The Elder

The Elder is a towering tree creature deep in the Black Forest, and beating it is what opens the Swamp. Its drop, the Swamp Key, is the only way into the Sunken Crypts where you mine iron. No Elder, no iron progression.

Finding Ancient Seeds

You summon The Elder with 3 Ancient Seeds. They drop from Greydwarf Brutes and Shamans, and you will almost always find them guarding the spawners (those root-and-stone nests) inside Burial Chambers.

How to Beat The Elder

The Elder is slow but hits like a truck. It has two attacks: a stomp shockwave up close, and a volley of vine roots it shoots from range that sprout damaging stalks where they land.

1. Build a few wooden platforms or use the natural rocks around the altar for line-of-sight cover.
2. The Elder is weak to fire and very resistant to pierce, so bring Fire Arrows over wood or bronze-tipped ones.
3. Keep moving sideways to dodge the root volley, then peek out and fire.
4. Never stand still in the open. The stomp will catch you if it closes the gap.

A stack of 40 to 60 Fire Arrows and a decent bow will end the fight before you run out.

Drops and Reward

The Elder drops the Swamp Key and the Elder Trophy. Hang the trophy at a sacrificial altar to unlock the power.

The Elder power speeds up tree felling, so trees come down faster while it is active. Save it for big logging runs in the Black Forest when you are stocking up on Core Wood and Fine Wood.