Surtling

Surtlings are small humanoid fire creatures found in Valheim, most commonly around Fire geysers in the Swamp. They are one of the game’s fire-based hostile creatures and are also associated with Ashlands; before the Ashlands update, they were very common there and the only inhabitants of that biome. Their appearance and behavior make them useful and dangerous in equal measure: they can be farmed for resources, but they attack from range and can quickly pressure an unprepared player.

A Surtling is constantly harmed by contact with water, so spawns near Fire geysers can be turned into easy farms by lowering the ground around the geyser with a pickaxe. If the Surtling appears in water, it takes damage immediately and dies quickly. This same weakness can be used in combat as well, since pushing or luring them into water can finish them off without much effort. Rain does not damage them, so only actual water contact matters.

Their main attack is a fireball. The Surtling winds up before throwing a ball of fire at the player, applying Burning and dealing 10 blunt damage plus 40 fire damage. The attack has a 3-second cooldown, can be used at up to 10 meters, and the projectile travels for up to 4 seconds at 11 meters per second with a spread of 2–20 degrees. Because they always attack from range, closing the distance can be useful if you can safely interrupt them.

Practical counters and useful details:

• Frost damage is effective against them. A Frostner or a bow with Frost arrows deals strong damage.
• Their fireballs can be parried, staggering them and creating an opening for melee attacks.
• Parrying can also let you push them into water, where they rapidly die.
• The flames on starred Surtlings change color: 1-star Surtlings have blue flames, while 2-star Surtlings have pink flames.
• They are a reference to Surtr, the fire giant from Norse mythology.

Because of their water weakness, Surtlings are among the easiest creatures to farm once a geyser spawn is found and terrain is adjusted correctly. At the same time, their ranged fireball and Burning damage make them dangerous in tight spaces, especially if multiple Surtlings are present together.