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Svartalfheim Map Guide

Svartalfheim is Nekatus's dwarven / Norse ARK: Survival Ascended mod map — a no-fly, cave-heavy world with a Jörmungandr world-serpent circling it, a custom Mithril gear economy, and dwarven castles full of hostile NPCs. Here's the honest layout: what's where, what's custom, and what to confirm in-game.

Cross-checked against CurseForge, ark.wiki.gg & community maps · uncertain spots flagged · last checked June 2026
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Overview Which version you're playing (it matters) Biomes & regions Resources — standard & custom Notable & custom creatures Bosses & end-game Obelisks, terminals & the Forge Caves & dungeons Getting started Mechanics & gotchas Verify in-game FAQ
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This is a player-made mod map — read this first
Svartalfheim is a mod — installed from CurseForge, and there are three builds that aren't the same. The actively-updated Premium [PC & Crossplay] (paid) has the custom creatures + boss; the free Testversion lags and excludes some content. For exact node pins, use the live interactive Svartalfheim map — this page covers the lay of the land and flags what's uncertain.
CreatorNekatus (also made Fjordur)
ThemeDwarven / Norse-mythology fantasy — a dark, rugged, cave-heavy world with a giant Jörmungandr world-serpent circling the map.
Size~33 km² of surface (smaller than The Island's ~48 km²), plus a large underground cave network.
Current versionListed as 1.0 everywhere — track it by update date, not version number.
Last updatedPremium ~Apr 2026; free PC Testversion ~May 2025 (the builds differ).
Bosses / progressionStandard ARK boss/tribute + obelisk framework (no fully custom ascension). Premium adds a Dinopithecus King boss that drops Dwarven Armor.
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Which version you're playing (it matters)

Three Svartalfheim builds exist and they're not the same — a lot of what's below is version-specific.

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Premium [PC & Crossplay]The actively-developed paid ASA build — has the custom Creatures pack, the Dinopithecus boss, and all future content.📍 CurseForgeUpdated ~Apr 2026.✓ verified
Free Testversion [PC] / [Crossplay & Console]Free ASA builds that lag behind. The PC listing's own notes say custom dinos, flyers, Giganotosaurus and Titanosaurus are not planned for it.📍 CurseForge~60% complete per its own description.✓ verified
Steam Workshop versionThe original ARK: Survival Evolved map — different engine and content. Don't assume parity with the ASA builds.📍 Steam Workshop✓ verified
Bottom line: if a feature below (custom creatures, the boss, Giga) seems missing, you're probably on a free Testversion — the Premium build is where the full content lives.
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Biomes & regions

Generic biomes — Svartalfheim does not use named Norse sub-realms (that's Fjordur, a different Nekatus map). Placement is rough; the interactive map has exact boundaries.

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Grasslands / green lowlandsBeginner-friendly: Parasaur, Trike, Stego, Bronto, Raptor. A separate 'easy' grassland holds tame herbivores (Moschops, Ovis) and the custom Mega Styracosaurus.📍 Central / lower map~ approx
JungleMid-difficulty: Dilo, Raptor, Carno, Therizino, Megalosaurus, Sarco near water.📍 Forested mid-map~ approx
RedwoodsParaceratherium, Megatherium, Dire Bear, Gigantopithecus, Thylacoleo, Terror Birds.📍 Mid-map redwood band~ approx
Snow & mountainsCold, high-difficulty: Direwolf, Mammoth, Sabertooth, Yutyrannus, Woolly Rhino, Daeodon, Ankylosaurus.📍 Northern / high-elevationFar upper-north was 'under construction' in earlier builds — may be finished now.~ approx
Ocean & 'Dark Water'Megalodon, Manta, Basilosaurus near shore; deep 'Dark Water' pockets hold Mosasaurus, Plesiosaur and Tusoteuthis (incl. an Alpha).📍 Map-edge ocean + deep pockets~ approx
Aberrant undergroundAberration-flavoured zones (Aberrant Otter, bio-luminescent spawns, Rock Drakes per patch notes) plus some Genesis-style pockets.📍 Cave network / undergroundOn-map placement not published.⚠ unverified
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Resources — standard & custom

Metal is everywhere; the headline is the custom Mithril economy. Node counts are from the current interactive map — exact pins live there.

