Metal and mineral nodes
Metal Ore on The Island
Metal ore becomes metal ingots at a forge and supports advanced tools, weapons, structures, and crafting stations.
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Metal Ore on The Island
Metal nodes marked on The Island resource map, especially deposits in mountain regions. Choose a cluster that fits your mount, equipment, and return route.
Before you go
- A pick, or a tamed Ankylosaurus for node harvesting.
- A mount or enough carrying capacity to transport ore.
- A forge and fuel at base if you intend to smelt the ore.
Farming steps
- Open the Metal layer on The Island resource map and select a cluster reachable from your current base or staging point.
- Use the in-game map to navigate to the chosen area. Check the mini-map against your intended location as you approach.
- Look over the route and nearby threats before dismounting or unloading a harvesting tame.
- Mine metal-rich nodes with a pick, or use an Ankylosaurus to harvest them.
- Check your inventory and the carrier's weight before continuing to more nodes.
- Return along the route you prepared, keeping enough capacity for the load and an unexpected detour.
- At base, place the ore in a forge with fuel and collect the ingots when processing completes.
- The ASA map displays may not align: compare the in-game mini-map with the full-map waypoint rather than trusting a single coordinate readout.
- A smaller trip you can safely finish is more useful than filling a carrier on a route you cannot complete.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeat the map-to-node-to-forge loop whenever you need more metal. Each trip gathers a new load; ore must still be smelted into ingots before it serves recipes that require ingots.
Common mistakes
- Treating a full-map waypoint as an exact mini-map coordinate: verify the landmark and adjust as you travel.
- Filling the carrier before checking the return path: leave capacity and turn back when travel becomes unsafe.
- Confusing ore with ingots: bring ore to a fueled forge and collect the processed output.
When to stop or switch
Stop mining when your carrier reaches a safe load limit, the route becomes dangerous, or you have enough ore for the next batch of ingots.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.