Night time or if it's storming day or night. They appear.

you're going to want to work towards hunting lox, leeches, mining guck, collecting barley as soon as you're in plains, etc.

A lot of later game food is going to give you +70/75 hp & stamina, and by mistlands, you'll be eating stuff that gives you even more of a buff

and you'll want to start fermenting potions as soon as you can build a fermenter (which I believe requires iron, I think....)

Actually helpful. Thanks!

Originally posted by Fleshling:

Originally posted by diuminau:

I wish I could find sea serpents more frequently.
I mark the places I encounter them on the map, but when I go back, most of the time, they don't spawn again.
I've also had 2 get away mid-fight because dawn happened and they just slithered off rather than finish fighting me.
You can only (as far as I know) make the deep fish bait with their trophies... which you have to kill them to find.
If anyone knows a way (besides sailing around at night and/or storm - because I do that) to make them spawn or find them more often, I'd be happy for the advice.

You can find an island close to the ocean biome on your map. Raise the land as far out as you can, and then build a dock with iron beams out into the ocean. Now just run back and forth on the dock. Every time you cross into the ocean biome you have a chance to trigger a spawn. When one appears, harpoon it and drag it onto the island.

That sounds like something I need to try just for fun but isn´t there any cooldown on the serpent spawns?

https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Spawn_zones

Example used is the serpent, go figure.

they DID provide the best food in the game. now they dont anymore. still a very good food of course but not the best anymore after metalands got released it took over all food spots.

Originally posted by diuminau:

I wish I could find sea serpents more frequently.
I mark the places I encounter them on the map, but when I go back, most of the time, they don't spawn again.
I've also had 2 get away mid-fight because dawn happened and they just slithered off rather than finish fighting me.
You can only (as far as I know) make the deep fish bait with their trophies... which you have to kill them to find.
If anyone knows a way (besides sailing around at night and/or storm - because I do that) to make them spawn or find them more often, I'd be happy for the advice.

You can find an island close to the ocean biome on your map. Raise the land as far out as you can, and then build a dock with iron beams out into the ocean. Now just run back and forth on the dock. Every time you cross into the ocean biome you have a chance to trigger a spawn. When one appears, harpoon it and drag it onto the island.

Originally posted by Hobo Misanthropus:

that honor belongs to Misthare Supreme. Under that is a tie for 2nd between Honey-glazed Chicken and Meat Platter, and in a close 3rd (Providing the same HP/STAM as the Chicken/Meat platter, but lower HP regen)"

I have yet to find mistlands on my seed. Been looking. Probably the most time I spend in game right now is sailing into the unknown looking for mistlands biomes.

From the responses, there isn't any other way to find serpents than what I've already been doing. I don't usually have problems killing them, other than them taking off before the killing stroke.
I use a harpoon. I drag them to the shallows.
I play solo most of the time, so hauling them up the beach then running back to get some whacks in before they swim back out can be a challenge, but I usually manage. I do like the idea of having leeches help. They're also a great food source.
Hoping to find mistlands soon, but it would be nice to be able to call up (or have a higher chance to raise) serpents when needed.
Ah well. Thanks for the responses.

you may also want to create a 'killing field' for them.
maybe try a large gently sloped terrain coming in from the sea to shore, and then from shore to sea, have it be a sheer cliff face like shape. Think fish-hook, terrain style. Then you drag it over the slope and it gets stuck in there for fighting?
you would have to go back to EXACTLY THERE when you catch one, so you need to find a consistent nightspawn serpent and a suitable place to kill it etc. Then you can return every few days and score at least 1. May have to repeat all this in a few places?

Disclaimer, I have not done this, its just the seed of an idea for you.

My main problem is not being able to find them in the first place.

you're going to want to work towards hunting lox, leeches, mining guck, collecting barley as soon as you're in plains, etc.

A lot of later game food is going to give you +70/75 hp & stamina, and by mistlands, you'll be eating stuff that gives you even more of a buff

and you'll want to start fermenting potions as soon as you can build a fermenter (which I believe requires iron, I think....)

Night time or if it's storming day or night. They appear.

Well, just to make sure you know, serpent stew is not the best food in the game (Health food, I assume you mean) that honor belongs to Misthare Supreme. Under that is a tie for 2nd between Honey-glazed Chicken and Meat Platter, and in a close 3rd (Providing the same HP/STAM as the Chicken/Meat platter, but lower HP regen) is Serpent stew.

The Serpent stew's big advantage is how early it's available.

