Valheim's early access is far from offering everything that will be available when the game is released, but there's already plenty to do. On the Ocean, you'll find strange little island that you will sometimes come across offshore. It is a great opportunity, though not completely devoid of dangers.
Find the Leviathan
As you might expect, it's not really an island. The proof is that it simply does not appear on your map or on your minimap when you find it. The problem is therefore to find it. There isn't a quick fix in this area, but it doesn't seem particularly rare, since we've come across it several times without even looking for it. The important thing is not to let the opportunity pass. Each time we crossed the island off the coast, the first time, no land was in sight, the second time, the shore was less than a hundred meters. It is likely that the game will randomly decide to have you cross the island after a certain time of navigation and when your progress has passed a certain point. It was after defeating the second boss in our case.
We advise you to sail with a karve, even a longship for their storage space, Chitin is heavy after all. You also need a good pickaxe. Once the island is found, dock your ship as close to the island as possible. There is nothing to worry about, although it may give the impression, it is not moving (yet) and is not hostile. There is no risk of being lost at sea far from your ship or of being killed. If you are in multiplayer, it may be wise to go with several people so as not to miss anything.
Mining Abyssal Barnacles
Huge Abyssal Barnacles can be found all over the island. You can mine them with your pickaxe to obtain a unique resource, Chitin. But there is a limit, after mining a certain number of barnacles the kraken will start to shake. Once a certain course is passed, the island will sink under the waves, and you will be forced to swim back to your ship. By planning your actions well, you can harvest almost anything, even solo. Start by mining the barnacles at the other end of the island from your ship, then slowly come back to it, mining whatever you find. When the island has already stirred once or twice, let your stamina bar return to maximum (and eat). The goal is to mine as much as possible when the island starts to sink, and then have enough stamina to swim back without drowning.
Craft: Chitin Items
Once the Chitin has been brought back safely, you will be able to create two new items at the workbench:
Abyssal Razor: The second best dagger in the game, it has a massive damage bonus of x10 when hit in the back/stealth given to an enemy. If you're trying to play a stealthy character, it's fantastic and isn't replaced until much later.
Abyssal Harpoon: For all other players, this unconventional spear has some cool features. It does little damage, but the target is hooked to your character and you can shoot it with you. This is useful for moving Boars to another enclosure, or for taming dangerous beasts. It is also an absolutely fantastic tool for hunting Sea Serpents, since they cannot escape as well and you can even shoot them ashore for revenge.
