Copper is the first major metal supply. Turn early veins into bars for workbenches, tools, and the equipment that opens the next resource tier.
PC / Global, 1.0+
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Dirt walls and veins in the Undergrounds around the Core; Copper boulders are found in the Forgotten Ruins.
Hand-mined Copper Ore gives a new world its first dependable metal stock. Small veins support immediate crafting; a discovered boulder can become a long-running drill site later.
Furnace for turning gathered ore into Copper Bars.
Drills and a power source only if you are setting up a boulder later.
Starting at the Core, open short branches into nearby Dirt tunnels and look for copper-colored ore in the walls.
Mine visible Copper veins and collect the dropped ore before moving farther along the branch.
Return to the Core area when your inventory is crowded, keeping ore together for smelting.
Place ore in a Furnace and collect the resulting Copper Bars.
Use bars for the next workbench and tools, then keep exploring the inner biomes for further metal tiers.
If you discover a Copper boulder in the Forgotten Ruins, mark its location; once you can craft Drills, return to make it a passive supply.
Farming tips
Use the map to record a boulder, since it cannot be mined with a pickaxe.
Keep some Copper Bars available for crafting stations before spending the entire stock on equipment.
Repeat, collect and use
Hand-mining repeats wherever Copper-bearing walls remain. A boulder is a finite automated source: it yields 1,800 ore total, after which that site is exhausted.
Common mistakes
Trying to pickaxe a boulder: it is drill-only. Mark it and return with Drills and power.
Smelting every piece before checking workbench needs: reserve bars for the next station and essential tools.
Searching only in one straight tunnel: the world is generated differently, so branch and follow discovered copper walls.
When to stop or switch
Switch to Iron or Tin once you have enough Copper Bars for your next station and core tools; retain any extra for repairs or recipes you already plan to craft.