If you want to find serpents, just sail, that's all there really is to it. They're most common at night during a storm, but some do spawn during the day, only once however, when that serpent is killed it will no longer spawn (but night/storm serpents still will)

Sailing at night, in a storm

There's storm serpents and night serpents, storm serpents don't go away when the rain finishes. Also, try to find a spot with multiple Serpents and the spawner will be close by for you to activate when it turns night. Hunt on the borders of a swamp biome since the leeches will help you take out the Serpents faster and they usually have shallow water. You should be able to grab 3 Serpents a night if you find a swamp with multiple nearby spawners.

harpoon is very useful

its not the best food in the game, its mid tier food available earlier than anything else if you are able to handle killing one early game.

the deep fish can be grabbed off the shore without the bait if you just want the item. If you want to actually fish them, its going to be an effort to get some trophies.

We encountered one sea serpent during the daytime and in lovely weather. I marked the spot in case they spawn in the area at times.

It's possible that one spotted us on our last voyage and hung around for a couple days in the waters we sailed to and from a huge swamp biome.

Thank you all for your input. I've decided to go back and check my serpent spots at night lol.

Originally posted by blankitosonic:

I marked a lot of spots too ( like 8 ) but i notice that them spawns in any point in particular ( one of these just worked again 1 time after 100 days THATS i call random ) , only happens because that 5% works on that 64x64 square , after that have to wait 1000s to respawn if dont ( because when u enter in each square that 5% maybe not make the respawn but enters in cooldown ) just have to wait again or go to another spot
In the end them are pretty random in their respawn , only go for them at night and thats all , if u missed one maybe u will see that same one at daytime with some luck

I think the biggest benefit to marking spots is that you know for certain there is a possibility for a serpent to spawn there. That's half the battle. Hunting 101 - go to where you know the prey will show up, then play the odds from there , right?

Originally posted by blankitosonic:

Originally posted by hazelrah:

they primarily spawn at night, also in storms. they will spawn in the same place, so mark your map. they will despawn at dawn.

them dont despawn , stays there or in the zone until been hunted ( that one that you miss or think that despawn at dawn are just swimming away , can be encountered again in daytime without rains because was already spawned of one of they 3 requeriments to spawn ), and them not spawn in the same place , already test that a lot of time , only have 5% of spawn at night in each 64mx64m squares in the ocean, can spawn too in daytime if there is raining or storming , being night time just adds other 5% to the normal 5% = 10% of spawn if its night time and storm/rains
all that its in the game codes and its true

i've literally watched them despawn in front of me. i've also had two spawn almost on top of one another despite their 50 meter suppression. i say mark your map. i've been able to reliably farm serpents in those areas where they have previously spawned.

Originally posted by hazelrah:

Originally posted by blankitosonic:

them dont despawn , stays there or in the zone until been hunted ( that one that you miss or think that despawn at dawn are just swimming away , can be encountered again in daytime without rains because was already spawned of one of they 3 requeriments to spawn ), and them not spawn in the same place , already test that a lot of time , only have 5% of spawn at night in each 64mx64m squares in the ocean, can spawn too in daytime if there is raining or storming , being night time just adds other 5% to the normal 5% = 10% of spawn if its night time and storm/rains
all that its in the game codes and its true

i've literally watched them despawn in front of me. i've also had two spawn almost on top of one another despite their 50 meter suppression. i say mark your map. i've been able to reliably farm serpents in those areas where they have previously spawned.

I did not see them desapwn, but yes, they definitly despawn~. Happens a few times to me. Watched the entire area for them as i came back, but nope, gone~.

I marked a lot of spots too ( like 8 ) but i notice that them spawns in any point in particular ( one of these just worked again 1 time after 100 days THATS i call random ) , only happens because that 5% works on that 64x64 square , after that have to wait 1000s to respawn if dont ( because when u enter in each square that 5% maybe not make the respawn but enters in cooldown ) just have to wait again or go to another spot
In the end them are pretty random in their respawn , only go for them at night and thats all , if u missed one maybe u will see that same one at daytime with some luck

they primarily spawn at night, also in storms. they will spawn in the same place, so mark your map. they will despawn at dawn.

Originally posted by hazelrah:

they primarily spawn at night, also in storms. they will spawn in the same place, so mark your map. they will despawn at dawn.

them dont despawn , stays there or in the zone until been hunted ( that one that you miss or think that despawn at dawn are just swimming away , can be encountered again in daytime without rains because was already spawned of one of they 3 requeriments to spawn ), and them not spawn in the same place , already test that a lot of time , only have 5% of spawn at night in each 64mx64m squares in the ocean, can spawn too in daytime if there is raining or storming , being night time just adds other 5% to the normal 5% = 10% of spawn if its night time and storm/rains
all that its in the game codes and its true

Depends ... I think the way it works is that the ones that spawn at night will despawn at sunrise. The ones that spawn during the day in storms will stay.

I have not verified that personally though.

I wouldn't count on it, just make sure your in an ocean biome and night time helps aswell. You could also have some fun and drag a deer behind your boat with the harpoon and pretend it's bait for the serpent

If you kill that serpent nope , if u see a serpent but dont notice u , will stay in that area until u kill her ( day or night time ) , them dont spawn in an area in particular only in ocean biome at night/rains/storms