If the trolls are an issue, Stealth+Bow from a distance. I will take a couple minutes of running away and shooting but the troll wont hit you (if you keep relative distance, the rocks they throw are as easy to dodge as the ones greydwarfs throw.) The 2nd boss will be easy with similar attack way as the trolls (especially if your solo). Other than that, what the others said. Scout, scour, prep- Boss should be the last 'new' thing of that biome.

Just make a bed and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sleep in it. EZ

If the trolls are an issue, Stealth+Bow from a distance. I will take a couple minutes of running away and shooting but the troll wont hit you (if you keep relative distance, the rocks they throw are as easy to dodge as the ones greydwarfs throw.) The 2nd boss will be easy with similar attack way as the trolls (especially if your solo). Other than that, what the others said. Scout, scour, prep- Boss should be the last 'new' thing of that biome.

Originally posted by J-&Dre:

Originally posted by muffins:

What biome are you planting them in? Most crops are biome sensitive. The meadows will grow carrots and turnips, while the plains will grow flax and wheat.

I am planting them in a meadow in a cultivated field. But that doesn't make any sense though, as the carrot seeds i gathered is from Black Forrest.

Edit: Some people suggested it is because it needs a workbench. This seems to be true. I finally harvested both seeds and carrots now. Weird that you actually need workbench for that. Looks weird with a table standing in a field.

Any base zone object will do. They just need to be in the 20m base zone. Stops them despawning/enemies spawning on them. ( https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Player_base )
Make a small tool shed.
Carrots can grow anywhere cultivated. Turnips anywhere but mountains. Flax and Barley Plains only.

The key point I think will cause you to fail is the mindset of thinking you need to beat the next boss to progress.

The way I see it is you beat the boss for the current area when you are already ready to tackle the next area.

Scout for food
Upgrade your gear
Then you should be scouting for a Swamp area <you want to find one with crypts near a black forest copper patch to make life easy>
Scout out Swamp for food items
Set up base by swamp and copper to prep for Iron

THEN you kill the boss of the black forest.
If you are struggling to just make a foothold in the Black Forest you shouldn't be looking to beat the boss. He will not drop anything useful to you if you can't survive the black forest yet.

Avoid rafting in ... scout around on foot and find some copper near the edge of a meadow by some water. That will be an optimum place to start your black forest incursion.

Just make a bed and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sleep in it. EZ

Originally posted by J-&Dre:

I am struggling like crazy to get to the second boss, as it is a huge detour by land and everywhere I land my raft, a troll shows up after I start prepping for a temp base, so I don't have to corpse run for days to get back.

This last time I was welcomed by a 1 star troll, one-shotting me. I feel I am very under geared but to progress I probably need to take this boss. I feel the game have abruptly come to a grinding stop.

1 - Build a boat. It only costs 80 bronze nails (plus wood and deer hide) and is 800% better.
2 - 10 tin ingots builds you a cooking pot. Jam is nice. Carrot soup is great for stamina. You can also make worts for brewing for putting into brewing barrels (needs bronze) to make potions. Get a big carrot farm going.
3 - Make a finewood bow and upgrade it (you might need core wood - chop down a pine tree for it).
4 - Use both fire and flint arrows and switch between them. Use the fire arrows just to keep the enemy on fire since their damage is over time, while flint has higher piercing damage which trolls are weak against.
5 - Build a second boat, because boats are awesome.

I tried to grow carrots earlier but they keep disappearing. I have a fence around it, with no gap.

Do they require a specific time to be harvested, much like roasting, when meats turn into coal? Could be a bug. They say healthy so I have no idea what might be wrong.

So I kind of gave up.

If you plant them too close they will die. You need about a floor-tile area or more between each plant for them to grow, otherwise they disappear.

Originally posted by muffins:

If you plant them too close they will die. You need about a floor-tile area or more between each plant for them to grow, otherwise they disappear.

I have. They say healthy.

