What do the stars mean?
Just below a creature's nameplate you see nothing or a number of yellow Stars. There is no information in the game world that tells you exactly what these stars are, but based on experimentation it appears to be this entity. level. If they don't have one, it means the monster is in its default rank or level. Having 1 star means it's already improved, having 2 even more, and so on.
Some tests show that a monster's level increases some of its stats. For example, they have more HP and hit a lot harder. However, they don't seem to take less damage, so when it comes to armor, it looks like it stays the same. Another notable difference is that upgraded monsters drop significantly more loot than their default counterparts. However, I haven't seen any new material, so it's only the amount that changes.
How to find higher level creatures.
Finding monsters or animals with multiple stars is actually something random. If I'm not mistaken, after defeating some bosses, this is when you start to locate higher level beasts. Before I was done with The Elder, I barely noticed a monster with more stars on it. After defeating Moder, I seem to find more and more higher level critters.
In addition, their appearance seems to change as they get more stars, indicating their "evolution". Wild boars, for example, have a different color scheme, alongside more tusks coming out of their mouths. It's still unclear if there are any other changes while having multiple stars, so we'll have to wait and find out in the future.
Valheim is now available via Steam Early Access.
