (video)
• The Ultimate Gjall Combat Guide For Valheim Mistlands and Farm Ticks Easily In The Valheim Mistlands Update, FireSpark81 (videos)
• How to Slay Gjall With Ease, T0ssACoin (video)
• Weaknesses for Every Mob in the Mistlands, Jiroc the Viking (video)