Need information about the ridiculous troll spawning near bases in Black Forest

[Dynamite Adams]

Since I like building, I've become pretty careful about troll spawns in the Black Forest. I generally scout around when I first arrive (and the spawns are fresh), map them out, and build camps near any spawns if I'm going to be building in the area.

When I first came to my current area, I had a troll approach me while I was cutting wood, about 50m from where I'd been building, and I've been trying to find the spawn since. After more than a week without the troll spawning (longer than I've ever seen for a troll to respawn), i ran all around the area, and couldn't find them, and finished up the woodcutting.

5 minutes later, I'm back at camp building; And I see the troll come stomping through the woods towards me.


I'm now very confused about the spawns in Valheim; More so than before, where I've seen an Abomination spawn within 15 meters of a workbench while I was in a settlement. I've also noticed that sometimes workbenches don't prevent troll spawns.

Is every copy I download cursed, or is there some ridiculous set of circumstances that make these things possible?

I know the game's mechanics are almost spiteful towards builders, but I really don't want to embark on another adventure if my endless caution is just going to be thrown in my face.

[Suzaku]

https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Spawning_mechanics

Most enemies spawn anywhere in their allowed biomes, so the "spawn point" of trolls is literally anywhere the black forest exists. If you don't want trolls potentially breaking your stuff, don't build near the black forest at all.

[knighttemplar1960]

There are defined spawn points for trolls. They are usually near copper deposits and troll caves.

The big question is... are you using any mods? Mods can cause conflicts like the one you are mentioning. Work benches and other spawn prevention base items should work on troll spawn points. You can also troll proof your black forest bases by digging a trench around it or raising an earthen wall around it and digging pits at the gates.

[Gal Kraft]

What about raids? Is it worth spawn perfection when raids are inevitable?

[Eightball]

If you are merely a builder then just set the mobs to passive (world option), build to your hearts content and then, when you are ready to explore again set the mobs back to active.

[knighttemplar1960]

Originally posted by Gal Kraft:

What about raids? Is it worth spawn perfection when raids are inevitable?

Raids spawn within 95 meters of where an active player is that is within range of at least 3 base items. The active area of the program is 96 meters so there is no way to completely prevent a raid from spawning except by turning raids off in the world settings. Earthen walls are indestructible and trolls can't climb into or back out of pits/trenches. So if your wall/trench is less than 48 meters from the center of your base trolls can't get inside unless you have a hole in your spawn prevention coverage.

Caveat: Log trolls have a 6 meter reach so any structures you want to keep safe have to be at least 7 meters away from the outer edge of your earthen wall/trench. That will take care of all ground based raids but won't help against air borne creatures and doesn't apply to the wolf raid that only occurs in the mountains or plains and only if you are away from sufficient base items.

[L♥DK]

Dig 2 deep holes and drag the trolls there and leave em be. Last I've check, max limit of troll was 2.

[Calico-Jack]

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

5 minutes later, I'm back at camp building; And I see the troll come stomping through the woods towards me.

My first experience with a troll in my first ever game was when I found my first stone tower and I set about building a forward staging area in the tower. It was right on the edge of Meadows and Black Forest. So I'm in my tower when I see a troll arriving and I was all "Hah ha! up yours Bluey!". It was right then I learned that stone structures could be broken if you hit them hard enough.

Trolls are actually not that hard to take down, if you don't feel you can trust your skills you can just kite them away from something you want to protect as they get easily distracted.

One of my bases in my current game is right on the dividing line between Black Forest and Swamp so I quite often see both trolls and abominations spawning close enough to threaten the base so kiting becomes necessary. It's worthwhile pointing out the game counts each biome npc as a kind of faction - so Grey Dwarves will help out a Troll, Drauger etc will help out an Abomination. But when you kite one NPC into different biome - you can sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It's my preferred method for getting bulk quantities of wood in a short time span.

[Vortex]

Just go kill the troll, from what I’ve found from playing trolls don’t respawn in the same exact spot after killing them. It usually takes a few days for the trolls to respawn after being killed, however they don’t inevitably always spawn in the same spot. If you have good gear just go kill the troll(s) by abusing the dodge roll mechanic. Or just use cheats to kill them if you are literally just a builder.

