How can you speedrun the Meadows biome to gather essential resources?

Speedrunning the Meadows biome in Valheim is a great way to gather essential resources quickly and efficiently. The Meadows is the starting biome, and it provides the foundational materials needed to progress in the game. To optimize your speedrun, focus on gathering wood, stone, and food while avoiding unnecessary distractions. Prioritize crafting tools like the stone axe and hammer early on, as these will significantly speed up resource collection.\n\nStart by gathering wood and stone immediately after spawning. Use your fists to punch trees and rocks if you don’t yet have tools. Once you have enough wood and stone, craft a workbench and place it near your starting area. This will allow you to craft the stone axe, which is essential for chopping trees faster. The stone axe also doubles as a weapon, making it a versatile tool for early-game survival.\n\nNext, focus on gathering food to increase your health and stamina. The Meadows biome is rich in raspberries, mushrooms, and deer. Collect raspberries and mushrooms as you explore, and hunt deer for their meat and hides. Deer hides are crucial for crafting the first armor set, which will help you survive encounters with enemies like greylings and boars. Use a bow and arrows to hunt deer from a distance, as they are skittish and will flee if you get too close.\n\nAs you gather resources, keep an eye out for flint along the shores of rivers and lakes. Flint is essential for crafting better tools like the flint axe and flint spear. These tools will further increase your efficiency in gathering wood and hunting. Additionally, flint can be used to craft a fire pit, which is necessary for cooking food and resting to regain stamina.\n\nOne common challenge in the Meadows biome is dealing with greylings and boars. Greylings are weak but can overwhelm you in groups, while boars are tougher and can deal significant damage. To handle these threats, always keep your stamina high by eating food and avoid engaging multiple enemies at once. Use the terrain to your advantage by kiting enemies around trees or rocks to create distance and avoid attacks.\n\nOnce you have a steady supply of wood, stone, and food, consider building a small shelter to serve as a base of operations. A basic hut with a workbench, fire pit, and bed will allow you to respawn nearby if you die and provide a safe space to store resources. This will save you time in the long run, as you won’t need to travel far to retrieve lost items.\n\nFinally, prioritize crafting a raft or karve if you plan to explore nearby islands or biomes. The Meadows biome often borders the Black Forest, which contains valuable resources like copper and tin. Having a boat will allow you to transport these resources back to your base efficiently. Remember to bring a pickaxe when venturing into the Black Forest, as it is required to mine ore.\n\nIn summary, speedrunning the Meadows biome involves a combination of resource gathering, tool crafting, and strategic combat. Focus on wood, stone, and food first, then expand to hunting and exploring. Build a small base to save time and prepare for future challenges. With these tips, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle the next stages of the game.