Serpent

0:27 The Serpent is a giant, six-eyed sea snake of the Ocean biome in Valheim that surfaces at night and in storms to attack boats and swimmers. It is the only hostile creature native to the open sea, and for many Vikings the first one appears by accident, in the dark, beside a raft. Hunted on purpose, it is one of the most valuable kills of the middle game: its meat makes Serpent Stew, its scales a tower shield and its trophy a swimming trinket. Its larger cousin, the Bonemaw Serpent of the Ashlands seas, is covered at the end of this page (Serpent, Valheim Wiki).

Quick facts

Serpent attack and behavior

0:39 Before its first attack a Serpent rears its neck out of the water and screams, which Kroclo treats as the moment to land arrows; then it drops back, swings in to bite the hull, swims a circle and comes again. It has one attack: it draws its head back and bites for 70 slash damage in an 80-degree arc three meters long, every ten seconds, and keeps swimming at its target even while in range (Serpent, Valheim Wiki). A Serpent that cannot attack for 60 seconds heads back towards where it spawned, and one dragged onto land stops attacking and only tries to flee to the water. Because it is immune to stagger it cannot be interrupted, and fire does nothing to it, even when it is wet (Aggressive creature strategies, Valheim Wiki). The wiki calls a raft too slow and fragile for a solo player and recommends at least a Karve and a Finewood Bow for open water (Sailing and Ships).

Where and when Serpents spawn

1:34 Serpents spawn by the game's zone system. Each 64-meter zone that is entirely Ocean and at least five meters deep has a 5 per cent chance to spawn one at night, 5 per cent in heavy rain or a thunderstorm and 10 per cent when both apply, and then does not try again for 1,000 seconds. Spawns happen 40 to 80 meters from the player, one Serpent at a time and never within 50 meters of another. A night Serpent despawns at dawn; a storm Serpent stays and can be found later in calm weather (Serpent and Aggressive creature strategies, Valheim Wiki). Xaine's World therefore hunts at full sail through open ocean, since every fresh zone is a fresh roll, and the wiki adds that diagonal courses cross more zones than straight ones. Some Serpents spawn out of sight and are simply missed, so hunters watch behind the ship.

How to hunt a Serpent from a ship

5:28 When a Serpent is spotted, Xaine's World jumps off the ship onto its ladder, which stops it at once, and climbs back aboard with a bow. A Finewood Bow with wooden or flint arrows is enough, iron-headed arrows are better, and poison is a poor choice because Serpents resist it.

0:54 Kroclo learns the rhythm of the attacks and shoots between them, moving around the deck so that stray arrows do not hit the mast, and warns never to hunt from a raft; a ship takes a few bites but not many (Bows, Crossbows and Arrows).

7:50 Frost is the Serpent's weakness, so Frost Arrows from the Mountain are the best ammunition: they deal extra damage and slow it. Xaine's World reports that a fully upgraded Draugr Fang with frost arrows can kill an unaware Serpent in two shots, and Kroclo finishes beached Serpents with the frost mace Frostner.

Getting the scales and trophy

4:28 Only the meat floats. Scales and the trophy sink, and nothing can be recovered from water deeper than about two meters, so Serpents are killed in the shallows or on land. The tool for that is the Abyssal Harpoon, made at a level-two Workbench from 8 Fine Wood, 30 Chitin and 3 Leather Scraps; the Chitin comes from the barnacles on a Leviathan's back (Abyssal Harpoon, Valheim Wiki). FireSpark81 harpoons the Serpent, climbs back aboard and sails slowly for the nearest shore, since too much speed snaps the line.

8:52 On the beach the Serpent plays tug of war. Holding the line costs stamina the whole time the Serpent pulls, the leash snaps if the player runs dry, swaps weapon or strays too far, and a beached Serpent never bites back, so the player drags it as far inland as stamina allows before attacking. FireSpark81 recommends a partner to hold the line and warns against landing in a Swamp full of skeletons.

8:20 Xaine's World prefers a faster trick: bring the Serpent to one shot from death, wait for it to lunge at the ship, then draw, leap onto its head and loose the arrow in mid-air, dropping through the corpse to catch the loot before it sinks. Storm-spawned Serpents can even be penned in a flooded enclosure; night-spawned ones vanish at dawn (Serpent, Valheim Wiki).

Serpent drops and what they make

Source: Serpent, Serpent Meat and Serpent Scale, Valheim Wiki.

