1 Overview — The Swamp-Carrying Weapon
The Bronze Mace is arguably the most important weapon in Valheim's mid-game progression — the single piece of equipment that carries you through the treacherous Swamp biome and enables you to defeat Bonemass, the third boss who guards the gateway to the Mountains and Silver Age. Dealing 53 blunt damage at base level with a devastating 2x damage multiplier against Skeletons, this one-handed mace is purpose-built for the exact enemies you will face in the Swamp: Blobs, Oozers, Draugr, and hordes of Skeletons that swarm from every burial chamber and sunken crypt.
What makes the Bronze Mace truly special is its damage typing. Blunt damage is the single most effective damage type in the Swamp biome because the majority of Swamp enemies have high resistance to slash and pierce damage but significant vulnerability to blunt. Skeletons — which resist pierce and slash — take double damage from blunt attacks. Draugr and Draugr Elites have moderate resistance to most damage types but lower blunt resistance. Blobs and Oozers, the poisonous gelatinous horrors of the Swamp, are moderately resistant to everything except blunt and frost. The Bronze Mace's damage profile aligns perfectly with every major threat you will encounter between The Elder and Bonemass, making it the undisputed champion of this progression phase.
The crafting of Bronze Mace represents your transition into the Bronze Age — Valheim's first major metalworking tier. To craft it, you must mine Copper and Tin from the Black Forest, smelt them into Bronze bars at a Forge, and combine the Bronze with Wood and Leather. This process introduces you to the full metallurgy loop that will define the rest of your Valheim journey: mining ore, building smelters, processing metal, and crafting ever-more-powerful equipment. The Bronze Mace is not just a weapon — it is your introduction to the industrial heart of Viking survival. With a Bronze Mace in one hand and a Wood or Bronze Shield in the other, you are ready to face the horrors of the Swamp and claim the Wishbone that will unlock the Mountains.
| Bronze Mace — Full Stats | |
|---|---|
| Damage | 53 Blunt (base) |
| Damage vs Skeletons | 106 Blunt (2x multiplier) |
| Attack Type | One-handed melee (3-hit combo) |
| Attack Speed | Medium (balanced speed) |
| Stagger | Medium (reliable stunlock) |
| Backstab Bonus | 3x damage on unaware enemies |
| Block Power (used with shield) | Varies by shield type |
| Durability | 200 (very good for mid-game) |
| Weight | 2.0 |
| Crafting Station | Forge (Level 1) |
| Key Material | Bronze (x8) |
| Secondary Materials | Wood (x4), Leather Scraps (x3) |
| Unlock Condition | Build a Forge (requires Copper + Tin) |
| Upgradeable | Yes, at Forge (up to Level 4, 63 damage) |
2 Crafting Recipe
Crafting Station Required
Bronze Mace Recipe
Materials Breakdown
| Material | Qty | Source | Biome / Location | Drop Rate / Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 8 bars | Smelted from Copper + Tin | Black Forest (Forge) | 2 Copper + 1 Tin = 1 Bronze |
| Copper Ore | 16 ore | Copper deposits (large boulders) | Black Forest | ~15-25 ore per deposit |
| Tin Ore | 8 ore | Small black rocks near water | Black Forest (shorelines/rivers) | ~3-5 ore per rock |
| Wood | 4 | Any tree | Any biome | ~10-20 Wood per tree |
| Leather Scraps | 3 | Boars | Meadows | 1-2 per boar |
Forge Construction (Prerequisite)
Before crafting the Bronze Mace, you must build a Forge. The Forge requires:
Upgrade Path (Forge)
The Bronze Mace can be upgraded 3 times at the Forge, increasing its damage by 2-4 points per level. Each upgrade requires additional Bronze and Leather Scraps.
| Level | Damage | Upgrade Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (base) | 53 Blunt | — |
| Level 2 | 56 Blunt | Bronze x4 + Leather Scraps x2 |
| Level 3 | 59 Blunt | Bronze x8 + Leather Scraps x4 |
| Level 4 (max) | 63 Blunt | Bronze x12 + Leather Scraps x6 |
3 Materials & Locations
Each material listed with exact source, biome location, gathering method, and processing requirements.
⚒ Copper Ore
Tool Required: Antler Pickaxe or better (unlocked with Hard Antler from Eikthyr)
Yield: 15-25 Copper Ore per deposit
Biome: Black Forest (scattered throughout)
Processing: Smelt Copper Ore → Copper bars at Smelter (requires 2 Coal per ore, takes ~10 seconds per bar)
Farming Tips: Copper deposits are massive and easily spotted — look for large mossy boulders with a greenish copper tint. Each deposit is actually a cluster that extends underground. Clear the entire deposit by digging around the base — often 30-40% of the ore is buried below the surface. Mark deposit locations on your map as they do NOT respawn.
