The Hearth & Home update added a new Plains resource to Valheim: Tar. We need it for darkwood building pieces, shingle roofs, several pieces of furniture, and a few other recipes. The mechanics are still present in Valheim 1.0, so if we want to decorate a base with darkwood, we still have to visit the Plains and clear Tar Pits.In this guide, I will explain where to find Tar, how to kill Growths, how to drain a Tar Pit, and which building pieces and furniture recipes unlock after we collect the resource.
What Is Darkwood and How Do We Get It in Valheim?
How to unlock darkwood building pieces in Valheim and get TarHow to unlock darkwood building pieces in Valheim and get TarDarkwood is not a separate tree species that we can chop down somewhere in the world. The name refers to a group of building pieces made from regular Wood or Finewood together with Tar.Tar itself is a heavy black resource found in the Plains. One unit weighs 2.0, stacks up to 50, and can be transported through normal portals. That last detail makes farming it much easier than hauling metal back home.Once we pick up Tar for the first time, the game unlocks the recipes that use it, provided we have also discovered the other required materials.
Where to Find Tar in Valheim: Tar Pits and Growths
Where to find Tar in ValheimWhere to find Tar in ValheimTar is found in Tar Pits in the Plains biome. These black pools are guarded by hostile creatures called Growths.Tar Pits are generated as points of interest across the Plains. A pit usually contains several Growths and a large amount of Tar hidden beneath the surface. A fully drained pit can contain roughly 69 to 108 Tar, so one good location gives us enough material for a substantial building project, although large bases can easily consume more.Growths also drop Tar when killed. Two Growths can respawn around a Tar Pit after roughly one in-game hour even after we drain the pool, so do not assume a previously cleared pit will remain completely safe forever.
If we are playing on a very old world created before Hearth & Home, Tar Pits may only appear in Plains areas that had not been explored before the update. Valheim generally adds new world locations only to previously unexplored terrain.
How to Kill Growths in Valheim
How to kill Growths in ValheimHow to kill Growths in ValheimGrowths look like moving lumps of black Tar, but they are much more dangerous than their appearance suggests. Their ranged attack launches several projectiles at once and deals both Blunt and Poison damage. A hit also applies the Tarred effect, which cuts our movement speed in half.The worst mistake is fighting several Growths at close range. Their projectiles spread out, so being near them can cause multiple hits from a single attack.Before approaching a Tar Pit, eat proper Plains-tier food and bring Poison Resistance Mead. Stamina mead is useful too, but remember how it actually works: Medium Stamina Mead restores 160 stamina over two seconds. It does not permanently add 160 points to our maximum stamina.Growths have very specific resistances:
Weak to Blunt and Fire damage.
Resistant to Pierce, Slash, and Frost damage.
Immune to Poison and Stagger.
Spirit and Lightning deal normal damage.
This is important because several recommendations from the original Hearth & Home version of this guide are no longer worth following. A sword or spear can work, but both attack through damage types that Growths resist. A mace or another strong blunt weapon is a much better melee choice.
What Armor Should We Use Against Growths?
There is no single required armor set. Tar Pits are Plains content, so I would prepare for them at roughly Plains progression.
Padded Armor
Padded ArmorPadded ArmorPadded Armor is the natural heavy-armor choice for the Plains. It is no longer the strongest armor in the entire game because Valheim now has Mistlands, Ashlands, and Deep North equipment, but it is more than enough for Tar Pits.At quality 1:
Padded Helmet provides 26 armor.
Padded Cuirass provides 26 armor.
Padded Greaves provide 26 armor.
The three main pieces require Iron and Linen Thread. The chest and legs also reduce movement speed, so we still need to dodge instead of trying to absorb every Growth projectile.
Wolf Armor
Wolf ArmorWolf ArmorIf we have not crafted Padded Armor yet, Mountain-tier Wolf Armor is still a reasonable option. The Drake Helmet, Wolf Armor Chest, and Wolf Armor Legs each start at 20 armor.The important crafting materials include Silver, Wolf Pelts, Wolf Fangs, Chains, and Drake Trophies. It gives us less protection than Padded Armor, but it is perfectly usable if we approach the Tar Pit carefully.
Iron Armor
Iron ArmorIron ArmorIron Armor is a much riskier option in the Plains, but it can still work. Each quality 1 piece provides 14 armor.If this is the best equipment we have, do not fight an entire group of Growths head-on. Pull them away one at a time, keep Poison Resistance Mead active, and use terrain to break line of sight.Later-game armor from Mistlands, Ashlands, or Deep North obviously makes this encounter much easier. The sets above are listed because they match the point in progression when most players first start farming Tar.
Which Weapons Work Best Against Growths?
Growths resist Pierce damage, so bows are not automatically the perfect answer. They are still very useful because we can fight from a safer distance, but arrow choice matters.
