How do you unlock and craft onion soup for mid-tier stamina?

Unlocking and crafting onion soup in Valheim is a key step for mid-tier stamina management, especially as you progress into the mid-game. Onion soup is a reliable food source that provides a solid balance of health and stamina regeneration, making it ideal for exploring, building, and combat. To craft onion soup, you need to unlock the recipe, gather the necessary ingredients, and have access to a cauldron. Here’s a detailed guide to help you achieve this.\n\nFirst, you need to unlock the onion soup recipe by finding and harvesting onions. Onions are not found in the wild like many other crops in Valheim. Instead, you must locate onion seeds in the Mountain biome. These seeds are often found in chests within Frost Caves, which are dungeons scattered across the Mountains. Frost Caves are home to dangerous enemies like Ulvs and Cultists, so ensure you are well-prepared with frost-resistant mead, warm clothing, and strong weapons before venturing into these areas.\n\nOnce you’ve collected onion seeds, you’ll need to plant and grow them in a cultivated area. To do this, craft a cultivator using bronze (2 bronze and 5 core wood) at a forge. Use the cultivator to till soil in a flat, open area near your base. Plant the onion seeds and wait for them to grow. Onions take approximately 2 in-game days to mature, so be patient. Once harvested, you’ll have onions ready for cooking.\n\nNext, you’ll need a cauldron to craft onion soup. The cauldron is a cooking station that requires 10 tin to craft and must be placed over a fire. If you haven’t already built a cauldron, you’ll need to mine tin ore in the Black Forest biome. Smelt the tin ore in a smelter to create tin bars, then craft the cauldron at a forge. Place the cauldron over a fire source, such as a hearth or campfire, to begin cooking.\n\nTo craft onion soup, you’ll need three ingredients: 3 onions, 1 mushroom, and 1 thistle. Onions are grown from seeds, as mentioned earlier. Mushrooms can be found in the Black Forest biome, often growing near trees or rocks. Thistle is a blue, glowing plant found in the Black Forest and Swamp biomes. Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients, interact with the cauldron to open the cooking menu and select onion soup. Each batch yields one bowl of soup.\n\nOnion soup provides 20 health and 60 stamina, making it an excellent mid-tier food option. It’s particularly useful for activities that require sustained stamina, such as running, mining, or fighting. However, it’s important to note that onion soup has a duration of 25 minutes, so plan your activities accordingly. To maximize its benefits, pair onion soup with other foods that provide health or stamina bonuses, such as cooked meat or honey.\n\nOne common challenge players face is locating Frost Caves in the Mountain biome. These caves are not always easy to find, and the Mountains can be treacherous due to freezing temperatures and hostile enemies like wolves and drakes. To mitigate this, ensure you have frost-resistant mead (brewed at a fermenter using honey, thistle, and bloodbags) and wear warm clothing like the wolf armor set. Additionally, bring a pickaxe to mine silver and other valuable resources while exploring the Mountains.\n\nIn summary, unlocking and crafting onion soup in Valheim involves finding onion seeds in Frost Caves, growing onions with a cultivator, and using a cauldron to combine onions, mushrooms, and thistle. This mid-tier food is a valuable addition to your inventory, providing balanced health and stamina regeneration. By preparing adequately for the challenges of the Mountain biome and managing your resources wisely, you can efficiently incorporate onion soup into your survival strategy.\n\nPractical tips: Always carry frost-resistant mead when exploring the Mountains, and consider building a small outpost near the biome to store resources and rest. Use portals to connect your base to distant biomes, making it easier to transport ingredients like onions and thistle. Finally, experiment with different food combinations to optimize your health and stamina for various activities.