The Queen

0:00 Animated trailer

0:20 The Queen is the sixth Forsaken boss of Valheim and the ruler of the Mistlands, a vast insectoid matriarch of the Seekers who is fought after Yagluth falls in the Plains. She arrived with the Mistlands Update, patch 0.212.7 of Dec 6, 2022, whose creature list reads simply "Boss: The Queen" (Version history, Valheim Wiki; Massively Overpowered). Unlike every boss before her she is not summoned at an altar but found already alive inside a Dvergr dungeon, the Infested Citadel, whose vault door only opens to a Sealbreaker assembled from nine fragments. With 12,500 HP she was the toughest boss in the game until Fader (Physgun boss checklist), and her Forsaken Power is the one spellcasters want, because it doubles eitr regeneration. Her runestone calls her "Born in armour, mother of many, Queen without crown, ruler beneath" (The Queen, Valheim Wiki).

Quick facts

The Sealbreaker

6:52 Reaching the Queen is a scavenger hunt through the Infested Mines, the black-marble dungeons of the Mistlands. Scattered through the mines are Sealbreaker fragments held in transparent crystal cases; the case must be smashed to loot the fragment inside. Nine fragments combine at the Galdr Table into the Sealbreaker, "an object used to break a Dverger seal" that is not consumed when used and can pass through a portal (Sealbreaker, Infested Mine, Valheim Wiki). Because the Galdr Table itself needs Refined eitr and Black cores from the same mines, the key sits at the end of the biome's whole progression chain (Crafting Stations and Upgrades, Magic and Staves).

32:46 Fragments turn up in ordinary rooms as well as in the treasure rooms hidden behind false walls marked with blue runes. The mines are defended by Seekers, Seeker Soldiers, Ticks and Seeker Broods that respawn every four hours, and no single mine is guaranteed to hold a fragment, so several must usually be cleared (Infested Mine, Valheim Wiki). The creatures are described on Mistlands Creatures.

Finding the Infested Citadel

11:29 The Queen's location is revealed by a Vegvisir runestone found at the end of an abandoned tunnel in an Infested Mine; reading it marks the Infested Citadel on the map. The citadel is a large, damaged Dvergr structure of black marble built beneath a rock, easy to spot from above the mist. Its Dvergr vault door carries the runes perthro and algiz and opens only to the Sealbreaker (Infested Citadel, Valheim Wiki). Unlike the other boss arenas there is no altar to feed: opening the door is the summoning.

2:30 Inside, the citadel is a tall hall of infested pillars with staircases climbing four floors around its perimeter to the Hive seat at the top. The Queen roams freely and may be waiting at the door or hiding near the summit. Groups of brood eggs on the lower floors hatch into Seeker Broods (20 HP) when disturbed, so guides recommend clearing them before she notices the player. The small covered area just inside the entrance is the only place her attacks cannot reach, although summoned Seekers can still get in (Infested Citadel, Seeker brood, Valheim Wiki).

1:01 Because nothing can be built inside the dungeon, players set up outside the door instead: a bed for quick respawns, a Black Forge and Galdr Table for repairs, and a roof for the rested bonus (Rested, Comfort and Sleeping, Death and Corpse Runs). The Feather cape is close to mandatory, since her attacks knock players off the stairs; poison resistance mead and materials for twenty to forty Wisp torches are the other standard preparations (Armor and Capes, Mead and Potions).

The fight

4:01 The Queen is fast and has the widest repertoire of any boss. She opens with melee: a sweeping slap of her forelimbs, a lunging bite that inflicts poison, and a short-range ground stab that can be side-stepped by walking backwards. Her call (a howl) makes Seekers pour out of nests around the hall, and at random she burrows and resurfaces elsewhere in the dungeon. Her blows can be blocked or parried, but the knockback is so strong that dodge-rolling is the safer way to stay in range, with time for about two swings between attacks.

6:26 As her health drops she gains ranged tools. A spew of poisonous gunk, used when the player keeps distance, spawns Seeker Broods where it lands and shreds the stamina of anyone who blocks it, so it is best dodged.

9:55 At about 60 percent health she adds a rushing slash, sprinting across the arena or leaping down from the stairs to close on a player who thought range was safe.

She has 12,500 HP, takes half damage from pierce, and is immune to spirit, chop and pickaxe damage; every other damage type is neutral (The Queen, Valheim Wiki). Bows and the Arbalest are therefore weak against her, which is why melee and the staves carry the fight (Bows, Crossbows and Arrows, Combat).

Strategies

15:15 Melee players favor the Krom, the two-handed Mistlands sword, because her attack rate leaves no time for the three-hit combo of one-handed weapons; two slashes or its lunging secondary attack fit between her strikes. Ooze bombs or the Demolisher hammer clear the broods she spawns, and because the door is always open the fight can be paused to rest, heal and repair. The Mistwalker with a Carapace buckler and the Himmin Afl atgeir are the other common picks (Weapons and Shields).

21:25 The magic route uses the Eitr-weave set and all four staves as spell slots: the Staff of Embers for damage, the Staff of Frost to slow anything closing in, the Staff of Protection for a shield bubble and the Dead Raiser for skeletons that draw her attention. The last two cost health to cast, which makes them less attractive solo. Eitr food and Minor eitr mead keep the bar up (Food and Cooking, Skills).