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
MetalExtremely abundant (~5,400+ nodes) plus a dedicated metal cave — easily the map's most plentiful resource.📍 Map-wide; metal-cave cluster in one corner✓ verified
Crystal~1,700+ surface nodes plus crystal caves.📍 Map-wide✓ verified
Obsidian / Oil / SulfurObsidian ~410 (rocky highlands); Oil ~169 (surface rocks + a few underwater veins); Sulfur scarce and clustered in a hot corner.📍 By terrainOne underwater oil vein is flagged with a meshing bug; sulfur counts vary 9–41 between builds.~ approx
Element Ore / Shards~41 Element Ore nodes (a no-boss element path) plus an element-shard cave cluster.📍 Ore scattered; shards in a cave cluster~ approx
PearlsSilica Pearls ~118; Black Pearls ~32, mostly in a dedicated black-pearl cave.📍 Water + the resource-cave corner~ approx
Mithril (CUSTOM)The signature custom ore (~36 nodes). Refined at a Dwarven Forge into Mithril Ingot/Alloy for dwarven-tier gear.📍 Caves + cliff / plateau facesNode count from the interactive map; 'caves + cliffs' is a single community source.~ approx
Pure Gold / Energy Crystal / Obsidian Flux (CUSTOM)Other custom materials — Pure Gold (currency), Energy Crystal (powers the Dwarven Forge), Obsidian Flux (refined output).📍 Not publicly documentedFunction is confirmed; node placement isn't — check in-game or the mod Discord.⚠ unverified
Rare Flowers / MushroomsRare Flowers ~67, Rare Mushrooms ~99, common Mushrooms 1,200+ (very plentiful, fits the cave/forest theme).📍 Caves, swamp, redwoods✓ verified
The Mithril loop: Mithril ore + Energy Crystal → refine at a Dwarven Forge (inside dwarven settlements) into Mithril Alloy/Ingot. You can't use the custom ores raw — find a forge first.
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Notable & custom creatures

Heads up: the public spawn data is stale — it's missing Rock Drakes and every custom creature that patch notes prove exist. Treat creature spots as approximate.

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Dwarven Warrior (CUSTOM enemy)Hostile NPC dwarves — the map's signature enemy, including a Mounted Berserk variant. Killing them or the boss can drop Dwarven Armor (needs the 'Dwarven Builders' mod to craft).📍 Dwarven castles & settlementsA May-2026 patch increased their spawns inside castles.✓ verified
S-Creatures (CUSTOM)Glowing 'S' variants — S-Trike, S-Magmasaurus, S-Maewing, S-Ankylosaurus — from the companion Creatures mod.📍 Across the map by typeMostly Premium-side; per-creature spots not documented.~ approx
Mega alphas (CUSTOM)Beefed-up 'Mega' variants with better loot, e.g. Mega Styracosaurus in the easy grassland.📍 Across difficulty zonesThe Mega/Berserk Brachiosaurus was REMOVED in a May-2026 patch.~ approx
Rock DrakeConfirmed by patch notes (spawns were tuned down), and it glides — so it fits the no-fly design.📍 Aberrant underground / nestExact nest spot not in public data — unverified.⚠ unverified
Yutyrannus / Andrewsarchus / DeinonychusYuty rules the cold zones; Andrewsarchus and Deinonychus both have dedicated spawns.📍 Snow/mountain (Yuty); cliff nests (Deinonychus)~ approx
GiganotosaurusVersion-dependent — listed on ASA aggregator maps, but the free Testversion explicitly excludes it.📍 High-difficulty interior, if presentConfirm for your specific build.⚠ unverified
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Bosses & end-game

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Dinopithecus KingCustom boss added ~May 2026 (the Lost Island Dinopithecus reused here). Drops Dwarven Armor — craftable only with the 'Dwarven Builders' mod. Summoned via the standard tribute terminal.📍 Arena + tribute requirements not publicly documentedBoss exists (patch notes); how/where to summon on this map is unverified.~ approx
Island artifacts & bosses (free build)The free Testversion advertises all 10 Island artifacts and artifact caves, implying Island-style boss tributes may be wired up.📍 Artifact caves across the mapInferred from the listing — confirm which bosses are actually summonable.⚠ unverified
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Obelisks, terminals & the Forge

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Terminals (~11)Around 11 terminals cover the inventory-upload and boss-summon role.📍 Distributed; pins on the interactive map~ approx
Cross-ARK transferSupported — but any flyer you bring in becomes unmountable (see the no-fly rule). Bring ground mounts and gliders.📍 Terminals / obelisks✓ verified
Dwarven Forge (CUSTOM station)The key custom structure — processes Mithril + Energy Crystal into dwarven materials. Found inside settlements.📍 Dwarven settlements map-wideCommunity-reported forges near 67/48 and 60/59 (single source).~ approx
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Caves & dungeons

A cave-heavy map — and with no flyers, you can't cheese them from above.

