Fader is the boss of the Ashlands and the last Forsaken you beat before heading to the Deep North. Unlike most earlier bosses, you can’t just place items on an altar: you have to fight for bell fragments in Charred fortresses, forge three Bells at the Black Forge and hang them around the Emerald Flame arena. Below you’ll find the full process, Fader’s immunities and attacks, gear based on verified sources and his Forsaken Power after Call to Arms. Valid for Valheim 1.0 and patch 1.0.20 (15 October 2026).
Getting to the Ashlands
The Ashlands arrived on 14 May 2024 and are cut off from the rest of the world. The only way there is by sea, far to the south. The waters in and around the Ashlands boil, and only one ship survives them: the Drakkar. Building it requires the Majestic Carapace from the Queen, so there’s no reaching Fader without beating the Queen first.
Don’t expect a gentle landing. Hot cinders fall from the sky and hurt anyone unprotected, much of the landscape is lava, and wooden structures in the Ashlands catch fire and spread it. That’s why fire resistance from Fire Resistance Barley Wine and the best armour you have are the way to go. What lives there and which materials to haul home is covered in our Ashlands guide.
Where to find Fader
Fader’s lair is the Emerald Flame arena. Its location is revealed by a Vegvisir in the central tower of a Charred Fortress. Not every fortress has one, so expect to take more than one.
Fortresses aren’t taken with a sword alone. The Ashlands added two siege engines for the job, the Catapult and the Battering Ram. The fortresses are also where you collect bell fragments, so every one you take gets you closer to the summon.
Three Bells: how to summon Fader
The summon has four steps and none of them can be skipped:
- Collect 9 Bell Fragments. The fragments (Bell Shard) are found in Charred fortresses.
- Forge 3 Bells at the Black Forge. Each Bell takes three fragments.
- Hang the Bells. Three small towers stand around the altar, one Bell for each.
- Activate the altar. Only now does Fader appear.
| Step | Where | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Bell Fragments | Charred fortresses | material for the Bells |
| 3 Bells | Black Forge | 1 Bell from 3 fragments |
| Hanging | three towers by the altar | altar ready |
| Activation | altar in the Emerald Flame | the fight begins |
Immunities: what not to hit Fader with
Before you pack your weapons, check what kind of damage they deal. Fader is immune to fire and spirit damage, so fire damage does nothing to him. He also resists pierce damage, which means bows and spears only do half.
Leave your fire and spirit weapons for other enemies. Flametal is now smelted from Flametal Ore, and Flametal weapons can be combined with Bloodstone, Iolite and Jade gems to make magic variants. We don’t list specific weapon stats, because sources disagree and patches keep changing them.
Attacks and summoned enemies
Fader has a wide move set, both up close and at range:
- a bite, a claw swipe and a tail spin at close range,
- meteors of green fire,
- spikes that burst from the ground,
- a fire breath.
He also summons Charred warriors, so you won’t be alone in the arena. In a group it pays for one player to hold Fader while the others deal with the adds and pile on damage. Friends on other platforms can join through crossplay. As a side note, version 1.0 lowered the chance of several enemies spawning at once in the Ashlands and adjusted the delay between Charred spawns.
Gear and food
The Ashlands brought three armour sets: Flametal, Embla (for mages) and Ask. In version 1.0, Ashlands gear has higher durability. The same update added over 15 new foods and drinks, and Piquant Pie is among the highest-health dishes. Bring Fire Resistance Barley Wine against the flames. Which materials and sets come before and after the Ashlands is summed up in our gear progression guide.
Reward and Forsaken Power
Fader drops the Fader Trophy and the Fader Relic. Hang the trophy on the Sacrificial Stones at the spawn point to unlock his Forsaken Power, triggered with a key for 300 seconds. Watch out for old guides: Iron Gate reworked boss powers in Call to Arms on 9 September 2025, and older descriptions of Fader’s power are out of date. Today it gives:
- +100% adrenaline gain,
- 50% less stagger,
- 50% fire resistance.
Adrenaline ties in with the trinkets that Call to Arms added. The fire resistance comes in handy in the Ashlands themselves. The Fader achievement only counts from version 1.0 onwards.
What comes after Fader
The last biome is the Deep North on the northern edge of the world, the one that took the game to version 1.0. How to prepare for it is covered in our Deep North guide. At its end waits the final boss Kall Fimbulbringer, whose second phase pits you against the aspects of earlier Forsaken bosses.
Join our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/feTRJNn9wE to find people for fortress sieges and for the Emerald Flame fight itself. Come over to Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Collect nine Bell Fragments in Charred fortresses, forge three Bells from them at the Black Forge, hang them on the three towers around the altar in the Emerald Flame and activate the altar.
A Vegvisir in the central tower of a Charred Fortress in the Ashlands reveals it. Not every fortress has the runestone.
Fire and spirit damage. He also resists pierce damage, so bows and spears only do half.
After Call to Arms: +100% adrenaline gain, 50% less stagger and 50% fire resistance. You trigger it with a key for 300 seconds.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. Guides to the other bosses are in the Valheim hub.