Bows and Arrows
Best arrows against GrowthsBest arrows against GrowthsA Huntsman Bow or Draugr Fang is enough for this job if we have decent Bow skill.The best Plains-era arrows include:Silver Arrows: one of the best choices. A Silver Arrow deals Pierce plus Spirit damage. Growths resist the Pierce portion but take normal Spirit damage, which makes Silver Arrows much more effective than their raw Pierce number suggests.Fire Arrows: cheap and useful because Growths are weak to Fire. Their Pierce damage is low, but the Fire component receives the weakness bonus.Needle Arrows: usable if we already have plenty of Needles, but the attack is almost entirely Pierce damage and Growths resist Pierce. They are not as efficient here as their high listed damage might suggest.Arrows I would avoid:
Poison Arrows because Growths are immune to Poison.
Frost Arrows because Growths resist Frost and Pierce.
Wood, Flinthead, and Bronzehead Arrows because their Pierce damage is low and then gets reduced again by the Growth's resistance.
Maces, Clubs, and Other Melee Weapons
If we prefer melee, use Blunt damage. Growths are weak to it.Strong options around this stage of progression include maces and mixed-damage weapons with a substantial Blunt component. A weapon such as Frostner can work well despite the Frost resistance because part of its damage is Blunt and Spirit. Porcupine is another strong Plains-era option because part of its damage is Blunt.By comparison, Blackmetal Swords, Silver Swords, and Fang Spears rely heavily on Slash or Pierce, both of which Growths resist.A shield can block the Tar projectiles, but a full volley can drain stamina very quickly. Dodging sideways is usually safer.
Easy Tactic for Fighting Growths
Growth combat tacticsGrowth combat tactics
Eat good food and activate Poison Resistance Mead before the fight.
Approach the Tar Pit slowly and attack one Growth from range.
Back away and lure it away from the rest of the group.
Strafe sideways when it fires. The projectiles are slow enough to dodge if we keep moving.
Kill the isolated Growth, then repeat with the others.
There is also a much funnier option. Growths belong to a different faction from most Plains creatures and will fight Lox and Fulings. If one of those groups is nearby, we can lure the Growths into them and let the locals solve part of our problem.
How to Drain a Tar Pit in Valheim and Collect the Tar
How to drain a Tar Pit in ValheimHow to drain a Tar Pit in ValheimSo, we cleared the Tar Pit, picked up the Tar dropped by the Growths, and now there are large Tar lumps sitting inside the pool. When we try to reach them, the Tarred effect slows us down and the resource itself cannot be collected properly from the deep liquid.Nothing is broken. We have to drain the Tar Pit first.Take any pickaxe and look for a lower section of terrain next to the pit. Dig a trench from the edge of the Tar Pit downhill. The liquid flows toward the lower ground and exposes the solid Tar nodes at the bottom.The important part is elevation. Digging a random hole beside the pool does not help if the new trench is not lower than the surface of the Tar.Once enough liquid has drained away, walk into the pit and collect the exposed Tar by hand. Small nodes contain about 4 Tar, while the larger deposits at the bottom can contain around 15 Tar.
Do not kill Growths directly over the middle of a full Tar Pit if we can avoid it. Their drops can become stuck in the liquid until we drain it.
What Can We Build With Tar? How to Unlock Darkwood
As soon as we collect our first Tar and have discovered the other required materials, a large set of building recipes becomes available.The current Tar-based building pieces include:Darkwood pieces:
Darkwood Gate.
Darkwood Pole 2m.
Darkwood Pole 4m.
Darkwood Beam 2m.
Darkwood Beam 4m.
Darkwood Beam 26°.
Darkwood Beam 45°.
Carved Darkwood Divider.
Darkwood Arch.
Raven Adornment.
Wolf Adornment.
Shingle roofs:
Shingle Roof 26°.
Shingle Roof Ridge 26°.
Shingle Roof Inner Corner 26°.
Shingle Roof Outer Corner 26°.
Shingle Roof 45°.
Shingle Roof Ridge 45°.
Shingle Roof Inner Corner 45°.
Shingle Roof Outer Corner 45°.
Furniture and storage:
Darkwood Chair.
Round Table.
Long Heavy Table.
Hot Tub.
Black Metal Chest.
Tar is also used in the current game for the Tar variant of the Blob Bomb.Darkwood structures require a nearby Workbench and normally combine Tar with regular Wood or Finewood. Another useful advantage is that Darkwood structures are not damaged by rain, so they are excellent for exterior decoration.The old version of this guide listed the Stone Throne among Tar recipes. That was incorrect. The Stone Throne is not a Tar recipe.[i]That is everything you need to know about finding Tar, draining Tar Pits, fighting Growths, and unlocking Darkwood building pieces in Valheim.