Whatever the build, Bile and Ooze bombs keep elemental damage ticking on her, and almost every guide calls Bonemass's damage-resistance power essential.

58:28 The cheapest method exploits the safe zone: draw her to the entrance and strike through the wall with the Demolisher's area-of-effect slam, which hits her while she cannot reach the player. Guides warned from the start that so easy a trick might be patched; it is still described in 2025 guides (16:42 SnazzyGames, 16:42).

Drops and re-summoning

21:12 The Queen drops her trophy and five Majestic carapace, unaffected by the world's resource-rate modifier. At release the carapace was a placeholder called "Queen drop" with no use; since the Ashlands Update it builds the Artisan press (5 Black marble, 5 Bronze, 1 Majestic carapace), the upgrade that lets the Artisan table make ceramic plates and shield cores for the Ashlands (Majestic carapace, Artisan press, Valheim Wiki).

7:32 To fight her again, three Seeker Soldier trophies are offered at the Hive seat on the citadel's top floor, which spawns a fresh Queen (The Queen, Valheim Wiki). Her death also changes the world: the Seeker raid "They sought you out" and the Gjall raid "What's up, Gjall?!", both enabled by Yagluth's death, switch off, and the Charred raids of the Ashlands switch on (Events, Valheim Wiki; Raids and Events).

Forsaken Power

13:38 Hanging the trophy at the Sacrificial Stones unlocks The Queen's Power. As released in 2022 it gave +100 percent eitr regeneration and +60 percent damage to rock for five minutes, a combination aimed at mages and miners.

15:40 The Call to Arms Update rebalanced every power (public test Aug 20, 2025, live as 0.221.4 on Sep 9, 2025). The Queen's now reads "100% increased Eitr regeneration, 100% reduced sneak cost, 50% poison resistance": the mining bonus moved to The Elder, and free sneaking and poison resistance took its place. Duration is still five minutes on a twenty-minute cooldown (Game Rant; The Queen, Version history, Valheim Wiki). All seven powers are compared on Forsaken Powers.

After 1.0

9:10 The Valheim 1.0 Release of Sep 9, 2026 left the Queen's own fight unchanged but gave her a second appearance: the gauntlet that precedes Kall Fimbulbringer in the Deep North replays the earlier Forsaken, and she turns up among them, as the players in the recording discover when their arrows do nothing. Around her, 1.0 made the Mistlands kinder: the mist-clearing range of the Wisplight, Wisp torch and Mistwalker grew, every Mistlands weapon now clears mist, and Mistlands gear lasts longer (KeenGamer). Killing her unlocks the second of Haldor's pocket upgrades (Game8), and Steam's new achievement list records the kill as "The Seeker Queen" (Steam achievements).

Frequently asked questions

How do you summon The Queen? You do not: she is already alive inside the Infested Citadel, and opening the door is the summoning. The Dvergr vault door takes a Sealbreaker, assembled at the Galdr Table from nine fragments looted out of crystal cases in the Infested Mines.

How much health does The Queen have? 12,500. She takes half damage from pierce and is immune to spirit, chop and pickaxe, which is why bows and the Arbalest are weak against her and melee weapons or staves carry the fight.

What is The Queen's Forsaken Power? Since the Call to Arms Update it gives 100% increased eitr regeneration, 100% reduced sneak cost and 50% poison resistance for five minutes. At release in 2022 it was +100% eitr regeneration and +60% damage to rock; the mining bonus moved to The Elder.

What should you take to the Infested Citadel? A Feather cape, because her attacks knock players off the stairs, poison-resistance mead, and twenty to forty Wisp torches. Nothing can be built inside, so the camp, bed, Black Forge and Galdr Table go outside the door.

Can you fight The Queen twice? Yes. Offering three Seeker Soldier trophies at the Hive seat on the citadel's top floor spawns a fresh Queen.

Sources

• The Queen, Infested Citadel, Sealbreaker, Infested Mine, Seeker brood, Majestic carapace, Artisan press, Events, Version history – Valheim Wiki (weirdgloop)
• Valheim Boss Checklist – Physgun
• Valheim's Mistlands update is live with new magic, weapons, allies, and enemies – Massively Overpowered, Dec 6, 2022
• Valheim Call to Arms update patch notes – Game Rant, August 2025
• How To Find And Beat The Queen In Valheim – TheGamer
• Valheim 1.0 Patch Notes: Deep North, Weapons, Armor & More – KeenGamer, September 2026
• Valheim 1.0 Forge of Potential and patch guide – Game8, September 2026
• Valheim achievements – Steam Community
• Valheim: 5 Ways to Kill The Queen – GlensGames, Jan 22, 2023
• MASSIVE Mistlands Valheim Guide – NickRawcliffe, Dec 21, 2022
• Everything YOU Need to Know About Valheims Mistlands – SnazzyGames, Feb 16, 2024
• 3 PERFECT Ways to Beat Every Boss in Valheim – SnazzyGames, Mar 29, 2025