[adritheonly]

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

Since I like building, I've become pretty careful about troll spawns in the Black Forest. I generally scout around when I first arrive (and the spawns are fresh), map them out, and build camps near any spawns if I'm going to be building in the area.

When I first came to my current area, I had a troll approach me while I was cutting wood, about 50m from where I'd been building, and I've been trying to find the spawn since. After more than a week without the troll spawning (longer than I've ever seen for a troll to respawn), i ran all around the area, and couldn't find them, and finished up the woodcutting.

5 minutes later, I'm back at camp building; And I see the troll come stomping through the woods towards me.


I'm now very confused about the spawns in Valheim; More so than before, where I've seen an Abomination spawn within 15 meters of a workbench while I was in a settlement. I've also noticed that sometimes workbenches don't prevent troll spawns.

Is every copy I download cursed, or is there some ridiculous set of circumstances that make these things possible?

I know the game's mechanics are almost spiteful towards builders, but I really don't want to embark on another adventure if my endless caution is just going to be thrown in my face.

Yes, I'd just finished my very first homestead on the Mountains/Black Forest border when a Troll demolished everything. Prob the only time I ever despaired in this game and the last time. After that I learned to build my creations on raised ground with moats and bridges. The Trolls can visit and shout but that's about it.

[Vortex]

Originally posted by adritheonly:

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

Since I like building, I've become pretty careful about troll spawns in the Black Forest. I generally scout around when I first arrive (and the spawns are fresh), map them out, and build camps near any spawns if I'm going to be building in the area.

When I first came to my current area, I had a troll approach me while I was cutting wood, about 50m from where I'd been building, and I've been trying to find the spawn since. After more than a week without the troll spawning (longer than I've ever seen for a troll to respawn), i ran all around the area, and couldn't find them, and finished up the woodcutting.

5 minutes later, I'm back at camp building; And I see the troll come stomping through the woods towards me.


I'm now very confused about the spawns in Valheim; More so than before, where I've seen an Abomination spawn within 15 meters of a workbench while I was in a settlement. I've also noticed that sometimes workbenches don't prevent troll spawns.

Is every copy I download cursed, or is there some ridiculous set of circumstances that make these things possible?

I know the game's mechanics are almost spiteful towards builders, but I really don't want to embark on another adventure if my endless caution is just going to be thrown in my face.

Yes, I'd just finished my very first homestead on the Mountains/Black Forest border when a Troll demolished everything. Prob the only time I ever despaired in this game and the last time. After that I learned to build my creations on raised ground with moats and bridges. The Trolls can visit and shout but that's about it.

Or just kill the troll like I said.

[adritheonly]

Originally posted by Vortex:

Originally posted by adritheonly:

Yes, I'd just finished my very first homestead on the Mountains/Black Forest border when a Troll demolished everything. Prob the only time I ever despaired in this game and the last time. After that I learned to build my creations on raised ground with moats and bridges. The Trolls can visit and shout but that's about it.

Or just kill the troll like I said.

Tad difficult for a new player in leather or underwear with maybe a crude bow and club. Yes, sure, one biome further Trolls become fun but this is not the case early days. I haven't played THAT long that I don't remember what that felt like or can sympathize.

[Psojed]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3399716401

Originally posted by L♥DK:

Dig 2 deep holes and drag the trolls there and leave em be. Last I've check, max limit of troll was 2.

That right there is the correct solution.
If you want to build a base in the Black Forest - and you don't want to build a wall or dig a trench (silly, but your choice) - then invite the troll into a nearby hole to keep an eye on them. You know they won't climb out, and if somehow they go missing, you instantly know a new troll will appear at some point.

[Vortex]

Originally posted by adritheonly:

Originally posted by Vortex:

Or just kill the troll like I said.

Tad difficult for a new player in leather or underwear with maybe a crude bow and club. Yes, sure, one biome further Trolls become fun but this is not the case early days. I haven't played THAT long that I don't remember what that felt like or can sympathize.

The original guy had progressed past the meadows age, and is actively progressing through the Black Forest biome.

