Valheim The Forest is Moving Event Guide

Learn about The Forest is Moving in Valheim, what triggers the event, and how to stop the raid.

by Yaroslav Mokliak
UPDATED: Sep 16, 2024

There are various events in Valheim, and one of the most frustrating types of events are raids. There are lots of types of raids with different enemies, but in this article, we are going to talk about The Forest is Moving events.

It can be extremely nasty in the early stages of the game, as you may be not ready to fight the huge amount of enemies from the forest, especially Shamans. Moreover, if the enemies break your door and go inside the house, you may stuck for a long time in a constant resurrected and dying process.

So, in this guide I will tell you what The Forest is Moving in Valheim is, what triggers it, how to end it, as well as how to prepare your base for raids.

What is The Forest is Moving in Valheim?

The Forest is Moving is an in-game event in Valheim, which occurs randomly after you’ve defeated the first boss. When "The Forest is Moving" is triggered, you’ll receive a notification on your screen, and the location of the raid will be marked on the map with a red circle. After that, the horde of Greydwarfs of various types (including Brutes and Shamans), will attack you and your base.

Greydwarfs spawn in waves around your spawn point (bed), regardless of where you are. This can be particularly challenging if you’re not at your base, as enemies can cause significant damage to your home, chests, and portals.

However, if you have the proper gear and weapon, it can be a good possibility to farm some wood, Greydwarf eyes, and stones.

By the way, after you defeat the next boss – The Elder, you will no longer see this event, as it will be replaced by the next one.

The Forest is Moving Trigger

In Valheim The Forest is Moving is triggered by a few specific conditions related to your progression in the game:

Eikthyr Boss Defeated: The event can be triggered only after you’ve defeated the first boss, Eikthyr. This is the primary requirement for the event to be possible.
Your Location: The event tends to occur when you are near or at your base, but it can technically happen anywhere (except while you’re in a dungeon or boss fight).

These are two primary conditions that trigger The Forest is Moving raid. However, I've noticed that while I was traveling far from my base, the raid wasn't triggered.

Moreover, while I was building the base for several in-game days, the event triggered 2 times. So, I think that the fact that you stay on the base for a long time is the main trigger of the event after you defeat the Eikthyr.

By the way, after The Forest is Moving occurs, there’s a cooldown period before another event can trigger, giving you some time to recover and prepare. As for me, this cooldown is 3 or 4 in-game days, if you stay these days on the base.

How to Stop The Forest is Moving Raid?

To stop The Forest is Moving raid in Valheim, you need to survive the duration of the event or defeat the attacking enemies. Here are the ways to deal with it.

Defeat the Enemies

Actively engage the Greydwarfs, Greydwarf Brutes, and Shamans that spawn during the event. There will be several waves of enemies, but once you’ve defeated all of the waves, the event will end, and you will see the same message "The Forest Rests Again".

Survive the Duration of The Event

The raid will eventually end on its own after 3 or 4 minutes. If you can avoid the waves of Greydwarfs until the event timer runs out, the raid will stop, and the message "The Forest Rests Again" will appear.

You can do this by defending yourself and your base, or by running away from the area until the event ends. However, your base may be damaged this way, as the enemies start to attack the buildings.

So, if you constantly die from the enemies, be sure that this is not forever. However, after the event ends, you need to defeat the enemies that are still at your base, as they will not run away.

Using Cheats

You can use one of the Valheim cheats to stop The Forest is Moving event. Use the cheat stopevent from the Events Cheats List that will immediately stop the event. If you want to kill all the enemies that were already spawned, use killenemies cheat.

Moreover, you can also start the event any time using the cheat event army_theelder.

How to Defend the Base from Forest is Moving?

To prepare and survive The Forest is Moving event in Valheim, I recommend you upgrade your base and get the proper gear.

You may build special walls around your base to keep enemies out. For example, you can create a big wall from wood, and to add a layer of Stakewalls and Sharp Stakes in front of it. So, it took some time and health for your enemies to destroy the obstacles, while you can kill them with a bow. Here is a simple example of such a wall.

You can also make moats around the base. It is not a fast solution, but very effective. The moat can't be destroyed and will help you against most of the raids in the game.

Moreover, keep important structures like your crafting stations, chests, and beds in the center of your base, away from the outer walls where they are less likely to be damaged by the raid.

As for the weapons and gear, I recommend the following:

Make a bow, and plenty of fire arrows, which are effective against Greydwarfs.
Make a bronze axe to fight with Greydwarfs
Create a full Leather set, or better Bronze zet (if possible)

Conclusion

The Forest is Moving is a special event in Valheim, during which several waves of Greydwarfs attack you and your base. The event may triggered after you defeat a boss Eikthyr and stay on your base for several in-game days. The event ends after you defeat all the enemies, or survive for several minutes.

You can prepare your base for the event by building walls and creating moats around it.

FAQ

What does it mean when The Forest is Moving in Valheim?

The Forest is Moving means that the army of Greydwarfs is going to attack your base.
How long does The Forest is Moving last in Valheim?

The Forest is Moving can last several minutes (3-4 minutes likely), and will end after it.

Interested in some additional guides or help? Check out our Valheim page for more useful tips and guides.

Yaroslav Mokliak

CEO | Editor | Content Writer

With over 15 years of playing games and 5 years of writing articles, Yaroslav is a CEO and content creator at HermitGamer. Yaroslav regularly plays video games, creates useful guides, and writes reviews with his opinion on new and old titles. His main goal is to make HermitGamer a platform, where each gamer can find the answers.

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