Growths are one of the many uniquely designed enemies in Valheim, and knowing how to defeat them means complete access to the tar pits. Tar is a crafting material that is used for many items, adding a dark pigmentation to each of them. Tar pits spawn exclusively in the Plains Biome and the easiest way to find them is to get up high and look across the landscape. Tar can be used to craft some of the new building structures included in the Valheim Hearth & Home update.
Before any tar can be gathered, Growths will have to be defeated. They make the tar pits their homes and they resemble the more common Blobs throughout Valheim. However, instead of being green, Growths are covered in black tar and resistant to many types of damage. Additional tar can be harvested from defeated Growths as well.
Growths don't actually have a lot of health, no more than 100 hit points, but they are resistant to Pierce, Slash, and Frost damage. Additionally, Growths are immune to any Poison or Stagger attack in Valheim. Growth primary attack is spitting tar at players, crippling a player's speed with a slow debuff and poisoning them.
Defeat Growths and Collect Tar in Valheim
Growths can be defeated easily with every Valheim weapon that deals Fire and Blunt damage. Since Blunt attacks require players to be up-close to Growths, the best shot of defeating them is to use a Fire bow. This may take a bit longer because of the weapon type, but keeping distance from a Growth is the easiest way to defeat it without taking any damage. After it's defeated, feel free to loot the body and mine the tar pits to gather materials.
Digging a trench beside a tar pit will drain the pit, allowing players to harvest the clumps that are at the bottom. Here is a list of everything that can be crafted using tar.
- Darkwood Gate
- Shingle Roof
- Shingle Roof Ridge
- Shingle Roof O-Corner
- Shingle Roof I-corner
- Darkwood Poles
- Darkwood Beams
- Carved Darkwood Divider
- Darkwood Arch
- Raven Adornment
- Wolf Adornment
- Darkwood Chair
- Round Table
- Long Heavy Table
- Hot Tub
Before venturing out to defeat Growths and earn tar, it's a good idea to establish a footing in Valheim. Build a house with an ample supply of wood, and keep everything well-stocked in case a Growth does manage to defeat anyone. If a tar pit is found during a new game, leave it alone for now. New tar pits appear routinely in Valheim, and it's best to go after the tar and face the Growths only when needed.
Valheim can be played on PC.