4:41 Serpent meat will only cook on an Iron Cooking Station, and a cooked slice is worth 70 health and 23 stamina. Serpent Stew, a cooked slice plus a mushroom and two honey at a Cauldron with one upgrade, restores 80 health and 26 stamina and heals 4 per tick, lasting half an hour. Xaine's World notes that no food beats it until the Plains and Mistlands. Two cooked pieces also go into the Sailor's Bounty feast (Serpent Stew, Valheim Wiki; Food and Cooking). Raw meat weighs 10 a piece, so a full load is heavy.

The scales go into the Serpent Scale Shield (8 scales, 4 iron and 10 Fine Wood, forged at Forge level 3). It is a tower shield: 60 block armor, no parry and a 10 per cent movement penalty, but it resists pierce damage while blocking, which keeps it useful against Deathsquitos, Fuling spears and Seekers (Serpent Scale Shield, Valheim Wiki; Weapons and Shields). The trophy with five scales and five chitin forges Fins of Destiny, a trinket from the Call to Arms Update that adds 50 per cent swim speed and cuts swimming stamina by 80 per cent for two minutes once 10 adrenaline has built up, and it turns fishing bait into Heavy Fishing Bait for Tuna and Coral Cod (Fins of Destiny and Bait, Valheim Wiki; Fishing).

The Bonemaw Serpent

1:10 The Bonemaw Serpent patrols the boiling sea around the Ashlands, by day as well as by night. It has 1,100 health, bites for 140 slash and, from 10 to 30 meters, spits a volley of three fireballs every 20 seconds, each dealing 40 blunt, 20 fire and 20 poison and setting the player burning and poisoned. Like its northern cousin it is weak to frost, resists poison and is immune to fire, spirit and stagger. Its 6–7 Bonemaw meat and 8–9 Bonemaw teeth float and only the trophy sinks, so Kysen advises killing it on land or in shallow water for the trophy (Bonemaw Serpent, Valheim Wiki). Cooked Bonemaw meat gives 90 health, and the teeth make the Ash Fang bow, the Ripper crossbow and the Splitnir spear (Ashlands Creatures).

History

Serpents have hunted the Ocean since the early-access launch of February 2021. Patch 0.153.2 of May 2021 overhauled the harpoon, and 0.154.1 in June stopped Serpents fleeing at low health. The Hearth & Home Update of September 2021 moved Serpent meat to the new Iron Cooking Station, gave the Serpent Scale Shield its pierce resistance and kept Serpents fire-immune when wet (Version history, Valheim Wiki). The Ashlands Update of May 2024 added the Bonemaw, and Call to Arms in September 2025 added Fins of Destiny. Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ said the Valheim 1.0 Release of Sep 9, 2026 would bring no Ocean-focused content, and Serpents were left unchanged, though they now stand between players and the Deep North (Valheim 1.0 FAQ, Iron Gate).

Frequently asked questions

How do you find a Serpent in Valheim? Sail through open, deep ocean at night or in heavy rain, keep moving into new zones and watch behind the ship; each zone rolls a 5 to 10 per cent chance.

How do you get Serpent Scales? Kill the Serpent in shallow water or on land, usually after towing it ashore with the Abyssal Harpoon, because scales and the trophy sink.

What is a Serpent weak to? Frost. Frost Arrows are the best ammunition; poison is resisted and fire does nothing.

Can a Serpent attack you on land? No. A beached Serpent only tries to get back to the water.

Can you tame a Serpent? No, but a storm-spawned Serpent can be kept alive in a flooded pen.

Sources

• Serpent, Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Aggressive creature strategies, Valheim Wiki
• Serpent Meat, Serpent Scale, Serpent Stew and Serpent Scale Shield, Valheim Wiki
• Abyssal Harpoon, Fins of Destiny and Bait, Valheim Wiki
• Bonemaw Serpent, Bonemaw Meat and Bonemaw Tooth, Valheim Wiki
• Version history, Valheim Wiki
• Serpent, Valheim Wiki (Fandom)
• Valheim 1.0 FAQ, Iron Gate Studio
• Development blog: Creature Feature, Iron Gate Studio on Steam, Sep 27, 2023
• Be the HUNTER not the PREY, a complete serpent guide, Kroclo (video)
• Serpent Hunting Secrets, Xaine's World (video)
• How To Solo Farm Sea Serpents Guide, FireSpark81 (video)
• Weaknesses for Every Mob in Valheim, Jiroc the Viking (video)
• Valheim - ASHLANDS: FULL GUIDE, Kysen (video)