⚒ Tin Ore
Tool Required: Any Pickaxe (Antler Pickaxe works)
Yield: 3-5 Tin Ore per rock
Biome: Black Forest (water edges, riverbanks, lakeshores)
Processing: Smelt Tin Ore → Tin bars at Smelter (requires 2 Coal per ore)
Farming Tips: Tin is far more abundant than it initially appears. Walk along any shoreline or river in the Black Forest and you will find dozens of small black rocks gleaming in the water. Unlike Copper, Tin deposits are surface-only and do not extend underground. Each rock yields less ore than Copper, but the sheer number of rocks means Tin is rarely the bottleneck. 8 Tin Ore (for 8 Bronze) requires collecting from roughly 2-3 rocks.
⚒ Bronze (Smelted Alloy)
Crafting Station: Forge (place Copper and Tin in Forge inventory)
Yield: 1 Bronze per craft cycle
Farming Tips: Bronze cannot be found naturally — it must be alloyed at the Forge. For 8 Bronze bars (base Bronze Mace), you need 16 Copper bars and 8 Tin bars. For a fully upgraded Level 4 Bronze Mace, you need a total of 32 Bronze bars (64 Copper + 32 Tin). Mine accordingly — collect 2-3x more Copper and Tin than the base recipe suggests to cover upgrades and other Bronze tools.
⚒ Wood
Drop Rate: 10-20 Wood per tree (varies by tree type)
Farming Tips: Wood is the most abundant resource in Valheim. You almost certainly have thousands in storage. The Bronze Mace only requires 4 Wood — this is negligible. However, note that building the Forge itself requires 10 Wood, and the Smelter and Charcoal Kiln require substantial Wood and Stone investments. Plan your base expansion accordingly.
⚒ Leather Scraps
Drop Rate: 1-2 Leather Scraps per boar
Farming Tips: You need 3 Leather Scraps for the base Bronze Mace recipe plus 12 more for full upgrades (15 total). If you have been hunting boars since spawn, you likely already have sufficient stock. If not, 10-15 minutes of boar hunting in the Meadows will yield more than enough. Boars respawn continuously and can be bred in pens for infinite leather.
4 Optimal Collection Route
Follow this step-by-step route to progress from Eikthyr's defeat to wielding a Bronze Mace. This assumes you have defeated Eikthyr and have the Antler Pickaxe.
Step 1: Black Forest — Mine Copper Deposits
Enter the Black Forest → Locate large green-tinged boulders (Copper deposits) → Mine with Antler Pickaxe → Collect 40+ Copper Ore (covers Mace + upgrades + tools) → Clear entire deposits by digging around the base → Mark empty deposits on your map. Target 2-3 large deposits for a full Bronze Age setup.
Step 2: Black Forest Shorelines — Collect Tin
Walk along Black Forest shorelines, riverbanks, and lake edges → Look for small shiny black rocks in shallow water → Mine with any pickaxe → Collect 20+ Tin Ore (covers Mace + upgrades + other Bronze items). Tin rocks are small and numerous — a single shoreline walk can yield 15-20 ore. No digging required — Tin is surface-only.
Step 3: Build Smelter and Charcoal Kiln
Return to base with ore → Build a Charcoal Kiln (20 Stone + 5 Surtling Core) → Build a Smelter (20 Stone + 5 Surtling Core) → Fuel both with Wood/Coal → Place Copper Ore and Tin Ore in Smelter input → Wait for processing (2 Coal consumed per ore, ~10 seconds per bar). Build both structures near each other for efficient material flow.
Step 4: Build the Forge and Craft Bronze
Build a Forge (4 Stone + 4 Coal + 10 Wood + 6 Copper) near your Smelter → Place 2 Copper bars + 1 Tin bar in the Forge → Craft Bronze bars → Repeat until you have 8+ Bronze. For a fully upgraded Level 4 Mace, craft 32 Bronze bars total. The Forge also unlocks all other Bronze recipes including Bronze Armor, Bronze Shield, and Bronze tools.
Step 5: Craft the Bronze Mace
Open the Forge crafting menu → Select Bronze Mace → Craft with 8 Bronze + 4 Wood + 3 Leather Scraps → Equip with a Bronze Shield or Banded Shield → Optionally upgrade to Level 2-4 at the Forge using additional Bronze and Leather. You are now ready for the Swamp.
5 Gotcha Tips — Don't Waste Your Time
These mistakes will delay your Bronze Age progress or send you to an early grave in the Swamp. Read this before you start mining.
The visible green boulder on the surface is only the tip of a Copper deposit. Often 40-60% of the ore is buried below the surface level. After mining the visible portion, dig around the base with your pickaxe to expose and collect the hidden ore. Players who only mine the surface portion get 8-10 ore per deposit instead of the full 25-40. Clear the entire deposit — it never respawns, so extract every last piece.
