How do you unlock and use the stone oven for advanced cooking recipes?

The stone oven is a crucial crafting station in Valheim for preparing advanced cooking recipes, such as bread, pies, and other high-tier foods. To unlock and use the stone oven, you must first progress through the game and gather specific resources. The stone oven becomes available after defeating the second boss, The Elder, and obtaining the Swamp Key, which grants access to the Swamp biome. This biome is essential for collecting iron, a key material for crafting the oven.\n\nTo craft the stone oven, you need to build a Forge and upgrade it to level 2. The Forge requires materials like coal, copper, and bronze, which are obtained from the Black Forest biome. Once your Forge is upgraded, you can craft the stone oven using 15 iron, 4 stone, and 4 surtling cores. Iron is mined from muddy scrap piles in the Swamp biome, while surtling cores are found in Burial Chambers or dropped by Surtlings in the Ashlands biome.\n\nAfter crafting the stone oven, place it near your cooking area. The oven requires fuel to operate, which can be wood or coal. To use it, interact with the oven and place raw ingredients like barley flour or cloudberries into the input slots. The oven will then process these ingredients into advanced food items, such as bread or lox meat pie. These foods provide significant health and stamina boosts, making them essential for surviving tougher biomes like the Mountains or Plains.\n\nOne common challenge is finding enough iron to craft the oven. Muddy scrap piles in the Swamp biome are often hidden underwater or buried in the ground, so bring a pickaxe and a wishbone (obtained from defeating Bonemass, the third boss) to locate them efficiently. Additionally, surtling cores can be scarce, so explore multiple Burial Chambers or farm Surtlings in the Ashlands biome to gather enough cores.\n\nTo maximize the stone oven''s efficiency, always keep a steady supply of fuel and ingredients. Barley flour, for example, is made by processing barley in a windmill, which requires barley grown in the Plains biome. Plan your resource gathering trips carefully to ensure you have enough materials for both the oven and the recipes. Stockpile coal by burning wood in a charcoal kiln or mining it in the Swamp biome.\n\nIn summary, the stone oven is a game-changing tool for advanced cooking in Valheim. Unlocking it requires defeating The Elder, gathering iron and surtling cores, and upgrading your Forge. Once built, the oven allows you to craft high-tier foods that significantly boost your stats. Focus on efficient resource gathering and fuel management to make the most of this powerful crafting station.\n\nPractical tips: Always carry a pickaxe and wishbone when exploring the Swamp biome for iron. Build multiple charcoal kilns to ensure a steady supply of coal for the oven. Prioritize growing barley in the Plains biome to unlock the full potential of the stone oven''s recipes.