How do I protect my portals from enemy attacks?

Protecting your portals from enemy attacks in Valheim is crucial for maintaining efficient fast travel and ensuring your base remains secure. Portals are essential for quick movement between biomes, but they are vulnerable to destruction by hostile creatures like Greydwarfs, Trolls, and even raids from events like the “The Ground is Shaking” (Troll raid). To safeguard your portals, you need to understand game mechanics and implement strategic defenses.\n\nFirst, consider the location of your portals. Placing them in safe areas, such as within your main base or a fortified outpost, is the simplest way to protect them. If you must place a portal in a dangerous biome like the Swamp or Plains, ensure it is surrounded by defensive structures. For example, in the Plains biome, Fulings and Deathsquitos can pose a significant threat, so building a small stone or wood enclosure around the portal is advisable.\n\nNext, use walls, fences, and gates to create a protective barrier around your portal. Wooden walls or stakewalls are easy to craft and provide decent protection against early-game enemies. For stronger defenses, upgrade to stone walls, which require stone and a stonecutter. Stone walls are resistant to most enemy attacks, including Trolls. Additionally, you can add a roof to your portal enclosure to protect against aerial threats like Drakes in the Mountains biome.\n\nAnother effective strategy is to use workbenches or other crafting stations to prevent enemy spawns near your portal. Enemies cannot spawn within a certain radius of a workbench, so placing one near your portal can reduce the risk of attacks. This is especially useful in biomes like the Black Forest or Meadows, where Greydwarfs and Boars are common. You can also use torches or campfires to create a safe zone, as they provide light and deter some enemies.\n\nFor advanced protection, consider building a moat or trench around your portal area. Digging a deep trench with a pickaxe prevents ground-based enemies from reaching your portal. Combine this with raised earth walls using the hoe for added security. This method is particularly effective against Trolls, as they cannot cross deep trenches or climb steep walls. However, be cautious in biomes like the Swamp, where water-filled trenches may attract Leeches.\n\nFinally, assign a dedicated guard or use tamed animals like Wolves to protect your portals. Tamed Wolves are excellent defenders and can be stationed near your portal to fend off attackers. This is especially useful in the Mountains biome, where Wolves are native and can be tamed with raw meat. For players in the Plains biome, Lox can also serve as powerful guardians, though they require more effort to tame.\n\nIn summary, protecting your portals involves strategic placement, defensive structures, and leveraging game mechanics like workbench spawn prevention and tamed animals. By following these steps, you can ensure your portals remain safe and functional, allowing you to travel freely across Valheim’s vast world without fear of losing your fast travel network.