Tin Ore rocks only spawn along shorelines, riverbanks, and lake edges in the Black Forest. You will never find Tin inland or on hilltops. If you are searching the forest interior for Tin, you are looking in the wrong place. Follow any water edge and you will find abundant Tin within minutes. The Black Forest typically borders large bodies of water — circumnavigate the shoreline for maximum yield.
Bronze is crafted at a 2:1 Copper-to-Tin ratio. Many players mine equal amounts of both ores and end up with excess Tin. For every 2 Copper bars, you only need 1 Tin bar. If you collect 40 Copper Ore and 40 Tin Ore, you will have 20 leftover Tin bars that serve no purpose for Bronze crafting. Target a 2:1 mining ratio — for every two Copper deposits you clear, collect from one shoreline's worth of Tin rocks.
You cannot smelt Copper or Tin without a Smelter, and you cannot fuel the Smelter without Coal from a Charcoal Kiln. Both structures require 5 Surtling Cores each (10 total). Surtling Cores only drop from Surtlings — the small fire enemies inside Burial Chambers in the Black Forest. Each Burial Chamber contains 3-5 Surtling Cores. You must clear at least 2-3 Burial Chambers before you can start smelting. Do not skip burial chamber exploration.
Unlike the Stagbreaker, the Bronze Mace is a one-handed weapon. This means you can — and absolutely should — equip a shield in your off-hand. A Banded Shield (crafted with Iron, or Wood+Bronze for early version) provides critical block/parry defense against Draugr and Skeleton attacks. Shield + Mace is the optimal Swamp combat combination. Never enter the Swamp with a two-handed weapon as your primary.
The Swamp's Blobs and Oozers inflict a poison debuff that drains ~15 HP per second for 20+ seconds. Without Poison Resistance Mead, even a single Blob hit can be fatal. Craft Poison Resistance Mead at a Fermenter before your first Swamp expedition: 10 Honey + 5 Thistle + 1 Neck Tail + 10 Coal → Ferment for 2 in-game days. Bring 3-4 meads minimum for a full crypt run.
While it is tempting to pour all your Bronze into the Mace and armor, the Bronze Buckler or Banded Shield is equally important for Swamp survival. Blocking with a shield reduces incoming damage by 50-90% depending on your block skill and shield quality. In the Swamp — where Draugr archers shoot from darkness and Blobs spew poison — a shield is not optional. Allocate Bronze for both offense and defense.
All Bronze items — including the Mace, ore, and bars — cannot pass through Portals. This means you must either (1) build your Forge and Smelter near your mining site and transport finished goods, or (2) carry Bronze materials by boat/foot to your main base. Most players establish a Black Forest outpost with Smelter, Kiln, and Forge near their Copper deposits, then boat the finished Bronze Mace home. Plan your logistics before you start mining.
6 Free Benefits — Loot You Pick Up Along the Way
While mining Copper and Tin in the Black Forest, you will collect valuable resources that accelerate your entire Bronze Age progression. Don't leave empty-handed.
While exploring Burial Chambers for Surtling Cores: Each chamber yields 3-5 cores, plus Amber and Coins from chests. You need 10 cores total (5 for Smelter, 5 for Charcoal Kiln). Burial Chambers also contain Ancient Bones and occasionally Yellow Mushrooms — both useful for mead brewing and crafting. Clear every Burial Chamber you find — the rewards are always worth the minor threat.
While exploring the Black Forest, keep an eye out for Haldor the Trader — a small dwarf NPC who spawns in a protected bubble with a lantern. His location is randomized but always in the Black Forest. Haldor sells the Megingjord (belt, +150 carry weight), Ymir Flesh (for Iron Sledge), Fishing Rod + Bait, and Helmet of Odin. The coins you collected from Burial Chambers and Troll caves fund these purchases. Finding Haldor early is a massive quality-of-life improvement.
While mining Copper: You will inevitably encounter Trolls — massive grey giants who patrol the Black Forest. Trolls drop Troll Hide (5-7 per kill), which is used to craft Troll Armor — the best early-game stealth armor with a built-in sneak bonus. Troll caves contain additional hides, coins, and sometimes Troll trophies. A Level 2-3 Stagbreaker or Bronze Mace kills Trolls in 10-12 hits. The sneak bonus from Troll Armor remains useful even into the late game for resource gathering.
After crafting your Bronze Mace, use it to defeat The Elder (Black Forest boss, summoned with 3 Ancient Seeds from Greydwarf Brutes). The Elder drops a Swamp Key (required for Sunken Crypts) and grants The Elder Power — faster wood chopping. At the Forge, Bronze also unlocks: Bronze Armor (28 armor set), Bronze Shield, Bronze Pickaxe (mines Iron), and Cultivator (unlocks farming). The Bronze Age is a massive content unlock — embrace it fully.