What biome are you planting them in? Most crops are biome sensitive. The meadows will grow carrots and turnips, while the plains will grow flax and wheat.

Originally posted by muffins:

What biome are you planting them in? Most crops are biome sensitive. The meadows will grow carrots and turnips, while the plains will grow flax and wheat.

I am planting them in a meadow in a cultivated field. But that doesn't make any sense though, as the carrot seeds i gathered is from Black Forrest.

Edit: Some people suggested it is because it needs a workstation. This seems to be true. I finally harvested both seeds and carrots now. Weird that you actually need workstation for that. Looks weird with a table standing in a field.

At this point you should be able to mine tin and copper with the antler pickaxe, and grab a few surtling cores from the burial chambers to make a charcoal kiln/smelter to smelt that copper and tin, and finally make bronze bars. Aside from making bronze gear you can also make bronze nails which will allow you to make a Karve, which will serve you way better than a raft.

For trolls you may want to make Fire arrows, they use fairly common materials, and you will need them for the second boss anyway.

Be sure to stock up on decent food! At your game progress I'd suggest cooked meat/neck tails/queens jam.

I have farmed a lot of tin and copper, made bronze armor/weapons, better bow and got plenty of fire arrows but it is more to do with the fact I can't save, in case things goes south. And have plenty of food. I farmed boars and necks, although just fruit, like cranberries and blueberries, not jam. No idea how to make that.

This games requires a lot of time gathering resources and the thought of loosing all that gear would be quite demoralizing. That and the fact that you can only carry like 24-25 ores at the time, makes this even a greater loss if I should die so far from a saving point.

One of the challenges with the black forest is the very steep terrain covered in bushes and things that will trap you within the trolls range. I really don't see how I could traverse all the way up to the boss site without having some temporary save point nearby.

If you're going for the 2nd boss you should already have troll armor or bronze armor (go troll armor, more mobility, barely less armor, way less grind) plus bronze weapons and a fine wood bow. You should be able to avoid getting into melee range with any troll and take them down with arrows. You also have the ability to make portals and you certainly shouldn't be using a raft but a karve. Food wise you should be well stocked on carrot soup and meats (from setting up a farm and boar pen), various potions, and even one of the best foods in the game currently, serpent stew. These are all things accessible with just the first 2 biomes.
If you haven't done all of this you are indeed under geared, which is still entirely doable by a skilled player, but definitely not suggested if you are still struggling against trolls.
Valheim is very much a game where you are rewarded for patience and work with a much easier experience, and not meant to be rushed through.

Not sure if anyone said it, but you can upgrade gear too. Level 1 vs level 3 weapons and armor is a big difference.
the forest is arguably the toughest zone -- it introduces you to the game more than the meadows, which is a joke. The rest of the game, it will be about grinding up a set of gear and food to survive the next area, and long lasting rested buff as well.

what did you miss?
sounds like you did not make a cooking pot, its from tin ore. you can make jam and other good foods with it.
nails open up a number of items too, not just that boat.

Originally posted by jonnin:

Not sure if anyone said it, but you can upgrade gear too. Level 1 vs level 3 weapons and armor is a big difference.
the forest is arguably the toughest zone -- it introduces you to the game more than the meadows, which is a joke. The rest of the game, it will be about grinding up a set of gear and food to survive the next area, and long lasting rested buff as well.

what did you miss?
sounds like you did not make a cooking pot, its from tin ore. you can make jam and other good foods with it.
nails open up a number of items too, not just that boat.

My gear is maxed out by upgrades. Bronze armor and weapon + troll hide cape.

The pot sounds like the missing piece actually. I missed that upgrade. =) I will try.

I have killed many trolls, but the range and damage they do, mostly because of being unlucky, makes a save point closer a bit more forgiving. I made and outgrew the troll armor. It is just it is so far away that next boss. I really can't see the point of running, by land it is several days as there is an ocean between.