How to Get Valheim Tar

This Valheim Tar Guide will tell you where you can get Tar, what you can use Tar to craft, and the best way to get Tar in the game!

What is Valheim Tar Used For?

Valheim Tar is primarily used to construct decorative furniture such as Darkwood Beams and Shingle Roof pieces. However, it is also used to build two highly useful functional items as of Version 0.210.6"

• Black Metal Chest - Costs 10 Wood, 2 Tar, and 6 Black Metal and has an 8x4 storage area, providing 8 more storage spaces than the Reinforced Chest. Currently the chest with the largest capacity in the game.
• Hot Tub - Costs 20 Wood, 6 Tar, 10 Iron, and 8 Stone. Provides an additional 2 Comfort when fueled with Wood.

Notably, people who are seeking to maximize Comfort will need a Hot Tub -- it provides a unique +2 to the overall score that you cannot get elsewhere.

Comfort aside, the Black Metal Chest isn't just the largest-capacity storage container -- it also provides a use for the piles of Black Metal you'll likely build up after you reach the end game.

Best Way to Get Tar in Valheim

The best way to get Tar in Valheim is to drain out fresh Tar deposits in the Plains Biome one after another. Once they're drained, you can return to them later to farm Growths (a.k.a. Tar Slimes).

First things first, you'll have to actually find a Tar Pit in the Plains. (Bear in mind that Tar Pits will not appear in Plains that were generated prior to the introduction of Tar.) Once you do, your next step will be to secure the area by killing any nearby enemies. Fulings, Deathsquitoes, and Lox are troublesome enough, but Growths can be especially challenging for new players.

Don't be mistaken by the appearance of Growths -- while they may look like the Slimes you've fought in the Swamp, they're actually much tougher. Critically, Growths will attack you with a ranged attack that hits like a truck and slows you down. The slowdown is particularly dangerous considering how hard other enemies in the Plains can hit you. Avoid the initial attack from a Growth, then shoot it with a Bow or move in to attack it with Melee damage.

After the area is clear, you'll be able to safely pick up some Tar surrounding the Tar Pit. However, there's a great quantity that is stuck underneath liquid Tar. That's where you'll have to break out a Pickaxe:

Use the Pickaxe to dig a trench with a downhill slope away from the Tar Pit. Take care to leave some terrain between the liquid Tar and the trench -- you should only break this once the Trench is complete. You should also keep in mind that gravity is a factor -- you'll need a downward slope for the liquid Tar to drain properly.

Once the Trench is finished, breach the last bit of terrain and the Tar will drain out, exposing the items underneath the liquid Tar:

You should now be able to go into the Tar Pit and collect these items. If you can't pick them up, you may still have a small amount of liquid Tar that you'll need to drain out.

Eventually, you'll run out of Tar Pits that you can drain. Fortunately, Growths will continue to spawn in the area around a Tar Pit periodically. While it won't give you as much Tar as you'll find in a fresh Tar Pit, it'll give you a renewable option for gathering them without traveling too far away from your base.

Thanks for reading our guide on Valheim Tar -- check out our other guides below!