Valheim is a survival and exploration game inspired by Viking culture, where players must craft, build, fight, and farm to thrive in a vast procedurally generated world. While most players focus on weapons, armor, or defeating bosses, animal taming is one of the most overlooked but rewarding features.
Among all tamable creatures in Valheim, the boar is the perfect starting companion. These wild pigs may look ordinary when you first encounter them in the Meadows biome, but with a little patience, they can become loyal allies, providing you with an ongoing supply of meat and leather scraps—two of the most valuable early-game resources.
This in-depth guide will walk you through everything you need to know about taming boars in Valheim. From building a safe enclosure and luring them inside to feeding, breeding, and setting up a full-fledged boar farm, we’ll cover every step in detail. By the end, you’ll be ready to transform these aggressive woodland creatures into a sustainable source of resources for your Viking journey.
Why Tame Boars in Valheim?
Before jumping into the how-to process, it’s important to understand why taming boars is worth your time:
- Renewable Resource Farming – Once tamed, boars can be bred indefinitely. This provides an endless supply of meat for food and leather scraps for crafting.
- Less Hunting Stress – Instead of constantly roaming the Meadows looking for wild boars, you’ll have a steady supply right at your base.
- Role-Playing Value – Valheim is about immersion. Having tamed animals makes your base feel alive and Viking-like.
- Foundation for Advanced Farming – Boar taming is the first step toward mastering Valheim’s animal mechanics. Once you learn this process, you can later tame wolves and lox for even bigger benefits.
Step 1: Preparing a Boar Pen
The very first step in taming a boar is to build a secure pen. Trying to tame them in the open is nearly impossible, as they either keep attacking you or flee when threatened.
Choosing the Right Location
- Pick a flat area near your base so you can check in on the taming progress.
- Avoid dangerous zones like Black Forest edges or areas with frequent enemy spawns.
- Keep the pen slightly away from fires, campfires, and torches since wild boars are afraid of flames.
Building Materials
The cheapest and easiest option early game is the roundpole fence, crafted from wood.
- It’s affordable.
- Low enough for you to jump over but high enough to trap a boar.
You’ll need a workbench nearby to place fences. Build a rectangular or circular enclosure large enough for the boar to move freely. Don’t overcrowd—start with a modest space.
The Trap Doorway
- Leave a one-tile gap in the fence.
- This opening will serve as the “trap entrance.”
- Once the boar is inside, you’ll close it with another fence piece.
Pro Tip: You can later upgrade the pen using stronger materials like stakewalls or stone walls, especially if you plan to expand into a long-term boar farm.
Step 2: Luring and Capturing a Wild Boar
Now comes the fun (and risky) part—bringing a wild boar into your enclosure.
Finding Boars
- Boars spawn in the Meadows biome, usually alone or in pairs.
- They are aggressive by default, so getting their attention isn’t difficult.
Luring Method
- Approach a boar until it notices you. A red exclamation mark will appear above its head.
- Don’t fight it! Instead, turn around and run back toward your pen.
- Let it chase you and carefully maneuver through the trap opening.
- Once inside, quickly place the final fence piece to close the gap.
Escaping the Pen Safely
Boars can’t jump fences, but you can. After sealing the entrance, hop out and leave it trapped inside.
Tip: If you struggle to lure boars, you can also use food as bait by dropping raspberries or mushrooms inside the pen before leading them in.
Step 3: The Taming Process
With the boar trapped, you can finally begin the taming process.
Calming the Boar
A freshly captured boar will be hostile and frightened. It won’t eat right away, so:
- Step away from the pen.
- Give it time to calm down (a few in-game minutes).
- Avoid sudden movements or staying too close.
What Boars Eat
Boars in Valheim are not picky. Their diet includes:
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Red Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Turnips
Feeding Technique
- Open your inventory.
- Drag food items out and drop them on the ground inside the pen.
- They can eat from a stack—no need to drop one at a time.
Once the boar feels safe and hungry, it will approach the food. The moment it eats, you’ll see yellow heart symbols appear, signaling that taming has started.
Monitoring Taming Progress
- Sneak up to the pen and hover over the boar.
- You’ll see a “Tameness” percentage meter.
- It takes about 30 minutes of real-time for a boar to become fully tamed.
Important:
- Don’t stray too far from the area, or the taming process will pause.
- Keep fires, enemies, or loud activity away to prevent the boar from becoming frightened again.
Step 4: Life with a Tamed Boar
Once tamed, a boar will display “(Tame)” above its name when you look at it.
Behavior of Tamed Boars
- They stop attacking you.
- They follow you around if close enough.
- They can be fed regularly to stay “happy.”
- You can pet them, adding a role-play charm to your base.
Unlike wolves, boars won’t follow you into combat, but they are a crucial part of resource management.
Step 5: Breeding Boars for a Farm
Taming one boar is good, but taming two or more allows you to build a boar farm, ensuring an infinite supply of meat and leather.
How to Breed Boars
- Capture and tame at least two boars in the same pen.
- Make sure they are fed regularly. A tamed boar with food nearby will show the status “happy.”
- When two happy boars are close together, they will eventually mate, shown by pink heart clouds.
Piglets
- After successful mating, a small piglet will spawn.
- Piglets are already tamed when born.
- They take about 50 minutes to mature into adult boars.
Managing Farm Population
Overcrowding reduces breeding efficiency.
- Keep pens spacious.
- Limit each small pen to about five adult boars.
- If you want large-scale farming, build multiple pens.
Advanced Tips for Successful Boar Farming
- Upgrade Enclosures – Replace flimsy roundpole fences with stakewalls or stone to prevent enemies (like Greydwarfs) from breaking in.
- Automate Feeding – Drop stacks of food instead of single items to minimize maintenance.
- Separate Pens – Build one pen for taming and another for breeding to streamline the process.
- Strategic Placement – Keep your boar farm close to your crop fields, since carrots and turnips double as both food for you and feed for your animals.
- Resource Management – Rotate boar slaughtering so you never run out of breeding stock.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Building pens near fire sources → Scares boars and disrupts taming.
- Leaving pens too small → Prevents breeding and stresses animals.
- Forgetting to feed them → Hungry boars won’t breed, and taming progress halts.
- Luring multiple boars at once → Can lead to chaos and escape attempts. Always handle one at a time in the beginning.
Final Thoughts
Taming boars in Valheim is more than just a survival strategy—it’s a true Viking rite of passage. By learning how to build pens, lure wild boars, patiently tame them with food, and eventually breed them into a thriving herd, you create a reliable supply chain of essential resources.
Beyond the practical benefits, raising boars adds life and immersion to your Viking homestead. Few things are more satisfying than returning from a dangerous adventure and hearing the snorts of your domesticated boars waiting back home.
Whether you’re a new player just starting in the Meadows or an experienced Viking looking to optimize your resource management, mastering boar taming sets the foundation for advanced animal husbandry in Valheim.
Start with one, build up to many, and soon enough, you’ll have a bustling farm worthy of Odin’s blessing.
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