What’s the fastest way to craft padded armor for late-game progression?

Crafting padded armor in Valheim is a critical step for late-game progression, as it provides excellent protection against the toughest enemies in the Plains biome. To craft padded armor, you need linen thread and iron, which are obtained through specific processes. The fastest way to craft this armor involves efficient resource gathering, crafting, and biome exploration. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide to help you achieve this quickly.\n\nFirst, you need to unlock the ability to craft linen thread. This requires defeating Moder, the fourth boss in the Mountain biome, to obtain the Dragon Tears. These tears are used to craft the Artisan Table, which is essential for processing flax into linen thread. Moder is a challenging boss, so ensure you have fully upgraded wolf armor, a Draugr Fang bow, and frost resistance mead before engaging. Once Moder is defeated, place the Artisan Table near your base for easy access.\n\nNext, you’ll need to gather flax, which is found in the Plains biome. Flax grows in Fuling villages, so prepare for combat with these aggressive enemies. Bring a strong weapon like the Blackmetal sword or atgeir, and wear wolf armor for protection. Clear the village and collect as much flax as possible. Flax can also be planted in cultivated soil near your base, so bring a cultivator to start farming it for future use. Farming flax is essential for a steady supply of linen thread.\n\nOnce you have flax, use the Spinning Wheel at the Artisan Table to convert it into linen thread. Each piece of flax yields one linen thread, and padded armor requires a total of 40 linen thread (10 for the helmet, 20 for the chest, and 10 for the legs). Prioritize crafting the chest piece first, as it provides the most defense. While waiting for the Spinning Wheel to process flax, focus on gathering iron, which is the other key material for padded armor.\n\nIron is obtained from scrap iron in the Swamp biome. Use a Wishbone (dropped by Bonemass, the third boss) to locate muddy scrap piles in the Swamp. Mine these piles with an iron pickaxe to collect scrap iron, then smelt it in a blast furnace to create iron bars. Padded armor requires 30 iron bars (10 for the helmet, 10 for the chest, and 10 for the legs). To speed up this process, bring a portal to the Swamp for quick trips back to your base to smelt and craft.\n\nFinally, craft the padded armor at the forge. Ensure your forge is upgraded to level 4 for maximum efficiency. Start with the chest piece, as it provides the most significant defense boost, followed by the helmet and legs. Once equipped, padded armor will significantly increase your survivability in the Plains biome, allowing you to tackle Fuling berserkers, Lox, and other late-game threats with confidence.\n\nTo optimize your speedrun, consider these tips: always carry a portal for quick travel, farm flax early to avoid delays, and prioritize upgrading your forge and workbench. Additionally, team up with other players to divide tasks like farming flax and mining iron. With these strategies, you’ll craft padded armor efficiently and dominate the late-game challenges in Valheim.