[Dynamite Adams]

Originally posted by adritheonly:

Yes, I'd just finished my very first homestead on the Mountains/Black Forest border when a Troll demolished everything. Prob the only time I ever despaired in this game and the last time. After that I learned to build my creations on raised ground with moats and bridges. The Trolls can visit and shout but that's about it.

That's awful, I'm sorry to hear that.

Originally posted by Psojed:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3399716401

Originally posted by L♥DK:

Dig 2 deep holes and drag the trolls there and leave em be. Last I've check, max limit of troll was 2.

That right there is the correct solution.
If you want to build a base in the Black Forest - and you don't want to build a wall or dig a trench (silly, but your choice) - then invite the troll into a nearby hole to keep an eye on them. You know they won't climb out, and if somehow they go missing, you instantly know a new troll will appear at some point.

Fair enough, but this is certainly not the solution I was hoping for. I've never seen a moat or ground wall that didn't look horrifically ugly, and the time/resource threshold for building a house is already steep for a solo player. Trolls aren't difficult for me to kill, but they can easily smash my base to pieces, and the game is pretty stupid about letting such large enemies approach so quietly.

Does this mean that I'm basically being forced to build a huge ugly perimeter around every single non-meadows building I make from now on? ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ wack, Valheim. Master of disappointment.

Originally posted by Vortex:

Just go kill the troll, from what I’ve found from playing trolls don’t respawn in the same exact spot after killing them. It usually takes a few days for the trolls to respawn after being killed, however they don’t inevitably always spawn in the same spot. If you have good gear just go kill the troll(s) by abusing the dodge roll mechanic. Or just use cheats to kill them if you are literally just a builder.

I'm not having trouble killing trolls, I'm having trouble finding the balance between "Ugly base relying on cheese mechanics to deny enemies", and "Building that will survive a single attack from any enemy that isn't a greyling".

Not sure what I'm expecting in a game like Valheim, which treats balance like a drunk with one leg shorter than the other.

Originally posted by Eightball:

If you are merely a builder then just set the mobs to passive (world option), build to your hearts content and then, when you are ready to explore again set the mobs back to active.

For one, I like building, but I also like playing games. If I wanted a building sim I'd buy a decorating game. For two, I don't want a troll wandering out from his stoop when I DO have mobs active again.

Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

There are defined spawn points for trolls. They are usually near copper deposits and troll caves.

The big question is... are you using any mods? Mods can cause conflicts like the one you are mentioning. Work benches and other spawn prevention base items should work on troll spawn points. You can also troll proof your black forest bases by digging a trench around it or raising an earthen wall around it and digging pits at the gates.

Yeah, I'm using mods. I can't think of what would be breaking workbenches, but here's my list:

NoRainDamage
moregates
BetterWispLight
CraftableJute
BlacksmithTools
CackleheimBST
VoxxTrollRug
HelmetHairToggle
HoeRadius
LongerDays
DvergrPieces
TrashItems
LoyalSpears
MissingPieces
PlantEverything

More recent mods:

HeightMap
Comfortable
EquipmentAndQuickslots
SpeedyPaths
FIrstPersonMode
BuildRestrictionTweaks
TarCollector
PerfectPlacement
ShaderFix

[Psojed]

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

Trolls aren't difficult for me to kill, but they can easily smash my base to pieces, and the game is pretty stupid about letting such large enemies approach so quietly.

Yeah, smashing your base to pieces is their goal. They also make sounds.

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

Does this mean that I'm basically being forced to build a huge ugly perimeter around every single non-meadows building I make from now on? ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ wack, Valheim. Master of disappointment.

Well, no.
First of all, you don't NEED a moat. Or wall. All you have to do is be active, that means, get your ass outside of your base every time there are enemies. And you'll have to do it quite often in Black Forest.

Another option is to spawnproof a large area around your base, so that nothing spawns in your area. That's why island bases are popular - they get this benefit without planting 100 hidden campfires.

Originally posted by Dynamite Adams:

Yeah, I'm using mods.

Add BetterWards, you can have a bubble as big as you like, hide it and it will prevent monsters from entering the area.