Valheim Fermenter is a crafting station that ferments a Mead Base into a Mead (or potion) that we can drink. Meads are used to instantly restore Health, Stamina, or give other buffs.
Valheim Fermenter Highlights:
- Fermenter Too Exposed: the station must be sheltered to function or you will get a “too exposed” error.
- Fermenter Time:Â mead bases are created in Cauldrons, then brewed in a Fermenter.
- Requires 2 hours of game time
- takes about 1 hour real time
- Fermenter time can be reduced by using your bed and sleeping.
- Fermenter Recipe: The Fermenter is created using the Hammer, found under the crafting tab.
- Fine wood x30
- Bronze x5
- Resin x10
- Fermenter Production: Each mead base results in 6 finished products.
Brewing one mead takes about 1 hour of real time (2 days in-game time.) You can sleep in game on your bed to speed up the brew time.
Valheim Fermenter Too Exposed
Valheim Fermenter has to be placed in a sheltered environment. If it is not, you will get a notice that it is “Too Exposed.”
This dreaded error is simply because the Fermenter needs a humble roof!
Nothing fancy is required. Even a simple wall with basic roof tiles will get the job done.
The image shows an instance where the Fermenter is “Too Exposed.”
Notice there is only one Thatch Roof tile over the Fermenter.
Fermenter is picky, picky!
Lets try TWO Thatch Roof tiles and see what happens. 🙂
Two thatch roof tiles provides enough coverage for the Fermenter to begin working.
When I placed the second roof over the Fermenter, it switched from “Too Exposed” to “Fermenting” and the Fermenter started smoking green.
Fermenter Time
Fermenter Time is always 2 days of game time.
This equals about 1 hour of in game time.
How long the Fementer takes can be shortened by resting in a Bed.
Valheim Time Facts
- Sleeping in a Bed or Dragon Bed will skip the night. In multiplayer, everyone has to be in beds.
- Valheim has a 21 minute day time and a 9 minute night time for a total of 30 minutes.
- A new day begins with a notice. (ex. Day 7).
- Nights begin with a notice, “You feel cold’ outside.
- After the start of a new day, you have to wait 10 minutes and 30 seconds before going to bed again.
Sleeping in Bed Facts
Sleeping will fast forward you to the next morning.
- All crafting stations continue while you sleep.
- Sleep Requirements:
- it must be afternoon or night
- no enemies present
- bed is sheltered. (has a roof.)
- bed has a fire near.
- player can’t be wet from rain/swimming.
Unlock the Fermenter Recipe
Some things take a while to find their use in Valheim; the Fermenter is one of these things. It will nevertheless become a vital instrument for progressing.
But before we can build a Fermenter, it is necessary to build various crafting stations and collect many different materials.
Fermenter can’t be obtained until you enter into the “Bronze Age”
Fermenter Recipe Step by Step
- You have to have killed the first boss, Eikthyr, in Meadows
- Craft your first pickaxe, Antler Pickaxe, from the antlers.
- Find your first copper vein in Black Forest and obtain 26 copper ore.
- Gather material to build a Forge
- Stone x4
- Coal x4 (burn meat over a campfire)
- Wood x10
- Copper x6
- Gather materials to build a Smelter
- Stone x20
- Surtling Core x5
- found in Burial Chambers
- dropped by Surtling (Surtling can be found in Swamp and Ashlands biomes, around Fire geysers, and sometimes next to Runestones.)
- randomly in chests
- Find Tin Deposits along water in Black Forest and obtain 10 tin ore.
- Make 5 Bronze using the Forge.
- 5 Tin Ore
- 10 Copper Ore
- Chop Birch and Oak trees in the Meadows or Plains biomes to obtain 30 Fine Wood and 10 Resins.
- Resin is also dropped by Greydwarf, Greydwarf Shaman, and Greydwarf Brute. Greydwarves are plentiful in the Black Forest, especially at night.
- Build a Fermenter: 30 Fine Wood, 10 Resins, and 5 Bronze.
- Build your Fermenter under a roof or it wont work.
- Build a Cauldron over your Campfire or Hearth (You will need a cauldron to make mead bases.)
- Tin x10
Operation of the Fermenter
On its own, the Fermenter can do nothing. As mentioned above, you must use the Cauldron beforehand and prepare Mead Bases.
Mead Bases do NOT stack and have no effect until they are fermented.
Let us mention in passing that you will need large quantities of Honey, and therefore Beehives, to prepare Mead Bases, as well as Thistles or Dandelions. Complements are either fruits or components of various monsters, obtained from Greydwarves or Swamp Leeches.
Once your Mead Base is ready, interact with the Fermenter. This will place one Mead Base inside it.
You can only ferment one Mead Base at a time per Fermenter. The fermentation can feel like a long process, especially if you don’t sleep or occupy yourself. Go on an adventure while you wait.
The good news is that you will get 6 potions at once, usually lasting 10 minutes.
Fermenter Meads (Potions)
A true Viking brews a robust mead to heal himself and withstand the ordeals prepared by Odin in Valheim!
Fermenter Meads (Potions):
- Health Meads:
- Minor Health: 50 health over 10 seconds.
- Medium Health: 75 health over 10 seconds.
- Stamina Meads:
- Minor Stamina: 80 Stamina rapidly
- Medium Stamina: 160 Stamina + Stamina Recovery Effect
- Tasty Mead: -50% Health Regen, +300% Stamina Regen
- Resistance Meads:
- Fire Resistance Barley Wine: damage and duration of fire attacks and the Fire Effect debuff are reduced by 50%.
- Frost Resistance Mead: immunity to Frost Effect. 50% – 75% damage reduction against Frost damage. The effect scales with Armor value.
- Poison Resistance Mead: reduces poison damage by 75%. Reduces poison damage rate and damage duration from Poison Effect by 50%.
For more info and a comparison, view our Valheim Meads Guide.
Why Fermenter is Needed
If you don’t know which mead bases to create, you will absolutely need 2 potions:
- Poison Resistance to defeat the 3rd boss
- Frost Resistance to explore the mountains. You will need a good stock of Frost Resistance Mead, until you are able to craft a Wolf chest or cape.
I recommend that you craft the Frost Resistance Potion as a priority in order to explore the Mountain.
A little later, the Poison Resistance Mead will also be necessary for the rest of the adventure.
You can plan ahead and start gathering the materials you need as soon as possible.
Sources & Additional Info
- You can speed up time with console commands. (as well as spawn items, etc.)
- Fandom Wiki page
- top banner image: thank you to xR3DiKx from reddit
