Boars in Valheim pay off early. They give leather scraps, steady raw meat, and cooked meat for long trips. If you want fewer frantic hunts and a reliable food source at base, taming boars is the move.
Taming takes patience. You need a decent pen, the right food, and the discipline to hang back while they eat. I’ve done this many times; honestly, watching friends learn the hard way taught me faster tricks than trial and error alone.
🐗 Where to find boars
Boars appear in the Meadows biome, usually near tree lines and small ponds. Daytime makes them easier to spot because they roam more openly. I’ve noticed spawn numbers swing widely: sometimes two to four, sometimes just one. On 2025-04-12 I found five boars in a 120×80 meter meadow patch—three showed stronger HP markers.
🥕 What to bring
- Mushrooms or carrots (mushrooms are easy; carrots make taming faster).
- Hammer and wood for fencing.
- Workbench near the build site.
Why these? The pen keeps them from fleeing; a workbench lets you fix or upgrade without running back; better food cuts feed cycles so you waste less time. Running out of food mid-tame kills momentum and morale.
🏠 Best pen design
| Spec | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 6×6 meters |
| Wall height | 2 meters |
| Gate | 1.5 meters wide |
| Distance from base | 50–100 meters |
Level ground matters. Uneven terrain lets boars slip through or get stuck. Tip: add a small nursery inside the pen (removable wall) so piglets don’t get trampled—yes, that happens.
🎯 Taming steps (short)
- Track the boar during daylight.
- Lure it into the gate by getting noticed.
- Close the gate, place food, step back 10–15 meters.
- Wait and watch from a distance.
We found ~12 meters is a sweet spot for most servers. Boars won’t eat if you hover; they need to feel safe.
| Food | Typical time | Food used |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | 35–60 min | 8–14 |
| Berries | 25–45 min | 6–10 |
| Carrots/Turnips | 15–30 min | 4–8 |
⚙️ Step-by-step advice
Crouch and move slowly so the boar notices but doesn’t panic. Let it chase you through the gate. Close it, drop food, then move away—no exceptions. Hearts will appear when feeding and taming percent climbs. Don’t swing a weapon or light a fire near the pen; those things interrupt feeding.
“A game is a series of interesting choices.” — Sid Meier
⚠️ Common mistakes
Standing too close stops taming. We lost a session on 2024-11-08 because a teammate kept checking the pen (ugh). Running out of food is another classic fail. Some boars with higher HP take longer; there are exceptions.
🍖 Breeding basics
Two adults will breed; offspring show up every 4–6 in-game days if conditions are good. Keep 2–4 adults for a steady supply. Bigger herds need more food and attention unless you automate farms.
| Herd | Daily food | Meat yield |
|---|---|---|
| 2 adults | 6–10 items | 2–3 raw meat each |
| 6 boars | 20–30 items | 8–12 raw meat total |
📊 Mini-cases (real dates)
2025-03-22 — Solo: I tamed three boars with carrots in 42 minutes, used 12 carrots, and got steady meat for raids.
March 2025 — Group server “NorthSea”: a 6×12 barn plus carrot farms increased harvests by 38% in 14 in-game days; raids lasted 25% longer between resupplies (we logged it).
2024-12-05 — Beginner error: 4×4 pen on rocky ground. Two boars glitched out after three days. Level your site first.
🔥 Two debatable things
Roofing: many say it’s wasteful. I say roofing prevents aerial attacks and wandering—worth it if predators spawn nearby. Breeding: some players claim it breaks survival balance. I’ll be blunt—on some servers it does, and that causes arguments!
“Fun is just another word for learning.” — Raph Koster
🔎 Why this works
Boars react to hunger and threat distance. You’re not just handing food; you’re changing their environment so they accept feeding. That’s the key—distance, enclosure shape, and food quality combine to make taming efficient.
🛠 Advanced tips
- Keep a workbench near the pen to upgrade fences without running home.
- Prioritize carrots for speed; give 1‑star boars breeding priority (they often pass better stats).
Counterintuitive note: sometimes smaller pens reduce stress more than huge barns (depends on server settings). Watch this: noise and movement change feeding patterns.
📚 Quick reference
| Action | Why | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Use carrots | Faster taming | Fewer feed cycles |
| Stay 10–15 m away | Boar feels safe | Feeding continues |
| Level ground | Prevents glitches | Fewer escapes |
Here’s the funny part: taming can feel like babysitting. You’ll sigh. You’ll celebrate. You’ll do it again. It works.
(By the way, on persistent servers coordinate pen placement with neighbors—shared spawns can ruin a week of work.)
// Simple pen blueprint
6 x 6
walls: 2 high
gate: center, 1.5 width
place workbench 3m outside
Final note: start small. Build on level ground, bring food, and stay patient. In my experience, once you get this down your playstyle opens up: longer raids, bigger projects, fewer mid-trip supply runs. Good luck out there — enjoy the oddly satisfying chaos of farming boars.
