Serpent

Serpents are large hostile sea creatures that inhabit the Ocean and can attack both players and boats. They are among the most dangerous early-game threats for long-distance sailing, especially for players crossing open water in slow or fragile craft. A serpent is a long, blue-black snake with spines along its back and bright glowing eyes, and it is a direct danger to both unprepared sailors and lightly armed vessels.

Serpents spawn only at night or during heavy rain and thunderstorms; light rain is not enough. A serpent that spawns at night will disappear at sunrise if the area is not revisited at night, while one that spawns in rainy weather remains during the day and can still be found later in calmer conditions. Spawning is tied to sailing through the Ocean, with a chance to generate a serpent while a player is traveling. Because spawn attempts are periodic rather than constant, changing course or sailing in ways that move through more zones can result in more opportunities to encounter one. Some serpents spawn close enough to immediately notice and attack, while others appear farther away and may be missed unless the player scans behind the boat.

In combat, serpents lunge with a bite attack that deals 70 slash damage. They draw their head back before striking, can use this attack every 10 seconds when a player is within 3 meters, and continue closing distance even when they are already in range. A Raft is generally too slow and too fragile to survive a serpent encounter alone; a Karve with at least a Finewood Bow is the minimum recommended setup for ocean travel. Frost arrows are especially effective for killing serpents at sea.

Serpents can be dragged toward shore, which is useful because some of their drops are lost if they die in deep water. Serpent Meat floats, but the other drops sink, and there is currently no way to dive to retrieve them from the ocean floor. For that reason, many players use an Abyssal Harpoon to pull a serpent into shallow water or even onto land before finishing it off. The harpoon continuously drains stamina while pulling a target, and the line breaks if the user attacks with another weapon or clicks the right mouse button. If a serpent is dragged inland, it will try to flee back toward the ocean after a short time, so keeping pressure on it or using help from other players makes the process easier.

Only serpents that spawn during rainy conditions can be kept in captivity. Night-spawned serpents will despawn during the day, so a captured serpent should be one encountered in rain if the goal is to keep it alive. Once stranded, it will not attack and instead tries to return to the sea. This makes shallow water or shoreline kills the safest way to secure the full loot.

Serpents drop Serpent meat, Serpent Scale, and a Serpent Trophy. The amount of meat and scales increases with stars, but serpents do not have starred variants. Serpent meat can no longer be cooked on a regular cooking station; the Iron Cooking Station is required. The creature is likely inspired by Jörmungandr from Norse mythology, the giant sea serpent that encircles Midgard.