Valheim Obsidian Guide: Where to Find It and How to Mine Safely

In Valheim, Obsidian is one of the key materials you’ll want for advanced crafting—especially once you’re ready to build higher-tier gear and ammunition. It’s found in a specific biome, requires the right tool to mine, and comes with a cold-weather risk that can drain your stamina if you’re not prepared.

Where to find Obsidian in Valheim

Obsidian can be located in the “Mountains” region. The area is identifiable by its icy peaks and snow-covered landscape. Once you reach the region, keep an eye on distinctive rock formations on the ground.

You can find Obsidian in large stone boulders. Scan the surrounding rock outcroppings and “inspect” them—eventually, the game will display the “Obsidian deposit” indicator.

How to mine Obsidian (and how to survive the cold)

To extract Obsidian, you only need an iron pickaxe. Use it on the Obsidian deposit to gather the material.

However, the Mountains biome inflicts Frost damage and causes your energy to drain over time. If you don’t already have frost resistance armor, you’ll need to brew a protective mead before entering.

• Met with Frost Resistance requires:
  • 10x honey
  • 5x thistle
  • 2x bloodbag
  • 1x dandelion

Drink the mead before pushing into the dangerous zone.

One additional useful detail: unlike other metallic materials, Obsidian can also be transported through a portal.

What you can craft with Obsidian

Obsidian is used for crafting items tied to “vulkanic glass.” With it, you can make several practical upgrades and projectile types, including:

• tool bench upgrade to level 5
• obsidian arrows
• poison arrows
• frost arrows

Does Obsidian respawn after you mine it?

No. Once an Obsidian deposit has been fully mined, it does not spawn back. In theory, that means you could eventually clear an entire world of Obsidian.

That said, given how large Valheim is, fully removing every deposit is unlikely in typical playthroughs.

1. Obsidian is found in the Mountains region, identified by snowy, icy terrain and “Obsidian deposit” rock formations.
2. Mine it using an iron pickaxe after inspecting the boulders.
3. Plan for Frost damage and energy drain; brew and drink Met with Frost Resistance if you lack frost-resistant armor.
4. Use the mined Obsidian to craft vulkanic-glass-related items, including ammo types and a level 5 tool bench upgrade.
5. After fully extracting a deposit, it will not respawn.