September 26, 2026

How to beat Fader in Valheim

Fader is the Forsaken of the Ashlands: a corrupted dragon with 25,000 health that damage never staggers. Most of its close attacks are pierce, its ranged attacks set the ground on fire, and it is immune to fire and spirit. Plan your weapons around that before you ring the bells.

Where is Fader's altar?

Fader's altar sits in the Ashlands, between 1 and 300 metres above sea level. A world holds up to three of them, at least 2,048 metres apart. Two things point you there:

A Vegvisir in the Ashlands marks it on your map.
A Charred Fortress also points to it, and you will be visiting those anyway for the bell fragments.

If you know your world's seed, the seed map guide shows how to see every altar before you sail.

How do you summon Fader?

Hang three Bells on the altar's bell holders. Each Bell is crafted at the Black Forge from three Bell Fragments, so you need nine fragments in all.

Bell Fragments come from Charred Fortresses: each fortress holds a small altar that drops a fragment when you break it. Charred Warriors, Marksmen and Warlocks guard the fortress and respawn, so clear it fast, break the altar and leave. There can be up to twenty fortresses in a world, which gives you room to pick easy ones.

What gear do you need for Fader?

This is an Ashlands fight, so bring Ashlands gear:

Armour: the Flametal Helmet, Flametal Breastplate and Flametal Greaves for melee, or the Ask and Embla sets if you fight with a bow or staff.
Shield: the Flametal Shield or Flametal Tower Shield. Its bite, claws, spin and leap can all be blocked.
Fire resistance: drink Fire Resistance Barley Wine. It makes you Resistant to fire for 10 minutes, which halves the fire damage you take. Much of what Fader does outside melee range is fire.
Healing: carry Lingering Healing Mead and eat your best health foods; the loadout and food planner helps you compare them.
Forsaken power: Bonemass's power makes you slightly resistant to pierce, slash and blunt and removes the stamina cost of blocking. That covers Fader's melee attacks.

Which damage types work on Fader?

Damage	Against Fader
Blunt, slash, frost, lightning, poison	full damage
Pierce	Resistant: half damage
Fire, spirit	Immune

Clubs such as the Flametal Mace or Klossen, swords such as Nidhögg the Thundering, and axes all hit for full damage. Spears, bows and crossbows lose half their pierce, and fire arrows or fire staves do nothing to it.

What are Fader's attacks?

Fader starts with its melee set and adds new attacks as its health drops. Every attack also wrecks buildings, so do not count on walls for cover.

Attack	Damage	Reach	How to handle it
Bite	210 pierce	9 m	Block or dodge; don't stand at the head.
Claw swipes (left and right)	200 pierce	9 m	Block, or move to the flank.
Tail spin	140 pierce in an area	8 m	Step out, then punish the recovery.
Leap	20 fire	up to 40 m	Blockable; move sideways as it lands.
Fire breath	60 fire, leaves burning ground	20 m	Cannot be blocked. Dodge sideways and leave the flames.
Fissure	120 pierce on the strike, then 12 to 16 flaming circles open across the ground, each with an 11 m radius, burning for 120 fire and 80 spirit every half second	40 m	The circles cannot be blocked or dodged. Stand in the gaps between them; they burn for 15 seconds.
Wall of fire	80 fire and 80 spirit where the wall stands	40 m	Go around it, never through. The wall lasts about 20 seconds.
Meteors	10 meteors fall in a 15 m area, one every half second, each 40 blunt and 120 fire in a 5 m blast; each leaves fire on the ground for 80 fire and 80 spirit	30 m	The impacts can be blocked or dodged, the fire they leave cannot. Keep moving and stay off the burning spots.
Roar	launches projectiles, each landing as a 50-health Summoned Charred Warrior or Charred Marksman, up to 7 alive at once	100 m	Clear the summons quickly or pull Fader away from them.

How does the fight change as Fader loses health?

Full health: bite, claws, spin, leap and meteors.
Below 97 % and 95 %: side leaps join in.
Below 90 %: wall of fire.
Below 85 %: fissure and fire breath.
Between 55 % and 35 %: the roar and its summons.
Below 35 %: fissure, roar and meteors switch to faster versions that come back sooner. Meteors speed up below 25 %.

The fight is a long one. Stay close to its flank so the bite and breath miss, back off when a fissure opens, and never fight on burning ground. If you play with friends, one player blocking at the head keeps Fader turned while the others hit its sides.

What do you get for beating Fader?

Fader Trophy: offer it at the Sacrificial Stone for Fader's power. For 5 minutes you are Resistant to fire, gain adrenaline twice as fast and resist stagger 50 % better. It has a 20-minute cooldown and reaches every player within 10 metres.
Five Kindled Ribs: each builds an Eternal Pyre.

Beating Fader also ends the undead raids The undead army marches and The dead have been summoned. The last boss waits in the Deep North: how to beat Kall Fimbulbringer. The whole order is in the boss order guide.