⛏️ Mining loop
Use the ore in the crafting recipes, choose stations from the production guide and check the resource map before making another trip.
Pin the destination, gather a small sample, and return to test the smelting or crafting output. If the material is not accepted, verify the recipe, station and progression gate before farming more. A complete loop ends with a visible new bar, tool, station or quest requirement satisfied.
The shortest iron route
Start with a 
Bronze Pickaxe or better and search for 
Iron Ore Nodes in the Stormtouched Highlands, Chaktan Kara or Fellhollow. Mine one sample before committing to a full trip, then return to a 
Furnace . The current recipe uses 3 Iron Ore for 1 Iron Bar and requires Artisan 10. Plan the complete route—node → pickaxe → Furnace → bar—not only the ore location.
| Goal | Check before leaving | Completion signal |
|---|---|---|
| Mine iron ore | Bronze pickaxe or better; enough weight space | Iron Ore appears in the inventory |
| Smelt an iron bar | Furnace available; 3 ore reserved per bar; Artisan 10 | Furnace produces Iron Bar |
| Refill an iron route | Node region recorded | Node returns after the listed three in-game days while the player is away from the node |
If the node is empty, do not immediately change regions and farm blindly. First check the three-day respawn condition, distance from the node and whether a built object is directly on it. If the bar is not accepted by the target craft, check whether the recipe needs Iron Ore, Iron Bar or another intermediate.
Plan mining around the next craft
Mining supplies ores, minerals and gems for armour, weapons, building and Runecrafting. Milestone spells such as Rocksplosion and Summon Stone Spirits change the best route as the skill develops. Choose ore by the station and upgrade it enables, not by the ore name alone.
Run a small sample loop first. Pin the node or region, bring the appropriate pickaxe, leave weight capacity for ore, return to the furnace or target station, and confirm that the output is accepted. If the recipe rejects the material, check whether the item is an ore, bar or other intermediate and whether the station or skill gate is the real missing condition.
Route metals by upgrade priority
Separate metal collection into three goals: a tool that opens a new resource tier, a station or bar that opens production, and equipment that raises combat readiness. The same ore may be needed for weapons, armour, building and Runecrafting, so choose the craft that removes your current progression bottleneck and reserve the rest for later upgrades.
Before mining, check the pickaxe tier, destination region, weight capacity, return shelter and smelting station. Gather a sample, process it into the exact bar or intermediate, and test the next craft. If the bar is accepted but the tool remains unavailable, inspect skill or quest requirements instead of collecting more ore. This confirms the whole upgrade loop before you spend time on a full mining run.
Region-to-resource shortcuts
Mine Copper Ore in the Fractured Plains; Tin Ore in the Fractured Plains or Stormtouched Highlands; Iron Ore and Granite in Stormtouched Highlands; Gold Ore and Silver Ore in Bloodblight Swamp; and Opal in the Fractured Plains or Stormtouched Highlands.
| Material | Main source | Tool | First useful output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Ore | Copper Deposits · Fractured Plains | Bone Pickaxe or better | Bronze Bar with Tin Ore |
| Tin Ore | Tin Deposits · Fractured Plains and Stormtouched Highlands | Bone Pickaxe or better | Bronze Bar with Copper Ore |
| Iron Ore | Iron Deposits · Stormtouched Highlands, Chaktan Kara and Fellhollow | Bronze Pickaxe or better | Iron Bar at a Furnace |
| Granite | Granite Deposits · Stormtouched Highlands | Bronze Pickaxe or better | Construction materials and Ground Granite |
| Gold Ore | Gold Deposits · Bloodblight Swamp | Region-appropriate pickaxe | Gold Bar at a Furnace |
| Silver Ore | Silver Deposits · Bloodblight Swamp | Region-appropriate pickaxe | Silver Bar at a Furnace |
| Opal | Tin Deposit routes · Fractured Plains and Stormtouched Highlands | Matching pickaxe | Advanced crafting |
For the first metal chain, mine Copper Ore and Tin Ore for Bronze Bars at a Furnace, then use Iron Ore for Iron Bars when the journal opens the iron tier. Bring the correct pickaxe and leave storage space for ore; picking up loose stones is not a substitute for mining a deposit when the recipe requires ore.
The ore route is ready when
You are ready for a full run when you can choose the next ore by upgrade priority, carry the correct tool, process a sample and confirm the resulting bar or intermediate. If the material is rejected, check the recipe, station, skill and quest in that order.