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Cave network~17 caves, 10 artifacts, 25 loot crates, 80 explorer notes. The high-value resource caves (metal / crystal / black-pearl / element-shard) cluster in one corner.📍 Throughout + a resource-cave corner✓ verified
Cryopods DISABLED in cavesBig gotcha — you can't deploy cryopodded dinos inside caves. Walk them in.📍 All cavesRaises cave-run difficulty considerably.✓ verified
Dwarven castlesRaidable PvE strongholds full of hostile dwarves — effectively dungeon-style loot encounters with forge access.📍 Several settlement POIs~ approx
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Getting started

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
Spawn in the grasslandsSafest start: tame herbivores, easy tames (Ovis/Moschops) and metal/crystal close by — metal is everywhere, so early metal tools are trivial.📍 Central / lower grasslandsAvoid snow/mountain and dark-water until geared.~ approx
Get a GROUND mount early (no flyers!)Zero flyers — prioritise Raptor → Sabertooth/Carno, then Direwolf / Megaloceros / Equus for travel and Therizino / Megatherium for resources. A Maewing still glides.📍 —✓ verified
Don't bring flyers via transferTransferred flyers can't be mounted here — bring ground dinos and gliders instead.📍 —✓ verified
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Mechanics & gotchas

WhatDetails & rough locationConfidence
No-fly map (hard rule)Flyers don't spawn and can't be enabled or mounted — even transferred ones. Gliders (Maewing, Rock Drake) still work. It's intentional, to keep travel and danger meaningful.📍 Whole map✓ verified
Companion modsFull experience expects the Svartalfheim Creatures mod (S-Dinos / Mega alphas) and 'Dwarven Builders' (needed to craft Dwarven Armor and dwarven structures).📍 —✓ verified
Tek armor disabledA community vote reportedly disabled Tek armor on the map.📍 Whole mapSingle source — may have been reverted; verify in your build.~ approx
Paid vs freeThe actively-updated build (Premium) is a paid mod; free Testversions lag and exclude some content.📍 —✓ verified
Recently changed / version notes:

⚠️ What to double-check in-game

Mod maps move things between updates and a lot of the detail isn't published anywhere authoritative. We flagged the uncertain stuff inline above (look for the ~ approx / ⚠ unverified badges); here's the short list worth confirming in-game or on the live interactive map:

Sources we cross-checked

More ARK mod-map guides

Amissa →Forglar →

Svartalfheim (ARK) — FAQ

Is Svartalfheim free?
Partly. There are free Testversion builds on CurseForge (PC, and Crossplay/Console), but they lag behind and their own descriptions say custom dinos, flyers and Giganotosaurus aren't planned for them. The actively-developed version with the custom creatures and boss is Svartalfheim Premium, which is a paid mod.
Does Svartalfheim have flyers?
No — it's a no-fly map. Flyers don't spawn, can't be force-enabled, and any flyer you transfer in becomes unmountable. Gliders still work (Maewing glides, Rock Drake glides), so plan around fast ground mounts: Raptor → Sabertooth/Carno early, then Direwolf, Megaloceros or Equus for travel.
What is Mithril and the Dwarven Forge?
Mithril is the map's signature custom ore (found in caves and on cliff/plateau faces). You can't use it raw — you refine Mithril ore plus Energy Crystal at a Dwarven Forge (found inside dwarven settlements) into Mithril Ingot/Alloy for the dwarven gear tier. To craft the Dwarven Armor that the boss/dwarves drop, you also need the separate 'Dwarven Builders' mod.
Who made Svartalfheim, and is it the same as Fjordur?
It's by Nekatus, who also made Fjordur — both lean Norse, but they're different maps. Importantly, Svartalfheim does not use Fjordur's named realms (Midgard/Vanaheim/Asgard/Jotunheim); its regions are generic biomes (grassland, jungle, redwoods, snow, ocean, aberrant underground).
Where do I find metal / resources on Svartalfheim?
Metal is everywhere (~5,400+ nodes) plus a dedicated metal cave, so early metal is trivial. Crystal, obsidian, oil, pearls and element are all present too, with the richest stuff grouped in a resource-cave corner. For exact node pins, use the live interactive Svartalfheim map — the custom-resource coords in particular aren't published anywhere authoritative.
What mods do I need to run Svartalfheim properly?
The map itself, plus its companions for the full experience: the Svartalfheim Creatures mod (the S-Dinos and Mega alpha variants) and Dwarven Builders (the dwarven structures, and required to craft Dwarven Armor from boss/dwarf loot). On a free Testversion some of this content isn't included.